Black Magic Brakes Big Brake Kit: A Review in Series

[TJustin]

As result of being fortunate enough to win ROTY for 2024, I was happy to be able to get a first-hand experience with a Black Magic Brakes Big Brake Kit from @mrblaine himself. (Thank you again, Blaine.) Since I am mid-process of swapping my NV3550 in favor of a 32RH, this review will take place over a series of posts. I expect within a number of weeks I will be able to ultimately give feedback regarding the performance of the kit.

For now, I'll fill you in on my experience thus far: Communicating with Blaine and parts arrival.

Blaine has been great to work with. Shortly after the poll ended @Chris sent myself a PM regarding the ROTY win, including details surrounding the prizes. Following the brief deliberation between cash and the brake kit, I contacted Blaine about my desire to run one of his brake kits and included specifics about my vehicle. He confirmed some details and just like (black) magic the parts showed up a few days later. Pun intended.

The packages arrived while I was working and they greeted me after returning home for the day, along with a wife who had the privilege of lugging said boxes from the porch to another area of my home.

The delivery arrived in 2 boxes, represented by the one box sitting in my folding chair below. Considering the weight of the contents of each box, it was surprising to see that the shipping boxes arrived in the condition that they did. I've received Amazon boxes significantly lighter and in worse shape than what these were. Opening the boxes took some skill as they were taped and stapled well. Once the boxes were open, I found the contents packaged well and in just as good of shape as the shipping boxes were.

Here is everything that was shipped to me; rotors, calipers, pads, new MC, several pages of instructions and required hardware. A brief review of the instructions looks to have covered the bases, but that will be proved later when I go install the kit.

I opened up a box for one of the calipers as well as one of the rotors to check them out. I was happy to see that both the calipers and rotors have coatings on them that should prevent unnecessary corrosion over time, but more impressive to me was the sheer size of these components, the caliper specifically resembles the size of calipers that are found on my Super Duty.

Part 2: Install- To come soon.

 

[Chris]

You're going to love them! Such a great upgrade.

 

[Plumber1]

This kit made a big difference stopping my 35's

 

[mrblaine]

As result of being fortunate enough to win ROTY for 2024, I was happy to be able to get a first-hand experience with a Black Magic Brakes Big Brake Kit from @mrblaine himself. (Thank you again, Blaine.) Since I am mid-process of swapping my NV3550 in favor of a 32RH, this review will take place over a series of posts. I expect within a number of weeks I will be able to ultimately give feedback regarding the performance of the kit.

For now, I'll fill you in on my experience thus far: Communicating with Blaine and parts arrival.

Blaine has been great to work with. Shortly after the poll ended @Chris sent myself a PM regarding the ROTY win, including details surrounding the prizes. Following the brief deliberation between cash and the brake kit, I contacted Blaine about my desire to run one of his brake kits and included specifics about my vehicle. He confirmed some details and just like (black) magic the parts showed up a few days later. Pun intended.

The packages arrived while I was working and they greeted me after returning home for the day, along with a wife who had the privilege of lugging said boxes from the porch to another area of my home.

The delivery arrived in 2 boxes, represented by the one box sitting in my folding chair below. Considering the weight of the contents of each box, it was surprising to see that the shipping boxes arrived in the condition that they did. I've received Amazon boxes significantly lighter and in worse shape than what these were. Opening the boxes took some skill as they were taped and stapled well. Once the boxes were open, I found the contents packaged well and in just as good of shape as the shipping boxes were.

View attachment 586772

Here is everything that was shipped to me; rotors, calipers, pads, new MC, several pages of instructions and required hardware. A brief review of the instructions looks to have covered the bases, but that will be proved later when I go install the kit.

View attachment 586773

I opened up a box for one of the calipers as well as one of the rotors to check them out. I was happy to see that both the calipers and rotors have coatings on them that should prevent unnecessary corrosion over time, but more impressive to me was the sheer size of these components, the caliper specifically resembles the size of calipers that are found on my Super Duty.
View attachment 586774

Part 2: Install- To come soon.

I wouldn't go so far as to say it is an art to pack well but it certainly takes experience from dealing with stuff you shipped that got damaged and using that to slow down how much happens. The biggest challenge is keeping the guide pins unbent in shipping. That's why the heavy caliper body is down with the saddle up and there is more foam under the caliper than on top. The package is more likely to get dropped than get something dropped on it. Thanks for the write-up so far, it is appreciated.

If you ever need a replacement rotor in a hurry, the Centric # is 120.58012. Bolt the old one up to it face to face and drill through the new hole pattern we drilled.

 

[Grenadiers]

Put a set of BM pads and Centric rotors on the back end of my heavy pig LJ. Stops better than stock.

 

[hosejockey61]

This will be a great thread for the forum!

 

[MikekiM]

Put a set of BM pads and Centric rotors on the back end of my heavy pig LJ. Stops better than stock.

I did the same and was thrilled with the results. Based on the ROI for just pads and rotors, I expect the BBK to be a real winner.
Looking forward to the next installment on this.

 

[TJustin]

Part 2: Remove old calipers & rotors, install Black Magic parts

My axles are JK spec Currie HD60's. Bought them secondhand locally with under 5,000 miles on them. They are factory JK width. The rear is semi float, retaining the 5x5 JK bolt pattern. The front is retains the same 5x5 bolt pattern by using the OE JK knuckles, unit bearing, brakes, etc. When working with Blaine I mentioned appropriate details and he sent the corresponding parts.

Factory spec JK rotor and caliper with Bosch brake pads. The Jeep has sat since December through the duration of my manual->auto swap. I use a ventless wall mounted propane heater to keep my shop warm in winter months. As I am sure many of you know, H20 is a biproduct of burning propane so the original rotors have a bit of flash rust on them.

Size comparison between the OE rotor, and the BMB rotor. You can see the slightly larger size of the BMB rotor. I did not measure OD of each, but it is easy to see that the BMB rotor is visibly bigger.

The much larger BMB dual piston caliper sitting next to the OE JK caliper

Another angle

Included in the instructions is a step to install these rings that are installed on the hub before the rotor is slid over the lug studs. It was recommended to use a bit of antiseize before installing the rings as evident in this photo. All I had was high temp antiseize, so the high temp variant was used. The anti seize combined with a punch and rubber mallet made this step painless. The witness marks on the rotor hat are from washers and corresponding nuts used to keep the rotor centered over the ring while the saddle, pads and caliper were installed. The instructions called out using Loctite on the saddle to knuckle bolts and was included in the kit. They also called out torque specs related to the brake components which made install of new components almost mindless.

The completed driver's side. Though not pictured, the passenger side followed the same process. Fit and finish on everything has turned out great with tolerances on everything perfect as far as I could tell. The boxes that the rotors came in claimed that no degreasing or cleaning prep was necessary but I still sprayed them with my favorite, Simple Green. The blemishes on the rotor that look like some sort of oil is on them is not in fact oil. Not sure what to attribute it to, but after thorough spraying and scrubbing the blemishes did not come off, so I plan to send it as-is. I am very excited that the rotors and calipers have a rust resistant finish which should lend to maintaining good looks for long time especially because it stays grounded if there is a layer of salt on the roads. I installed my Raceline Avenger wheels and checked clearance between the caliper and inside of the wheel. While the tolerances between the two are noticeably tighter, there still is plenty of air space between the two.

More to come...

 

[psrivats]

Part 2: Remove old calipers & rotors, install Black Magic parts

My axles are JK spec Currie HD60's. Bought them secondhand locally with under 5,000 miles on them. They are factory JK width. The rear is semi float, retaining the 5x5 JK bolt pattern. The front is retains the same 5x5 bolt pattern by using the OE JK knuckles, unit bearing, brakes, etc. When working with Blaine I mentioned appropriate details and he sent the corresponding parts.

Factory spec JK rotor and caliper with Bosch brake pads. The Jeep has sat since December through the duration of my manual->auto swap. I use a ventless wall mounted propane heater to keep my shop warm in winter months. As I am sure many of you know, H20 is a biproduct of burning propane so the original rotors have a bit of flash rust on them.
View attachment 588154

Size comparison between the OE rotor, and the BMB rotor. You can see the slightly larger size of the BMB rotor. I did not measure OD of each, but it is easy to see that the BMB rotor is visibly bigger.
View attachment 588162

The much larger BMB dual piston caliper sitting next to the OE JK caliper
View attachment 588169

Another angle
View attachment 588170

Included in the instructions is a step to install these rings that are installed on the hub before the rotor is slid over the lug studs. It was recommended to use a bit of antiseize before installing the rings as evident in this photo. All I had was high temp antiseize, so the high temp variant was used. The anti seize combined with a punch and rubber mallet made this step painless. The witness marks on the rotor hat are from washers and corresponding nuts used to keep the rotor centered over the ring while the saddle, pads and caliper were installed. The instructions called out using Loctite on the saddle to knuckle bolts and was included in the kit. They also called out torque specs related to the brake components which made install of new components almost mindless.
View attachment 588172

The completed driver's side. Though not pictured, the passenger side followed the same process. Fit and finish on everything has turned out great with tolerances on everything perfect as far as I could tell. The boxes that the rotors came in claimed that no degreasing or cleaning prep was necessary but I still sprayed them with my favorite, Simple Green. The blemishes on the rotor that look like some sort of oil is on them is not in fact oil. Not sure what to attribute it to, but after thorough spraying and scrubbing the blemishes did not come off, so I plan to send it as-is. I am very excited that the rotors and calipers have a rust resistant finish which should lend to maintaining good looks for long time especially because it stays grounded if there is a layer of salt on the roads. I installed my Raceline Avenger wheels and checked clearance between the caliper and inside of the wheel. While the tolerances between the two are noticeably tighter, there still is plenty of air space between the two.
View attachment 588173

More to come...

Good pics and I am enjoying this review thread. Gotta love that pic showing the caliper size difference!

Looking forward to the next episode.

 

[MountaineerTom]

The difference in caliper size is impressive.

 

[mrblaine]

Part 2: Remove old calipers & rotors, install Black Magic parts

My axles are JK spec Currie HD60's. Bought them secondhand locally with under 5,000 miles on them. They are factory JK width. The rear is semi float, retaining the 5x5 JK bolt pattern. The front is retains the same 5x5 bolt pattern by using the OE JK knuckles, unit bearing, brakes, etc. When working with Blaine I mentioned appropriate details and he sent the corresponding parts.

Factory spec JK rotor and caliper with Bosch brake pads. The Jeep has sat since December through the duration of my manual->auto swap. I use a ventless wall mounted propane heater to keep my shop warm in winter months. As I am sure many of you know, H20 is a biproduct of burning propane so the original rotors have a bit of flash rust on them.
View attachment 588154

Size comparison between the OE rotor, and the BMB rotor. You can see the slightly larger size of the BMB rotor. I did not measure OD of each, but it is easy to see that the BMB rotor is visibly bigger.
View attachment 588162

The much larger BMB dual piston caliper sitting next to the OE JK caliper
View attachment 588169

Another angle
View attachment 588170

Included in the instructions is a step to install these rings that are installed on the hub before the rotor is slid over the lug studs. It was recommended to use a bit of antiseize before installing the rings as evident in this photo. All I had was high temp antiseize, so the high temp variant was used. The anti seize combined with a punch and rubber mallet made this step painless. The witness marks on the rotor hat are from washers and corresponding nuts used to keep the rotor centered over the ring while the saddle, pads and caliper were installed. The instructions called out using Loctite on the saddle to knuckle bolts and was included in the kit. They also called out torque specs related to the brake components which made install of new components almost mindless.
View attachment 588172

The completed driver's side. Though not pictured, the passenger side followed the same process. Fit and finish on everything has turned out great with tolerances on everything perfect as far as I could tell. The boxes that the rotors came in claimed that no degreasing or cleaning prep was necessary but I still sprayed them with my favorite, Simple Green. The blemishes on the rotor that look like some sort of oil is on them is not in fact oil. Not sure what to attribute it to, but after thorough spraying and scrubbing the blemishes did not come off, so I plan to send it as-is. I am very excited that the rotors and calipers have a rust resistant finish which should lend to maintaining good looks for long time especially because it stays grounded if there is a layer of salt on the roads. I installed my Raceline Avenger wheels and checked clearance between the caliper and inside of the wheel. While the tolerances between the two are noticeably tighter, there still is plenty of air space between the two.
View attachment 588173

More to come...

Looks like that axle came with a big rotor kit. The stock JK front rotor is 11.89" in diameter, the BBK rotor is or should be 13.28" in diameter. That is a difference in radius of around .700". Is there an adapter that bolts to the OEM knuckle holes that the OEM caliper was bolted to?

Do I see Dorman extended front flex hoses in the background?

 

[TJustin]

Looks like that axle came with a big rotor kit. The stock JK front rotor is 11.89" in diameter, the BBK rotor is or should be 13.28" in diameter. That is a difference in radius of around .700". Is there an adapter that bolts to the OEM knuckle holes that the OEM caliper was bolted to?

Do I see Dorman extended front flex hoses in the background?

That's good info. There was no adapter from the caliper to the knuckle. The OE caliper saddle bolted directly to the knuckle. The flex hoses are no-name from a local hydraulic supply store.

 

[mrblaine]

That's good info. There was no adapter from the caliper to the knuckle. The OE caliper saddle bolted directly to the knuckle. The flex hoses are no-name from a local hydraulic supply store.

At one point I know Dynatrac made a saddle that was extended to use with a larger rotor. Teraflex also did a big rotor kit and a big brake kit like what you have. We did a big rotor kit first, it was as good as Tera's big brake kit. At that point, we did the big brake kit. Currie also did a big rotor kit on the F-450 knuckles with a bracket that just moved the JK caliper out. At some point you have to stop and figure anyone running something with knuckles that big probably needs more brake, but here we are.

 

[mrblaine]

That's good info. There was no adapter from the caliper to the knuckle. The OE caliper saddle bolted directly to the knuckle. The flex hoses are no-name from a local hydraulic supply store.

This is the size difference between the BBK rotor and the stock JK rotor.

The stock saddle is about 2.450" center to center between the caliper slide pin holes and the mounting holes.

 

[Murf926]

Jealous.

 

[TJustin]

Here are some quick and dirty measurements

 

[TJustin]

Jealous.

Thanks. Did you get your tie rod yet?

 

[Murf926]

Thanks. Did you get your tie rod yet?

I did, but we're in a cold stretch right now and my old man bones don't especially like cold garage floors, so it'll be a little while before I install it, but I'll post it when I do.

 

[TJustin]

Installed the new MC tonight. Verified that the pushrod length was acceptable and put it back together. Not much to show other than the old vs new MC.

I haven’t dove into specifics about the new one provided by BMB vs the OE Mopar one but can only assume it moves more volume than the factory one.

Either way, it’s installed, with no hiccups. Plan to bleed the brakes tomorrow while my father is around to lend a foot.

Still a week or two out for buttoning up the trans swap before I can drive it with the new brakes. Not sure how productive I’ll be with KOH next weekend.

 

[mrblaine]

Installed the new MC tonight. Verified that the pushrod length was acceptable and put it back together. Not much to show other than the old vs new MC.

I haven’t dove into specifics about the new one provided by BMB vs the OE Mopar one but can only assume it moves more volume than the factory one.

It does have more volume since it is a larger bore by 1/16". It should be slightly larger than what it is but the booster isn't big enough to support more bore size and overcome the reduction in pressure to the calipers.

Either way, it’s installed, with no hiccups. Plan to bleed the brakes tomorrow while my father is around to lend a foot.

Still a week or two out for buttoning up the trans swap before I can drive it with the new brakes. Not sure how productive I’ll be with KOH next weekend. View attachment 589567

View attachment 589568

Hopefully you used the plugged port method to bench bleed the master.