Power Stop Brake upgrade

[PBTJ04]

I have an 04 Rubicon with 38,000 miles. 4"lift and 35's. The stock brakes were not good. I upgraded to power stop cross drilled and slotted rotors and pads, new SS brake lines and new master cylinder. Have bled 4 qtrs+. thru the system, bench bled the master, etc.and i am confident there is no air in the system. Brakes are dangerous now when cold, forget about stopping, ride the pedal for a couple of blocks heat them up and stopping improves. Broke in pads as Power Stop recommends. Suggestions?

 

[egclassic]

Sorry I don't have any real help to offer, but I put the same set up you have on my 2000 sport and they have been great from day one. Just one thought, those rotors are directional, you sure they are on the right way?
Hopefully you get it figured out.

 

[PBTJ04]

Sorry I don't have any real help to offer, but I put the same set up you have on my 2000 sport and they have been great from day one. Just one thought, those rotors are directional, you sure they are on the right way?
Hopefully you get it figured out.

they are on the correct way. Cant figure it out. thinking of going with different pads

 

[PBTJ04]

How much better do yours perform over stock?

 

[egclassic]

How much better do yours perform over stock?

Much better. When I first got the jeep, the pedal felt spongy, seemed like I had to push the pedal hard to stop. Checked the pads and they looked like they still had plenty of life left.
I decided to buy the Power stop kit, broke them in as suggested and I really like them.

 

[Mr. Bills]

I have Power Stop brake pads and rotors on my '06 LJ Rubicon with auto trans, 5.38 gears, 35" tires. The Power Stop pads and rotors were installed by the previous owner shortly before I purchased it.

I have no problem stopping, and stopping distances are well within the "normal" range, but after re-gearing from 4.88 to 5.38 my brakes do require more foot pressure at stop signs to avoid rolling "California" stops. Also, my Power Stop brakes require more foot pressure than I would prefer in order to hold position on steep stuff. I attribute the necessity for increased foot pressure at lower speeds more to the axle gearing, 4:1 low range and rolling mass of the 35" tires than any inherent defect in the Power Stop brakes.

I discussed methods for improving braking with mrblaine on 6/19/18 and based upon that discussion and at his recommendation I will be experimenting with Black Magic pads and my existing Power Stop rotors (which are almost new). I have every expectation that this experiment with better pads will be "enough," but if not I will invest in a Vanco Big Brake kit and get on with life.

https://www.shop.blackmagicbrakes.com/Jeep-TJ-2000-2006_c44.htm
https://www.shop.blackmagicbrakes.com/VANCO-Big-Brake-Kits-15-16-Super-16-and-17_c84.htm

 

[Fouledplugs]

I have an 04 Rubicon with 38,000 miles. 4"lift and 35's. The stock brakes were not good. I upgraded to power stop cross drilled and slotted rotors and pads, new SS brake lines and new master cylinder. Have bled 4 qtrs+. thru the system, bench bled the master, etc.and i am confident there is no air in the system. Brakes are dangerous now when cold, forget about stopping, ride the pedal for a couple of blocks heat them up and stopping improves. Broke in pads as Power Stop recommends. Suggestions?

Did you compare Black Magic brakes before pulling the trigger on the Power Stop products?

 

[jjvw]

Try Black Magic Brake pads. They work very well on my 33s with otherwise stock brakes. If those aren't enough, then you want the Vanco Big Brake Kit.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I've never had any problems with braking since installing the Vanco Big Brake kit onto my two TJs as designed by the owner of Black Magic brakes. Cross-drilled rotors don't help with braking, their purpose is to help cool the brakes better for racing applications where the brakes can get red hot which is of course not an issue in normal non-racing situations. In fact, all the holes drilled in the rotors do where normal braking is concerned is reduce the amount of swept rotor surface the pads have available to them.

 

[PBTJ04]

All good points, i will try different pads and see if that helps. I guess i got sold a bill of goods on the 30% more stopping power of these rotors and pads set up!

 

[Mr. Bills]

Is your "new master cylinder" actually new or is it a parts store brand rebuild?

If the latter, your issues may not be brake pad related. You would probably be surprised at the number of rebuilt master cylinders that are bad right out of the box.

Check that, and break in your pads again, before you start throwing parts at your jeep.

 

[PBTJ04]

Did you compare Black Magic brakes before pulling the trigger on the Power Stop products?

no first time i have heard of them.

 

[PBTJ04]

Is your "new master cylinder" actually new or is it a parts store brand rebuild?

If the latter, your issues may not be brake pad related. You would probably be surprised at the number of rebuilt master cylinders that are bad right out of the box.

Check that, and break in your pads again, before you start throwing parts at your jeep.

brand new master from Mopar not rebuilt.

 

[Drizit]

brand new master from Mopar not rebuilt.

Doa parts happen. Seems strange that the power stop pads and rotors would make the brakes worse that old clapped out stock parts. Unless perhaps you got the wrong pad compound sent to you. There should be a code printed on the back of the pad in the middle should be 2 letters like ee, ef, ff, that sort of thing. This tells you the rated coefficient of friction. The first letter is the cold rating the second is hot. If you got a compound for racing it may be dg or something useless on the road. I just got some ebc greenstuff rear jk pads and they were ee, the part store ones I got the the front of my tow rig are fg so they bite more as they heat up but still have lots of bite cold.

Something to take a look at anyway provided it hasn't been erased by the calipers rubbing on the pad.

—
There must have been a time
when we could have said no.

 

[Rob5589]

I run the PS hd set up on my Silverado. They are noticeably "soft" until they heat up some. From there they work great. I would avoid cross drilled on an off road rig. Too easy for the holes to catch debris and score the pads.