exhaust brake ?

briejer · Nov 23, 2007

What are my options ?
What is the best bang for the buck?
How does it effect engine performance?
What do I all need to know?

97 12 valve 4"AFE exhaust

Lucky Jeff · Nov 23, 2007

first thing you need is the 60 lbs exhaust springs. Your stock 30 punders won't be sufficient. After that it's up to you. I know guys running BD brakes, Pac brake and Cummins (jacobs) exhaust brakes.. They are all very happy with how they work. It's been a few years since I looked at prices, so can't help ya there. Don't worry about it affecting the performance either.

wcjp · Nov 23, 2007

Ebrake also help cold start warmup time. If twins are in your future might opt for an inline vs elbow replacement. Friend has a BD on his 99' CTD. I have a Pacbrake PRXB on my 06'. Both work great slowing the weight.

Nuzzy · Nov 23, 2007

Lucky Jeff said:
first thing you need is the 60 lbs exhaust springs. Your stock 30 punders won't be sufficient. After that it's up to you. I know guys running BD brakes, Pac brake and Cummins (jacobs) exhaust brakes.. They are all very happy with how they work. It's been a few years since I looked at prices, so can't help ya there. Don't worry about it affecting the performance either.

I know the previous owner put a BD exhaust brake on mine. Is there an easy way to know if the springs were upgraded our would I have to ask the shop that installed it if they have it in the records...? Or is that just a 12v thing?

CrustyJeep · Nov 23, 2007

Lucky Jeff said:
first thing you need is the 60 lbs exhaust springs. Your stock 30 punders won't be sufficient.

From what I've read, you only need to upgrade your springs if you go with the higher pressure option.

82toyomud · Nov 23, 2007

Nuzzy said:
I know the previous owner put a BD exhaust brake on mine. Is there an easy way to know if the springs were upgraded our would I have to ask the shop that installed it if they have it in the records...? Or is that just a 12v thing?

CrustyJeep said:
From what I've read, you only need to upgrade your springs if you go with the higher pressure option.

You only have to do the springs on the 12v... 24v's your :awesomework:

I'll put a vote down for the BD... We had the small 3inche one, then got a bigger turbo, and now have an in-line... There's no real difference in performance between the two... I would make sure to get the vacum opperated ones.... A little cheaper i believe, plus their alot easier to install...

Boomer · Nov 23, 2007

My 1997 Dodge Ram has an older PacBrake that was a dealer installed option when the truck was originally sold to it's first owner. The only thing I would change is it's low RPM performance. Once the RPMs drop below 1500-1600, it loses a degree of it's effectiveness. Not a huge issue, certainly not a deal breaker, and overall I am very happy with it and it is definitely FAR better than not having one at all. Were I in the market for a new one, I would most likely opt for the PacBrake PRXB just for it's advertised low RPM performance. It's just a good thing made even better.

wcjp · Nov 24, 2007

Boomer said:
Were I in the market for a new one, I would most likely opt for the PacBrake PRXB just for it's advertised low RPM performance. It's just a good thing made even better.

The PRXB does work great at low RPM's on my 6spd manual. I think on the newer auto's the brake disengages at 22mph.

WickEdKewl · Nov 24, 2007

I was just looking through the records on this '92 I just got... the guy replaced the BD with a Pac brake, & went with the HD exhaust valve springs for the 60psi back pressure. :cheer:

I also found the invoice for the airbag suspension:redneck: :redneck:

So I take it, I can be flying down the freeway, flip a switch, apply some brake & sound like one of those big rig truckers? How do these things work?

I'm new.:looser:

Boomer · Nov 24, 2007

WickEdKewl said:
So I take it, I can be flying down the freeway, flip a switch, apply some brake & sound like one of those big rig truckers?

Negative. Big rigs use an engine brake. Our light duty diesels an exhaust brake. Your exhaust brake will not pop off like a big rig, it will make a slight whistling noise when in use.

How do these things work?

The exhaust brake is a device that restricts the exhaust, most often with some kind of butterfly valve, which creates backpressure in the exhaust that the engine must work against, providing a source of braking power in addition to the regular service brakes.

Here is a nice writeup from Bank's website about exhaust brakes and how they work:

How An Exhaust Brake Works

Why exhaust brakes are so effective on diesel-powered vehicles.

By C.J. Baker

Diesel engines control engine speed and power output by throttling the amount of fuel injected into the engine. A diesel has no air throttle. Because it has no air throttle, a diesel engine offers virtually no engine braking when the driver lifts off the accelerator pedal. There just isn