Brake question

Quote from "SarasGP"

By heavier duty brakes I mean slotted rotors and ceramic pads. I'm just wondering if anyone has used them and if they are worth the extra $$.

Slotted rotors are really only beneficial at high speeds.

lol
now u done it

j/k

i have no problems with my 33's and 4 wheel disc

knowing u have rear drums
i would try just better pads for now
see if that makes a difference

Quote from "Keith_C"

Slotted rotors are really only beneficial at high speeds.

Have to disagree on that one, with oversized tires, your brakes work harder at lower speeds to stop. Hot brakes mean poor stopping and warped rotors. The slotted rotors are for cleaning, cross drilled are for helping to keep things cool. I would opt for cross drilled & slotted rotors. I had great success on my XJ with them.

Steve

vented (vents sandwiched within the two contact sides)

slotted

cross-drilled

Quote from "SarasGP"

With the pads and shoes I'm trying to figure out what material (i.e. ceramic, semi-metallic, carbon metallic, etc.) has the most consistently high cof at all temps.

while ur looking into pads
make sure they will work on whatever rotors u r going to use

some materials wont work well together when mixed

the split should only be 60 front and 40 rear
so dont over look a good set of pads for the rear

there is also the option of bigger / better calipers too

These guys are really good and shipping is fast (In NJ) I had a great experience:

http://www.nationalfleetparts.…formance_brake_rotors.asp

Ceramics run cooler , cost more, no black dust, but tend to sqeek and have med-good stopping power, Metalics stop the best but heat and make a lot of black soot and will wear your rotors faster. For the rear, as said , any shoe will do fine.

Steve

You can also drill your drums out as well. There has been talk about that as a way of improving drums.

this thought just popped into my head... wouldn't having slotted or cross-drilled brakes be bad for offroading? mud and sand and junk getting caught in the openings?

The slots and holes help the pads de-gas during braking as well as help keep them cooler. That's why they are most useful at higher speeds where higher temperatures are reached. Larger tires will cause the stock braking performance to suffer due to the extra rolling mass associated with them (which in turn can make the brakes heat up more theoretically). Whether or not the slotted or drilled rotors help correct that in a noticeable fashion is up for debate.