Brake help/suggestions

DraykenK

DraykenK

Member
Joined
Nov 18, 2016
Messages
51
Location
Canton, OH, United States
My brakes are starting to go, and trying to decide what to do/get. When I had 33s, I was fine with how the brakes worked. But I'm running 35s now, and they are a lil too weak. I can't remember, but I thought I used to read on some of the forums, a particular brand of brake pads that many people suggested and said they worked much better than the "standard" brake pad.
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Would I be able to just get these better brake pads and be good enough? I know most will say that I should upgrade my entire setup. If I were to do that, could someone point me to what I would need to get and about how much it would cost? I would much rather just get pads though, lol.
 
Www.blackmagicbrakes.com provides the magic brake pads and brake kits you asked about. The designer/owner knows more about brakes than mere mortals ever will. I've been running his pads and brake kits for probably 15 years now. His pads will produce a very noticeable braking performance enhancement for 35's, his complete dual piston brake caliper kits provide a startling improvement in braking with 35's.
 
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@mrblaine (the guy who owns and designs Black Magic Brakes) is a regular on these forums. He's one of the most knowledgeable TJ guys you'll ever meet, and he's a brake guru.

I have been running his 16" big brake kit for over a year and it truly is phenomenal how much of a difference it makes!

With 33" tires you could easily get by with just the Black Magic Brakes. However, at 35" you'll definitely want the big brake kit he offers. The stock brakes are simply not up to the task of stopping 35" tires.

Hopefully Blaine will chime in here. You can also call him using the number on his website. He's a very easy to get ahold of person, and very, very smart.
 
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Yes! Black Magic, that's the brand I was always reading about. I just don't think I have the funds to upgrade the entire setup. But definitely would like to get the pads. I only have 32k miles, so don't even need rotors yet, so I guess I'll email Blaine and ask how much of a difference new Centric rotors would really make.
 
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DraykenK said:
Yes! Black Magic, that's the brand I was always reading about. I just don't think I have the funds to upgrade the entire setup. But definitely would like to get the pads. I only have 32k miles, so don't even need rotors yet, so I guess I'll email Blaine and ask how much of a difference new Centric rotors would really make.
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It isn't that they make a difference, it is that I can predict the performance if you use them. I don't have the time, money, or inclination to buy and test every rotor on the market and since the Centric do work with no issues, I pretty much quit looking after that. The main issues we've had were with economy rotors and we've not found any of them to work very well.
 
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mrblaine said:
It isn't that they make a difference, it is that I can predict the performance if you use them. I don't have the time, money, or inclination to buy and test every rotor on the market and since the Centric do work with no issues, I pretty much quit looking after that. The main issues we've had were with economy rotors and we've not found any of them to work very well.
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Thank you for replying. Question, since I would assume you've sold enough pads to people running stock rotors. Still think it would be ok to just run your pads on stock rotors, then when it's time, it's obvious that you'd recommend the Centric. I just hate basically trashing the stocks with only 32k.
 
DraykenK said:
Thank you for replying. Question, since I would assume you've sold enough pads to people running stock rotors. Still think it would be ok to just run your pads on stock rotors, then when it's time, it's obvious that you'd recommend the Centric. I just hate basically trashing the stocks with only 32k.
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Absolutely the Black Magic pads will work with your existing rotors. Replace the rotors with Centrics later when they need replacing. :)
 
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Brantley said:
Just a suggestion, run the pads for a while if you need to, but I'd definitely consider putting aside some money over time so that you can eventually buy the full Big Brake Kit. It is more than worth the money, especially on 35" tires.
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Thanks. perfect world: I get the pads now, then save up, and when it's time for new rotors and pads, I can then go big brake kit. That'll give me time to save up, and also not waste money on parts that still have good life on them.
 
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DraykenK said:
Thanks. perfect world: I get the pads now, then save up, and when it's time for new rotors and pads, I can then go big brake kit. That'll give me time to save up, and also not waste money on parts that still have good life on them.
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If your going that rout, buy the cheap non metalic pad, they actually break better than the metalic, less metal on metal break better. they just don't last long.
 
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