Not questioning what you say but wondering where you got the info that all
'13's have the bigger brakes? One earlier post claims the 16inch wheels won't fit over the bigger brakes and only higher trim vans with 17 inch alloys have the big brakes.

I did check out rockauto for Caravan brake disks and they show 302mm Front, 305mm Rear for 2008 through 2013. They also show a larger set, 328mm Front, 330mm Rear for 2012-2013. This also seems to imply that some 2013's are the smaller brakes.

Regarding the question of 2 piston calipers, I can't say how critical the 2 piston calipers are but certainly bigger disks should give you better stopping power and longer life.

thanks for all the input.

 

I have the entry level 2013 GC, I am not sure if my van has the upgraded brakes. When I get some time I will take off the wheels, and snap some pics.

 

LI Dave:

My SE is the step up from the American Value. I should have qualified that any package above the AV with 17"s should have the larger rotors. I can't answer on the AV with 16" wheels. If you're interested in the AV w/o the upgrade, it may be necessary to do some measuring until someone can definitively answer.

Logically: Fiat-Chrysler has taken the larger rotor step in an attempt to avoid what was likely a heavy load of warranty claims. Production wise....it might be cheaper for them to change the 16" wheel and keep a single chassis on the line. Good luck with your measuring and purchase.

 

All,

I did find a dealer online with wheel pictures of their inventory. This is a 2013 SE with the 29E package that includes 17 inch wheels. It very obviously has dual piston calipers. Looking at how little room there is between the wheel and the caliper, I also can't imagine a 16 inch wheel fitting over this.



The same dealer had some SE's with the standard 16 inch steel wheels. Nothing to see here unfortunately. The black steel wheel blocks nearly all view of the disk and caliper.



Still hoping somebody with a 2013 with 16 inch steel wheels can confirm the front caliper type and disk size.

Also might be interesting to find an SE AVP with Just the 17 inch aluminum wheel option. I may venture out to some dealers this week and take a look. They will probably think I'm nuts when I ask for a test drive and a look at the front brakes!

Dave

 

Well I am just reporting - I've had no issues with my 2012 - 19,000km's and no warped routers or other brake issues... knock on wood

 

The same topic gets beat over and over again in recurring threads. Answers can be found via search.

The 16" system does not wear out every 7-8K mi unless something is seriously wrong like somebody installed ceramic pads that belong on a luxury car or the floating caliper system is rusted and malfunctioning. The lifecycle is only reduced on some vans, not all. This is because some vans have neglected floating caliper mechanisms or the wrong pads. The standard 12" brakes found on standard 2008 thru 2013 vans are of adequate size to last 25K mi under normal use, however this assumes service mechanics are cleaning rust off the pad bracket grooves/tracks, replacing all pad springs and then rebuilding and greasing the sliding caliper systems and checking the rubber bellows for leaks. Most mechanics just throw pads and rotors on when they are sticking, over heating ands prematurely wearing out. This quickie brake job method almost guarantees premature wearout again and again. It's an endless cycle of ignorance leading to unhappy van owners....money flushed for shoddy brake jobs and wasted fuel from brakes dragging.

With respect to brake size, Dodge has been following the same strategy as most other companies. The brakes have historically been large as possible on the standard vans with standard size wheels. As a result, brake packages from vans with 16" standard wheels will not fit into a 15" wheel. Brake packages from vans with 17" standard wheels will not fit into a 16" wheel. Folks who own 2008 thru 2013 vans with 16" wheels definitely do not have the larger brakes because they will not fit.

A complete conversion from the 12" brake system to the 13" setup will probably cost about $4K-$5K when it involves a ton of parts including wheels and tires. The dollars add up fast and more parts are unique than folks realize. Larger brakes will wear out prematurely if they are not properly maintained and therefore rusted and malfunctioning. The answer is following proper service procedure, not throwing systems in the garbage. Premature wearout is more cheaply addressed with premium semi-metallic with $12 sliding pin & spring hardware kits, scraper to remove rust, some anti-seize or paint for the bracket pad track grooves and $2 worth of grease. Stupid, rich track junkies without experience always upgrade their cars to larger brake systems thinking it will prevent fade and failure when all they really need is their neglected fluid with high water content purged on a regular basis. Their fluid eventually gets too much water in it again, the fade returns despite monster brakes.

 

The chassis is not changed, only the brakes and wheel/tire combo. This just requires a few more split bins on the assembly line. I expect they will switch to all 17's and big brakes soon because it only costs them pennies more. Dodge offered optional brake systems for most of the last 15 yrs, so this is nothing new. Two entirely different brake systems were offered on my 2001 and they offered 15", 16" and even 17" wheels that year. I run factory 15" steel wheels with snow tires in the winter and 17's with summer highway tread in the warmer seasons.

Again, the latest big brakes REQUIRE 17's to clear. If you have 16's they are the standard 12" diameter brakes used since 2008.