Lets talk about the 2.3 brakes, again

[goalie]

Ok, so I've only had mine for 48 hours, but holy wow those are crap. I immidiately starting hanging way back in traffic, far more than I usually would (ok, maybe I follow to close normally) but even then, a suddent stop in front of me and I'm just hoping I can stop.

Does anyone have thoughts on upgrades? These have been on the Ranger for a while, are there options we can use from there? This is a great vehicle otherwise, but those brakes are scary!

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[Lexo52]

Mine aren't that bad. What feels bad about them? I do get a nose dive with the sas suspension but and could be stronger but I'm not worried about them much

 

[goalie]

at least twice in the last 2 days I've had someone do a sudden stop well in front of me twice and both times I was convinced I wouldnt stop in time, barely made it. These were both at 60Mph+, no real issues at around-town speeds. They give me zero confidence. Is yours Sasquatch'd? I'm wondering if its the extra tire weight maybe.

 

[NewBroncoOwner]

The rotating mass of the larger tires are tougher to stop due to inertia. These trucks are not light either. But i do agree that the 2.3 breaks, on a 4 door base, are crappy too. almost too "squishy" like there is a vacuum leak. Powerstop makes some good breaks and rotors. ill upgrade to that set after the OEMs need to be replaced.

 

[HBTFD]

I have a 4 dr 2.3 Sasquatch with zero braking issues. Sounds like your bronco needs to go back to the dealer’s shop.

 

[Paul Gagnon]

at least twice in the last 2 days I've had someone do a sudden stop well in front of me twice and both times I was convinced I wouldnt stop in time, barely made it. These were both at 60Mph+, no real issues at around-town speeds. They give me zero confidence. Is yours Sasquatch'd? I'm wondering if its the extra tire weight maybe.

The softly sprung off road suspension of the Sasquatch package may be what is causing you to feel nervous. It pitches forward a little bit under braking because of the soft springs but the brakes are very powerful and stop quickly. This can be a little unnerving if you have never driven a dedicated off roader. Go out on a back road and do some hard braking until you get used to it.

 

[NC_Pinz]

Mine is 24 hrs at this point and around town is fine. No panic stops yet. For in town, modulation and feel are fine, and I'm a drive by feel guy so I'd pick up on it if it was wonky. I have a longer trip for work tomorrow so we'll see.

Glad you started the thread for folks to chime and at least be aware.

 

[ferbm]

I'm sure I missed the 10 other threads, but what about the 2.3 is unique to the poor braking phenomenon?

 

[Rick Astley]

Ok, so I've only had mine for 48 hours, but holy wow those are crap. I immidiately starting hanging way back in traffic, far more than I usually would (ok, maybe I follow to close normally) but even then, a suddent stop in front of me and I'm just hoping I can stop.

Does anyone have thoughts on upgrades? These have been on the Ranger for a while, are there options we can use from there? This is a great vehicle otherwise, but those brakes are scary!

We have nearly 20K miles on our Ranger ('19, SuperCab, 6' bed, Lariat, tow package) and the brakes have been unflappable. Our max load has been over 1,500 in the bed/cab plus a maxed out trailer (nearing 7,500 lbs).

Environment: Typical western PNW. Full rain, constant elevation change, bumper to bumper traffic and a 9,000' tall mountain pass with snow.

Didn't matter, brakes were fine and never had fade or issues.

If you have something abnormal in your brake performance then the lowest hanging fruit is to do a ride-along with a dealership tech and see what they say, likely there's a bit of air in the lines or the fluid needs replacing. There *should* be enough brakes on Ranger and Bronco to stand you up in your seat, a bonus for Bronco is the soft suspension so you will get a lot of G-forces shoving you forward, but you can lock up the tires just fine.

 

[BroncoB]

I felt the same way when I first got my 2dr 2.3l but after a day I had adapted. I think it is just a different beast than I was normally used to.

 

[Tricky Dick]

No complaint from me about my 2.3 brakes. They work satisfactorily.

 

[thesocalexplorer]

Same as many others. I'm going on 2 weeks. About 350 miles in. No issues noted with my brakes - they are definitely a bit more "truck like" / squishy and don't offer the solid bite of my previous sport sedan. But at the same time, this is a huge 4500+ lb. truck, so I've adapted my driving style. Haven't felt like I'm in danger driving around in the bronco.

 

[kodiakisland]

Brakes work fine on mine, but they are what I expect from an off road vehicle. Go check out a brand new Toyota with rear drums and tell me how much you like the Bronco brakes.

 

[Raptor911]

I am pretty sure the 2.3 and the 2.7 uses the same brakes

 

[BlueBronco]

Brakes on my 2.3 4-dr work fine and mine are stopping some have ass 37" Coopers.

But to answer your other question, there were a couple aftermarket brake guys at SEMA last year that had products coming out. If I remember correctly, @Doetsch Off-Road had a prototype pair on one of their builds and posted about it here. Search them up and you will probably find what you are looking for.

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