Brake rotor/pad replacement notes

[GregorioJL]

Recently replaced rotors/pads with a PowerStop kit. Not for wear, if yours are like mine, there was plenty left.

The process is fairly straightforward, however there are a couple of items if you're going to attempt this you may want to be aware of, particularly if you're in an area where there are road treatments in the winter (corrosion).

The rotor retaining bolts should be considered non-reusable. They're only a few bucks. Don't bother with an impact screwdriver, just drill them out (unless you're in an arid climate). It's fairly easy because the bolt head is flat, and when that is shaved off the rotor can come off, then you have full access to work on the remainder of the bolt. Twist it all the way through and/or heat it up with a torch.

The front rotors removed ok with a few bangs. The rears were completely seized. There's a ton of stories out there about people doing crazy stuff, and it isn't the parking brake. See the photo of the rotor, there is about 3/4" where it contacts the wheel assembly behind the lug nuts and it is fused. If you don't want to do crazy there is a rotor/drum removal tool that will do the trick. It took about 300 lbs with a 1/2" impact wrench (or a breaker) then they just pop off. Rather violently so don't forget to put a couple of lug nuts on first. You also need a ratchet strap to hold it together. The tool is about $110 and a 1 1/4" wrench and 1 1/4" impact socket are about $50.

That's about it!

https://www.astrotools.com/heavy-duty-hub-drum-and-rotor-puller-kit.html

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[blnewt]

Did you notice decent braking improvement w/ the Powerstop pads? I'm probably going to do a pad swap soon, my rotors are fine so pads should do it. Wish other performance brake pads would be available for our Jeeps.

IMO it's crazy that we only have a few choices for more aggressive brake pads~Stop Tech, EBC, Hawk have yet to make pads for the JLs

A good % of Jeep owners add plenty of weight, especially bigger wheels & tires, so having brake pads that actually have some bite should sell extremely well I'd think

 

[GregorioJL]

Did you notice decent braking improvement w/ the Powerstop pads? I'm probably going to do a pad swap soon, my rotors are fine so pads should do it. Wish other performance brake pads would be available for our Jeeps.

IMO it's crazy that we only have a few choices for more aggressive brake pads~Stop Tech, EBC, Hawk have yet to make pads for the JLs

A good % of Jeep owners add plenty of weight, especially bigger wheels & tires, so having brake pads that actually have some bite should sell extremely well I'd think

Yeah, they have a good bite. I haven't done a high speed test yet but the 40-0 was nice. I never stressed the old gear but if you're pulling something in the mountains this would be useful.

I like cryo-rotors but they are like $180 per for a Jeep so the PowerStop kits are a pretty good deal.

 

[CarbonSteel]

I picked a front and rear set for mine dirt cheap a while back even though I do not need them yet, the deal ($30 for both sets) was too good to pass up.

When I did my first tire rotation at 5K, I removed the rotor retention screws, put a dab of anti-seize on them and re-installed them to prevent the issue you describe. I had a foreign car years ago that had the same screws that nearly took a grenade to remove so I headed that off at the pass.

 

[GregorioJL]

I picked a front and rear set for mine dirt cheap a while back even though I do not need them yet, the deal ($30 for both sets) was too good to pass up.

When I did my first tire rotation at 5K, I removed the rotor retention screws, put a dab of anti-seize on them and re-installed them to prevent the issue you describe. I had a foreign car years ago that had the same screws that nearly took a grenade to remove so I headed that off at the pass.

Yeah but the retaining bolts, the threads of the end of the bolt are exposed to a fairly harsh environment. Antisieze isn't going to help when it's corroded. It's basically a throwaway, like an exhaust bolt. Putting antisieze on the wheel hub before installing the rotor will definitely help if you don't want to bang like a caveman next time though.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Yeah but the retaining bolts, the threads of the end of the bolt are exposed to a fairly harsh environment. Antisieze isn't going to help when it's corroded. It's basically a throwaway, like an exhaust bolt. Putting antisieze on the wheel hub before installing the rotor will definitely help if you don't want to bang like a caveman next time though.

I assume in a non-salt environment this is far less of an issue though. I did not look to see how far the bolts extend out of the plate they are threaded into so if they are like you say, then it could be a corrosion issue down the road, but time will tell.

 

[GregorioJL]

I assume in a non-salt environment this is far less of an issue though. I did not look to see how far the bolts extend out of the plate they are threaded into so if they are like you say, then it could be a corrosion issue down the road, but time will tell.

Yeah in a dry environment the retaining bolt should come out. I would still replace it though. It's only rated for 15 lbs so going it can get messed up in removal. If the torx bit were one size up and a bit deeper it would be better.

 

[CarbonSteel]

Yeah in a dry environment the retaining bolt should come out. I would still replace it though. It's only rated for 15 lbs so going it can get messed up in removal. If the torx bit were one size up and a bit deeper it would be better.

Yep; agree on replacing, for me it was just ensuring they would be easy to get out after X miles and years.

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