Need for sharper brakes

[Joseph DeNapoli]

Hello everyone

I am a new owner of a 2017 Ram 1500 5.7 V8 engine and I love it. It's an amazing truck. The horse power feels awesome. The only complaint I have is that the brakes are a little more spongy than I would like. I just put new brake pads and rotors on with original Mopar parts and they are significantly better but I had higher expectations for some reason. Would high performance brake calipers give me sharper brakes or is that just the nature of the beast?

Thank you
Joe

 

[Burla]

Do you change fluid, and is it black? OEM Mopar brakes are not known for stopping ability. Power Stop and Wagner OEX's are good choices that guard against brake fade and have good material. Anti Lock braking system largely determines stopping distance, even if you have bigger brakes and leave that in place. Get a good brake fluid with a high boiling point, will help a lot, I use redline 600. If you have oem brake fluid and it's old and degraded, when you press the brakes it is water thin. In the end, it is "hydraulic", and you will have better performance/control if you have better restriction to flow.

 

[crazykid1994]

I flushed brake fluid on my truck after 30,000 miles and my brakes are a lot better than stock. Brake pedal was spongy and new fluid helped quite a bit. Plus I swapped lines which is a huge upgrade but is a big undertaking.

 

[MADDOG]

^^^ Agree with @Burla ^^^ on using an aftermarket kit. and a high temp fluid.

EBC brake pads are also a good way to go but they are a bit more aggressive and will wear your OEM rotors down a bit quicker than stock pads.

 

[Salty Ram]

I bought the Power Stop Cross-Drilled and Slotted Rotors with ceramic pads and that made a hell of a difference! I kept the stock calipers as I didn't see a need to change them out just for looks. Brake response now is immediate and I'll be buying the same pads again when these wear out because I get very little brake dust on my wheels. To me, there is no comparison with what I have now compared to the stock setup. JMHO...

Oh, and welcome to the Ram Forum!

 

[crash68]

I always wonder what some people do to their brakes. At any given time I can exceed the friction coefficient of the tires with the OEM brake pads and rotors, and that can be an unsettling feeling when the ABS is kicked in. I tow upwards of a 8K lbs trailer and don't have any problems with stopping that.
I guessing unless there is a mechanical or fluid issue with the brakes then it's either the brakes weren't bedded in correctly or glazed over from people riding them(I see a lot of people ride their brakes).

 

[Burla]

For anti lock brakes, you never want to run lines dry, so if you do dyi brake pedal flush, then after every single time you hit the brakes, top off fluid. I have a brake bleed kit, I still do it this way. So first you will need to empty brake fill reservoir, you can go to back tires and loosen bolt and pump brakes, the fluid will drain, but like I said don't run it dry, pump once and see level. It will mean getting in and out of truck a few times for sure. Once it is low, you put new fluid, and then start procedure at furthest point from master cylinder, then work your way through to next furthest point and so on. You keep topping off fluid every brake pump if you don't have a brake bleeder. You don't need to take off tires but it is easier if you do. It would be 4 redline 600's to get the job done.

 

[crazykid1994]

I always wonder what some people do to their brakes. At any given time I can exceed the friction coefficient of the tires with the OEM brake pads and rotors, and that can be an unsettling feeling when the ABS is kicked in. I tow upwards of a 8K lbs trailer and don't have any problems with stopping that.
I guessing unless there is a mechanical or fluid issue with the brakes then it's either the brakes weren't bedded in correctly or glazed over from people riding them(I see a lot of people ride their brakes).

I’m on 35s that weigh 103lbs per wheel and tire combo. Still on stock pads and rotors. I think my fluid was just tired at 3 years 30,000 miles because new fluid helped a lot for me. A lot of people don’t change brake fluid because it’s “sealed”

 

[bigred90gt]

I made almost 60k miles of listening to my breaks squeal (since a week or so after I drove it
Home new off the lot). I changed the pads to Wagner OEX and they are fantastic. No brake dust, no squealing, and they stop much better than OEM.

 

[Nick@GotExhaust]

Our brake package has been well spoken about here on the forum for its better stopping power while being low dust and long lasting, all while looking great!

You can find it here
https://gotexhaust.com/i-23698983-2009-2018-ram-1500-got-exhaust-performance-brake-package.html

Be sure to use promo code GOTBRAKES15 for a 15% discount!!! We have other options as well. Feel free to message me for more info.

 

[Burla]

I made almost 60k miles of listening to my breaks squeal (since a week or so after I drove it
Home new off the lot). I changed the pads to Wagner OEX and they are fantastic. No brake dust, no squealing, and they stop much better than OEM.

Yeah, when I put mine on stopped better and zero dust, big fan of the OEX.

 

[MoparBrent]

I’ve been running EBC stage 3 slotted/dimpled rotors with greenstuff pads on all 4 corners. Great upgrade and have loved them since day 1. Will keep using EBC from now on.

 

[NJMOPAR]

Another convert to OEX here.

 

[abouttobeglue]

I made almost 60k miles of listening to my breaks squeal (since a week or so after I drove it
Home new off the lot). I changed the pads to Wagner OEX and they are fantastic. No brake dust, no squealing, and they stop much better than OEM.

I'm with him, I changed front and rear pads to Wagner oex a few weeks ago, much better. At 56k still plenty of pad left on stock, but these are way better.