Tundra brake mod... ideas and questions

J

jamess

New member
I just replaced my stock rotors and pads back in November with Brembo blank rotors and Hawk HPS pads. I did not note much improvement over the stock brakes, other than the fact that the incredbile vibration from the wrapped rotors was gone. Now I have about 15,000 miles on the new rotors and they are warpped. The stock ones held up much longer. So, I am thinking of doing the Tundra mod.

One thing I am unclear on, will the Tundra calipers clear the stock wheels I have. I have 16" with the 6 spokes.

To qualify this next question, I am not brake system or ABS expert. Could the T4R master cylinder be upgraded with a newer T4R's or Tundra's master cylinder to aid in better braking performance. I do not even know if the master cylinders have a larger bore in other years or Toyota models. Has anybody contemplated this or tried this out?
 
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I've replaced my stock setup with the big 231mm Tundra calipers and brakes and love it, especially when pulling a trailer. No shimmies or vibrations at all! However, these calipers won't fit under the 16 inch wheels (from what I hear) without some grinding away of either the caliper, wheels, or both.

However, there is the 199mm Tundra calipers that will fit under the 16 inch stock wheels and use the same rotor as the 231mm calipers. If you're not looking to upgrade your stock rims the 199mm calipers are the way to go! Check out my signature below for my swap.
 
I knew the Hawk pads were overrated. I guess the Brembo rotors are too. Thanks for the heads up. I think oem or Wagner is the way to go. Makes sure you are torquing your lugnuts properly.
 
Does anybody have any input about upgrading the master cylinder along with the Tundra brake upgrade?
 
jamess said:
Could you elaborate?
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The existing master cylinder is sufficient to operate the 231mm calipers.

There are not many options for rear brake upgrades, so leave them alone.

The master cylinders on these trucks are relatively indestructable. I don't know of any problems with them. Generally, modifying your way into unfamiliar territory when your existing equipment is perfectly capable of accomplishing the task is asking for trouble. Not saying it can't be done, but...
 
The 231mm calipers will fit the 5 spoke 16 inch wheels on later 4runners with no trimming. The 6 spoke 16 inch wheels will need to be ground down to fit over the calipers. I would just go with the 199mm brakes because the main point to this mod is to use the tundra rotors which are twice as thick as the 4runner rotors. That extra metal dissipates the heat and prevents the warping.
 
Mr. Leary said:
The existing master cylinder is sufficient to operate the 231mm calipers.

There are not many options for rear brake upgrades, so leave them alone.

The master cylinders on these trucks are relatively indestructable. I don't know of any problems with them. Generally, modifying your way into unfamiliar territory when your existing equipment is perfectly capable of accomplishing the task is asking for trouble. Not saying it can't be done, but...
Click to expand...

:iagree: Ask Driffter33 about his rear disc and master cylinder conversion. He said it was a total PITA and very expensive after all was said and done. He told me don't bother with disc rears, just do the Tundra upgrade.
 
rjaudi said:
The 231mm calipers will fit the 5 spoke 16 inch wheels on later 4runners with no trimming. The 6 spoke 16 inch wheels will need to be ground down to fit over the calipers. I would just go with the 199mm brakes because the main point to this mod is to use the tundra rotors which are twice as thick as the 4runner rotors. That extra metal dissipates the heat and prevents the warping.
Click to expand...

so are you sure the 5spoke 16s wheel clear cause i was planing on doing the tundra swap and i wasnt sure if i wanted the 17s thanks
 
I have no plans or want to convert the rears to disk. I was just entertaining the idea of upgrading the master cylider to one that has a larger bore, thus greater braking power. I have seen several reports of mushy brakes after the Tundra mod.
 
Gibenstein said:
I am very curious also if they will clear the 5spoke rims. I have the split 5spoke (sport model) ones, hope they fit.
Click to expand...

Tundra upgrade clears these wheels w/o modification:

43_V2010040619494320.jpg~original


but not these:

4RunBrake1.jpg~original
 
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jamess said:
I have no plans or want to convert the rears to disk. I was just entertaining the idea of upgrading the master cylider to one that has a larger bore, thus greater braking power. I have seen several reports of mushy brakes after the Tundra mod.
Click to expand...

From what I have heard, a lot of the mushiness comes from improperly bled brakes. As long as you make sure you bleed your brakes correctly you should be fine. I am planning on doing this upgrade once I can get the parts together.
 
jamess said:
I have no plans or want to convert the rears to disk. I was just entertaining the idea of upgrading the master cylider to one that has a larger bore, thus greater braking power. I have seen several reports of mushy brakes after the Tundra mod.
Click to expand...

You will have a mushier pedal after the upgrade, but its not like a mushy pedal that you get with improperly bled brakes (although that is likely to be a cause for complaint among those who upgrade). It just takes more travel in the pedal to achieve full braking. Actually, I like the extra travel in the pedal when off road, gives me a little more control, so I don't lock the brakes up every time I come down a steep hill.
 
Mr. Leary said:
You will have a mushier pedal after the upgrade, but its not like a mushy pedal that you get with improperly bled brakes (although that is likely to be a cause for complaint among those who upgrade). It just takes more travel in the pedal to achieve full braking. Actually, I like the extra travel in the pedal when off road, gives me a little more control, so I don't lock the brakes up every time I come down a steep hill.
Click to expand...

I thought I was just imagining things after the mod, as it did seem to take longer to lock up, but like you I got to where I appreciated the extra control. I spent a lot of extra time making sure the brakes were properly bled, so pretty sure it wasn't that.
 
so im assuming if i do the tundra brake upgrade i would have to get rid of my cragar soft 8 wheels 16x7 with i believe 4 inch back spacing. ?
 
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