I don’t plan on taking the trx to a paved circuit but I will be diving into corners braking late on the streets for sustained periods of time. I’m not nearly as familiar with overwhelming the brakes on an offroad circuit.
Brake Upgrades
- Thread starter Bambi
- Start date
None in daily driving, a moderate amount on a closed course/track, and a small to moderate amount winding down from a mountain pass.
How hard were you running it on closed course and for how long at a time?
That is a great question
. Full disclosure this was ~ 2 years ago when I was doing long hours and a lot of international travel. Did a short road trip with a few friends of friends and a few cars (including the Trackhawk) going from LAX to Vegas with a few canyon segments, some open desert, and a roadcourse somewhere along the way. I thought it was longer than a mile, but the name Apple Valley Raceway sticks in my head for some reason, and when I checked just now that's less than one mile in length.A more professional TH reference that might be of interest would be the 2018 Lightning Lap. They were able to do multiple laps at VIR, and while they reported the pedal getting a bit soft, they said it recovered well between sessions. So to me, that suggests that if you don't start out with glazed pads, and if you are sensible, the Trackhawk brake set up works pretty well for its weight.
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Lightning Lap Review
Back to my amateur hour annecdote - I'd be lying if I said I remembered how long our sessions were - so I won't - but I remember ducking out a little early with the TH to give the brakes a chance to recover. They weren't pedal to the floor and fly through a corner bad, just softer after a reasonable bit of time on the track. I am not a track expert, don't have a race license, and that was my first time in a Trackhawk. So a better driver, someone familiar with the TH, and or someone driving more sensibly to try and conserve the brakes for longer sessions would have probably been fine. But I had a ton of fun!!!
Firstly Thanks for the thoughtful response. Secondly, based on what you said, there is basically no way the stock brakes will handle the way I drive.That is a great question
A more professional TH reference that might be of interest would be the 2018 Lightning Lap. They were able to do multiple laps at VIR, and while they reported the pedal getting a bit soft, they said it recovered well between sessions. So to me, that suggests that if you don't start out with glazed pads, and if you are sensible, the Trackhawk brake set up works pretty well for its weight.
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Lightning Lap Review
Back to my amateur hour annecdote - I'd be lying if I said I remembered how long our sessions were - so I won't - but I remember ducking out a little early with the TH to give the brakes a chance to recover. They weren't pedal to the floor and fly through a corner bad, just softer after a reasonable bit of time on the track. I am not a track expert, don't have a race license, and that was my first time in a Trackhawk. So a better driver, someone familiar with the TH, and or someone driving more sensibly to try and conserve the brakes for longer sessions would have probably been fine. But I had a ton of fun!!!
i really might go 20’s with 37’s just for braking performance. That should open up some significant pad/disc/caliper options.
anyone that finds a good solution to this please post. I’m probably gonna call brembo and ap racing unless someone has additional full replacement suggestions.
Anytime! And when you find a combination that works well, I'll look forward to the review!
I reached out to Essex/AP's U.S. distributor and didn't hear back yet. I'll post up or drop you a PM if I get any more info.
Ok. We need to get on this per this thread
www.ram-trx.com
I’m not thrilled to need to pay 6-10k for new wheels/tires plus whatever the brake upgrade costs. Then fender cutting to fit 37’s if you want the size/sidewall.
I don’t think a different pad compound with girodiscs would be enough.
why couldn’t Ram have just put on good brakes to start? I’m not an engineer but seems this should be foreseeable. The test drivers must have bitched about it. My pick would probably be largest slotted discs possible while clearing the larger calipers inside of wheel
Got My TRX.. First Silver?
are you planning on doing anything about the brakes? I'll wait to see what the aftermarket comes out with.. So new nothing available yet..
www.ram-trx.com
I’m not thrilled to need to pay 6-10k for new wheels/tires plus whatever the brake upgrade costs. Then fender cutting to fit 37’s if you want the size/sidewall.
I don’t think a different pad compound with girodiscs would be enough.
why couldn’t Ram have just put on good brakes to start? I’m not an engineer but seems this should be foreseeable. The test drivers must have bitched about it. My pick would probably be largest slotted discs possible while clearing the larger calipers inside of wheel
Spoke to Brembo’s aftermarket division. They are an absolute nogo. They said there is something unique about all rams’ brakes related to hydraulics and they don’t make kits for any of them.
anyone else having better luck? I’m going to speak to a track rat friend. I think it could be slightly improved with a disc/pad swap. It’s likely girodisc or AP for discs. I’ll need to do some research on pads.
anyone else having better luck? I’m going to speak to a track rat friend. I think it could be slightly improved with a disc/pad swap. It’s likely girodisc or AP for discs. I’ll need to do some research on pads.
Any news? I have messages into Alcon and Wilwood
Brake pedal doesn't have a firm feel to it ...looking to upgrade pads or calipers also
Ok. Wilwood’s latest ram kit was for 2018 MY. 16” front with 6 piston caliper, 15” rear with 4 piston.
found this but doubt its an improvement;
www.americantrucks.com
found this but doubt its an improvement;
PowerStop RAM 1500 Z36 Extreme Truck and Tow 6-Lug Brake Rotor and Pad Kit; Front and Rear K8182-36 (19-26 RAM 1500, Excluding RHO & TRX) - Free Shipping
FREE SHIPPING! Increased Braking Performance for Increased Capabilities. Level-up the capabilities of your RAM 1500 with the PowerStop Z36 Extreme Truck and Tow
www.americantrucks.com
No - nothing back from Essex/AP. If you want to give them a ring as well another interested party reaching out won't hurt! I'll try to ring them tomorrow or Wednesday.
Also, if you don't hear back from Alcon or Wilwood let me know. I don't have any connections at either but happy to add my name to the interested parties list if they are gauging interest.
Alcon hasn’t called me back. Willwood said their last big brake kit was for 2018 and nothing else. They suggested I filll out their referral form and they would let me know
Bummer on Alcon. For Willwood, I'll fill out the referral form as well. Fingers crossed on something from Essex/AP
or maybe Racing Brake.
I owned an SRT Jeep for 2 years and ran it hard, real hard. I never had any instance of break fade to speak off. The main criticism of the Brembos on the SRT is that they shed black powder in copious amounts. I've seen those breaks installed on Durangos before there was an SRT Durango, and I can get the part numbers, I think it is around $1400 for the entire system. The only issue is that the rotors are probably not interchangeable to a RAM 6 lug where they are between a Jeep and a Durango.
If there is interest I can dig some more...
If there is interest I can dig some more...
If you are mainly looking for a firmer pedal. Save a bunch of money and have stainless steel brake lines put in. I’m assuming the trx has plastic/rubber stock.
I was also surprised that this "halo" truck doesn't come with better brakes. Sure, the Brembos shed brake dust like a mofo but they work well. The heaviest I've owned is the trackhawk and they still worked well with minor fade after excessive use.
There must of been a reason that the heaviest hellcat powered vehicle they've made has nothing special in the brakes department. Did they just run out of R&D money and the bean counters told them no more? My guess is they figured the weight and friction/drag from offroad surfaces would be enough to slow it down enough to help the brakes. That would be a massive miss by the engineering department as we all know that the bulk of these will likely never see that type of terrain. I've yet to try these brakes but I'm currently underwhelmed.
There must of been a reason that the heaviest hellcat powered vehicle they've made has nothing special in the brakes department. Did they just run out of R&D money and the bean counters told them no more? My guess is they figured the weight and friction/drag from offroad surfaces would be enough to slow it down enough to help the brakes. That would be a massive miss by the engineering department as we all know that the bulk of these will likely never see that type of terrain. I've yet to try these brakes but I'm currently underwhelmed.
All the anecdotal and video evidence seems to show they are good for 2-3 hard stops from 100 and then basically catch fire.
and yeah. I prefer to be able to stop vs extra brake dust. Wheels are black anyway
I’ve tracked a dozen different Auto , SUV and Truck brands over the years and all we’ve ever done to have excellent brakes is appropriate pads, braided SS lines and fresh high quality Brake fluid. Done.
All OEM pads will be inadequate for hard sustained use. They have to work at low temps for street DOT regulations. Ex: That panic stop on the freeway when cold.
I would be shocked if you need anymore than that. Now if you want an appearance upgrade that’s different.
All OEM pads will be inadequate for hard sustained use. They have to work at low temps for street DOT regulations. Ex: That panic stop on the freeway when cold.
I would be shocked if you need anymore than that. Now if you want an appearance upgrade that’s different.
I would be super happy if this is the case. What pads would you recommend for a general high use/abuse but not squealy race pads that don’t work cold?
i may just order that stuff when my truck is inbound as going to swap it very quickly
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