kkarnage
Well-Known Member
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- #1
After having had good results from Progrip's Dynatrac Big Brake System on our two JKs, I was looking into similar systems for our JL, especially since we're towing with it, and generally carrying a lot more weight even without the trailer than we ever were on the JKs.
Progrip don't do a kit for the JL, but I found Teraflex's Delta System, and after a bit of research, decided to give it a go. Overall, beyond the marketing hype, it looked like a thoughtfully designed system: not just bigger rotors, which can never be a bad thing, but also having pots either side on the caliper for more evenly distributed pressure, and more of it. That one-person bleeding system was also pretty darn compelling.
The kit arrive in 4 boxes, each of which weighed quite a bit. One box for each of the rotor sets, and one for each of the caliper sets (Front and Rear). These are some big-ass rotors, let me tell you!
The printed instructions in the one box (I forget which one) were OK, but not fantastic. There is a really useful installation video online though, which I'd highly recommend watching once or twice before doing the install, and having on hand during the install. Also, as they mention, make sure you have plenty of brake fluid on hand, and tubing and a container to bleed with.
Front installation, at least on my rig, was probably the most time-consuming. It still has the stock brake lines, which for some reason never got the relocation kit when the lift kit went in, and so it took me the better part of 15-20 minutes with a vice grip and tongue-and-groove pliers to force open the bracket that attaches just under the spring perch to release the brake lines so that I could fit the Teraflex line relocation kit.
It also paid off to do the caliper & brake block assembly for front and rear units first, since they were ready to just bolt in once the fighting with the brackets was over instead of going back and forth. Attaching the front brake lines was pretty straight forward. The rear, less so, as it requires about a 1/4 turn twist, and there's not much play at all for the rear, so make sure to gently bend out the metal part as instructed for the rear, *before* removing the caliper.
Having read through the instructions before starting, the bit about bleeding was interesting, and made me rethink the order of attack. Instead of fitting all 4 and then bleeding, I figured I'd do them one at a time. The reason being that the instructions say to *not* fit the bleeder valve until there is brake fluid seeping from the hole. On the first on, gravity was apparently insufficient motivation to make this happen, so I had to invoke the wife-brake-presser kit and use my finger as a valve until brake fluid came out before installing the valve. I suspect that doing that after all 4 had been installed may have been a little more frustrating, but who knows.
On the bleeder valve specifically: it's a clever system of a steel ball bearing held in place by a spring (when the valve is open for bleeding) and the screw in nipple (which sits directly against the ball when the valve is screwed closed). The thing that scared me shitless was potentially losing one of those ball bearings. Drop one of those little buggers and you likely lose it forever. Ditto with the springs. It would have been nice to have at least one spare of each included in each kit, just for peace of mind.
The other thing about that valves that the recommended torque setting is 25 foot-pounds, which felt like a lot when I was tightening it down. It's an identical thread to the brake line attachment, which is also set at 25, but there at least you're compressing the crush washers, and the bolt itself is more robust.
Anyway, once everything was in, I did the bleeding, as recommended, and took to the road for the first time. Slowly. Given that everything was new, and probably had some grease on it in places, it all went well, stopping as required. Brake pedal feel was, unsurprisingly, a little spongy, but I took her around the block with some stops along the way just to settle stuff into place. A second round of bleeding was done after that, made super easy with those valves, and a second, longer test run with some hills was successful, with the brake pedal feeling normal.
I went for a few longer runs the next day, making sure to use side roads to use the brakes as much as possible, and after ~30 miles, braking performance was already palpably better than stock. Right now the rotors are visibly not completely glossy (the finish is very matt out of the box), and the pads are obviously still bedding in, but I'm delighted so far with the results.
[Edit] If you're running AEV Pintler wheels, these things ain't gonna fit without fitting spacers.
On a side note, I have a set of stock JL rotors and calipers if anyone wants them?
Progrip don't do a kit for the JL, but I found Teraflex's Delta System, and after a bit of research, decided to give it a go. Overall, beyond the marketing hype, it looked like a thoughtfully designed system: not just bigger rotors, which can never be a bad thing, but also having pots either side on the caliper for more evenly distributed pressure, and more of it. That one-person bleeding system was also pretty darn compelling.
The kit arrive in 4 boxes, each of which weighed quite a bit. One box for each of the rotor sets, and one for each of the caliper sets (Front and Rear). These are some big-ass rotors, let me tell you!
The printed instructions in the one box (I forget which one) were OK, but not fantastic. There is a really useful installation video online though, which I'd highly recommend watching once or twice before doing the install, and having on hand during the install. Also, as they mention, make sure you have plenty of brake fluid on hand, and tubing and a container to bleed with.
Front installation, at least on my rig, was probably the most time-consuming. It still has the stock brake lines, which for some reason never got the relocation kit when the lift kit went in, and so it took me the better part of 15-20 minutes with a vice grip and tongue-and-groove pliers to force open the bracket that attaches just under the spring perch to release the brake lines so that I could fit the Teraflex line relocation kit.
It also paid off to do the caliper & brake block assembly for front and rear units first, since they were ready to just bolt in once the fighting with the brackets was over instead of going back and forth. Attaching the front brake lines was pretty straight forward. The rear, less so, as it requires about a 1/4 turn twist, and there's not much play at all for the rear, so make sure to gently bend out the metal part as instructed for the rear, *before* removing the caliper.
Having read through the instructions before starting, the bit about bleeding was interesting, and made me rethink the order of attack. Instead of fitting all 4 and then bleeding, I figured I'd do them one at a time. The reason being that the instructions say to *not* fit the bleeder valve until there is brake fluid seeping from the hole. On the first on, gravity was apparently insufficient motivation to make this happen, so I had to invoke the wife-brake-presser kit and use my finger as a valve until brake fluid came out before installing the valve. I suspect that doing that after all 4 had been installed may have been a little more frustrating, but who knows.
On the bleeder valve specifically: it's a clever system of a steel ball bearing held in place by a spring (when the valve is open for bleeding) and the screw in nipple (which sits directly against the ball when the valve is screwed closed). The thing that scared me shitless was potentially losing one of those ball bearings. Drop one of those little buggers and you likely lose it forever. Ditto with the springs. It would have been nice to have at least one spare of each included in each kit, just for peace of mind.
The other thing about that valves that the recommended torque setting is 25 foot-pounds, which felt like a lot when I was tightening it down. It's an identical thread to the brake line attachment, which is also set at 25, but there at least you're compressing the crush washers, and the bolt itself is more robust.
Anyway, once everything was in, I did the bleeding, as recommended, and took to the road for the first time. Slowly. Given that everything was new, and probably had some grease on it in places, it all went well, stopping as required. Brake pedal feel was, unsurprisingly, a little spongy, but I took her around the block with some stops along the way just to settle stuff into place. A second round of bleeding was done after that, made super easy with those valves, and a second, longer test run with some hills was successful, with the brake pedal feeling normal.
I went for a few longer runs the next day, making sure to use side roads to use the brakes as much as possible, and after ~30 miles, braking performance was already palpably better than stock. Right now the rotors are visibly not completely glossy (the finish is very matt out of the box), and the pads are obviously still bedding in, but I'm delighted so far with the results.
[Edit] If you're running AEV Pintler wheels, these things ain't gonna fit without fitting spacers.
On a side note, I have a set of stock JL rotors and calipers if anyone wants them?
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