I would like to convert the rear brakes on my 96 Cherokee to disc. Do the later model Cherokees have factory installed disc brakes? If not, does anyone know what other cars may hav rear brakes that can be adapted?
I just do not want to spend $700 for the Teraflex kit that is offered by Quadratec.

 

Which axle do you have? There's a very different conversions depending on the axle. Cherokee's were not made with rear disc.

 

They have rear brakes???



If it has the 8.25 you can use Liberty disks, IIRC theres a writeup on here.. d35 can be done too, but I think its a little harder.

 

d35 is easy. you can use all the parts from a zj.

 

I have been told 4disc is bad idea but maybe not on such a light vehicle

 

I plan on converting mine to disc just due to the fact I feel safer if I have to back down anything steep because at the moment my fronts will lock up and I lose any chance of correcting my rearward descent if I have to make any steering corrections mostly on slightly off camber trails.

 

Actually it's not. The Liberty uses the same 8.25 axle but only in a coil spring version. It's practially a straight swap. All you really need to do is move the brake fluid hard line to connect with new calipers soft line. I believe there is also a modification to the emergency brake cable or you can buy the ones used in the liberty.

There is a write up in the Write Up section of this forum. I think it's on page 3

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f51/li...nversion-7695/

 

Not true, your drums need to be adjusted. Drums will work just as efficiently as discs, and longer, if you keep them clean and adjusted.

 

That's not true either, drums do not work nearly as well in reverse by design. When going forward the shoes rotate into the drum as you apply the brakes increasing the pressure against the drum. This does not occur in reverse. I'm sure you've noticed that when you back up with the parking brake on you don't notice until you try to go forward and it stops you. That is why.

Drum brakes are nowhere near as efficient as disk brakes. If they were OE's would not have changed nearly everything over to disks. Disk brakes cool much more efficiently, have more clamping force, and are more resistant to water fade. Ever driven a 4 wheel drum vehicle through the water and then tried to stop? Not fun, ask me how I know.

The perception that drum brakes last longer is because they are usually only on the rear of a vehicle and the rear brakes always outlast the front brakes because the front does 80% of you braking due to weight transfer so you may go through 3-4 sets of brake pads before you ever replace the shoes on the drum brakes.

 

Many OE vehicles still use drum for good reason, most of your stopping power is in the front regardless of whats in the back.

Also, I have a Roadrunner with new drums all around, Englishtown has this little thing every year with vehicles from the '70s, mostly "hot rods". And the top of the class are all using drums still. Runs are 0-60, 60-0, 0-100.

Disc brakes make lousy parking brakes. So if you put disc brakes on all four wheels, you then have to add two additional, separate drum brakes on the rear wheels to serve as parking brakes.

Or you have to add a very expensive, and failure-prone, component to the rear disc-brake calipers to make them work as parking brakes. But drum brakes naturally make good parking brakes, because they have a binding, or self-wrapping, action.

And even with drums all around, the life is longer than disc, automotive technicians estimate around 40% longer life, not to mention the cheaper replacement.

Also, your drums will, if adjusted correctly to the vehicle and cleaned and maintained properly, perform just as well as OE discs.

 

Regardless, Cherokee drums are awful. Constant adjustments! I'm looking to do the swap when my current set of shoes wears out. I've never heard anyone that has done this has NOT had a huge improvement in braking performance.

 

Ive upgraded my drums. Discs arent worth the money imo

 

What?!
The ZJ discs have a drum setup for the parking brake built in. Here's the write-up I used: http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/z...-brake-920103/

I did the ZJ conversion on the rear of my Cherokee. Much nicer in my opinion, braking is more level and controlled. No adjusting needed. Granted my drums were probably completely worn out. I have a 99 with the 8.25 in the back and all I did was enlarge the opening of the backing plates from a ZJ. KJ discs are a direct bolt on, no modding needed.

 

Where did I say ZJ discs?

Please dont put words in my mouth, thanks boss.

 

Ok, my bad...just didn't want the OP to think he wasn't going to have e-brakes.