help with SUV's + 22's + bigger brakes?

[Gmoney4]

My brother has a 97 Durango and wanted to get bigger wheels. Someone told him that if he gets 22's or bigger that he would have to get bigger brakes. Is this true? I mean I know bigger wheels = more weight to stop, so it does make sense. Can anyone shine some light on this for me?

... & please no b.s. about how its bling bling and he should just spend the $$ elsewhere.

[ajayjuneja]

Yes, you need bigger brakes if you get bigger wheels.

so lets say you had 17" wheels to begin with. Your rotating mass is about 30% less than with 22" rims (depends on the weight of the respective rims). If you keep stock brakes and upsize your rim you will need about 30% more room to stop. Big Brakes + big rims can and usually do stop faster than a purely stock setup.

[Gmoney4]

thanks for the help. What is the biggest size he could put on before brakes would need to be upgraded? I went from 15's to 19's on my integra with no issues, but then again it is a much lighter vehicle. I'm guessing the most he can go is 20's?

[DiamondGCoupe]

I would go ahead and assume 20 would be the max. Is he puttin da Spinnaz on der?

[Gmoney4]

haha, no spinners. I told him I wasn't going to help him out if he was going to do that sh$t. I'll assume 20's then. I'm guessing it'll be another couple g's to upgrade the brakes too. He'll love to hear that... haha..

[izzy21]

He doesn't need bigger brakes. If anything he could just switch out the brake pads and get stainless steel brake lines. 22" is fine on the Durango. Which year is it?

[humanRESEARCH]

...or do the intelligent thing, and responsible, too, as he is adjusting the ride quality and stopping control of his wheels, and upgrade the brakes.

[DrPJM1]

Bigger wheels + tires = More weight & rotational inertia = Need Bigger Brakes or he will have much longer stopping distances.

[GZire]

There is really no set "if you hit this size, then you must upgrade to this size". If your brother does not want to upgrade, then he doesn't. However, he must change his driving habits to adjust to the longer stopping distances that will result from the more massive wheels (drive slower, leave larger gaps between cars, etc).

As others are saying though, it is a really good move to upgrade the brakes as you never know when you might get into an emergency braking situation.

[Paul1082]

something to think about: The rotational intertia of a cylinder (closest shape I could find to a wheel) is 1/2*M*(R^2). So if you increase the diameter from 17 to 22, you should be comparing 17^2 to 22^ assuming similar weight distribution. That is why larger wheels require larger brakes. Then again, a wheel is not a perfect cylinder, so my comments should be taken with a grain of salt.

[izzy21]

I don't know about the people on here, but I have personal experience with trucks that have upgraded wheels from 20" to 26". That being said, The brakes were not affected much. I have a friend with an excursion on 26" wheels and all we did was add stainless steel lines,drilled and slotted rotors,and pads. No need for a big brake kit. The thing stops better that with the stocks. We also have a trailblazer on 22" wheels. That truck has been stoping fine and we did not change a thing on that. So tell your brother he doesn't have to get a big brake kit. I doubt he will lose too much stoping power.

[G THANG]

YO MAN,YOUR vGOING FROM 17 TO 22!! THATS FIVE INCHES,A WHEEL SPECIALIST TOLD ME THE MOST YOU CAN GO UP FROM STOCK WITH NO PROBLEM IS 3 INCHES!!
IT MAY RIDE GOOD FOR A MOMMENT BUT BET YOUR DOING A NUMBER ON THAT TRANNY!!! I WEOULD DO 20 TO BE SAFE!! THESE GUYS WHO SELL YOU RIMS DONT CARE ABOUT YOU!! THEY ARE NOT GONNA INFORM YOU ON WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU UPGRADE,CALL SOME OF THOSE SPECIALISTS IN DUB MAGAZINE OR SURF THE NET FOR A WHEEL SPECIALIST.....

[humanRESEARCH]

Originally Posted by G THANG

YO MAN,YOUR vGOING FROM 17 TO 22!! THATS FIVE INCHES,A WHEEL SPECIALIST TOLD ME THE MOST YOU CAN GO UP FROM STOCK WITH NO PROBLEM IS 3 INCHES!!
IT MAY RIDE GOOD FOR A MOMMENT BUT BET YOUR DOING A NUMBER ON THAT TRANNY!!! I WEOULD DO 20 TO BE SAFE!! THESE GUYS WHO SELL YOU RIMS DONT CARE ABOUT YOU!! THEY ARE NOT GONNA INFORM YOU ON WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU UPGRADE,CALL SOME OF THOSE SPECIALISTS IN DUB MAGAZINE OR SURF THE NET FOR A WHEEL SPECIALIST.....

Holy "Caps" button, Batman! What nefarious villain would do such a thing as type in all caps?

*BAM!* *POW!* *ZAP!* *WAM!*