How much better do the brakes get with the Tundra upgrade?

[mirraman]

Hey Everyone,

I was just wondering how much better the brakes get with the Tundra upgrade. I just recently put a set of powerstop 231mm Tundra calipers and drilled slotted rotors. While my brakes do seem a little better, it's not the "great" improvement I was expecting. I am starting to wonder if there was a problem with the system that is not related to the stock caliper's poor function.

I am taking a trip up to northern California in a couple weeks with my wife and daughter and want the runner in tip top shape.

4runner: 1998 Limited 4x4 V6
-99 highlander lift
-265/75/16s

Here is my description of the brakes:

-They do stop.
-Seems like you need to press the pedal too hard.
-There is a sound that is a bit hard to describe coming from the drum in the back just before full stop (It's a familiar sound like when you don't push the pedal hard enough and the car starts to slowly roll forward).
-Seems like the rears aren't getting as much braking power as the fronts.

Please let me know if you have any experience with this or have any suggestions. I don't want to just start buying any and every part when it could be something simple.

Also, on a side note, has anyone ever put a 2001-2002 brake master cylinder with hydraulic brake support in a 98? was looking at my wife's 2008 and it has a very similar (if not the same) brake system under the hood.

 

[68dave]

I installed the 199mm tundra brakes on my 00 4runner and the larger 231mm tundra brakes on my 04 tacoma with no issues. I also cleaned and adjusted the rear brakes at the same time. I noticed a big improvement in braking especially when i'm towing. Are you sure you bleed all the air out of the system?

 

[D Farms]

the other difference is that the 01-02 is setup to control each brake individually, the 96-00 all have both rear brakes linked on one line. there are a lot of parts you would have to swap, i think it even controls the engine. imo not worth it. all 4runners have power assisted brakes, the 01-02 computer can apply the brakes when it detects wheel slippage, or drifting.


the main advantage with the tundra brake upgrade is increased thermal mass, so it takes longer for them to overheat, they also be less likely to warp over time.

 

[mirraman]

I installed the 199mm tundra brakes on my 00 4runner and the larger 231mm tundra brakes on my 04 tacoma with no issues. I also cleaned and adjusted the rear brakes at the same time. I noticed a big improvement in braking especially when i'm towing. Are you sure you bleed all the air out of the system?

Definitely fully bled. Not my first rodeo replacing calipers. I just was expecting a bigger change. Anyone live local to me (Ventura county) that knows what they are supposed to feel like?

I had a 2006 Tacoma prerunner before and my wife has a 2008 4runner. Both brake systems worked much much better.

The brakes never fail. They also are not spongy. They just seem to take a bit more pressure than I would expect. Maybe my booster is starting to go.

 

[xcmtb83]

What pads did you opt for? I ask because all pads are designed to favor different performance levels. For instance you may have a pad that has really good high temp fade resistance but not much initial bite. The opposite can be true too but in your case it doesn't sound like it. Just like anything else there are trade offs.

 

[DED&DED]

I have not made this improvement to my '99 T4R, SR5--but I have noticed several posts suggesting that a higher volume master cylinder is a good idea. toyota is a fine company, but they are dedicated to engineering their products at the limits of efficiency and cost. Bigger brakes = bigger master cylinder.

edited for typo.

 

[Konkordmusk]

Start with adjusting your rear brakes, so that the distance they travel to the drum surface is less and will require less brake fluid. This probably needed to be done even before the brake upgrade. Then, adjust the throw on the brake pedal. There's a jam nut and a threaded rod that feeds into the master cylinder. Adjust the rod length to be longer. This is what I did after my 231mm upgrade and I have stellar braking performance.

 

[mirraman]

Start with adjusting your rear brakes, so that the distance they travel to the drum surface is less and will require less brake fluid. This probably needed to be done even before the brake upgrade. Then, adjust the throw on the brake pedal. There's a jam nut and a threaded rod that feeds into the master cylinder. Adjust the rod length to be longer. This is what I did after my 231mm upgrade and I have stellar braking performance.

These sound like some solid suggestions! I will get on it ASAP! I really don't know why making such an adjustment didn't come to mind! Thank you!!

 

[vanion2]

Drilled slotted rotors have been proven to have less stopping power due to reduced surface area. Their advantage is better heat dissipation.

I know this first hand as I put a set on my MR2 and soon enough I plan on going back to blanks. And like xcmtb83 said your pads are going to have a huge effect. I don't know what pads are on mine but they bite hard and that's on stock rotors.

 

[Supermoney]

I noticed the opposite.

Once we put the 231mm brakes on, we noticed a HUGE improvement. Pedal feel is perfect, stopping power is MORE than enough now. The problem with the stock 4runner brakes is that they warp way too easily. These things will not warp on this truck.

Even if you don't notice more braking power, you will notice your rotors won't be getting warped!

 

[mirraman]

Drilled slotted rotors have been proven to have less stopping power due to reduced surface area. Their advantage is better heat dissipation.

I know this first hand as I put a set on my MR2 and soon enough I plan on going back to blanks. And like xcmtb83 said your pads are going to have a huge effect. I don't know what pads are on mine but they bite hard and that's on stock rotors.

That's weird. When I put the drilled slotted rotors on my '06 Taco, there was a great improvement in bite and stopping force.
Aren't the drilled rotors are for heart dissipation and the slotted are for preventing glaze, therefore giving better bite and performance? These have both, so I would expect an even trade off or better performance.

I currently have ceramic pads. Came with the package. Supposed to work well with the rotors.

 

[mirraman]

I noticed the opposite.

Once we put the 231mm brakes on, we noticed a HUGE improvement. Pedal feel is perfect, stopping power is MORE than enough now. The problem with the stock 4runner brakes is that they warp way too easily. These things will not warp on this truck.

Even if you don't notice more braking power, you will notice your rotors won't be getting warped!

Well, I think there may be another problem with my runner then. I replaced the calipers to improve braking. Wasn't worried about warped rotors. Think I might have to do some investigating/adjusting.

 

[HammerHead]

It's worth it and I'd do it again

 

[ambush]

2 thumbs up

I had a 2000 Limited, WORST front brakes when I got it. WARPED...
Tried EBC CrossDrilled and slotted. Warped after a month. Waste of money.
Called around junk yard and found a wreck Toyota Sequoia. Got the all parts. Bought Duralast Gold pads from Autozone for $50. BEST investment EVER!
Total install time 2hrs or so. It was my first time.

I say do it....

 

[Blitzkrieg]

I didn't feel like spending the time on the Tundra upgrade stuff so replaced my 2002 with Disk Brakes Australia rotors.

Gotta say, they did really well.

They make the whoosh sound when stopping but heads and tails above the stock rotors and you will definitely notice the difference in stopping power.

 

[BrandonF]

Huge improvement for me. Again, my stock rotors were warped as $hit, so instead of just replacing the rotors, I went ahead and got the full tundra setup.

 

[Cree]

That's weird. When I put the drilled slotted rotors on my '06 Taco, there was a great improvement in bite and stopping force.
Aren't the drilled rotors are for heart dissipation and the slotted are for preventing glaze, therefore giving better bite and performance? These have both, so I would expect an even trade off or better performance.

I currently have ceramic pads. Came with the package. Supposed to work well with the rotors.

On high performance applications yes. However, during normal usage, IE driving around town, you won't put enough heat into the rotors for them to function correctly. My personal experience, I only noticed an improvement at the track. I felt like daily driving I actually lost stopping power. Money wise I think that those may have been the worst mod I made to that vehicle.

 

[mtndave]

Where did you get your calipers? Some rebuilt calipers are junk. Pad material will also determine your stopping power. With the larger rotors, you can install more aggressive pads since heat will be less of an issue.

Agree with above posters about keeping the rear brakes adjusted up and also blow out the brake dust while the rear drums are off.

 

[sjwelna]

Better pedal feel is typically a result of bleeding the air out of the system and changing out old fluid. Other things that can help is adding SS lines if your current ones are old rubber and expanding under pressure. I haven't done this mod but have done plenty of brakes. This mod is basically for fading and warping resistance versus the thinner OEM rotors when towing and/or on the highway. Is the surface area of the pistons/pads significantly larger than the OEM stuff? Personally I wouldn't expect much change around town. I think a lot of people see a big change when they do this mod since they are usually going from warped/deposited rotors on old fluid, to new flat rotors and new flushed fluid, thus the change is dramatic. Just my .02.

-Steve

 

[shouldbeasy]

Did you complete a series of hard braking runs to 'set' the pads? New pads need to be hammered on a couple, five, times in order to ensure they won't be glazed over.

Almost sounds like you've got pads which aren't gripping as much as they should... Perhaps a brake booster?

The difference with 231mm calipers is noticeable. They stop my 35" MT's just fine.