John Cappa
Former Editor, Four Wheeler
Once you've added a lift, bigger tires, and more weight in the form of bumpers, body armor, skidplates, and recovery gear, brining your Jeep JK Wrangler to a stop can be a harrowing experience. Increasing your stopping power becomes a must. Unfortunately, most aftermarket brake companies set their sights on improving stopping distances alone, sacrificing pedal feel and day-to-day comfort and drivability. Dynatrac went about solving the JK braking dilemma in a completely different way. The company engineered a simple bolt-on brake system designed to significantly increase overall braking performance and confidence. The result is the ProGrip brake system. All of the components are designed to work together to not only improve stopping distance by up to 30 percent but also to provide better pedal feel and overall brake performance in daily driving.
Our modified Jeep JK is fairly typical. It features a 4-inch lift kit and rolls on 37-inch tires. It also has a winch, heavy aftermarket bumpers, and body armor. Before the Dynatrac brake upgrade, the Jeep's brake pedal felt vague until the pedal traveled farther into the stroke, and we had to apply quite a bit of leg pressure to come to a stop. With the front and rear Dynatrac ProGrip brakes installed, we can gently roll into the brake pedal and the braking is much more progressive and predicable. It takes less effort and the Jeep stops quicker. Our average stopping distance from a speed of 60 mph went from 170 feet (with stock brakes) to 126.7 feet (with the Dynatrac ProGrip system). Installation required just a few common hand tools, and most of your factory brake system is retained. The ABS and traction control systems are not affected by the Dynatrac ProGrip brake upgrade.
01 The Dynatrac ProGrip brake system includes new heavy-duty caliper brackets, larger rotors, performance brake pads, and brake clips for the front and rear assemblies. Your factory master cylinder and calipers are reused, simplifying the installation significantly. In most cases, installation can be done without bleeding the brakes.
02 The original 11.9-inch-diameter front rotors are replaced with Dynatrac ProGrip 13.50-inch-diameter parts. The new ProGrip caliper brackets are much beefier than stock.
03 ProGrip JK front rotors feature a pillar-vented cooling design to help heat built up from successive braking events to dissipate. Cooler brakes stop faster and more efficiently.
04 Out back, the stock 11.9-inch unvented rear rotors are replaced with massive 14.25-inch unvented Dynatrac ProGrip rotors. Extra-beefy caliper mounts are employed in the rear as well.
05 To remove the front caliper sliding pins, use a 13mm wrench on the outside and a 15mm wrench on the inside. These caliper pins will be reused, so make sure they are in good shape.
06 Remove the caliper and hang it up out of the way with a zip tie or wire. Do not let it hang by the brake line, as it could damage the line or fittings. The stock front caliper mounts are held in place with 21mm bolts.
07 Clean the caliper bolts and smear some antiseize on them prior to reinstalling the hardware. If the sealing boots are torn or the threads are damaged, now is a good time to replace them.
08 The new Dynatrac rotors, caliper mounts, and pads replace the factory parts. They allow the use of 17-inch diameter or larger wheels with 4 3/4 inches or less of backspacing. You can also use the factory OE Rubicon wheels with 1 1/2-inch wheel spacers.
09 The rear brakes are disassembled and reassembled with the Dynatrac ProGrip parts similar to the front. The rear caliper mount bolts should be torqued to 77 ft-lb. The front caliper mount bolts should be tightened to 120 ft-lb. Use some thread-locking compound on the front and rear caliper mount bolts.
10 ProGrip rear brake pads and clips slide in just like stock. The front and rear caliper sliding pins should be torqued to 26 ft-lb. Once the installation is completed, pump the brakes to get a firm pedal before starting the Jeep. The pads will need to be properly bedded before maximum performance will be realized. Follow the instructions included with the kit for the proper brake-bedding procedure.
