Looking for information about brake upgrades. My intent here is to install a 400 to 500HP engine, and I will want brakes that will shut the engine down quickly. At the same time I want to swap it over to a 5 lug pattern. What is the go-to here for a brake upgrade for those with a little extra under the hood?

This is different from the Dakota I've been posting about in the 2nd Gen Dak forum, that's going to pretty much be a street legal race truck whereas this one is going to be more of a grocery-getter that does a little better than most.

 

I think there used to be a place selling a kit to fit 90s viper brakes to the 2wd durango and dakota, don't remember the name. Otherwise you're probably talking something custom.

 

Yeah, I saw the posts on the Viper conversion. Don't think he's in business anymore.

 

If you get an 03 to start with it will have bigger dual piston front brakes as well as disc rear brakes compared to older Durangos. That's normally what people wind up upgrading too. Now whether that's up to 500hp or not I don't know.

One of the many side projects on my list is to see if I can get another set of knuckles and make one of sets of calipers I took of my Charger in favor of the cop brakes to bolt up. The early 90s viper brakes have the same 6 lug bolt pattern, so those rotors should fit. I haven't even started anything there though.

 

OK thanks. That limits the field quite a bit.

Question, how similar is the Grand Cherokee to the Durango? It seems like the supply of 2003 Durangos evaporated around here. It also looks like the GC has larger brakes, and the bodies look pretty similar. Considering a lot of joint-owned manufacturers share bodies across lines, I'm hoping someone will tell me that the GC is basically a Durango with Jeep-centric parts.

 

on the current generation they are basically the same truck with different sheet metal, the 97-03s are not the same, the grand cherokee is narrower than the durango, and shorter (nose to tail)

 

OK, thanks. That makes things more difficult.

 

No longer difficult. The 'ol lady shot me down, we're keeping our Tahoe. Oh well, the give and take of marriage.