Bigger brakes or just better brakes?

[Regcabguy]

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

Sent from my SM-N960U1 using Tapatalk

That's what I went for in the front. They yielded a seat of the pants improvement over already competent stockers.

 

[Cobalt]

I run with a 2010 3500 dually and only have about 38,000 miles currently, used primarily for towing our 5th wheel with a 12,600 GVW. I never really liked my factory brakes, they were adequate but nothing really great. I went with the Power Stop brakes and wow, what a difference. I got the Z36 for truck and tow. I can't believe the difference and highly recommend them. They use a Carbon-Fiber Ceramic formula and so far I have seen less dust on the wheels.

 

[moparmikey1969]

I tow a 24' toy hauler with my 2010 ram 1500 the brakes always felt on the edge during braking even with the trailer brakes. I put the power stop brakes on it with
dilled and slotted rotors the extreme truck and tow pads. its amazing the difference in stopping with or with out the trailer. my brother drove my truck and couldn't believe how well my truck stopped compared to his similar truck.

 

[gears49]

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

If you get your brakes hot enough to boil the brake fluid, you're using your brakes too much. Most brake fluid has a boiling point of around 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Synthetic fluid will take that to around 700 degrees. That's the fluid temperatures. To get the fluids that hot, your rotor temps will be around 1000 degrees. I see a lot of tow vehicles ride their brakes all the way down a hill. When they get to the bottom, their brakes are smoking. Your factory brake setup is satisfactory. It sounds like the dealer you purchased the truck from used the cheapest pads they could get. Get a quality pad and you should be good. I've been towing TTs and 5th wheels personally and professionally since the '70s. There is a difference between towing, and towing smart.

 

[ScLeCo]

Most brake fluid has a boiling point of around 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Synthetic fluid will take that to around 700 degrees.

You are incorrect. I encourage you to educate yourself further if you feel like it but in the meantime please stop spreading these figures because they are flat out wrong.

 

[Elkman]

Disc brakes resist fading unlike the drum brakes of 20 years ago. Best to avoid sitting on the brakes going down a grade in the first place and to adjust the trailer brake control and use grade control with the transmission. I bought a 4,000 lb trailer and drove down a 8 mile section of road where the elevation decreased by 3,000 feet and had no need to use the brakes the entire time. However, with the Ram 1500 trucks they are not designed for "heavy towing" in hilly areas and the manual recommends not using cruise control to limit the speed and so you are left with using manual gear select.

Fortunately 4,000 lbs is not a lot for a pickup truck, even a 1500 class one, and it comes down to learning to use the transmission and trailer brakes to control speed on a downgrade. Much safer to have the weight of the trailer being managed by the trailer's brakes than trying to use the tow vehicle's brakes (that is when jackknifes can occur).