Loose spongy brake on my jeep

Jld19782

New member
I have a 2018 jeep wrangler unlimited sport. I love my jeep the only thing that drives me crazy though is that my brake pedal seems to travel further than I’m used to in my other vehicle‘s. I’ve been told to bleed the brakes but I took it to a reputable shop they told me everything was fine? All I know is my brakes are not as tight/firm as I believe they should be? Can my brake pedal be adjusted ? Is there anything I can do
 

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Jld19782

New member
Thank you for responding. Yes, it’s felt this way to me since I purchased it. However, I’ve only owned it for a few weeks now. I had a shop inspect it and they told me everything was fine and great. I talked to another man and he told me to put my left foot under the break and push down with my right foot and if I couldn’t touch my left foot it’s probably OK ( I Did this exercise and I could not touch my left foot) All I know Is that it feels spongy and you can hear the pedal go back up when it’s released. I just wish it Could be tighter and more firm lol Seriously though anything that you can suggest will be appreciated very much.
 

JimLee

Hooked
Sport, they come with shitty brakes, it gets worse as you go up in tire size. My 19 Sport had horrible brakes until they ended up in a pile with the axles.
 

JimLee

Hooked
Is there anything I can do
There are some aftermarket brake kits that are much better but the cost is high, and I personally don't think the factory axles are worth the upgrade costs. There are no adjustments you can make unfortunately. You can try a different more agressive brake pad, but I doubt that's going to change your pedal feel, just your stopping distance. Maybe brake swap from a Sahara or Rubicon, they both come with better brakes than the Sport.
 

Jld19782

New member
I’m just looking for the initial pressure bite to improve. Do you believe the initial pressure bite will improve with upgraded pads
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Sport, they come with shitty brakes, it gets worse as you go up in tire size. My 19 Sport had horrible brakes until they ended up in a pile with the axles.
Really? I dunno. I kinda feel like my 2-door Sport JL has hypersensitive brakes. I'm constantly stopping way too fast and hard. But, that's just me.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Thank you for responding. Yes, it’s felt this way to me since I purchased it. However, I’ve only owned it for a few weeks now. I had a shop inspect it and they told me everything was fine and great. I talked to another man and he told me to put my left foot under the break and push down with my right foot and if I couldn’t touch my left foot it’s probably OK ( I Did this exercise and I could not touch my left foot) All I know Is that it feels spongy and you can hear the pedal go back up when it’s released. I just wish it Could be tighter and more firm lol Seriously though anything that you can suggest will be appreciated very much.
If you felt it from the day you bought your Jeep, it's probably just the Jeep. Not sure what you drove before but clearly, your Jeep isn't it. I own a lot of Jeeps and I'd have to say that the brakes on my JL's and JT are about the best that Jeep has ever had on these platforms.
 

JimLee

Hooked
Really? I dunno. I kinda feel like my 2-door Sport JL has hypersensitive brakes. I'm constantly stopping way too fast and hard. But, that's just me.
I could see them being ok on a 2-door, they are pretty bad on these fat ass 4 doors. I got used to mine but I always made sure I had plenty of space because it took forever to get to a stop.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
I could see them being ok on a 2-door, they are pretty bad on these fat ass 4 doors. I got used to mine but I always made sure I had plenty of space because it took forever to get to a stop.
I'm sure it's just me being used to the really shitty brakes on all the old iron I have but I personally feel that the brakes that came on my 392 and my JT were both way better than what came on any of the JK's that I had and still have. Certainly, they're way better than what came on my ProRocks.
 

JimLee

Hooked
I'm sure it's just me being used to the really shitty brakes on all the old iron I have but I personally feel that the brakes that came on my 392 and my JT were both way better than what came on any of the JK's that I had and still have. Certainly, they're way better than what came on my ProRocks.
You know when my Sport was bone stock they weren't terrible, felt just good enough but not great, it's when I started packing on the weight in mods that I noticed it. Going to 35's was the tipping point of "this sucks" for me.
 

cozdude

Guy with a Red 2-Door
I am assuming you bought it used? If so are they factory pads and rotors?

From experience I have seen some aftermarket cheaper off the shelf pep boys/auto zone/advanced/etc brake pads and rotors cause a softer pedal. The brake material doesn’t bite into the rotor as well making you have to apply more pedal pressure. I always recommend OEM brake parts or better. The cost sucks but safety is more important
 

cozdude

Guy with a Red 2-Door
I'm sure it's just me being used to the really shitty brakes on all the old iron I have but I personally feel that the brakes that came on my 392 and my JT were both way better than what came on any of the JK's that I had and still have. Certainly, they're way better than what came on my ProRocks.
I really like the new factory stuff. Even with 37’s I think they do as well as my pro grips on my jk
 

onlyone

Active Member
I have 37s and my brakes are great on my Diesel Sport. It grabs quickly and stops great. Maybe try some new brake pads and rotors if they’re getting low. Take a look at them.
 

Ddays

Hooked
IEddie made a good point in asking what you drove prior. These Jeeps are fairly crude vehicles. It's a big part of their appeal for a lot of us and there are definitely some things that take a little getting used to. Handling characteristics being one of them.
I think the suggestions of trying a new set of pads is a good start. Fairly inexpensive too. I've run a set of 37's with fairly heavy beadlock wheels on the factory pads & found them to still be pretty good. You may be suffering from a cheap set of pads thrown on the vehicle for a sale.
 

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
IEddie made a good point in asking what you drove prior. These Jeeps are fairly crude vehicles. It's a big part of their appeal for a lot of us and there are definitely some things that take a little getting used to. Handling characteristics being one of them.
I think the suggestions of trying a new set of pads is a good start. Fairly inexpensive too. I've run a set of 37's with fairly heavy beadlock wheels on the factory pads & found them to still be pretty good. You may be suffering from a cheap set of pads thrown on the vehicle for a sale.
I'm totally with you on the OE pads being good. In fact, they're the only thing I will run.
 
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