Are the Dual Piston Rear Calipers noticeably better?

[5StarCustmSolutns]

Just wanted to ask as Ive been on 4 sets of scales in the last few weeks and am averaging 3400 front axle and 3480 rear axle...
We had another 24hrs of Appalachia Off-Road Rally last weekend; and I had a several mile stretch (again) at the end of a long long downhill traverse with 16-18? very low speed corners, in which I had to resort to a slow cruising pace because of the overheating of my brake system.. Im inclined to think it's a little bit fluid related, a little bit rotor related, a little bit pad related, and a little bit caliper (design?) related...

Front: currently running 6-7yr old Power Stop Z36 calipers(OE core returns that get cleaned and painted). I replaced the seals, pistons, pads(Z36) and turned rotors 16 months ago

Rear: OE calipers, bought new 16 months ago, with Power Stop Z36 pads and rotors
-R rear is currently sticking, AGAIN. For the third time in last 5yrs, and on 2nd caliper.

Fluid was also flushed 16 months ago..

[ To avoid another long explanation of a lessen learned the hardest way, here are the cliff notes: Replaced rear calipers as pair after breaking off stuck bleeder bolt in Z36 caliper.....it's what I do....special talent I was born with....many years ago earned nickname BoltBreaker 5000 lol. I'm sure most who read this will naturally think: A guy who earns that nickname is very good at drilling and tapping......no that does not apply here either.....or at least it didn't as of 16mos ago.....or maybe better said patience when drilling and tapping did not yet apply here 16mos ago!
Now have drill press, proper vice, cutting oil, decent drill bits, and may be ready to get over the hump ]

Could the dual piston rear help? or am I going to have to go deeper, with a more expensive upgrade?

 

[Geotrash]

Just wanted to ask as Ive been on 4 sets of scales in the last few weeks and am averaging 3400 front axle and 3480 rear axle...
We had another 24hrs of Appalachia Off-Road Rally last weekend; and I had a several mile stretch (again) at the end of a long long downhill traverse with 16-18? very low speed corners, in which I had to resort to a slow cruising pace because of the overheating of my brake system.. Im inclined to think it's a little bit fluid related, a little bit rotor related, a little bit pad related, and a little bit caliper (design?) related...

Front: currently running 6-7yr old Power Stop Z36 calipers(OE core returns that get cleaned and painted). I replaced the seals, pistons, pads(Z36) and turned rotors 16 months ago

Rear: OE calipers, bought new 16 months ago, with Power Stop Z36 pads and rotors
-R rear is currently sticking, AGAIN. For the third time in last 5yrs, and on 2nd caliper.

Fluid was also flushed 16 months ago..

[ To avoid another long explanation of a lessen learned the hardest way, here are the cliff notes: Replaced rear calipers as pair after breaking off stuck bleeder bolt in Z36 caliper.....it's what I do....special talent I was born with....many years ago earned nickname BoltBreaker 5000 lol. I'm sure most who read this will naturally think: A guy who earns that nickname is very good at drilling and tapping......no that does not apply here either.....or at least it didn't as of 16mos ago.....or maybe better said patience when drilling and tapping did not yet apply here 16mos ago!
Now have drill press, proper vice, cutting oil, decent drill bits, and may be ready to get over the hump ]

Could the dual piston rear help? or am I going to have to go deeper, with a more expensive upgrade?

I know those winding West Virginia roads you're thinking of. Pulled our 7500 lb camper up to Cass from Richmond back in 2021, plus several camping trips to Gauley Bridge over the years. Never had a problem with the brakes though - I use engine braking aggressively and will pull over whenever I can to let anyone trapped behind me get by.

 

[5StarCustmSolutns]

I know those winding West Virginia roads you're thinking of. Pulled our 7500 lb camper up to Cass from Richmond back in 2021, plus several camping trips to Gauley Bridge over the years. Never had a problem with the brakes though - I use engine braking aggressively and will pull over whenever I can to let anyone trapped behind me get by.

This exact downhill Im talking about ended at the Cass VFD lol.. Problem was I began putting heat into the brakes on the other side of, and at the bottom of SnowShoe Mountain. That stretch of Rt.66 may well be the most elevation change up and back down over one mountain, of any paved road this side of Boulder? Because of brakes I got the checkpoint set up with a little over 8min to spare...

I also engine braked my way into a lot of those corners, and smoothly pumped the pedal hoping to let some hot gas escape on on the release strokes. I eb'd so hard my Borla Touring was gurgling like an S-Type or an Atak lol... But it was definitely not the proper controlled descent you are describing...
Maybe my question shouldve been what is the best bang for buck brake upgrade?

 

[petethepug]

Upgrading the brakes up front will help. The rears are already larger than the front. The front are under-braked.

If not done already install braided steel brake lines and upgrade the front to the PPV / Brembo 6 piston calipers and 16” rotors. The ABS will recognize the larger brakes and properly modulate to better balance your system.

 

[5StarCustmSolutns]

Upgrading the brakes up front will help. The rears are already larger than the front. The front are under-braked.

If not done already install braided steel brake lines and upgrade the front to the PPV / Brembo 6 piston calipers and 16” rotors. The ABS will recognize the larger brakes and properly modulate to better balance your system.

Thanks Pete, as this most definitely qualifies as bang for the buck! But I just went from a 20" +18, to a 17" +18 wheel for better Off-Road performance :-/
I will most definitely make certain there's no way to pull this off? But at a glance, it doesn't look do-able?
It's never easy to have your cake and eat it too lol

If this is not an option, is there another bolt on solution out there that you know of?

[I promise Im not being lazy, there are a few subjects on here that now have so much info that it becomes a matter of having the time to read through all the posts to be able to get the pertinent facts (which is not a bad thing, except for the amount of time it takes). Right now in my life Ive only got a few minutes a day free to do things like this and Im doing my best to spread them around the activities Im involved in lol]

And if that solution is ordering 4 or 6 piston calipers and fabricating my own brackets?? Then thats what it is.... My goal here, as with all my modifications, is to increase the performance, but do so on a moderate budget. Similar to the long travel control arms, I don't believe in paying someone for something I can do myself....

 

[petethepug]

Well that’s not what I expected. 20” min for the front brakes. Here’s the rims the Popo use for those.

STLTAHPD Chevrolet Tahoe Police Wheel/Rim Steel Black #84947815

I wonder if the four pot brembo will fit under the rear 18”?

 

[Marky Dissod]

I wonder if the four pot brembo will fit under the rear 18”?

4piston front brake kit fits under 18" wheels.
6piston front brake kit needs 20" wheels.

 

[petethepug]

At least you’ve got the option with the 18’s to add C7 non-Z51 Calipers (Part Numbers) with adapters. You’d also still be able to install x drilled & slotted OE rotors with the C7 kit.

 

[_Barry_]

Why do you think a "dual piston" rear caliper is going to help an overheated brake system?

And how do you know it's "Overheated"? Are you experiencing brake fade, soft pedal, what exactly?

75-80% of braking is at the front wheels in a normal stop. If the rear is overheating then a stuck caliper is the likely culprit. That will overheat quickly and you mention the rear sticking... When brakes are lightly loaded the front/rear % may be different. Is it the rear overheating? Front? Both?

The amount of heat generated is the same regardless of what brake rotors/pads/caliper you have. You will need to not generate additional heat with any dragging pads (sticking) and then get rid of the excess. Brake fluid - if your pedal is going soft due to fluid boiling, change it and make sure you use a high quality fluid. Larger rotors will dissipate heat better - more surface area. Then there are cooling ducts and fans.

Your brake system was not designed to operate in a continuous fashion, braking a 7000 pound load, which is probably the biggest problem.