I am brand new on the forum but I have owned my 2000 Dakota 2WD for about 5 years. I searched the forums for this info but didnt see it, if it is here if you could just point me to it.

I have always been disappointed in my trucks stopping ability and I have bled the brakes along with 2 shops trying their hand at it as well to no success. The shops assure me that it is all up to spec. The thing I was wondering was I noticed that the 2004 Dakotas have an available 2 piston caliper with a larger rotor. Is this simply (with the proper bracket) a bolt on upgrade for the older 2nd gen trucks? Thanks in advance.

 

That’s a good question something I have considered myself?

I have wanted to change out my 9 inch back drum brakes to the 10 inch also they look way better than the 9 inch.

But you know I had to slam on my brakes last month and they performed great all my wheels locked up quiet nicely since then I don’t worry so much about my brakes.

I guess overhauling all my brakes last year paid off I redid everything you name it I did it new flex lines all of it.

Still want to get a good set of slotted drilled rotors as money comes my way.

But they still feel kind of weak and mushy at times maybe it’s the ABS the way its setup!

My only complaint now is my front brakes still squeal the first few times I drive every day damn that gets annoying.

 

Brakes are soooooo simple to work on I don’t know why you want to pay a shop outrageous prices for a brake job?

Do it yourself and save the cash probably get a better brake job also.

Only special tool you may need is a C-clamp to pull the piston in on the caliper other than that basic tools are all that’s needed Ignore all the people that tell you… you need special tools it’s not needed all they do is make it easier but they are not NEEDED maybe one other needed tool is needle nose pliers a good strong pair and some vise grips.

 

Honestly the only reason I went to the shop was because I thought I messed up on bleeding them. I hadn't obviously. The first shop didn't charge me a thing because they could tell their work made no difference. The second charged me an hour of labor to flush and pressure test the system. If it had fixed it I would have been very happy.

 

I upgraded my front brakes recently. I put on Cragar Slotted & Cross-drilled rotors and EBC Yellowstuff Ceramic Kevlar pads. They have made a huge difference in my stopping capabilities. I also plan on getting the SSBC rear disc conversion kit later this year. If you want superior braking however, call up Brembo and see what they can do for you.

 

I can vouch for the EBC Yellow pads, they really improved the braking. Unfortunately, I also fitted EBC rotors (just the Standard vented but un-slotted) and they really suck! I don't drive that hard or aggressively but they have warped BADLY after only about 4,000 miles. Getting a very bad pulsing at low speed, fine at high speed which is a typical sign of warpage.

To avoid this problem, they say that ALL rotors should be skimmed during installation, even brand new ones! They won't consider any warranty claims is this hasn't been done.

First and last time I buy EBC rotors, still rate the pads!

 

I have seen sooo many complain about rotors warping on this forum and they are always using those fancy ceramic pads don’t you think that’s the problem.

Think about it anything that stops your car faster better is bound to cause way more friction/heat and were and tear they go together.

Your stock setup is designed for optimal usage and dependability/longevity.

 

The rotors I have were cryogenically treated, directionally vented, and are rated to run 150 degrees cooler than stock.

 

Now that I agree with if you upgrade your pads you need to upgrade the rotors to take the extra punishment the new pads will incur both need upgrading at the same time.

What did those cost you 00daksport25?

Now I’m a casual driver just some simple upgrades is all I need/want a good set of quality rotors is something I’m very interested in. The rotors I have now are upgrades they were called fleet or heavy use rotors and yes they were designed to run cooler they just didn’t have any fancy grooves or drilled out holes and have been on my Dak for 8 or 10 years now and are still good. My pads semi metallic were the same fleet/heavy use pads and after three years still have 50% left on them so they both have served me well.

 

The rotors ran me about $90 each and the pads were about $130 or something around that.