Should I keep my drums or convert to disc brakes?

[NJXJ666]

i recently put a 98 explorer with disc brakes in my 85 xj, much better braking performace

 

[XGarfX]

Aftermarket steel rims are fine its the aluminums that you should replace the studs with longer ones. Do the swap I love having rear disks, much better overal- more consistant stopping and wheeling they hold much better then drums that are packed with water/mud/rocks ect.

Oh ya don't re use wheel studs... their a ONE TIME USE bolt, the knurls on them are meant to hold the stud in place once its been used the knurls aren't as tight and if it strips out you are really effed trying to get your rim off. Studs are like a few dollars anyways, I bought teraflex's kit but only because I was in a super hurry and didn't have time to get used parts and what not. Very expensive and not really worth it if you have a good junkyard near you, although it was nice having all new parts and not having to run back and forth exchanging cores and digging around at a yard. Bolt in was very nice as well, I pulled the O-ring off my prop valve which increased pressure to the rear lines (one day when I remember I'll pull a prop valve from a zj)

 

[dieselenthusiast]

I bought teraflex's kit but only because I was in a super hurry and didn't have time to get used parts and what not. Very expensive and not really worth it if you have a good junkyard near you, although it was nice having all new parts and not having to run back and forth exchanging cores and digging around at a yard. Bolt in was very nice as well, I pulled the O-ring off my prop valve which increased pressure to the rear lines (one day when I remember I'll pull a prop valve from a zj)

Teraflex has a kit? What? Please tell me more.............

 

[Gonepostal]

Hey bud nice to see you are still playing with the 2000. I went with Exploder disks on my 44 when I built it for the 98. It is night and day....much better stopping and I don't have the non-adjusting auto adjusters in the rear anymore. I think the ZJ disks are a better fit and a real easy to mod for the swap. Here are a couple of links for you to look at. Check East Coast Gear Supply for cables that is where I got mine. They carry a direct fit for your e-brake to finish out the mod.

http://www.stu-offroad.com/siteindex.asp

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1025817

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=967146

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1057992

 

[dieselenthusiast]

I bought teraflex's kit

Okay, I did some research. I wonder why they don't list the Cherokee XJ as one of the vehicle types? Here's the link: http://www.teraflex.biz/rear-disc-brake-kit-jeep-late-model-bearing-pocket.html#third

 

[PoSxJ]

I swapped out my drums for discs in the rear and noticed a huge difference. I used to come down a trail, and have the brake pedal all the way in and would still roll. Talk about a scary situation. Now I have no problem stopping. I also did the WJ mc/booster swap at the same time, which maybe why I noticed a big difference. I went to a u-pull it and grabbed some calipers to use for a core charge. I don't remember how much they charged at u-pull it, but it was much less then the core charge. The one thing I didn't do was grab the parking brake cables, so I currently don't have a parking brake. My parking brake with the drums did absolutely nothing, so I don't really miss it. The conversion was easier to do then I thought it would be. The write up posted above is very similar to the one I used.

 

[X E Ryder]

....I would also recommend going with Black Magic brake pads and Centrics Premium rotors for the front.....

IMO this is really the key, If you have quality rotors/drums matched to an excellent pad/shoe compound you are going to have a good brake effect.

At speed, 90% of your braking comes from the front and your brake biasing valve will insure this. Good slotted rotors and pads in front (Centric - great bang for buck) will do most the work Most the time. I kept my drums because they still work well when I'm slugging around in the mud.

 

[Ronbo]

I did the ZJ disks and the difference is night and day - but only after I swapped the guts of the XJ proportioning valve for the ZJ parts. Without doing that, there's hardly any gain.

 

[Ogrebonz]

The stock XJ parking brake cables will work if you drill the arms for the "U" part of a cable clamp. You have to cut the little ball thing off the end of the cable.

 

[dieselenthusiast]

Okay, after consulting with TeraFlex, I have decided to go with their disc kit. I realize it’s not the cheapest route, but at least I’m buying all new parts. I have already ordered the Black Magic front kit, so I should end up having a pretty impressive braking system once everything is installed. I have a feeling that I'll be asking more questions when the parking brake comes into play. My stock parking brake isn't very tight, so I'm hoping that I can get things to work right. Thanks everyone for your help! And thanks to XGarfX for posting about the TeraFlex kit as I had no clue that was an option.

 

[CaliXJ]

Okay TeraFlex, I realize it's not the cheapest route

:doh: Ain't that the truth and mix that in with the Black Magic setup.... You got yourself one spendy set of brakes man!

 

[souske]

For that kind of coin, you used to be able to buy an XJ

 

[dieselenthusiast]

I’ve learned a few things in my life. I’ve learned that if you’re going to own something, you might as well own something that you love, otherwise it ends up being something that you don’t love and results in a bad investment. So when I bought my XJ, I told myself that I wanted to build this Jeep to my expectations. It’s not a cheap project, but I’ve never lost interest in owning and driving it. Every modification and improvement just makes me love the Jeep that much more. So my goals have been reliability, durability, and purpose driven.

 

[CaliXJ]

So my goals have been reliability, durability, and purpose driven.

:yelclap: I can relate to that. Well said!

 

[whitexj98]

I’ve learned a few things in my life. I’ve learned that if you’re going to own something, you might as well own something that you love, otherwise it ends up being something that you don’t love and results in a bad investment. So when I bought my XJ, I told myself that I wanted to build this Jeep to my expectations. It’s not a cheap project, but I’ve never lost interest in owning and driving it. Every modification and improvement just makes me love the Jeep that much more. So my goals have been reliability, durability, and purpose driven.

Whatever makes you feel better about it... But I would bet my $75 dollar ZJ junk yard disk set up will do everything the same as $600 teraflex... but its your money :laugh3:

 

[Vanimal]

Whatever makes you feel better about it... But I would bet my $75 dollar ZJ junk yard disk set up will do everything the same as $600 teraflex... but its your money :laugh3:

^this
i cant remember the last time i had to change my brakes. maybe the front pads once every 5 years? rear pads seem to last forever.

 

[IXNAYXJ]

I didn't notice much braking improvement with the rear discs in a straight line, but an unexpected side effect was when backing down hills. Before the rear disc swap, the fronts would grab and lock (scary!). With the rear discs, it's much more controllable when backing down (especially on loose surfaces).

-M

 

[HeadShrinker]

Okay, after consulting with TeraFlex, I have decided to go with their disc kit. I realize it’s not the cheapest route, but at least I’m buying all new parts. I have already ordered the Black Magic front kit, so I should end up having a pretty impressive braking system once everything is installed. I have a feeling that I'll be asking more questions when the parking brake comes into play. My stock parking brake isn't very tight, so I'm hoping that I can get things to work right. Thanks everyone for your help! And thanks to XGarfX for posting about the TeraFlex kit as I had no clue that was an option.

I just installed one along with their E-brake cables. Cant say that I'm gaga over the setup, needs some additional lines that werent in the package, cant run 15" wheels due to caliper interference, axle studs.....
Its not that its crap so much as it is that for 6+ bills you'd think something a little more well thought out would arrive.
In truth I cant tell that it stops my XJ any better than the drums , perhaps I need to futz with the proportion deally some?

 

[XGarfX]

dieselenthusiast I'm sure your gona love the disk brake setup. With my tera kit I pulled the prop valve out and removed the oring on it and reinstalled, this changed everything completely. I will one day put the zj prop valve in it though and see which setup stops better. I also have yet to ever install new ebrake cables as I didn't know about the cable hook clamp setup some use, I might just get some zj/explorer cables and put them in.

Headshrinker- I run 15" wheels with zero issues? and also had no problems with axles studs.... and I also recieved all the lines I needed with my setup... are you sure you aren't missing them? My setup went on fine and still is working good, make sure your bleeders are on the top of the calipers otherwise you put them on the wrong side, dont ask how I know! Like I said to diesel, if your not satisfied with the braking pull the oring off the prop valve and see how it feels it made a big difference on my jeep

 

[Rainman]

I went down the zj path, very happy with it used the xj e brake cables. and made a "proper" mount for the flexable caliper hose to bolt into.

http://www.ausjeepoffroad.com/forum/showthread.php?t=100735


have since replaced the OEM ZJ caliper hoses with braded lines, cause all the other brake lines in my heap were braided as well- came with the lift kit.

good luck with it.