The brakes on our Cherokee grab really well.

I personally always buy the cheaper version of the brake pads as long as
the pads are riveted to the backing plates.

These are usually the softer materials which do 3 things for me, 1st
they grab really good because of all the friction, 2nd they don't
normally damage the rotors like really hard ceramic or other type pads
do so 3rd they save me money in the long run.

Having the back brakes working well also helps. I use antiseize on the
adjusters and make sure my emergency brake is always adjusted up which
keeps the back shoes adjusted.

I also do this with my CJ7 and it's 33's. I can come to a stop just as
fast beside a stock Jeep in a brake test which is nice.

I would recommend the cheap soft pads and shoes as a first upgrade.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's - Gone to the rust pile...
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wrote:
> I have a 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport that I purchased new and I'm looking
> to upgrade the brakes. The vehicle has 132,000 miles, but I believe I
> can get another couple years out of the old gal because she still runs
> strong.
>
> I use my 2005 Grand Cherokee (Rocky Mountain ed) to pull my boat, but
> my wife "encouraged" me to buy a pop-up camper, so I'd like to use my
> old XJ to pull it. It's only 2,800 lbs, but my current XJ brakes suck
> (always have more or less for towing), so I'm looking for any advice
> on upgrading.
>
> Has anyone here done any brake upgrades on their XJ? If so, what have
> you done? Should I replace the master cylinder, upgrade the rear
> drums to disc brakes, something else? I have standard size tires on
> the Jeep and don't plan to upgrade to oversized anytime soon.
>
> I'm lost in high weeds and looking for help! Thanks.
>
> Kevin
>
>