Bad Brake fade while going down obstacles

[Vtur]

Of course, those are full sized trucks. I think the brakes are fine for a stock build. But they need to be upgraded for big heavy builds

Heavier rotating mast like big and heavier tires are putting way more stress than a full sized truck on 32" tires.

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[WILDHOBO]

what pad and fluid ya running? the oem mopar pads seem to start losing bite after a little mud and few hard descents. but I've never had a 4lo push though issue. My Tundra did though.

Powerstop z36 carbon fiber pads with drilled/slotted rotors. It’s a significant on road improvement with a heavier rig in the mountains, but didn’t help off road a noticeable amount.

 

[PuddleJumper]

Powerstop z36 carbon fiber pads with drilled/slotted rotors. It’s a significant on road improvement with a heavier rig in the mountains, but didn’t help off road a noticeable amount.

damn! how heavy are you! I just went to EBC orange stuff and i can stop my 5300 lb camper real easy on a downhill. i mean easy for a midsize at least.

 

[WILDHOBO]

damn! how heavy are you! I just went to EBC orange stuff and i can stop my 5300 lb camper real easy on a downhill. i mean easy for a midsize at least.

No issues stopping on the road, even with the trailer. It only affects me off road, in 4 low, on significant descents. Mine is around 6,200.

 

[PuddleJumper]

No issues stopping on the road, even with the trailer. It only affects me off road, in 4 low, on significant descents. Mine is around 6,200.

hmm kinda makes sense. I weigh about 5400 max overland weight. I agree you need a more efficient brake kit

 

[JTGuy]

I overheated mine going down a long twisty dirt road on the Nor Cal BDR. The brakes faded out badly but still works enough to get down the grade. When they cooled off all was good again. On short steep grades they were OK.

 

[fmotley]

It’s a real thing. For what it’s worth, I tried lessening the problem with upgraded rotors and pads, and it made almost no difference. On the road it’s way better. But 4:1 low range with 5.13:1 gears and 37” tires win every time over factory 2 cylinder calipers. The rears are only single cylinder calipers. My next large upgrade will be a true big brake kit.

 

[fmotley]

Good to know! Thank you. Road braking is fine, so may wait for the full caliper upgrade when I've got a few grand I don't know what to do with!

 

[WILDHOBO]

Good to know! Thank you. Road braking is fine, so may wait for the full caliper upgrade when I've got a few grand I don't know what to do with!

That’s what I’d do. I don’t regret the $600 or so I spent on the z36 parts, as it’s way safer on the road. But when they’re close to worn out, I’m going bigger.

 

[Sweetums]

Just getting caught up on this thread.

A few things come to mind:

1. Small air bubble. A small bubble of air in a hydraulic system may only cause minimal mushiness until it gets hot and the air expands. I had this happen with a hydraulic clutch, it was fine in cool weather but as it got warmer the clutch stopped working.
2. Use of traction control to climb: Traction control uses the brakes to move power around. I've seen people smoke their brakes going up hill and not realize it because they only touched the throttle.
3. Inappropriate downhill gear: I have a diesel now and previously wheeled with a manual Nissan. Most people are on the brakes way too much going downhill; they end up fighting gravity and their engine. First gear low range in the diesel Rubicon has more than enough engine braking to crawl down almost anything without ever touching the brake. I only use the brake to come down off a vertical drop (and that is so slow it makes almost no heat). If you are going to fast in first-low due to taller tires, you need to regear to get that under control. It's not just the math of the final drive and tire size ratio, it's how much more leverage the tires have on the engine due to the increased diameter.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

I overheated mine going down a long twisty dirt road on the Nor Cal BDR. The brakes faded out badly but still works enough to get down the grade. When they cooled off all was good again. On short steep grades they were OK.

That's where the transmission can be a huge help. Going down Pike's Peak, I hardly touched the brakes at all. They were still 'cool' at the halfway checkpoint.
Gearing, tire size, use of the proper transmission gear, all sorts of things come into play.

Inappropriate downhill gear: I have a diesel now and previously wheeled with a manual Nissan. Most people are on the brakes way too much going downhill; they end up fighting gravity and their engine. First gear low range in the diesel Rubicon has more than enough engine braking to crawl down almost anything without ever touching the brake. I only use the brake to come down off a vertical drop (and that is so slow it makes almost no heat). If you are going to fast in first-low due to taller tires, you need to regear to get that under control. It's not just the math of the final drive and tire size ratio, it's how much more leverage the tires have on the engine due to the increased diameter.

Oops - looks like he already covered all of that, and quite well at that.

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