2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by Lazarus » Wed Sep 19, 2018 3:40 pm

4 low reverse is the most noticeable. Back your truck down something steep in 4 low and try to stop and you'll experience it. My truck does it in 2 high as well when I am backing out of my driveway. Maybe it's just a reverse thing.

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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by scoutpappa » Wed Sep 19, 2018 6:05 pm

I would think that if we were still dealing with drum brakes but come on. We have four wheel discs. Low vacuum would be the limiting factor on the assist but that would/should result in a heavy/stiff pedal.

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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by LagunaH1 » Wed Sep 19, 2018 6:15 pm

FWIW, my ‘16 is unable to trigger ABS on regular surface streets. Doesn’t matter how hard I stomp the pedal. I have about 24000 miles on mine. This is with stock wheels and brand new stock tires.

I just dropped the truck off at the shop to have them go over the brakes.



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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by olyelr » Wed Sep 19, 2018 8:28 pm

LagunaH1 wrote:
Wed Sep 19, 2018 6:15 pm
FWIW, my ‘16 is unable to trigger ABS on regular surface streets. Doesn’t matter how hard I stomp the pedal. I have about 24000 miles on mine. This is with stock wheels and brand new stock tires.

I just dropped the truck off at the shop to have them go over the brakes.



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Mine doesnt either.

It will off road or in the snow, though.
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by Jmarklowitz » Wed Sep 19, 2018 11:03 pm

Mine has done this since day 1. It's a 16 and I have had more than 1 panic stop in Denver shit traffic and in the mountains where I wasnt sure I was going to stop. To the floor! I've had several dealers look at it an all they did was visual inspection and said all is good. B.S. I told them to drive it. At 20mph you can stomp it to the floor. I've never locked them up or even felt the abs. Even on gravel. I've told them they feel like they have air in them. Only thing I dont like about the truck. 42,000 miles and counting. Some day I wont be able to stop! I leave lots of extra stopping distance. I think I'm going to try to bleed them this weekend myself. It's not just a heavy truck thing. I had a f350 that would damn near thow you through the windshield. Sorry for the rant. This post got me all fired up. Haha.
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by PWJouster » Thu Sep 20, 2018 11:24 am

upgrade the brake fluid.

4LOW has its own brake performance based on the extreme torque applied to the axles and wheels individually. theres a reason why you cant just go stomp on your brakes in 4 low and come to a complete stop that easily. talk about drive train strain.

break in on brakes and rotors is critical... if you baby your brakes at first, youll never get a good transfer of brake material to the rotor, and if you never do full brake applications from high speeds, well youll never see full performance.

any vehicle with disc/rotor brakes needs a good break in.

this means high speed 65MPH + to a dead stop at least 3 times with minor cool downs between, then a longer cool down and another 3 high speed dead stops. once at a standstill, continue to roll so you dont stand the pads on the hot brake rotors. this does not mean an elongated stop, but a rather harsh braking force to stop as soon as possible, without burning rubber and sliding.

this in essence, can not be done on the road. but with every motorcycle or car/truck ive had, ive got it done.

but if you say when you first got the truck, you didnt break in the brakes, and babied the hell out of it....well youll never see full performance from that set.
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by Bill2014 » Thu Sep 20, 2018 12:28 pm

PWJouster wrote:
Thu Sep 20, 2018 11:24 am
upgrade the brake fluid.

4LOW has its own brake performance based on the extreme torque applied to the axles and wheels individually. theres a reason why you cant just go stomp on your brakes in 4 low and come to a complete stop that easily. talk about drive train strain.

break in on brakes and rotors is critical... if you baby your brakes at first, youll never get a good transfer of brake material to the rotor, and if you never do full brake applications from high speeds, well youll never see full performance.

any vehicle with disc/rotor brakes needs a good break in.

this means high speed 65MPH + to a dead stop at least 3 times with minor cool downs between, then a longer cool down and another 3 high speed dead stops. once at a standstill, continue to roll so you dont stand the pads on the hot brake rotors. this does not mean an elongated stop, but a rather harsh braking force to stop as soon as possible, without burning rubber and sliding.

this in essence, can not be done on the road. but with every motorcycle or car/truck ive had, ive got it done.

but if you say when you first got the truck, you didnt break in the brakes, and babied the hell out of it....well youll never see full performance from that set.
Bedding in the brakes is usually done in two rounds. During the first round, the truck is driven at a speed of about 45 mph, with a medium-to-easy slow to stop, repeated three or four times. The brakes should be allowed to cool for a few minutes, and then the truck should be subjected to an aggressive slow-down from 60 mph to 15 mph eight to ten times. The truck should be allowed to sit, or driven at a low speed on the empty road, for a few minutes to allow the brakes to cool before using the brakes again.

After doing this, the brake pads will show a distinctive color change from their new appearance. This change is the transfer layer. Once bedding in has been completed, the brakes should provide smooth braking. :cheers:
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by PWJouster » Thu Sep 20, 2018 4:10 pm

^thats another way to do it...but in the end, dont baby your brakes when you buy a new truck. drive fast, stop hard.
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by RustyPW » Thu Sep 20, 2018 5:54 pm

Hundred different ways to bed the pads in. Pick one. :lol:

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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by LagunaH1 » Sun Sep 23, 2018 12:14 pm

Got the truck back from the shop. Sounds like they didn't do much except run a code scanner and do a visual inspection. They couldn't tell me whether the truck is supposed to be able to trigger ABS on normal dry surface streets.
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by Colibri » Sun Sep 23, 2018 6:47 pm

You can engage abs on dry pavement, but it takes some real dedication and I wouldn’t recommend it around other traffic.
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by LagunaH1 » Sun Sep 23, 2018 7:39 pm

Colibri wrote:You can engage abs on dry pavement, but it takes some real dedication and I wouldn’t recommend it around other traffic.
That’s the thing. My truck refuses to engage ABS on dry pavement


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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by Retired BLM Rig » Sun Sep 23, 2018 10:53 pm

I know that LagunaH1 is running stock size, but for those of you running larger than stock tires, keep in mind that when you increase tire size, you decrease brake performance.

Also, there is yet another nanny in the system that no one has discussed yet.
From the 2016 owners manual, page #616:

Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD)
This function manages the distribution of the braking torque between the front and rear axles by limiting braking pressure to the rear axle. This is done to prevent overslip of the rear wheels to avoid vehicle instability, and to prevent the rear axle from entering ABS before the front axle.

Add to that the BAS system on page #618 and it seems like you have nannies fighting each other to stop your truck. :doh:

Brake Assist System (BAS)
The BAS is designed to optimize the vehicle’s braking capability during emergency braking maneuvers. The system detects an emergency braking situation by sensing the rate and amount of brake application and then applies optimum pressure to the brakes. This can help reduce braking distances. The BAS complements the anti-lock brake system (ABS). Applying the brakes very quickly results in the best BAS assistance. To receive the benefit of the system, you must apply continuous braking pressure during the stopping sequence, (do not “pump” the brakes). Do not reduce brake pedal pressure unless braking is no longer desired. Once the brake pedal is released, the BAS is deactivated.

Once again I'm happy to be the owner of a 3rd gen with fewer nannies, where my brain and foot work together to manage the braking system. :poke:

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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by RustyPW » Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:12 pm

:doh:
I think that I'm not going to even think on buying any new vehicles. TOO many nannies. :zombie: Glad I got a 3G!. :rockon:
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by PWJouster » Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:34 am

honestly, i drive really hard, throwing the truck off curbs, onto ramps and into corners and brake pedal to the floor.

4-LO off road and ABS is crazy.

the only time on road that ABS activates is when turning really sharp at speed with extreme body roll. its extremely difficult to force ABS action on road for me.
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by OffroadTreks » Mon Sep 24, 2018 10:25 am

The only time I have ever encountered ABS offroad is high speed and slamming the brakes and losing traction. It's never been an issue. I don't understand how so many people encounter problems with it, or what they are doing exactly all the time that it's such a "nanny"
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by LagunaH1 » Mon Sep 24, 2018 11:15 am

With literally every other vehicle I have ever owned, I have been able to trigger ABS on dry pavement. It’s something I like to test (under safe conditions of course) to get a sense of where the limits of grip are.

With my power wagon I can’t trigger ABS. Given that other 4th gen owners have said, maybe this is just how our trucks are engineered, although I don’t understand the reasoning behind it.


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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by Colibri » Mon Sep 24, 2018 2:21 pm

You basically have to be doing something ultra stupid to get abs to engage on dry pavement in a newer ram truck. It’s not something that’s easy or safe to accomplish really. There’s so much computer manipulation going on to optimize braking performance that it’s difficult to get the truck out of its comfort zone.

Offroad I’ve had a few butt puckering moments because of abs. They’ve all been at high speed and on gravely loose dirt roads. Other than that it’s not a problem. But at speed on loose dirt it can cause a wreck or roll.
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by PWJouster » Mon Sep 24, 2018 2:37 pm

when im in deep sand, the abs (i think its the abs) pulsates and clicks like a mad chicken. i get strange feedback through the wheels, i need to do more testing.
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by Low_Sky » Mon Sep 24, 2018 3:17 pm

Colibri wrote:You basically have to be doing something ultra stupid to get abs to engage on dry pavement in a newer ram truck. It’s not something that’s easy or safe to accomplish really. There’s so much computer manipulation going on to optimize braking performance that it’s difficult to get the truck out of its comfort zone.

Offroad I’ve had a few butt puckering moments because of abs. They’ve all been at high speed and on gravely loose dirt roads. Other than that it’s not a problem. But at speed on loose dirt it can cause a wreck or roll.
Yup. I really can’t figure out what the problem is. The braking system has been optimized to the point that it’s really hard to break traction on a clean dry road surface. To me, that doesn’t sound like a bad thing. Could the brakes apply more clamping force than they do, sure, but if that can’t get transmitted to the road surface, what did it get you? Nothing.

If owners don’t like having a truck that can apply it’s own brakes better than they can on a dry surface, they can pull the ABS fuse and go back to the good old days.


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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by LagunaH1 » Mon Sep 24, 2018 9:10 pm

Low_Sky wrote:
Mon Sep 24, 2018 3:17 pm
Colibri wrote:You basically have to be doing something ultra stupid to get abs to engage on dry pavement in a newer ram truck. It’s not something that’s easy or safe to accomplish really. There’s so much computer manipulation going on to optimize braking performance that it’s difficult to get the truck out of its comfort zone.

Offroad I’ve had a few butt puckering moments because of abs. They’ve all been at high speed and on gravely loose dirt roads. Other than that it’s not a problem. But at speed on loose dirt it can cause a wreck or roll.
Yup. I really can’t figure out what the problem is. The braking system has been optimized to the point that it’s really hard to break traction on a clean dry road surface. To me, that doesn’t sound like a bad thing. Could the brakes apply more clamping force than they do, sure, but if that can’t get transmitted to the road surface, what did it get you? Nothing.

If owners don’t like having a truck that can apply it’s own brakes better than they can on a dry surface, they can pull the ABS fuse and go back to the good old days.


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To me, the problem is:

If I can't trigger ABS, how do I know that the truck is braking at it's best?

But anyways, that's just me. I don't think it's a matter of electronic systems etc, I simply feel like the brakes aren't doing a good enough job. I'll go see If I can find any specs for braking performance for my truck (along the lines of, slow to 0 from such-and-such speed in so-and-so yards)
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by Bill2014 » Mon Sep 24, 2018 11:01 pm

If you're using your truck as a truck and hauling something, you are not going to get the antilocks to activate on dry pavement... Those that run 35's or 37's aren't making their braking any better either. :D
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by OffroadTreks » Tue Sep 25, 2018 10:41 am

Just upgrade to this >>
https://ssbcbrakethrough.com/products/ram-v8-caliper

16 Piston Calipers, direct bolt on. Does require an 18-inch wheel. But was tested with the Ram HD OE 18 inch factory wheel when designed.

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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by Bill2014 » Tue Sep 25, 2018 12:24 pm

BoldAdventure wrote:
Tue Sep 25, 2018 10:41 am
Just upgrade to this >>
https://ssbcbrakethrough.com/products/ram-v8-caliper

16 Piston Calipers, direct bolt on. Does require an 18-inch wheel. But was tested with the Ram HD OE 18 inch factory wheel when designed.

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What a bargain for $3,990.00 :wtf:
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Re: 2018 Power Wagon Brake Issues

Post by OffroadTreks » Tue Sep 25, 2018 12:50 pm

That is actually the going rate for big brake kits, pretty reasonable. I've paid that for my Corvette to have 6-piston brakes from Brembo.

You're talking 8 piston calipers here with a bigger clamping area than the stock brakes and larger. Plus, really you could skip the rear, and that would be $1995.00

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/20 ... ver-page-4

Based on the testing performance of the stock truck's stopping ability, you're talking a 50ft reduction in stopping distance. This would be a huge improvement for guys running bigger, heavier wheels.

This is def high on the WISHLIST. But probably in the same spot as AEV heat extraction hood. Gears, Hydro, other stuff long before.
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