I've got an 89' XJ that I am looking to upgrade the brakes on. Current brakes are in okay condition, however when I bump up to 33" tires and tow trailers I know that the brakes will be inadequate.

I am planning on the ZJ rear disc swap for the 8.25 in the rear; however, I am wondering what a good option to upgrade the front is.. I know a popular choice is the WJ conversion, however I don't think I'm interested in something quite that involved at this point.

With the older Renix vac-disco Jeeps, IIRC you can't use the fancy Black Magic pads and the like, so how much of an improvement would something like a Raybestos Professional or Centric Posi-Quiet pad with a Centric StopTech rotor really be?

Any recommendations appreciated.

 

good thread, I am interested in knowing more as well.

 

Weak point on early Xj is the booster .Up grade that first then if you fell 100% better brakeing then b4 is not sufficent. You can up grade the more expensive mechanical parts.

 

Booster from a newer model XJ?(91-96, or 97-up?) Or is there a better but still fairly hassle free upgrade than the XJ booster?

 

96 and up xj was what i went with.

 

Do a 97+ booster. pre 97 were single diaphragm and post were dual. The difference between my lifted 93 and 00 is night and day (similar tire and lift on both) just because the 00 has the dual diaphragm BB.

 

That sounds like a good plan. So with the booster upgrade, and some quality pads/rotors, you were satisfied with the new stopping power?

 

Im running 38s ,stopping powers great with a junk yard booster and same brake components I've been running for a t least 4 years. Nothing upgraded but booster and yes Its my DD .

 

We have different opinions on what "stopping power's great" means then, freegdr

OP, If you don't want to do the WJ conversion, and want truly improved braking check out these kits. For the price, the WJ conversion would be a better choice IMHO.

T&R Big Brake Kits for Jeeps:

http://www.tandrperformance.com/braking.html

 

Im sure those brake system will deff add to the stopping power of the cherokee. There full potential will not be felt until after its weakest link in the brake systems upgraded . The double diaphragm booster can be done quite cost effective and the end results deff outtway the price if you go with new booster and cyl. Mine was done for around 60.00 if I remember correctly grab mine from u pull yard . I cut and re flared my lines using fittings of donor booster/master and lines of my proportioning valve . I swapped the internals from donor xj into my valve instead of messing with mine in such a tight area.

 

What year xj you running ?

 

I don't mean to hijack--just a quick question--when you swapped the internals, do you have to bleed all 4 corners out after doing that?

I have the internals from the ZJ I got my rear discs from, but I haven't put it in yet because I'm too lazy to bleed each wheel lol

 

Might consider this...

 

I agree, upgrade the booster (dual diaphragm) and master cylinder to a Durango MC. But you're still not going to have incredible stopping power with tires over 33 inches until you move to better brakes (ZJ rear, WJ front conversion or kits like T&R or Vanco offer).

 

This makes pretty good sense; I like the idea of the T&R kit, however as you said for the price the WJ system seems a better bang-for-buck; also upgrades the steering. For now, however: What is the advantage to the Durango MC over a ZJ or newer XJ one?