Brake life? Brake upgrades?

[GATORB8]

Hello, when you mention the Hawk pads, do you mean the "Talon" package, if not, can you elaborate please...I'm at 42k plus, owned my jeep 3 mos, so not sure where I'm at yet baseline wise, with the shocks, brakes etc...stops with a slight pull to the left, wondered if my steering stabilizer needs upgrading, cuz it's balanced and aligned? thanks

That may be suspension related, not brake. Check your CA bushings.

Sponsored

 

[Bullwinkle]

That may be suspension related, not brake. Check your CA bushings.

ok, thanks...That brings up next wormhole, lol, I don't want/need rock crawler shocks but would like better than mall crawler shocks, and does that mean coil mod also, any thoughts?

 

[GATORB8]

ok, thanks...That brings up next wormhole, lol, I don't want/need rock crawler shocks but would like better than mall crawler shocks, and does that mean coil mod also, any thoughts?

Some mall crawlers have $5k resi setups, lol.

You can do shocks without modifying anything in the suspension. Coils and shacks are installed separately on JLs.

 

[Bullwinkle]

Some mall crawlers have $5k resi setups, lol.

You can do shocks without modifying anything in the suspension. Coils and shacks are installed separately on JLs.

Appreciate the patience, I'm still learning the shinbone is connected to the...so asking before making simple mistakes

 

[blnewt]

Hello, when you mention the Hawk pads, do you mean the "Talon" package, if not, can you elaborate please...I'm at 42k plus, owned my jeep 3 mos, so not sure where I'm at yet baseline wise, with the shocks, brakes etc...stops with a slight pull to the left, wondered if my steering stabilizer needs upgrading, cuz it's balanced and aligned? thanks

AFAIK Hawk only has a front pad set from what I've seen, I have yet to contact them regarding any rear pads or rotors. More than likely regarding brakes, having rotors turned (or even just scrubbed) combined w/ a true performance pad will result in a nice improvement in your stopping power and less fade.

 

[omnitonic]

I had to change out the rear pads at 20,000 miles. If you off road a lot, and do not turn off the traction control, the Jeep will eat up the rear brakes.

It's an interesting possibility. My gut says this probably isn't the answer, for two reasons. While the soil up on the ridges is sandy compared to the bottomless red clay down at lower altitudes, it's nowhere close to a beach or a sand dune. Also, as soon as the going gets the slightest bit rough, I put it in 4 low and stay there until I air up on the way home. This turns off traction control.

My vote is still for sticking calipers, but I'll get at look at this with my own eyes soon enough. I pick the Jeep up Monday. When I get home, I'm going to rotate the tires and have a look at the brakes with my own eyes.

 

[wibornz]

It's an interesting possibility. My gut says this probably isn't the answer, for two reasons. While the soil up on the ridges is sandy compared to the bottomless red clay down at lower altitudes, it's nowhere close to a beach or a sand dune. Also, as soon as the going gets the slightest bit rough, I put it in 4 low and stay there until I air up on the way home. This turns off traction control.

My vote is still for sticking calipers, but I'll get at look at this with my own eyes soon enough. I pick the Jeep up Monday. When I get home, I'm going to rotate the tires and have a look at the brakes with my own eyes.

Well I have almost 40,000 miles on the second set of rear brake pads. The only thing I did different is turn off traction control on the trail or out wheeling. By doing this I have already doubled the rear brake pads life. They still do not need to be changed.

 

[omnitonic]

Well I have almost 40,000 miles on the second set of rear brake pads. The only thing I did different is turn off traction control on the trail or out wheeling. By doing this I have already doubled the rear brake pads life. They still do not need to be changed.

The more I think about it, the more it does actually seem like it could be traction control. It's worth turning it off to see what happens. It's not like I can't drive a vehicle that doesn't have traction control.

I got my first taste of adverse driving conditions in a 1977 Pinto, in an icy parking lot. Dad told me to accelerate to 20 mph, then he yanked the hand brake, and said, "Try not to hit the light poles."

 

[wibornz]

The more I think about it, the more it does actually seem like it could be traction control. It's worth turning it off to see what happens. It's not like I can't drive a vehicle that doesn't have traction control.

I got my first taste of adverse driving conditions in a 1977 Pinto, in an icy parking lot. Dad told me to accelerate to 20 mph, then he yanked the hand brake, and said, "Try not to hit the light poles."

I only turn it off for off roading.

 

[Zandcwhite]

I only turn it off for off roading.

How does anyone ever wheel a JL with the traction control on? Twice I hit muddy spots on mundane dirt roads in 2wd, gave it throttle to keep momentum, and the Jeep cut power killing all forward progress. Thanks to the tazer, the traction control has been off ever since. I guess that explains why our stock brakes are holding up great at 43k miles?

 

[omnitonic]

I only turn it off for off roading.

I presently only turn it off for really slow off-roading. I was talking about turning it off basically any other time I'm off pavement. It's worth trying. It could extend the life of my brakes.

I still haven't figured out what I'm going to do about the brakes that are already worn out. After a quick check, it looks like getting parts could be a problem, and I might be driving The Beast™ longer than planned. Depends on how far gone the brakes actually are, too.

Heading off shortly to go pick up the Jeep. It feels kind of like Christmas morning, complete with the $2,000 bill for presents.

 

[omnitonic]

So it turned out I only had 11,500 miles on the Jeep, and the brakes were still covered. I pulled a wheel and eyeballed the brakes for myself, and I decided they had to be changed IMMEDIATELY. Not whenever I can get a service appointment. NOW!

The pins were well-lubricated, and I can't see these sticking. The rotors are almost new, and certainly haven't been worn down by sand and trail debris. It just looks like the pads they used on this thing are complete shit. Maybe traction control is a factor too. Damn if I know.

On the bright side, that was the easiest brake job I ever did in my life. I didn't have any instructions, and just winged it. I got both sides done in well under an hour.

Look at this shit! 11,500 miles!

They look a lot safer now.

I didn't research this to find the best pads, I just went with the pads I could get NOW! Carquest Platinum ceramic pads. We'll see how they do. In the long run, I'm probably going to upgrade the brakes to aftermarket.

I'm still piddling around with the break-in on the gears, so I don't have a good sense of how much I like 4.56 so far. My initial impression is I probably screwed up. I still have to drop to 4th gear on most hills, and now 4th gear is a gas sucker gear. Crap. This may improve as I get used to the new shift points though. One definite positive, it's much less obnoxious in reverse now.

Sponsored