Just need a little brake advice.

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Fiddlebick

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I've been researching the brake threads on here, and I'd like to describe my towing situation and get your advice. I have a 2017 Bighorn 5.7 and I tow a 24ft Tritoon with one set of disc axle brakes on the trailer. The dry weight of the boat is under 2900 lbs. Not sure if that includes the motor or not, either way adding the trailer weight and I'm guessing 4500 lbs ballpark? My OEM brakes have 56,000 miles and are warped, so I'm ready to not only replace, but upgrade within reason. I like the powerstop recommendations, but not sure I need that Z36 set for my braking needs...maybe the Z23 kit would be all I need. The other question is should I go 4 wheel or the front only for now. Doesn't the front bear the main braking load? I haven't done an inspection of the system and I don't mind spending the money to get the job done right, but I am still cost conscious. My other thoughts are the Wagner solid rotors and OEX pads. How's that for choices?!! If I sound like a confused old man I'm sorry, sure looks that way to me when I read this post back to myself!
 

jvbuttex

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normal driving the front handles 80% of the breaking, hence the reason Toyota had adjustable proportional valve early on. However, when you have a trailer, you have weight on the rear, pressing on the rear axle so the rear is not adding to the stopping power more than previously unloaded.
in fact google says...
Rear brakes typically handle less than 40% of the braking force

could not find stats on the rear / front when towing.
 
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Fiddlebick

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Makes sense, I never considered the effect of the tongue weight on the rear braking. I think I'd better replace all the rotors and pads as a complete update to the system.
 

CanRebel

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Just my view. but it would be same as above. get best brakes you can afford.
Brakes are something in my view, you shouldn't buy the cheapest.

I would also do all 4 at the same time.
 

BossHogg

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I've been researching the brake threads on here, and I'd like to describe my towing situation and get your advice. I have a 2017 Bighorn 5.7 and I tow a 24ft Tritoon with one set of disc axle brakes on the trailer. The dry weight of the boat is under 2900 lbs. Not sure if that includes the motor or not, either way adding the trailer weight and I'm guessing 4500 lbs ballpark? My OEM brakes have 56,000 miles and are warped, so I'm ready to not only replace, but upgrade within reason. I like the powerstop recommendations, but not sure I need that Z36 set for my braking needs...maybe the Z23 kit would be all I need. The other question is should I go 4 wheel or the front only for now. Doesn't the front bear the main braking load? I haven't done an inspection of the system and I don't mind spending the money to get the job done right, but I am still cost conscious. My other thoughts are the Wagner solid rotors and OEX pads. How's that for choices?!! If I sound like a confused old man I'm sorry, sure looks that way to me when I read this post back to myself!
First, let me say that trailer braking is proportional, that is, the trailer should stop itself. Considering this, you don't need to get too wild about the marketing hype of towing brakes or severe braking solutions on your tow vehicle. When I had to make the choice, I went with the Z23 everyday brake solution (I towed under 7.5K pounds). Reading the fine print tells you getting more aggressive brakes also gives you a shorter brake life.

I would do all four corners with the Power Stops, the purpose of the rear brakes is to add stability while offering moderate stopping. Power Stops brake pads and rotors are formulated to work together so it would be best to do the rears as well. There are other brake solutions that I've read good reports on but I only have first-hand experience with Power Stops. When it comes time for brakes, I will do my due diligence first and likely stay with what has worked for me in the past.
 
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Daw14

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Get the best you can ,your life may depend on them.
 

jvbuttex

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As others have said, get the best you can afford, research the brake systems you are thinking of. Don't jump on the latest brake XX thread / advertisement.
 

Rado

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My 2 cents. Look into WAGNER OEX Pads, They are a Heavy Duty Pad , I use them and WAGNER E coated rotors !
Low to no dust, I do not tow but reviews from people who do have been good
 
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Fiddlebick

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So...I purchased the PowerStop Z36 front and rear kit from Amazon. Based on the advice from the good folks on this forum. NOT looking forward to the install, but I have never paid to have brakes installed. At age 63 I may soon rethink this issue, its getting harder to get up and down on a garage floor. Thanks for all the input guys.
 

Glen OS

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I went with the Z36 Power Stops on all 4. I was debating between them and the Z23. Knowing my driving style pushed me to the Z36 and calipers. Very happy with the performance.
Rock Auto had the best price for them.
 

clifhngr

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So...I purchased the PowerStop Z36 front and rear kit from Amazon. Based on the advice from the good folks on this forum. NOT looking forward to the install, but I have never paid to have brakes installed. At age 63 I may soon rethink this issue, its getting harder to get up and down on a garage floor. Thanks for all the input guys.
Hi Fiddlebick: I feel your aches and pains. I'm 69 and I still enjoy doing as much work on my Ram as
possible. It probably takes me a lot longer than having someone else do the work, but I get a lot of
personel satisfaction out of a job well done. I'm fussy, so I make sure everything is clean and torqued properly. Might want to consider changing the brake fluid at the same time. Take your time and take a break when you feel like it. I'm trying to encourage you to do this yourself and hope you do... Good luck and enjoy the ride when you are done.. And the nice smooth stop...
 

Elkman

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In the past with vehicles I have replaced the rotors and pads with the best aftermarket ones I could buy and never had to do this a second time. Manufacturers tend to go cheap with the rotors on their SUVs and light duty trucks and no reason to have a rotor problem at your mileage unless you really carry a heavy load and are inclined to brake suddenly.
 

TomB 1269

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I find the setup on todays break systems much easier to work with...But as I get older I find the biggest issue is getting tires back on. I have yet to really get in to but at some point in my not to distant future I will be coming up with a sling / lift system to use with my jack to lift them in to place.
As for Powerstop, I have been a fan since 1st installed on my previous truck they are beasts. I have put their pads on the rear just GPs but I do not do the drill and slot rotors as I tend not to replace rear rotors unless they have a problem as they only do around 10-20% of breaking.

PS: the Powerstop kits (i.e. rotor and pad are great) however I have usually found it cheap to buy separately vs the kit. I get all the same parts and pieces but usually save $20 per axle by buying separately, particularly on Rockauto, by the way they usually have the best price out of anyone.
 

MJCs18Diesel

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I just finished the rear on my 2018 2500. I went to NAPA and bought mid-priced pads and rotors. Have a second car available if you need to return to the store in the middle of the repair. Here in upper central NY State, road salt and rust causes pads to not slide like they are suppose to and they bind up. You might not need new rotors if you don't get a lot of rust in/on the brakes where you live. A trick I read somewhere when using the C-Clamp to press the pistons back in; open the brake bleeder and slowly press the old brake fluid out into a small cup rather than back toward the master cylinder. When you bleed the brakes during reassembly, use a turkey baster to suck as much of the old fluid from the reservoir, and refill with new fluid. If the rear disc won't pull off, back off the E-brake adjuster. You need to clean (scrape with a file) the caliper slider surfaces real good to get the rust off, especially the rust build-up on the surface under the stainless slider pads. Put a thin layer of brake grease on the pad ends and caliper bracket sliding surfaces. And, when you put it all back together before the caliper, make sure the brake pad "ears" slide without binding. The springs on the pads are supposed to "lift" or pull the pads away from the disc. When you R& R the slider pin grease, it is tricky to put them back in because of the air bubble that gets trapped. Clear the grease off the flat surfaces on the pins might help and spin the pins when you finally get them back in. It is not that difficult, leave yourself a lot of time, and check yourself as you go.
 

GTyankee

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Instead of actually lifting your tires& wheels
I have a tire bar with a curve near the flattened end.

Likely you are more likely to have a square point shovel
shove the metal part of the shovel under the rim about 2 or 3"
Then push down on the handle.
It does not take much to lift a tire & rim about an inch when using the shovel as a tool
 

cdn cj

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Not sure if I heard about the shovel lift on this site for tires or one of my Jeep forums. I can’t believe I never thought of this before cause it’s awesome!
I’ve used a round point so you have a little wiggle room for adjustment.
 

freedom 2014

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I don't post here often but I do have automotive experience. Imo, skip the powerstops. The z36 rotors are slotted and cross drilled. This is actually not ideal for towing. Or daily driving for that matter. It's basically all marketing. Slotted and drilled rotors are missing surface material, valuable surface material that can help you stop your truck when you're towing. My standard recommendation for brake rotors is the Bosch quietcast. The Wagner oex brake pads should do everything you need.
 
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