Increased braking effort in cold

[skategoat]

Now that it has hit -10C in Toronto, I've noticed that it takes more pedal pressure on my 2004 SR5 to get my brakes working. This concerns me because I don't remember this being the case during my first winter.

Has anyone else noticed this? Should I report this to the dealer?

 

[AlexJet]

My '05 V6 is working the same way. You may think that because you are wearing winter boots and the road surface is sleepier.

 

[Bobby]

I don't think it's the pedal pressure as much as it is the brake pads. Maybe the dealer has better pads for the colder temps.

 

[skategoat]

It's not my boots and I'm driving on dry pavement. It's just cold. I'm thinking the brake fluid is more viscous or is contaminated with water.

 

[AlexJet]

It's not my boots and I'm driving on dry pavement. It's just cold. I'm thinking the brake fluid is more viscous or is contaminated with water.

You may check the fluid. Have you been driving on underwater roads for a long time?

 

[Bobby]

Water in the brake fluid would cause a spongy brake feel. If the brakes aren't biting at initial braking, it could be that they're too cold to work properly. After the brakes are applied, they'll generate heat and start biting after a few feet or more depending on speed.

Does the brakes work better after a few stops? Do you need the same amount of pressure after the first few seconds of braking?

 

[skategoat]

Water in the brake fluid would cause a spongy brake feel. If the brakes aren't biting at initial braking, it could be that they're too cold to work properly. After the brakes are applied, they'll generate heat and start biting after a few feet or more depending on speed.

Does the brakes work better after a few stops? Do you need the same amount of pressure after the first few seconds of braking?

It got cold for the first time today and I only made short trips. Not enough to warm the car up. It seems I have to press the pedal harder to get the brakes working. There seems to be an initial sponginess but the pedal is not going right down like the classic spongy brakes feel.

I'm braking 10-15 times in the short trips and I didn't feel any improvement in effort.

My initial thought is that the brake fluid is cold and not moving through the lines like when it's warm. But then, I don't think this happens to brake fluid.

I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that the dealer tells me there is nothing wrong.

I always felt the brakes were a severe weakness on this vehicle.

 

[DaveS]

How many kms are you at? I would suspect the pads possibly. Brakes is the one thing I would not hesitate to get checked out if I had any concerns - a quick trip to the dealer for a brief inspection should not cost you anything. I'm not experiencing the same issue and its around -15 or so most mornings where I am now.

 

[skategoat]

How many kms are you at? I would suspect the pads possibly. Brakes is the one thing I would not hesitate to get checked out if I had any concerns - a quick trip to the dealer for a brief inspection should not cost you anything. I'm not experiencing the same issue and its around -15 or so most mornings where I am now.

40,000kms. Time for an oil change anyways. I'll take it in later this week.

Are you in Toronto? If so, where do you go? I have been going to Toyota on Front but I'm not that thrilled with their service.

 

[sharp4runr]

I always felt the brakes were a severe weakness on this vehicle.

Funny, I always thought this it was a major strength of the vehicle. My last vehicle (93 Celica) also had superb braking, but the 4Runner has the advantage of having ABS, EBD, VSC and the rest of the alphabet soup.

 

[Casper]

multitude of possibilities... 1. the pressure in the lines should decrese as temp goes down. 2. Brake pads generally need some heat to work well and at the temps given, thats pretty cold 3. Mileage and saturation of h20 in the fluid.

 

[DaveS]

40,000kms. Time for an oil change anyways. I'll take it in later this week.

Are you in Toronto? If so, where do you go? I have been going to Toyota on Front but I'm not that thrilled with their service.

I am on the East side of Toronto - I go to Whitby Toyota - and I would recommend them for service but it is a bit of a trek for you I would guess. They will do an oil change and a quick check like that if you just drop in normally - their work area is always very clean and they will never let a car out without it being washed even its just a quick oil change.

When I first came to Toronto I went to Toyota on Front (I was staying in TO before I moved out to where I am now) - I thought the sales people in there were very pushy and didn't like the "take it or leave it" attitude they seemed to have.

 

[AlexJet]

I am on the East side of Toronto - I go to Whitby Toyota - and I would recommend them for service but it is a bit of a trek for you I would guess. They will do an oil change and a quick check like that if you just drop in normally - their work area is always very clean and they will never let a car out without it being washed even its just a quick oil change.

When I first came to Toronto I went to Toyota on Front (I was staying in TO before I moved out to where I am now) - I thought the sales people in there were very pushy and didn't like the "take it or leave it" attitude they seemed to have.

I do have some friends in Woodbridge and Maple Toyota, so if you want, I can ask them to look at your vehicle. Let me know. I'm servicing mine in Maple.

 

[Kmvreter]

Now that it has hit -10C in Toronto, I've noticed that it takes more pedal pressure on my 2004 SR5 to get my brakes working. This concerns me because I don't remember this being the case during my first winter.

Has anyone else noticed this? Should I report this to the dealer?

Same, '04 SR5 in the cold. No issues hear at 53Km.
If it's not the pads getting thin (which I doubt at this mileage, but you never know, depends on driving style) have the dealer bleed the lines. Short trips around town, like you said earlier, should actually heat up the breaks more (more usage.) A few initial hits should be enough to clean the frost off the surfaces...

 

[TRZ06]

I agree. The brake feel on the 4Runner rocks.

I had a Lexus GX470 before the 4Runner.


The GX had a spongy, soft pedal feel. While the 4Runner has a solid "right there" feel to it.

I tow a snowmobile in Lake Tahoe in the winters and at times the GX's brakes would almost go to the floor before the ABS kicked in, it felt severely under boosted.

The 4Runner handles it with ease, I now feel confident on the mountain roads.

Edit: To make a correction , I don't think the GX brakes were bad, they just were under boosted, while Toyota decided to up the boost giving the pedal a firmer, solid feel.

I have read a couple of reviews on the 4Runner and some have even accused it of having over boosted , ultra sensitive brakes.

I very strongly disagree to this though, I love having the brakes "right there" when you press the pedal, there is no such thing as over-boosting as far as I am concerned.

Anyways,

just my .02

Funny, I always thought this it was a major strength of the vehicle. My last vehicle (93 Celica) also had superb braking, but the 4Runner has the advantage of having ABS, EBD, VSC and the rest of the alphabet soup.

 

[skategoat]

Coming from a Volvo and Audi, the Toyota is definitely under-braked. That was the first thing my wife noticed about the truck when she got it home. I think the rotors are too small for the weight of the vehicle.

Alex, I'd love to talk to your guy in Woodbridge. That's not too far for me. I just don't trust the service department at Toyota on Front. And Shaw is very close to me but same thing - don't trust them.

 

[thebert]

I also noticed the increased brake pedal effort on very cold mornings. It seems to be a temparature related problem as it only occurs on very cold mornings, -10C or colder. As for the 4runner braking being inadaquate, I must disagree. Perhaps there's a mechanical issue with your 4 runner's brakes? I'm a real stickler with braking performance and thought the 4 runner was the best of all the models I tested(jeep gc, ford expedition, gmc envoy). I do find the pedal a bit sensitive. I found a test of a limited 4runner that did 60-0 in 126 feet. I can't recall who published this data but that's exceptional for a 4500 lb. vehicle. The sport edition has 13.3' rotors in front which is pretty darn huge compared to everybody else. Does anybody else in this price range offer brakes this big? I for one could not be any happier with the braking of my 4runner. I previously owned the jeep products(Cherokee, Grand). Now those are vehicles with braking issues.

Terry.

 

[Koz]

I would think that your brake pads are more then half used (40,000kms) and may have some glazing (less pad more heat) which may be enough to effect cold operation. I would replace the pads (with OEM) and take a good look at the rotors.

Koz

 

[Bobby]

The sport edition has 13.3' rotors in front which is pretty darn huge compared to everybody else. Does anybody else in this price range offer brakes this big?

Terry.

The brakes on the 4runner is indeed very impressive. I recently looked at the front brakes and was suprised at the design. They're almost the same as the Brembo kit I installed on my M3 and that kit was over $3k. 4 piston design with top loading brake pads held by 2 pins and a spring. These are the type of brakes you see on high dollar, high performance cars.

 

[skategoat]

I guess I'm just not used to trucks because I (and my wife) think the brakes are weak. Gonna get them checked out this week. Will report back.