Brake Caliper

Dman98 · Aug 2, 2006

I've searched the web for upgraded calipers for the 1998 Durango and the only company I could find was EGR. They completely rebuild the original "D" calipers and make them better(That's what they claim.) The salesman said; when the piston gets hot it expands and gets stuck in the caliper. This makes the truck hard to stop and there have been quite a few complaints of this problem from various "D" owners. I also experienced this problem, thus my quest to find a better caliper at an affordable price. They rebuild the caliper, bore out the hole where the piston is located for more clearance. When the piston expands from heat, the extra clearance prevents it from getting stuck. This allows the brakes to perform the way they're supposed to. The price is $240 for the pair, plus a $120 core charge. The calipers have a lifetime warranty, they also offer special brake pads and shoes. I have hawk pads/powerslot rotors already and if their calipers work as they claim I'll order the shoes for the rear. Now for the bonus, they also have stainless steel brake lines for the 1998 Durango. Based on the searching I've done, the places I've called, this is the only company that makes them (unless you have them custom made.) They have both front & rear lines and the price is $179. I ordered the calipers, the stainless steel brake lines and will post pics when I receive the package.

BTW, hello to all it's been awhile since I've posted.

TheDodgeGuy · Aug 2, 2006

Chrysler's phenolic caliper pistons were a blunder back in the '80s when they first started producing them this way. I was really disappointed to see they haven't changed after all these years of failures.

Any quality remanufactured caliper will ditch these phenolic (read: plastic) pistons in favor of steel ones. I prefer Autoline or A-1 Cardone for my reman calipers. Carquest or NAPA carry one of these brands, and they've been great. If you get them "loaded", they'll come with new pads and all the hardware too. Just bolt them on, bleed them out, and you're done.

Usually I get mine "bare", so I can choose my own friction. Lots of times the pads they include aren't what I want just due to personal preference, but this also means I'm spending more money on them. Loaded calipers are the most economical way to go if you need to do a complete job.

Stainless lines are great. I plan on getting them when I do my brakes, just to give me a better feeling pedal, and having the peace of mind that they'll never get rotted like the original rubber flex lines.

tomk · Aug 2, 2006

I don't think boring out the cylinder is a good idea? sounds like a recipe for seal failure to me.

If a phenolic piston heats up enough in the bore to expand and sieze, your pads and rotors are toast.

Sane words about pistons from http://www.babcox.com/editorial/cm/cm40244.htm:<blockquote>One question a customer might ask about replacement calipers is the type of pistons they have. OEM calipers may have steel, phenolic (plastic) or aluminum pistons depending on the vehicle application and who supplies the OEM calipers. Steel pistons are the strongest and won't crack or chip like phenolic pistons, but they're also vulnerable to rust and pitting. For this reason, steel pistons must often be replaced when calipers are rebuilt. Steel also conducts heat from the pads to the calipers more easily than phenolic pistons, which can increase caliper and brake fluid temperatures.

Some customers have a strong preference for steel pistons while others prefer phenolic. Because of this, some suppliers offer remanufactured calipers with one or both types of pistons. But a growing number of caliper suppliers today are following the OEM lead, and they're providing replacement calipers that have the same type of pistons as the original calipers. That's the safest approach they say because it maintains the same design features that were originally engineered into the brake system</blockquote>

TheDodgeGuy · Aug 2, 2006

For me, I'll go with a caliper that replaces the phenolic piston with steel. The problems that I've seen with Chrysler's phenolic pistons is that they wear a ridge in them which if it gets bad enough will cause the piston to tip sideways slightly, and then they hang up.

It's possible that brake fluid temperatures may get a bit hotter with steel pistons, but if you look at how they're designed, they're hollow buckets, so there's a good air gap in there. The steel isn't really pressed directly up against the brake pad.

I've never had a problem with any remanufactured calipers that replace the phenolic pistons with steel, and I prefer them myself. They tend to deliver a lighter, more responsive feel to the brakes.

Dman98 · Aug 3, 2006

TheDodgeGuy, the calipers are completely rebuilt with new seals etc. With the old seals you may have the problem you described, the new seals are designed for the bored cylinder and eliminates this problem.

FSTDANGO3 · Aug 3, 2006

I replaced my stock calipers with Raybestos Severe Duty loaded calipers about 2 years ago and they indeed have steel pistons. They're also a much better feel, but i'm interested in the braided brake lines as well. Can you post a link?
Steve
DOC Pres

Dman98 · Aug 3, 2006

Their web address and info from their page.

http://www.egrbrakes.com/index-main.htm

Calipers
Severe Service Blue-Printed Calipers with special phenalic or stainless steel pistons, high temp silicon seals and boots (depending on application), stainless steel or hard coated slider pins, high heat pin lube and required hardware. Double pressure tested and covered by a life time guarantee against manufacture's defects. These blue-printed remanufactured units feature hand fitted pistons, setting the "Hot Running" clearence so that as the pistons expand-no sticking or binding occurs. Providing superior performance and heat dissipation based on the piston upgrade and design.

Pads & Shoes
Special Carbon Kevlar integrally molded Disc Pads and Brake Shoes. The latest technology now allows us to provide "State of the Art" Pads and Shoes! Heat cured to remove air pockets from the compressed friction material to eliminate brake noise and provide unsurpassed heat transfer. Utilizing Carbon Kevlar technology, the fiber strands in conjunction with metal particles combine to absorb vibration, a leading cause of brake noise. Allowing faster heat dissipation, a major cause of warped and stress cracked rotors. Quicker heat dissipation means less fade and less pedal pressure, which in turns results in less pad and rotor wear. The dynamic coefficient actually grips better as the temperature goes up. Our Carbon Kevlar pads and shoes provide unequaled stopping distances for heavy loads and high heat applications. And are the ultimate for heavy towing and load requirements. Available for most all vehicles and trailers as well.

IndyDurango · Aug 3, 2006

Dman98,

Stainless steel flexible brake lines

Glad to see they (EGR) were indeed able to help. Let's see the lines and the calipers when you get them. I had them bookmarked when I gave the link to you because I too want to upgrade the calipers and lines soon too.

Thanks in advance and good luck on the upgrades,

IndyD

FSTDANGO3 · Aug 3, 2006

Kool

Thanks, I'll order lines ASAP
Steve

Dman98 · Aug 7, 2006

The calipers and brake lines have arrived. The calipers are rebuilt stock units and look that way. I won't be doing the work until the weekend and then I'll do a comparison. I didn't remove the stainless steel lines from the packaging, I wanted to wait in case they were the wrong ones. There are (3) brake lines, but I only took pictures of (2.) Here are some pics

Dman98 · Aug 12, 2006

Install complete, here's some before and after pics.

Dman98 · Aug 12, 2006

More pics.

Dman98 · Aug 12, 2006

There was only one problem, the rear stainless brake line didn't match the factory line. I could get it to work with modifications to the lines going to the drums, but I want to check with EGR to see if they possibly sent the wrong one. The factory caliper had small cracks on the piston, a small piece had chip away and was being held in place by the piston seal. I'll keep everyone posted on how the brakes perform.

IndyDurango · Aug 13, 2006

Those lines really look nice!! Good job. Difficult to change?

IndyD

Dman98 · Aug 13, 2006

Thanks! Not at all. The rear line was a bit of a PITA what with rusted connections and it being near the rear of the gas tank and limiting working space. Penetrating spray will be needed so the line doesn't break. It'd be nice if wasn't so close to the the rear of the gas tank.

TheDodgeGuy · Aug 15, 2006

Looks like a nice install, but I still wouldn't want phenolic piston calipers personally.

I found some nice loaded calipers at Carquest for around $60 each, with a lifetime warranty and "premium" semi-metallic friction.

Those, paired with some nice stainless lines will definitely make for a nice front brake setup.

Goodridge is the most popular name in replacement stainless flex lines, but I haven't checked yet to see if they have any for this application.

Dman98 · Aug 29, 2006

Update

I checked a lot of places, including Goodridge, and EGR was the only place that had stainless lines for the 1998 Durango. The rear line has yet to be installed as the junction block is different. I'll have to do some rear brake line bending on the drivers side only. With only the front done, the brakes stop way better than before, I highly recommend this upgrade.

IndyDurango · Nov 15, 2006

Dman98,

How are the brakes and the new calipers? I'd like to order a new set of everything up front to replace it all over the Thanksgiving Day extended weekend.

Anyone with other advise?

How about input on replacement rear drums? Anyone?? As much as I'd like to go the rear disk upgrade path, no one has been able to prove to me how the transfer of % of the stopping changes for the rears happens over what's already there. My rears are stock factory originals at 166,000+ miles! Obviously they never get much use. Seems like the disk rear upgrade is a waste of $900 plus labor.

What rear drums and pads are you guys using?

Any input is gladly accepted. I need to order right away to get them here by next Wednesday.

TIA!!

IndyDurango

Brake Caliper

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