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Performace Brake Rotor Upgrade

F

FedExXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Mount Prospect, Illinois
Most of the brake performance gurus are recommending / selling Centric rotors. I'd probably look at those. Unless you plan on racing your XJ, drilled / slotted rotors aren't really necessary and may in fact be a hindrance. The holes / slots are designed to vent gases released by brake wear & to cool the friction materials - but if you aren't getting heat induced brake fade, then really you just have less metal for the pad to grip into.
 
Depending on how much work you wanna do, you can't get much better than swapping for WJ outters then just running late model WJ rotors and calipers.

It would outperform any aftermarket XJ replacement and you could get the rotors and calipers for about the same price as the aftermarket rotors. The only thing is that it requires a little more work. Nothing too hard though, but I don't know your skill level. If you can change ball joints though then you can do this swap no problem.
 
^not true.

put new centric rotors and black magic brake pads on it. on a relatively light vehicle like the XJ better friction material is going to make more of a difference than OEM equivalent parts with a larger surface area like the WJ setup.
 
GrimmJeeper said:
^not true.

put new centric rotors and black magic brake pads on it. on a relatively light vehicle like the XJ better friction material is going to make more of a difference than OEM equivalent parts with a larger surface area like the WJ setup.
Click to expand...

Then get WJ centric rotors and WJ black magic pads. But "there's no replacement for displacement" even in the brake department. And the WJ rotors and calipers are a night and day difference in beef compared to the XJ stuff.

I agree that quality rotors and pads with a good friction material are very effective, but the bottom line is that they can't make up for surface area and leverage.
 
BarFlyFisherman said:
Does anyone have PICS of a finished swap to WJ rotors & calipers?

What size wheels are required to clear the larger WJ rotors & calipers?

Are the wheel stud patterns the same?

Same wheel bearings?
Click to expand...
If you look for the WJ steering swap, the knuckle/brake should be part of that.
15" wheels work just fine, not sure if you need less backspacing.
there is a spacer involved in the swap. WJ is 5x5, but you can get the rotors drilled for the add'l 5x4.5 lug pattern
 
The notion that a WJ swap can be done for a similar price as centric rotors & Black Magic pads is a joke.
Maybe if you have *really* good junk yards where you live, and throw *lots* of used parts in there, you'll be able to compare the two.
I'm buying parts wholesale & hunting pieces down when I can - there is no way I'll be in to my WJ swap for less than 500.
Sure, it is in some ways a better solution - but for <250, you can lock up the front brakes with BM pads.
 
If you plan on going larger than say a 33" tire just do the WJ swap and if not.. Powerslots w/ hawk pads have served me well for 4 years almost 5 and I DD this thing.
 
i picked up some drilled and slotted rotors with a set off ceramic pads of ebay for about 100 bucks. Had them for two years and no issues. sorry i dont remember what brand they are
 
clean4drxj said:
If you plan on going larger than say a 33" tire just do the WJ swap and if not.. Powerslots w/ hawk pads have served me well for 4 years almost 5 and I DD this thing.
Click to expand...

rmonte4812 said:
i picked up some drilled and slotted rotors with a set off ceramic pads of ebay for about 100 bucks. Had them for two years and no issues. sorry i dont remember what brand they are
Click to expand...
I used eBay drilled and slotted rotors with HAWK pads..With 32s it worked decent for two years.. But with 35s, I'm with the WJ swap guys now. It's a different level of braking... Anyone that thinks otherwise is ignorant:thumbup:
 
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EBC-GD906/
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EBC-DP71022/

These are what I have for rotors, what I should have got for pads. I bought these http://www.summitracing.com/parts/EBC-UD477/ the only thing that drives me nuts is the sqweek until they warm up, yes they are coated with disc brake quiet. But they work awesome. I also picked up a whole rear brake package http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-BKD016/ over all I am happy with how it all worked out for the price. What I do recommend if you do the rear is get a high temp paint and do the drums in the rear before you put them on. They seem to rust fast.
 
nw-xj-scott said:
I used eBay drilled and slotted rotors with HAWK pads..With 32s it worked decent for two years.. But with 35s, I'm with the WJ swap guys now. It's a different level of braking... Anyone that thinks otherwise is ignorant:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Having done both with different jeeps, I think the Black Magic stuff in a stock XJ form is as good or better than OEM WJ stuff.

Granted, upgraded WJ stuff would be better yet, but you're talking a $200 upgrade vs a $800+ upgrade that requires a lot of fab work.
 
You may be right, but I'm a little skeptical. Mainly because of the size difference between the two. Even if the initial bite is the same or better, XJ rotors just don't have the heat holding capacity of the WJ's. Regardless of how "aftermarket" they are.

Just somethin to think about.
 
I'm getting ready to change the front brakes in my jeep, I'm going with the Centric Premium Rotors and EBC green stuff pads. That is all my budget allows for, Unless someone has a better recommendation for a $60-70 pad set.

I'm only running 31's and right now what ever is on there is junk as it takes forever to stop. I will also be flushing the fluid as I'm sure its due. Its my daily driver and doesn't get off road nearly as much as I'd like.
 
I'm running Akebono Pro-ACT Ceramic pads w/ 31s & ZJ rear brakes with cheapo parts. Brakes nicely, very quiet & no real dusting to speak of. Reliable hot or cold. I wouldn't put them in the "high performance" category but they certainly do the job.
 
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