Brake Pads....and a couple other questions from a new jeeper

BlackJKU08

BlackJKU08

New member
I have a 2008 JKUS and it seems to unmolested from its previous life. Although I want to just start throwing money and parts into it, I decided to be a bit more practical and upgrade things based on need more than anything else. With that said, I think long term I want a lift of at most 3 inches...maybe 2.5, and also plan to customize the look to be more mine. As soon as I figure out the app, I will post a picture here of the starting point I have. Now to my questions.

I am going to do a full brake job and am looking for recommendations on pads. Prior to Jeeps, I had a Hemi Charger and always went with high performance types, but I'm not sure what to do with Jeep. Just FYI, this is a daily driver that I would still like to be capable on the trails, though from what I read, they are nothing here in NC like you get to enjoy out west...so a trip out to CO or something is definitely on the bucket list.

Is my methodology sound, to replace as I need or are there items I should prioritize?

I currently have the stock 18" wheels that came on the Sahara, but love the look of the newer 17" Rubicon wheels, is this a smart upgrade? Not really seen much discussion on this and although I love the look of large tires, for my Jeep I want a bigger tire not necessarily bigger wheel.

One final question (for now at least) My Jeep didn't come with any service documents, so I'm going off what I can see and it looks like all suspension is still stock. A local jeeper has offered to sell me his rubicon take offs (springs, shocks, track bar and a few other bits with less than 3000 miles on them) for $150-175 and I was thinking about getting that now while researching lifts, I figured my 9 year old suspension with 100k miles might be getting tired and this would bring life back to it.

Any and all information/assistance is appreciated, as I have been overwhelming myself with info as I dive into this site. Thank you to everyone here for what you are doing to make this habit even more addictive and accessible :rock::thumb:

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1). Don't waste money on the Rubicon suspension. You have a JKU. The only difference in a Rubicon suspension, and yours is the shocks.

2). Switching to Rubicon wheels is okay, if that's what you want. It is neither a smart or dumb move, unless you pay too much for them. Once you go to larger tires, you may need to run wheel spacers to prevent rubbing.

3) I use whatever brake pads Autozone sells. The rear seems to wear most.

Check this out...


http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?...s-Every-Newbie-has-about-the-Jeep-JK-Wrangler

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-I only did brakes on my jeep once so far and only in the rear. I went with the cheaper Mopar pads, which are made by valvoline i believe. They seems ok, I haven't really seen them produce any brake dust.

- as far as suspension I think rubicon stock is slightly better than a non rubicon. I think stiffer springs and better shocks. New track bar wouldn't hurt also. I would say it is worth replacing all these parts if you will do it yourself. Just make sure everything will fit before attempting this.
If you going to pay somebody to do it, I would just wait until you get a real lift kit.Just my opinion.

-new rubicon wheels are nice. I gave mine away for free to a buddy at work (sometimes I regret it).
Depending on what size tire you go with you might have to use spacers to push the wheels out a little to avoid rubbing issues. I think most people use 1.5" spacers with bigger tires on stock rubicon rims.

-based on your mileage and lack of records on the maintenance of you jeep I would also change all the fluids to give you a fresh start on keeping track of your regular maintenance.




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MY BUILT/REBUILD: http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?44123-Rebuilt-of-a-Billet-Silver-mall-crawler&p=859931#post859931
 
VeruGE*144 said:
-I only did brakes on my jeep once so far and only in the rear. I went with the cheaper Mopar pads, which are made by valvoline i believe. They seems ok, I haven't really seen them produce any brake dust.

- as far as suspension I think rubicon stock is slightly better than a non rubicon. I think stiffer springs and better shocks. New track bar wouldn't hurt also. I would say it is worth replacing all these parts if you will do it yourself. Just make sure everything will fit before attempting this.
If you going to pay somebody to do it, I would just wait until you get a real lift kit.Just my opinion.

-new rubicon wheels are nice. I gave mine away for free to a buddy at work (sometimes I regret it).
Depending on what size tire you go with you might have to use spacers to push the wheels out a little to avoid rubbing issues. I think most people use 1.5" spacers with bigger tires on stock rubicon rims.

-based on your mileage and lack of records on the maintenance of you jeep I would also change all the fluids to give you a fresh start on keeping track of your regular maintenance.




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MY BUILT/REBUILD: http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?44123-Rebuilt-of-a-Billet-Silver-mall-crawler&p=859931#post859931
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The Rubicon spring thing is a myth.


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notnalc68 said:
The Rubicon spring thing is a myth.


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That's what I was thinking, but I wasn't really sure. Thank you for the correction. It still wouldn't hurt to throw in some fresh parts for the time being, if they OP will do it himself of course.



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MY BUILT/REBUILD: http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?44123-Rebuilt-of-a-Billet-Silver-mall-crawler&p=859931#post859931
 
As far as the brakes....if you're going to be getting larger tires (like 35s or bigger), or carrying a lot of weight in your Jeep like tools, the Dynatrac ProGrip brake kit is a pretty badass option but it's not cheap. So if you look into that and decide you want that, I would recommend slapping some cheap or moderately-priced pads on for the time being if you have to save up for it. If you decide you don't want the ProGrips, there are a ton of brake options out there and it's really up to you. If you spend a lot of time on trails going downhill, good brakes are nice to have.
 
WJCO said:
As far as the brakes....if you're going to be getting larger tires (like 35s or bigger), or carrying a lot of weight in your Jeep like tools, the Dynatrac ProGrip brake kit is a pretty badass option but it's not cheap. So if you look into that and decide you want that, I would recommend slapping some cheap or moderately-priced pads on for the time being if you have to save up for it. If you decide you don't want the ProGrips, there are a ton of brake options out there and it's really up to you. If you spend a lot of time on trails going downhill, good brakes are nice to have.
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That's is true. I run 37" on stock rubicon axles with stock brakes still. Going down the hill gets little sketchy for me. I wanted to hold off on getting pro grips, and just get better axles with better brakes already installed. It's gonna be a quite a while until then. I might be getting progrips sooner than later.
For the street, stock brakes are doable and stop fairly decent, but it's those moments when you really have to hit that brake pedal Then it doesn't really stop at all. I had couple close calls before. I have make sure I keep my distance from what's in front.



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MY BUILT/REBUILD: http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?44123-Rebuilt-of-a-Billet-Silver-mall-crawler&p=859931#post859931
 
I just installed EBC Green Stuff pads on my Rubicon with 35's, once they were seated in they started to give a better pedal feel over stock and feel a little stronger in panic situations.


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If the pro grips wind up being too pricey to start with, Powerstop makes a brake upgrade package around $200 that has Drilled and slotted rotors and performance pads that help out (on 35"s so far, but going to 37"s after lift). I believe EBC also has a kit with the same...
 
VeruGE*144 said:
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-new rubicon wheels are nice. I gave mine away for free to a buddy at work (sometimes I regret it).
Depending on what size tire you go with you might have to use spacers to push the wheels out a little to avoid rubbing issues. I think most people use 1.5" spacers with bigger tires on stock rubicon rims.

-based on your mileage and lack of records on the maintenance of you jeep I would also change all the fluids to give you a fresh start on keeping track of your regular maintenance.




.....…...............................................................
MY BUILT/REBUILD: http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?44123-Rebuilt-of-a-Billet-Silver-mall-crawler&p=859931#post859931
Click to expand...

First, I wish I could find someone to give me a set or trade for my 18s lol.

I appreciate your fluid recommendation, I have already started this, done both diffs and transfer case. Going to do coolant, brake fluid and power steering soon


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VeruGE*144 said:
That's what I was thinking, but I wasn't really sure. Thank you for the correction. It still wouldn't hurt to throw in some fresh parts for the time being, if they OP will do it himself of course.



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MY BUILT/REBUILD: http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?44123-Rebuilt-of-a-Billet-Silver-mall-crawler&p=859931#post859931
Click to expand...

I will be doing everything that I can myself. I only wish I had a lift to do everything I want and not have to worry about jacks or whatever.


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BlackJKU08 said:
First, I wish I could find someone to give me a set or trade for my 18s lol.

I appreciate your fluid recommendation, I have already started this, done both diffs and transfer case. Going to do coolant, brake fluid and power steering soon


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Click to expand...

Don't forget the transmission flush. I think you have to go to trans shop or a dealer to get it completely flush.



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MY BUILT/REBUILD: http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?44123-Rebuilt-of-a-Billet-Silver-mall-crawler&p=859931#post859931
 
BlackJKU08 said:
I will be doing everything that I can myself. I only wish I had a lift to do everything I want and not have to worry about jacks or whatever.


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Click to expand...

You only need few jack stands and a floor jack to put a lift on. I am sure there is threads on here on this subject.



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MY BUILT/REBUILD: http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?44123-Rebuilt-of-a-Billet-Silver-mall-crawler&p=859931#post859931
 
I use werever ceramic pads (lifetime warranty) on all of my vehicles and have never had an issue stops great when the dumb tourists stop to look at palm trees and such. Definitely ditch the 18s I'm running them and the only thing they do is make tires cost more. They handle better also due to less sidewall but it's a Jeep and don't take corners fast so deosnt really matter lol

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