crgrissom
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2005
- Location
- Raleigh, NC
(I posted this on Jeeps Unlimited and JeepForum, but thought some folks on here might also be interested.)
I finally installed the Vanco big brake kit that has been sitting in my garage for a few months, waiting on a free weekend. My stock brakes with my 35" tires were just not cutting it. Really, it was unsafe and in retrospect it shouldn't have been allowed on the road, even if it is my DD. There was no such thing as a panic stop. It was just "stand on 'em and pray" at best.
The Vanco kit is here: http://www.vancopbs.com/product_p/dkj1000.htm
The instructions are here: http://www.vancopbs.com/category_s/159.htm
The kit is $750 plus $200 refundable core charge for the stock steering knuckles you can send back.
The kit includes dual piston calipers, specially modified steering knuckles to mount the calipers, new rotors, and new high performance pads. The parts alone account for much of that cost, and you get the benefit of some really excellent engineering in the design and manufacture of this kit for an amazing bargain.
Many of us spend $5K or more to build our Jeeps up, and often neglect the really important safety components like brakes. This is a great way to address that component.
Now, holy crap, these Vanco brakes are fantastic, awesome,... I can't think of enough words to describe it. The pedal is much tighter, but still has great feel so you can modulate all the way from a gentle slowdown to a full lockup at any speed. Truly marvelous. It's even better than that. You can hold that 'feathery edge' right before a full lockup that gives you the very best stopping ability that friction will allow. The best way to describe it is to say that these are really well matched to the vehicle, really in a sweet spot between power and finesse. This is with the EBC yellow pads that Vanco recommended I swap in instead of the PF pads that the kit came with from early last year.
I didn't bother with a 'writeup' because it has been done and the instructions that came with the kit are just fine anyway. I followed them exactly, except that I went ahead and ground down the hubs to fit the rotors before I removed the axle shafts.
Here are some pictures and a few comments.
The hardest part of the install really is just grinding the hub to fit the rotor. The Ford Explorer rotor that is used in the kit is just 0.06 inches too small in the hat diameter to fit the stock Jeep hub. I had my son help me by spinning the opposite side (with a tire loosely mounted) while I ground my side with an angle grinder as it spun. Total time was only about 15 minutes for the grinding to fit, including mounting/unmounting the tires that he spun. It helps to use a good grinder. Rent one from Home Depot if you don't have one.
Here is the ground hub:
Chuck
I finally installed the Vanco big brake kit that has been sitting in my garage for a few months, waiting on a free weekend. My stock brakes with my 35" tires were just not cutting it. Really, it was unsafe and in retrospect it shouldn't have been allowed on the road, even if it is my DD. There was no such thing as a panic stop. It was just "stand on 'em and pray" at best.
The Vanco kit is here: http://www.vancopbs.com/product_p/dkj1000.htm
The instructions are here: http://www.vancopbs.com/category_s/159.htm
The kit is $750 plus $200 refundable core charge for the stock steering knuckles you can send back.
The kit includes dual piston calipers, specially modified steering knuckles to mount the calipers, new rotors, and new high performance pads. The parts alone account for much of that cost, and you get the benefit of some really excellent engineering in the design and manufacture of this kit for an amazing bargain.
Many of us spend $5K or more to build our Jeeps up, and often neglect the really important safety components like brakes. This is a great way to address that component.
Now, holy crap, these Vanco brakes are fantastic, awesome,... I can't think of enough words to describe it. The pedal is much tighter, but still has great feel so you can modulate all the way from a gentle slowdown to a full lockup at any speed. Truly marvelous. It's even better than that. You can hold that 'feathery edge' right before a full lockup that gives you the very best stopping ability that friction will allow. The best way to describe it is to say that these are really well matched to the vehicle, really in a sweet spot between power and finesse. This is with the EBC yellow pads that Vanco recommended I swap in instead of the PF pads that the kit came with from early last year.
I didn't bother with a 'writeup' because it has been done and the instructions that came with the kit are just fine anyway. I followed them exactly, except that I went ahead and ground down the hubs to fit the rotors before I removed the axle shafts.
Here are some pictures and a few comments.
The hardest part of the install really is just grinding the hub to fit the rotor. The Ford Explorer rotor that is used in the kit is just 0.06 inches too small in the hat diameter to fit the stock Jeep hub. I had my son help me by spinning the opposite side (with a tire loosely mounted) while I ground my side with an angle grinder as it spun. Total time was only about 15 minutes for the grinding to fit, including mounting/unmounting the tires that he spun. It helps to use a good grinder. Rent one from Home Depot if you don't have one.
Here is the ground hub:
Chuck
