More Powerful Vacuum Brake Booster for Jeep.

Product: Bolt-On Brake Booster for Jeep.
Manufacturer: Off-Again, Navajo Brake Booster 1-888-633-2424

So your Jeep CJ or Wrangler just doesn't stop as well as you think it should even though you have power brakes? Could it be the larger tires? The extra weight of the winch, tools, extra parts and other accessories? Most likely it's the taller tires and their increased leverage.

Well all know that the longer lever you have, and the closer the fulcrum is to the thing you want lifted, the more weight you can lift. When you stop your vehicle, the forward force of the moving vehicle acts on a lever that is the distance from the ground to the center of the axle. When you put on bigger tires, you are adding length to the lever, meaning you require more force at the fulcrum (brakes) to stop the vehicle. If you move the resisting force (the brakes) farther out from the axle toward the ground (bigger brakes) you will have more stopping power because you are moving the fulcrum away from the axle and the lever can't apply as much force to the car. It's the same principle you use when you install lower geared rear ends to accommodate those big tires.

Instead of adding bigger brakes, which is expensive and time consuming, you can also add more force to your existing brakes. That's where a dual diaphragm brake booster comes in. Your brake booster on your CJ and earlier Wranglers is a single diaphragm type. Later Wranglers come with a dual diaphragm booster that applies much more force for a given amount of pedal pressure.

If you have an single diaphragm brake booster and want to increase your braking power, you can get a dual diaphragm booster from "Off-again", a company located in Farmington, New Mexico that specializes in recycling auto parts. They take a booster off a donor vehicle, refurbish it and send it off to you for a very reasonable price.The donor vehicle is not necessarily a newer Wrangler, It's, most likely, a GM product.

With just a little hole enlarging on your Jeep, the new booster will bolt right on in place of your old single diaphragm one. The result is brakes that take just the right amount of pressure to really put the stop to your rig. This is one of the best improvements I did to my CJ, which has disk brakes front and rear.

Off-Again's number is 1-888-633-2424. I found them very helpful and they asked me several questions about what engine I had (350 V8), what kind of booster I had and so on. Harold Off, the owner, called back and gave me some more tips about lengthening a small rod inside the unit to make the brakes even more effective. I found that those instructions also came with the booster unit when it arrived. The installation was very easy and took about an hour.

Now it just takes a light pressure on the pedal for really fine brakes. On the trail when waiting on a steep downhill for someone else to move, I don't get the old tired leg from pushing so hard to hold it. I really like it when I have to back down a steep, loose hill for a fresh start or to get to a stuck rig below me. 

Tip:  When decending a loose, steep hill, always make sure you are in four wheel drive so one wheel doewn't lock up on you under braking while the others continue to roll.  In many situations, you may want to engage your locker, if you have an ARB, to be sure all the wheels rotate at the same rpm. Be careful on corners or off-camber situations so you don't walk one end down the slope while the other end stays on the trail. If there are ruts, try to stay in the center of them as that is usually the best place to prevent slipping sidewise.

For more details about the booster and to see how it might work on your rig, call Off-Again at 1-888-633-2424

Happy four-wheelin'

Jim Piatt