Bigger brakes or just better brakes?

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terrible

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We plan on towing our 4700# hybrid camper with the ram and I had some braking questions. On our first trip the truck did really well. Way better than our '13 grand Cherokee (also with the 5.7).

But I'm wondering about the brakes. I'm getting a lot of dust with whatever pads the dealership put on during the "certified pre owned" inspection. I'd like to make sure that they aren't going to fade as we roll around the mountains here in West Virginia.

Should I just look into better pads? What about slotted or drilled rotors? I'd like to buy something with a good factory style coating to keep rust off the rotor hats and keep things looking nice while also performing.

I'm not against going to larger calipers and bigger rotors but if I can do it inside the factory calipers that'd be great.
 

crazykid1994

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Green stuff pads. I think nick with got exhaust sells them. He’s a forum vendor. They are what I’m looking at getting. Or powerstop. I’ve heard good about both
 

Firetruck41

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Sounds like it did fine as is. I would probably just put new pads on for about $50-70 per axle and a few minutes of your time. Ceramic will probably produce the least dust and work well.

The brunt of your trailers braking should be done by the trailer brakes anyway. I wouldn't consider any major brake upgrades unless they were actually needed. If it's time to replace rotors, I would go with a coated rotor, to keep the rust away, but I wouldn't spend the money on drilled or slotted.
 

ScLeCo

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I would make sure you have good high temperature resistant brake fluid. I think fluid is the most overlooked part of the braking system.
 
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terrible

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Awesome, thanks guys. I've had a few college lever brake courses and fluid is highly overlooked. Especially when brake pad replacement is happening. But I wasn't sure about the level of heat tolerance these stock brakes have.

I'll look at the EBC pads .

The trailer brakes are really nice with the stock brake controller. I didn't think it'd be proportional like it is. Our previous controller with the GC was time based and even on a low setting it would jerk the car around. With this integrated controller things are much better. And the push button control VS/ a thumb wheel adjustment is way better.
 

Toddbigboytruck

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We plan on towing our 4700# hybrid camper with the ram and I had some braking questions. On our first trip the truck did really well. Way better than our '13 grand Cherokee (also with the 5.7).

But I'm wondering about the brakes. I'm getting a lot of dust with whatever pads the dealership put on during the "certified pre owned" inspection. I'd like to make sure that they aren't going to fade as we roll around the mountains here in West Virginia.

Should I just look into better pads? What about slotted or drilled rotors? I'd like to buy something with a good factory style coating to keep rust off the rotor hats and keep things looking nice while also performing.

I'm not against going to larger calipers and bigger rotors but if I can do it inside the factory calipers that'd be great.
Congratulations. I pulled my hybrid only two months after I got my 18 5.7. Crew Laramie from Ontario to Florida and we never had any issues. The trailer brake does most of the work and your truck will be fine. My hybrid is 5500 fully loaded

C6C5C95D-E39F-4394-8EFD-1A2DCDC0352A.jpeg
 

Toddbigboytruck

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We plan on towing our 4700# hybrid camper with the ram and I had some braking questions. On our first trip the truck did really well. Way better than our '13 grand Cherokee (also with the 5.7).

But I'm wondering about the brakes. I'm getting a lot of dust with whatever pads the dealership put on during the "certified pre owned" inspection. I'd like to make sure that they aren't going to fade as we roll around the mountains here in West Virginia.

Should I just look into better pads? What about slotted or drilled rotors? I'd like to buy something with a good factory style coating to keep rust off the rotor hats and keep things looking nice while also performing.

I'm not against going to larger calipers and bigger rotors but if I can do it inside the factory calipers that'd be great.
Can I ask what is the brand of your hybrid and size. We love hybrid camping
 

Ramcharger60

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We plan on towing our 4700# hybrid camper with the ram and I had some braking questions. On our first trip the truck did really well. Way better than our '13 grand Cherokee (also with the 5.7).

But I'm wondering about the brakes. I'm getting a lot of dust with whatever pads the dealership put on during the "certified pre owned" inspection. I'd like to make sure that they aren't going to fade as we roll around the mountains here in West Virginia.

Should I just look into better pads? What about slotted or drilled rotors? I'd like to buy something with a good factory style coating to keep rust off the rotor hats and keep things looking nice while also performing.

I'm not against going to larger calipers and bigger rotors but if I can do it inside the factory calipers that'd be great.
I run power stop brakes on all my vehicles. They have been great. Drilled and slotted rotors, Carbon ceramic pads leave minimal dust and no fade

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Ohio5pt7

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Dumb question do you have trailer brakes? Your truck shouldn't be doing much extra braking (will do some obviously)with a properly set trailer brake.

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Ohio5pt7

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Also your engine is a good brake in the mountains took a trip thru those same mountains from ohio to sc few months back. Didnt use the brakes at all let the engine maintain your speed and slowing it's not going to hurt it.

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RoadRamblerNJ

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Also your engine is a good brake in the mountains took a trip thru those same mountains from ohio to sc few months back. Didnt use the brakes at all let the engine maintain your speed and slowing it's not going to hurt it.

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While I agree with this method of speed control, it has been brought to my old man brain's attention that "Brakes are way cheaper than trans & engine wear to repair".
What do I know, I was edumacated in a public school system. Made it to grade 12. No college.
The cost analysis came from a guy with a Masters degree. I met him when I was a mechanic, putting brakes on his F-250.[emoji847]
 

Ohio5pt7

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While I agree with this method of speed control, it has been brought to my old man brain's attention that "Brakes are way cheaper than trans & engine wear to repair".
What do I know, I was edumacated in a public school system. Made it to grade 12. No college.
The cost analysis came from a guy with a Masters degree. I met him when I was a mechanic, putting brakes on his F-250.[emoji847]
While I do see your point being cheaper as long as you maintain it wear and tear is minimal they used this engine up to a 3500 which spends its life in a truck that weights 2k more and sees a lot more extreme conditions in towing. To each there own I guess there isn't a right or wrong both are valid all depends on if you trust the engineering or not.

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terrible

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Yes I have trailer brakes. Just wanting to be prepared in case I need more. And the stock pads the dealer put in are very dusty pads.
 

crash68

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While I agree with this method of speed control, it has been brought to my old man brain's attention that "Brakes are way cheaper than trans & engine wear to repair".
Have noticed those Lanes on the side of the mountain roads marked Runaway Lane? Those are for people who rely on their brakes too much to slow down going down grades.
The hotter you get brakes the less effective they become. You can get brake pads that will operate at higher temperatures but wouldn't like how well they work when they're not warmed up(these types of pads are intended for racing).

As far as extra wear and tear on the engine/transmission from engine braking. The engine is pressure lubricated and since the amount of fuel being injected is reduced or none, the revolutions of the engine are no worse than driving and it's cooling off. Same applies for the transmission. With the lock up torque converters and clutches used in transmission nowadays any extra wear is no more than normal driving.
The benefits of keeping the heat down brakes outweigh whatever perceived extra wear on the engine/transmission.
 
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Nick@GotExhaust

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Here is our recommendation. Our very popular package of R1 Concepts Geomet rotors and Posi-quiet pads. The rotors are high quality and coated for corrosion resistance. For even better corrosion resistance we do have an option for double coating! The posi quiet pads are long lasting and low dust. This combo has great stopping power while be low dust and keeping the brakes cooler.

https://gotexhaust.com/i-23698983-2009-2018-ram-1500-got-exhaust-performance-brake-package.html

We can offer this package for 15% off and free shipping with promo code GOTBRAKES15.

Also it wouldnt be a bad idea to flush your brake fluid and add some high quality fluid like Red Line.

If you are interested in the fluid too, message me and I can quote you on a package for the rotors, pads and fluid.
 

RoadRamblerNJ

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Have noticed those Lanes on the side of the mountain roads marked Runaway Lane? Those are for people who rely on their brakes too much to slow down going down grades.
The hotter you get brakes the less effective they become. You can get brake pads that will operate at higher temperatures but wouldn't like how well they work when they're not warmed up(these types of pads are intended for racing).

As far as extra wear and tear on the engine/transmission from engine braking. The engine is pressure lubricated and since the amount of fuel being injected is reduced or none, the revolutions of the engine are no worse than driving and it's cooling off. Same applies for the transmission. With the lock up torque converters and clutches used in transmission nowadays any extra wear is no more than normal driving.
The benefits of keeping the heat down brakes outweigh whatever perceived extra wear on the engine/transmission.
As stated in my first sentence, I agree with using engine braking. I was just playing devil's advocate. Engines and modern trans' are nothing like the 2 spd powerglides or TH350/TH400's I grew up with. Back then it was hard to find performance brakes.

I am a very big fan of theYellow Stuff pads and slotted rotors. I had them on my '09 1500 and my Abarth 500 turbo. The absolutely stopped that truck noticably faster and had no fade unless I just stayed in 10/10ths mode too long. On the Abarth that weighed 1900 lbs it was like dropping an anchor how fast thet car stopped. Sorry, I had pics but I changed out my microSD card and I to reinstall it if you wast to see how they look. One thing, they are dusty. I know that was your concern. In my eyes, well worth the added cleaning. Nothing will pucker your butt faster than thinking you ain't stopping in time.
 
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