Can anyone tell me whether or not adding the SSBC 11" rear disc kit will increase stopping power? By how much? Will it be equal to a full size truck?
94 Dakota Sport 3.9

 

A bit of speaking out my *** here, but while I would think the rear disc kit would absolutely increase stopping power over the stock 9" drums (perhaps not so much over the optional 10" drums), I think it comes down to how you handle the proportioning. The stock rear wheel ABS module is unlikely to perform optimally for the discs.

I honestly think that Dodge erred on the side of generally not letting the rear wheels lock up and not using the drums to their full ability. I did a whole bunch of panic stops in a row one day and the rears (9" at that time) just got a little warm while the fronts were somewhere in the 300+ degree range by my IR gun.

I did a conversion to 10" drums because my 9" backing plates rotted out and I wasn't interested in the work of converting to disc at the time. Interestingly the 10" backing plates were off a 1970s something Ramcharger(?) and they worked with all the '93 Dakota hardware and shoes. Time-tested... lol.

Finally, instead of the SSBC kit, you can probably find a disc rear axle out of a 2nd gen Dakota or a Durango or something. It would involve a little welding to move the shock mounts but overall I'd guess half the price of the SSBC kit.

 

There are several options for ratio on the website I am looking at 2ndgen axles, 3.21, 3.55 and 3.92 what does that mean? Which is best?
Edit- Do I want the axle from a v8 or does it matter?

 

The input to the diff turns at a different speed than the axles, to keep the engine RPMs up to where an internal combustion motor can produce power.

The ratios are how many turns the driveshaft turns for one turn of the axles.

Which is best depends on what you're doing. 3.21 makes more sense for highway driving, 3.92 is a start for grunt power in pulling loads.

RwP

 

To answer your edit, the rear axles weren't entirely dependent on engine necessarily. Just look for an 8.25 axle, by far the most common axle equipped on these trucks (you can identify it by the differential cover-just look up Chrysler 8.25 axle and note the shape and bolt locations). The V6 and V8 8.25 axles are no different. The Daks also came with a 7.25 rear... don't. A 9.25 axle was definitely available on 2nd gens, not sure about first. But honestly the 8.25 is a decent axle until you start getting into really hairy off road stuff.

edit: you have a 4wd? If so you need to match the front axle gearing with whatever rear end you get.

 

It is the RWD version.
Would a 9.25 axle mount up direct? I found two9.25" 3.92 I;d have to have shipped and 3 9.25" 3.55 axles in easy driving distance. All off 2000-01

 

There's actually a thread on converting to disc brakes with a Gen2 9.25" rear end: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1st-gen...sc-brakes.html

RwP

 

Thanks Ralph. Easy enough to do but I cannot afford new 16" wheels and tires. I just spent about $500 on new tires and haven't even driven enough for the first rotation.

 

Then I'd stick with the 8.25 and drum brakes.

RwP

 

Upgrading the rear brakes may help a bit, but, your front brakes do 70% of the stopping, even more when your truck is unloaded. (rears lock way to easy.)