Powerbrake Q&A – Big Brake Kits
Why should you consider upgrading the brakes on your 4WD?
The rapid worldwide growth in modifying 4WD trucks has created a significant need for well-engineered brake upgrade solutions. Overland enthusiasts are fitting roof-top tents, bull bars, long-range fuel tanks, water tanks, additional battery systems, storage systems, additional spare wheels etc. All of these accessories significantly increase vehicle weight, which severely affects brake performance and results in increased stopping distances. Larger wheel and tire packages are also becoming increasingly popular and these weigh a lot more than the factory-fitted wheels and tires. This additional rotational mass again severely affects brake performance, leading to increased stopping distances. More weight & more rotational wheel mass = more energy, resulting in increased brake temperatures and ultimately brake fade.
What will a big brake kit do for you?
Powerbrake X-Line 4WD big brake kits are engineered from the ground up to be the ultimate brake upgrades available on the world market for 4WD vehicles. They deliver significantly improved brake performance, reduce brake fade and vastly improve pedal feel and modulation. The performance gains achieved when fitting our big brake kits vastly outweigh the benefits that can be achieved by fitting upgraded, standard diameter rotors and pads. With larger wheels & tires and additional weight added the truck a big brake kit will stop you faster in an emergency situation, it will give you back the confidence in driving & stopping your truck and it will absolutely improve the brake consistency & heat management when you have to do multiple brake applications like coming down a mountain pass.
Why Choose Powerbrake?
They are totally focused on designing, manufacturing and testing performance brake systems for 4WD and overland trucks. We are a part of the community and are passionate about adventuring in our trucks, making them safer and more confident to drive. Our X-Line big brake kits were designed by the same team members that designed our renowned R-Line off-road race systems and they are manufactured on the same equipment, in the same factory.
All design features found in our civilian X-Line 4WD big brake kits were directly developed through our extensive involvement at the highest levels of international off-road racing. The exact same technology, features and materials found in our Dakar Rally winning R-Line off-road race brake systems can be found in our 4WD big brake kits. When we claim “direct technology transfer” from our race to our 4WD or overland brake systems, we mean it. Every single feature in our X-Line 4WD calipers can also be found in our current production R-line off-road race calipers that we supply to leading Dakar Rally teams ensuring your truck gets the most tested brake 4WD brake system available.
What Does a big brake kit include?
- X-Line billet 6-piston off-road calipers (featuring stainless steel pistons, internal fluid crossovers, protected bleed screws, internal wiper seals, ultra-high-temp pressure seals, all stainless-steel hardware, MTR max temp recording system and pad anti-rattle springs).
- Matched high-performance brake pads
- Larger slotted rotors (featuring curved / directional internal cooling vanes, MTR max temp recording system and our proprietary black coating that ensures fastest bed-in time).
- Billet caliper mounting brackets (featuring stainless steel thread inserts for the radial mount bolts for max service life).
- Stainless steel braided brake lines
- All necessary mounting hardware for quick, easy bolt-on installation.
- Comprehensive fitment and bed-in instructions.
Caliper Construction
At Powerbrake, we believe strongly in the benefits of machining our multi-piston calipers from solid billet. All of our calipers are machined from high-grade aerospace aluminum billets. Machining from billet is admittedly an expensive way to manufacture calipers but it results in a finished product that exhibits exceptional levels of strength and rigidity.
How do we bring our billet X-Line 4WD calipers to the market at such competitive prices? Through significant investment in state-of-the-art 5-axis CNC production equipment that allows us to machine the calipers with maximum efficiency. The fact that we machine all of our calipers from billet, matched to the FEA enhanced caliper designs themselves, results in calipers with an impressive rigidity to overall size ratio. The slim profile of the calipers reduces un-sprung weight and aids with wheel clearance.
Caliper Surface Finish
Our X-Line 4WD calipers are available in two finish options. Either a Red anodize (type-2) or a Dark Gray hard anodize (type-3). The anodize dyes used for our Red finish have been carefully selected to offer the maximum UV and temperature resistance to ensure long-term color retention. The Dark Gray hard anodize is our most durable finish.
Caliper Logos
Our logos and other markings are applied to our calipers using advanced laser technology. This creates visually appealing contrast between the logo and the caliper color. The logos on our X-Line 4WD calipers will not be damaged by heat, brake fluid or solvents, as is the case with paint in-lay logos used by many of our competitors. Brake calipers operate in a very challenging environment. They are exposed to dirt, carbonized brake pad material, constantly fluctuating temperatures and constantly changing environmental conditions. Powerbrake has focused on ensuring that our X-Line 4WD brake calipers will remain looking good under the widest possible range of operating conditions.
Caliper Cross Bolts
The high-tensile caliper cross-bolts used in the assembly of our X-Line 4WD calipers are European sourced and coated with a silver zinc flake coating. This coating offers exceptional corrosion resistance, while having no negative effect on bolt strength at all. The bolt positions of our X-Line 4x4 calipers are the result of extensive FEA analysis and deliver optimum caliper rigidity. The cross-bolts are inserted into the caliper from the inboard side resulting in maximum wheel clearance which is important on 4WD trucks.
Caliper Pistons
Powerbrake X-Line 4WD calipers all feature stainless steel pistons. Stainless steel is significantly more expensive to manufacture caliper pistons from than the aluminum pistons used by many of our competitors but the benefits are well worth the investment. Stainless steel transfers heat far slower than aluminum. The result is that stainless steel pistons slow the transfer of heat from the brake pads to the calipers seals and brake fluid, hereby reducing the chances of boiling brake fluid and also extending seal life. Our caliper pistons are manufactured by a special grade of stainless steel that is more than twice as strong as regular 304-grade (in terms of yield and ultimate tensile strengths), while maintaining the same levels of corrosion resistance.
Internal Fluid Crossovers
Our X-Line 4WD calipers feature internal fluid crossovers and hidden bleed screws for protection against damage from stone impacts. Every part of the X-Line 4WD caliper is aimed at maximum usability and durability in tough off-road or dirt road conditions.
Caliper Maximum Temperature Recording (MTR) System
All Powerbrake X-Line 4WD calipers feature our MTR system. The system provides a permanent record of the maximum operating temperature reached by the caliper. Customers will really appreciate this feature as it provides valuable data in the support of brake fluid choice etc. The inclusion of a Max Temp Recording system at no extra charge is unique to Powerbrake on the world market.
Caliper Hardware
All other caliper hardware components (including: pad retaining pins, bleed screws and pad abutments) are manufactured from stainless steel to ensure the highest levels of corrosion resistance.
Rotors
The 1-piece rotors used in our X-Line 4x4 big brake kits are cast from a proprietary high-carbon cast iron alloy that provides excellent durability and stability under the high thermal loads experienced under fast-street or off-road driving. The rotors feature 48 x curved, directional cooling vanes. The design significantly increases cooling vane surface area and air-flow when compared to factory / OEM rotor designs, resulting in vastly improved cooling.
The slot pattern chosen for our X-Line 4x4 discs is our well-proven “AT” slot pattern that provides a good balance between functional aspects such as efficient removal of sand, mud and water (when driving in the rain or after river crossings) and practical aspects such as low levels of noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) under braking. The slot pattern also provides good bite and release characteristics.
Every single Powerbrake rotor is measured for run-out and disc thickness variation (DTV) using Swiss measuring equipment. When it comes to QC, there is no batch or statistical quality checking of Powerbrake rotors - every single rotor is measured. Our machining tolerances are up to three times tighter than the industry norm.
Rotor Surface Coating
All our X-Line 4WD rotors are coated with a proprietary black surface coating. The rotors are chemically de-greased before the application of this coating to ensure that no machining fluids or other contaminants that can be absorbed by the brake pads and negatively affect brake performance are present on our rotors at all. The coating is able to withstand extremely high temperatures and is flexible enough to expand and contract without flaking or peeling off of the disc surface during the constant thermal expansion and contraction cycles experienced by the brake rotor.
Our X-Line 4WD rotors require no cleaning or preparation using solvents at all. Simply ensure that the car's hub is clean and fit the rotors as they come out of the box. The black coating will be removed by the brake pads in the pad track areas within the first 4-5 brake applications. The un-swept areas of the rotor will remain coated. While our rotor coating was primarily designed to ensure that there was zero presence of oils and contaminants on our rotor surfaces at the time of fitting (and was not in fact designed to provide corrosion protection), practical experience has shown that the non-swept areas of our coated X-Line 4WD rotors will in fact resist the common formation of unsightly surface rust on the non-swept areas of the discs quite well (depending on environmental conditions in your area). This results in a far more visually appealing assembly visible through the truck’s wheels.
Rotor Maximum Temperature Recording (MTR) System
All our rotors feature our MTR system that provides a permanent record of the peak operating temperature reached by the rotor. This information is extremely valuable for understanding what is happening in your brake system. The thermal-paint tabs are applied to the outside diameter of the rotors (on both the inboard and outboard rotor plates). Each single-change paint color will change to white when a specific temperature is reached, hereby providing a record of the peak operating temperature of the rotor.
- Blue paint changes color at 527 deg F
- Green paint changes color at 860 deg F
- Orange paint changes color at 1022 deg F
- Pink paint changes color at 1166 deg F
Caliper Mounting Brackets
X-Line 4WD caliper mounting brackets are machined from billet aircraft grade aluminum alloy, FEA enhanced for strength and rigidity and (type-3) hard anodized. One detail to note is that we use stainless steel thread inserts for the radial mount bolts that secure our X-Line 4WD calipers to the caliper mounting brackets. Since our X-Line 4WD calipers feature a solid caliper re-enforcement bridge, you need to remove the two caliper radial mount bolts in order to change pads. For this reason we use thread insert in our mounting brackets to achieve maximum thread strength and durability. Similar thread inserts are used extensively used in the aerospace industry due to their increased strength over conventional aluminum threads.
Brake Lines
The brake lines included with our X-Line 4WD big brake kits feature an extruded Teflon inner lining that is highly resistant to the aggressive chemical properties of modern brake fluids, as well as being able to handle far higher temperatures than rubber. The Teflon lining is covered by strands of tightly woven stainless steel braid that acts as the muscle of the hose, providing incredible resistance to expansion under pressure. Our stainless braid is covered with a polymeric outer layer that prevents dirt from getting between the stainless braid and the Teflon inner lining. The resulting hose assemblies offer the best possible pedal feel, matched to excellent durability and corrosion resistance.
Brake Simulation Software
As with all Powerbrake big brake kits, each X-Line 4WD kit is tailored to the specific target vehicle. This involves careful software modeling of correct brake balance, brake torque outputs and pedal feel using our proprietary brake simulation software (developed in-house) which is a key element in the success of our X-Line 4WD big brake kits. The software allows us to enter all aspects of the factory brake system on the car as well as all key data affecting chassis dynamics under braking. Our engineers can then simulate braking events at various negative G's and analyze dynamic weight transfer for the chassis in question.
They are then able to perfectly optimize brake torque outputs delivered by our big brake kit by changing rotor diameters, caliper piston ratios and brake pad friction co-efficient. The result is that the caliper piston diameters / ratios, rotor sizes and pad compounds in each kit are tailored to the vehicle platform in question. Our X-Line 4WD big brake kits will perfectly integrate with the ABS, EBD and other stability control systems on the vehicle. When driving a vehicle fitted with a Powerbrake X-Line 4WD big brake kit, you will feel this attention to detail coming through by the way that the vehicle chassis reacts under braking.
Brake Pads
The Powerbrake X-Line 4WD calipers are designed around a pad profile which is available in wide range of brake pad compounds from most pad manufacturers worldwide. Our PB05 brake pad compound is in our opinion the very best pad compound on the world market for 4WD trucks. This ultra-high-performance material offers a big step up in performance and fade resistance over the pads that originally come with the truck. Stopping power, pedal feel and modulation are simply unmatched. In addition to the class-leading performance this pad compound will offer a good wear life and mileage.
| Year | Make | Model | Submodel |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-2023 | Jeep | Gladiator | |
| 2019-2023 | Jeep | Wrangler | Rubicon |
