Hello all - I have an '88 Jeep Cherokee that I love. But the braking power sucks.
I have replaced the stock brake master/booster. Pads/drums good.
I know that the front brakes do app.60% of the braking power.
My options:
1. dump the truck (not gonna happen)
2. replace the knuckles with larger ones from a different Jeep so I can put larger disks/pads on it
3. convert the rear to disks.

Thoughts? AND - what Jeep years/models would I get as replacement knuckles that work (have you done this?)?

Thanks for your input.
Redrooster.

 

All the options Here you go:

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/17...222937/index6/

 

The first upgrade you should make is to a dual-diaphragm brake booster from either a 95-96 XJ or from a WJ. This will make a huge difference in performance without any other changes by increasing the pressure applied to the pads. I don't know that it's double the pressure, but it's significantly more. Night and day difference...

 

actually, there are better choices for master/booster.
I've tried a few. My preference is the 99 to 2004 WJ combo with the flexible braided lines coming off the master cylinder.

Not only is it easier to install, it's a stronger booster. You'll need to change brake light switches but that's easy. I have the info on that.

 

After you do the dual-diaphragm booster swap, the other "big" braking upgrade you can do is WJ knuckles. Not sure if this is what you were getting at with your question about "bigger knuckles", but its pretty well documented and is a significant improvement. Much larger twin piston calipers and much larger rotors, plus crossover steering which is an improvement over the XJ's. Downside is its a bit involved. It will require cutting/welding the track bar bracket on the axle. I think there are some bolt-on options (Teraflex might make a knuckle swap for big brakes only?), but IMO for the money and effort the WJ swap is the way to go.

 

Funny thing is, I had a brief flirtation with a WJ & I don't recall thinking the brakes were obviously better - &, if I didn't know, it'd never had occurred to me the steering was any different. Maybe I knew, & therefor was expecting, too much.

 

Wj brakes arent better. The 88 i think has two peice knuckles giving it mustang rotor options and all kinds of calipers. 2-4 piston.

Might be easier and cheaper to adjust rear brakes so theyre actually working.

 

Thanks for your time.

 

Lots of good info here

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/15-diy-big-brake-kit-xj-mj-tj-yj-d30-d44-227121/

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f67/17-diy-big-brake-kit-xj-mj-tj-yj-d30-44-a-222937/

 

I am going to put my 2 cents in on this. WJ knuckles and brakes are a great way to increase your braking response. Thanks to Cruiser for the master cylinder info. I ended up using a ZJ master and it was a little small. I not only used the front brakes, but the rear brakes off a WJ. The system was balanced like it was supposed to be and stopped in probably half the distance of my old brakes on the 86 knuckles. Granted you have to fabricate to use the rear brakes, but I don't regret it. Only took a couple of hours to get it right. If you do a little high school math the increase of WJ over XJ is about 90% in terms of piston area nad pad area, not to mention a difference in design that is where all the car companies are going to. So in my book, it is the way to go

 

I only passed high school math because the teacher felt bad for me.

 

got kids, use them

 

The braking in my ‘89 is noticeably weaker than in my ‘91 or ‘98. I have a donor ‘96 available. Is there a way to ID the “double diaphragm” booster? Should I swap the master cylinder from the ‘96 as well?

Thank you!

 

The large cylindrical portion of the booster will be able 5" deep, deeper than the single-diaphragm booster you have now. There will be a neck-down roughly in the middle of that 5" depth where the two vacuum chambers are separated. There will be a 1/2" spacer between the booster and the firewall. You need that...

The master cylinder is required as well. It will have a plastic tank, while the earlier models will have a cast tank on non-abs models, and this weird, really thin, but wide plastic tank if it had ABS.

The master cylinder has metric double-bubble fittings. I picked up pre-made lines at the parts store with the metric double-bubble fittings and added the imperial flare fittings to them. One of the two, the larger one IIRC, metric double-bubble fitting isn't the easiest to find. So, long story short, grab the lines down to the proportioning valve as well...

 

Yup heard/read it all before but none of it alters the fact that when I 1st drove my WJ I did not immediately think "Wow, these brakes are so much better" (same goes for the steering - &, indeed, the seats), nor when switching back to the XJ was I bitterly disappointed.