Brake upgrades??

Idaho392 · Dec 6, 2021

Has anyone done any brake upgrades on their 392 yet?? Even better pads or rotors and pads?? I'm still surprised Jeep didn't upgrade anything from the standard Rubicon brakes. Everything is fine until you get up to 80-85mph (legal freeway limit here) and suddenly have to stop... the brakes get soft pretty fast.

Viking Jeeper · Dec 7, 2021

tjohnson said:
Has anyone done any brake upgrades on their 392 yet?? Even better pads or rotors and pads?? I'm still surprised Jeep didn't upgrade anything from the standard Rubicon brakes. Everything is fine until you get up to 80-85mph (legal freeway limit here) and suddenly have to stop... the brakes get soft pretty fast.

I thought the 392 had upgraded brakes over the v6 Rubicon?

ShockerRacing did a brake upgrade, member here also.

Idaho392 · Dec 7, 2021

Viking Jeeper said:
I thought the 392 had upgraded brakes over the v6 Rubicon?

On a different forum, one of the members looked up the part numbers for the "regular" Rubicon pads and rotors vs the "392" numbers... they were the same. The Rubicon and Moab do have "upgraded" brakes from the other base models, but the 392 is the same.

JD37064 · Dec 7, 2021

Viking Jeeper said:
I thought the 392 had upgraded brakes over the v6 Rubicon?

ShockerRacing did a brake upgrade, member here also.

Very nice but $4300 plus installation is a big upgrade!

Viking Jeeper · Dec 7, 2021

JD37064 said:
Very nice but $4300 plus installation is a big upgrade!

Oh damn, I did not watch the whole thing or get a price.

YukonCornelius · Dec 7, 2021

From Mopar Insiders:

With the Rubicon 392, the front brake setup stays the same as the standard Rubicon, however, the rear brakes have been upgraded from a 1.88 inch (48 mm) single-piston floating caliper with a 13.4 x .55 inch solid rotor to a new 2 inch (51 mm) single-piston floating calipers with 13.6 x .86 inch vented rotors setup to help with all the added power and weight.

Idaho392 · Dec 16, 2021

I also own a 2021 Ram 1500 Limited 4x4 with the 5.7 HEMI. The braking is MUCH better than on the 392... even with it being 200-300 pounds heavier... and it was $20,000 cheaper. LOL

Anyone have any recommended brands of rotors and/or pads that would be an improvement??

CBH · Dec 16, 2021

JD37064 said:
Very nice but $4300 plus installation is a big upgrade!

So, how does this mod impact your warranty if you have problems with the brakes?

Viking Jeeper · Dec 17, 2021

Brakes are a pretty proven system on any vehicle. Jeep of course is not going to pay for or service in any way aftermarket brakes but this is one case where I would not be concerned about it all

veddersbetter · Dec 17, 2021

Viking Jeeper said:
Brakes are a pretty proven system on any vehicle. Jeep of course is not going to pay for or service in any way aftermarket brakes but this is one case where I would not be concerned about it all

XRs have an electric vac assist correct? Not sure how much help it provides but if you dont have an XR it may be an easy addition?? As for stock brakes... I believe the rears are identical to the Gladiators as opposed to the regular Rubicon

Stealth7 · Dec 17, 2021

If the brake pedal is getting soft with spirited driving, one thing you can try to do is bleed the brakes. This does not work you can try a high temp brake fluid like Motul or better yet Castrol SRF. If that does not work the next thing to try would be different pads. However, it is somewhat hard to believe that Jeep would not have properly designed the brake system so you may just need to have your system serviced

Jeepstin392 · Dec 17, 2021

I’m a huge fan of EBC. I installed those kits on every vehicle for the last 20+ years. Far better than stock and the same size/fitment. From my racing days to daily drivers, off road rigs, they’ve been fantastic! I have yet to look into EBC for the JL.

veddersbetter · Dec 17, 2021

tjohnson said:
Has anyone done any brake upgrades on their 392 yet?? Even better pads or rotors and pads?? I'm still surprised Jeep didn't upgrade anything from the standard Rubicon brakes. Everything is fine until you get up to 80-85mph (legal freeway limit here) and suddenly have to stop... the brakes get soft pretty fast.

Braided lines will also help brake feel. Never had them on a Jeep but on several other vehicles and they help significantly

Idaho392 · Dec 17, 2021

Stealth7 said:
If the brake pedal is getting soft with spirited driving, one thing you can try to do is bleed the brakes. This does not work you can try a high temp brake fluid like Motul or better yet Castrol SRF. If that does not work the next thing to try would be different pads. However, it is somewhat hard to believe that Jeep would not have properly designed the brake system so you may just need to have your system serviced

I’m not saying Jeep didn’t engineer and design a “proper” brake system for the 392. However, I have probably added 500 pounds of accessories (winch, light bars, hooks, etc) and will be adding more soon. Slowing this beast down from 102mph takes a while. Lol

Even the other Dodge vehicles with the 392 motor come with upgraded brakes.

Fast-n-Furious · Dec 17, 2021

I could only wish my Jeep JL 392 XR (ordered but the build hasn’t started yet) would come with brembo brakes like what the Grand Cherokee WK2 SRT have from factory. I found this complete set: https://www.extremeterrain.com/powe...-brake-rotor-pad-caliper-kit-rear-kc7938.html

There are some cheaper sets of only rotors and pads without the calipers. Not sure how much improvement would they make, but seems much better than the stock breaks.

Idaho392 · Dec 17, 2021

They also have the Z36 version for the front here:

PowerStop Jeep Wrangler Z36 Extreme Truck and Tow Brake Rotor, Pad and Caliper Kit; Front KC7940-36 (18-24 Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon, Sahara, Excluding 4xe & Rubicon 392) - Free Shipping

FREE SHIPPING! Description. Z36 KIT; With CALIPERS; Z36 Extreme Performance Truck And Tow 1-Click Brake Kit; With Calipers; Front

www.extremeterrain.com

I'm just not familiar with the Powerstop brand. I'd never even heard that name until I started searching for brakes for the 392. LOL

Fast-n-Furious · Dec 17, 2021

Also throw in this Teraflex delta front&rear brake set: https://www.quadratec.com/p/terafle...MI5erq8bXs9AIVivOzCh2uMwZrEAQYASABEgKQdPD_BwE
(Are you surprised by the weight?)

The first time I learned about they installed on a 392 is from this video:

Another video with more details about this brake design:

MaxCatMDWV · Jan 2, 2022

Idaho392 said:
They also have the Z36 version for the front here:

PowerStop Jeep Wrangler Z36 Extreme Truck and Tow Brake Rotor, Pad and Caliper Kit; Front KC7940-36 (18-24 Jeep Wrangler JL Rubicon, Sahara, Excluding 4xe & Rubicon 392) - Free Shipping

FREE SHIPPING! Description. Z36 KIT; With CALIPERS; Z36 Extreme Performance Truck And Tow 1-Click Brake Kit; With Calipers; Front

www.extremeterrain.com

I'm just not familiar with the Powerstop brand. I'd never even heard that name until I started searching for brakes for the 392. LOL

I see this as a Front & Rear option: https://www.powerstop.com/product/power-stop-z36-brake-kit/.
The ordering guide shows the 392 brake code as "BR4 - PERF BRAKES" on Pg.33 under "LJJX"

Thoughts? Anyone have a summary of the options?

64Chevy · Jan 3, 2022

Stronger brakes (to me) means more "brake torque" applied to the rotor. This can be done (not an exhaustive list) by bigger pads (larger sweep area), more aggressive pads (with more bite), larger diameter rotors and appropriate new caliper holders, or things that increase the amount of pressure that can be applied to the pads (different master cylinder, for example). Heavier but same size brake rotors give the systems a little more thermal capacity, but don't necessarily increase brake bite.

Slotted and/or vented rotors don't do much, if anything. More aggressive pads can help, but usually have some (or all) or the following drawbacks: noisier, more dust, more rotor wear, less bite when cold. Upgrading calipers can be a challenge because the master cylinder "stroke" is designed to move a certain amount of fluid--4 piston calipers (vs a 1 piston caliper) may need more fluid to move those 4 pistons the same amount, thus lengthening the brake pedal travel (which can lead to the perception that the brakes are weaker, even though the brake torque delivered may ultimately be more).

I have 15 years of performance driving instruction experience, and currently live in the Jeep JK world. When I went about upgrading those brakes I searched for a more aggressive pad (I would have been fine with noise, dust, and increased rotor wear). I tried a few and none were really much better than stock. I was hoping to find an aggressive biting track pad but nope. So ended up with Ram 1500 brakes on the front, and a spaced away from centerline caliper and larger diameter rotor in the rear--and the new brakes are awesome. My understanding is that JL brakes were upgraded from the JK, and that the 392 has slightly upgraded brakes from the non-392 Wrangler. But haven't driven one (yet) so no clue if they are adequate.

Fast-n-Furious · Jan 3, 2022

64Chevy said:
Stronger brakes (to me) means more "brake torque" applied to the rotor. This can be done (not an exhaustive list) by bigger pads (larger sweep area), more aggressive pads (with more bite), larger diameter rotors and appropriate new caliper holders, or things that increase the amount of pressure that can be applied to the pads (different master cylinder, for example). Heavier but same size brake rotors give the systems a little more thermal capacity, but don't necessarily increase brake bite.

Slotted and/or vented rotors don't do much, if anything. More aggressive pads can help, but usually have some (or all) or the following drawbacks: noisier, more dust, more rotor wear, less bite when cold. Upgrading calipers can be a challenge because the master cylinder "stroke" is designed to move a certain amount of fluid--4 piston calipers (vs a 1 piston caliper) may need more fluid to move those 4 pistons the same amount, thus lengthening the brake pedal travel (which can lead to the perception that the brakes are weaker, even though the brake torque delivered may ultimately be more).

I have 15 years of performance driving instruction experience, and currently live in the Jeep JK world. When I went about upgrading those brakes I searched for a more aggressive pad (I would have been fine with noise, dust, and increased rotor wear). I tried a few and none were really much better than stock. I was hoping to find an aggressive biting track pad but nope. So ended up with Ram 1500 brakes on the front, and a spaced away from centerline caliper and larger diameter rotor in the rear--and the new brakes are awesome. My understanding is that JL brakes were upgraded from the JK, and that the 392 has slightly upgraded brakes from the non-392 Wrangler. But haven't driven one (yet) so no clue if they are adequate.

Your shared insights and experience are much appreciated! I’m one of the guys fall into your description: more pistons in caliper holder = more stopping pressure, but I failed to realize that more fluids are probably needed. Thanks for pointing this out!

Another thing I learned earlier is slotted rotors may not be good for off-roading especially on sand or mud. The tiny objects may get stuck in the slots and cause further damage to the pads and rotors.

When I look at the stopping power, I also take the tires into consideration. Some tires have shorter N-0 stop distance due to the design pattern/compound.

I think I’ll take advantage of the stock break system on my 392 XR (still in wait game) and reconsider the upgrades later to minimize the cost.

Thanks again.