Tundra Brake Swap 231mm Caliper on 16" Stock Rims?

[denvermaxd]

I've got all the parts (hopefully) and am preparing to do the Tundra brake upgrade on my 2000 4Runner this weekend. I picked up the 231mm calipers from NAPA this week.

My wheels are 4Runner Tacoma 16" stock OEM factory rims (like these: Toyota 4runner Tacoma 16" Wheels Stock Oem Factory Rims 16 Tundra Sequoia 6 Lugs - Used for sale in Garden Grove, California | Car-Truck-Parts.com).

Does anyone know if I'll have to grind these or use wheel spacers? I've searched the threads and BigFishAllDay's AWESOME write up mentions a bunch of wheels, but not mine specifically.

I'd like to have all the parts/tools handy before I tear the old calipers off.

Thanks in advance!

 

[AZ_Trails]

Bust out the grinder or wheel spacers, because those wheels won't clear the TBU.

 

[denvermaxd]

bummer

Bust out the grinder or wheel spacers, because those wheels won't clear the TBU.

Which is better? Grinder seems like it would be much more labor intensive, but I've read some posts that claim wheel spacers are a Bad Idea (e.g. this thread).

And if I were to go with 1/4" spacers, would I want to put them both front and rear? I'm not sure of the implications with a 4wd truck having different axle track front and rear, even if it's only a 1/2" total.

 

[mrtucker80]

Easiest would be to take the 231's back and swap them for a set of 199's. They will clear the split-3 wheels.

I would never grind on a wheel, but that is just me. Spacers are fine as long as you check them regularly. If that is not something you think you will do, then new wheels or smaller calipers are going to be required.

Just my $0.02

 

[USMC0351]

I'm not 100%, but if I recall correctly, you need only grind a small area of the caliper down to clear those wheels. Or, just run spacers. Make sure they're quality ones and a .5" width difference probably won't make a tangible difference.

 

[JayRolla]

I run those rims with 231's and 1.25" spidertrax spacers. I have had them for awhile and never had any of the bolts loosen up and or any driving issues.

 

[gamefreakgc]

The shim-stye spacers that act like washers are bad. The hub-centric spacers that actually extend the hub (they bolt onto existing studs, and provide new studs) work fine, something like this:

I decided to grind mine since I am on a budget. Worked just fine with no issues what so ever. Took me a few hours to do it right though. I recommend a 5 amp or higher grinder otherwise it takes a while. Only downside is that if a front tire ever goes flat I'm in a bind since the spare will not fit. I plan on buying the washer-type spacers as a failsafe till I can limp home somewhere and fix the tire. Eventually I will also have to grind the rear wheels for my next tire rotation (which won't be for a while, the front tires were left on too long and are worn down a lot).

 

[denvermaxd]

Easiest would be to take the 231's back and swap them for a set of 199's. They will clear the split-3 wheels.

I would never grind on a wheel, but that is just me. Spacers are fine as long as you check them regularly. If that is not something you think you will do, then new wheels or smaller calipers are going to be required.

Just my $0.02

I like the idea of the simplicity of this approach. I do very little towing, so there's not much benefit to the 231mm calipers for me.

Just added the 13WE (199mm) caliper to my cart on Napa online, and the core charge on that caliper is $111!!! The 13WL (231mm) is only $56. Does anyone know if they refund the Tundra core price when I return my stock 4Runner calipers instead? Or do I get the core value of 4Runner calipers?

 

[JayRolla]

The shim-stye spacers that act like washers are bad. The hub-centric spacers that actually extend the hub (they bolt onto existing studs, and provide new studs) work fine, something like this:

I decided to grind mine since I am on a budget. Worked just fine with no issues what so ever. Took me a few hours to do it right though. I recommend a 5 amp or higher grinder otherwise it takes a while. Only downside is that if a front tire ever goes flat I'm in a bind since the spare will not fit. I plan on buying the washer-type spacers as a failsafe till I can limp home somewhere and fix the tire. Eventually I will also have to grind the rear wheels for my next tire rotation (which won't be for a while, the front tires were left on too long and are worn down a lot).

Once you grind down a rear tire, if you go flat on the front, you move a rear tire up front and the spare out back.

 

[Supermoney]

If you were closer to the east coast I have a set of 16" sport wheels that do clear the 231mm. I wouldn't skimp out for the 199mm kit. Go with the 231mm and either get spacers or get a new set of wheels.

 

[ukrunner]

The 1/4" spacers from Wheelers work for this. I think they are $28 for a set of 2. This is what I've used.

 

[afg10000]

I like the idea of the simplicity of this approach. I do very little towing, so there's not much benefit to the 231mm calipers for me.

Just added the 13WE (199mm) caliper to my cart on Napa online, and the core charge on that caliper is $111!!! The 13WL (231mm) is only $56. Does anyone know if they refund the Tundra core price when I return my stock 4Runner calipers instead? Or do I get the core value of 4Runner calipers?

There will be a large difference between the two sizes. the 13WE is basically the exact same caliper as the 4runner. Only difference is slightly larger pads and they accommodate the thicker Tundra rotor. All you're really gaining with that set up is longer rotor life. Not superior braking. The 13WL's make a huge difference in braking power. I rarely tow anything either, but when I get new 3rd gens or any of my friends do, this is the first mod I do. period. I second JayRolla, I've never had an issue with my Spidertrax 1.25 spacers -

 

[denvermaxd]

blargh.

Ugh... this is turning into one of those "vortex of unintended consequences" DIY jobs.

1. My initial reaction was to go with the 199mm 13WE caliper, but lots of threads echo afg10000's contention that there's little benefit over stock 4Runner OEM caliper/rotor/pads with that change rather than the bigger 231s.

2. So I thought, just go with 1/4" spacers until I get bigger wheels (probably next year sometime). But research reveals 1/4" spacers on stock 4Runner front wheel studs leave only 5 threads to engage the lugs, which is dangerous. So, I'd have to replace all my front studs with longer rear studs. PITA.

3. Even with that change, there's tons of horror stories about improperly torqued or installed spacers creating catastrophic failure (wheel shears off studs).

So here I am, with 231mm calipers, 231mm pads, 16" wheels that either need a crapload of grinding (and then balancing) or spacers and all new front wheel studs.

My morning project just turned into a 2-day ordeal. And I'm still not even sure what to do.

 

[REVELC]

I wheeled the crap out of some $90 eBay 1.5" wheel adaptors this past weekend. Nothing terrible happened. But I have the 199 brakes and they work well for me. Even in on off camber braking they felt strong.

 

[IBallEngineer]

Ugh... this is turning into one of those "vortex of unintended consequences" DIY jobs.

1. My initial reaction was to go with the 199mm 13WE caliper, but lots of threads echo afg10000's contention that there's little benefit over stock 4Runner OEM caliper/rotor/pads with that change rather than the bigger 231s.

2. So I thought, just go with 1/4" spacers until I get bigger wheels (probably next year sometime). But research reveals 1/4" spacers on stock 4Runner front wheel studs leave only 5 threads to engage the lugs, which is dangerous. So, I'd have to replace all my front studs with longer rear studs. PITA.

3. Even with that change, there's tons of horror stories about improperly torqued or installed spacers creating catastrophic failure (wheel shears off studs).

So here I am, with 231mm calipers, 231mm pads, 16" wheels that either need a crapload of grinding (and then balancing) or spacers and all new front wheel studs.

My morning project just turned into a 2-day ordeal. And I'm still not even sure what to do.

Ha, you own an Audi A4, nothing on a 3rd gen can possibly be an ordeal compared to that! J/K

Buy the hubcentric spacers, or buy different wheels. Don't grind, don't go small, don't use garbage on your rig.

See, it's simple.

:fish2:

 

[denvermaxd]

Ha, you own an Audi A4, nothing on a 3rd gen can possibly be an ordeal compared to that!

That's so true. :laugh:

 

[denvermaxd]

as luck would have it...

Found a kid on Craigslist selling his Tacoma wheels and tires. 2001 Tacoma 5-spoke 16" wheels. According to BigFishAllDay's exhaustive post on the Tundra brake swap, these wheels will fit.

Anyone see a problem here? It's a relatively inexpensive solution to my problem. Maybe not the wheel I would choose were I shopping around, but I'm not a crazy wheel guy anyway.

 

[denvermaxd]

Well, that worked out after all.

Found a young man on Craigslist selling four '01 Tacoma 16" rims and tires (Falken Rocky Mountain ATS) for $200 total. Tires have enough tread to last the summer (hopefully). I will swap my Yokohamas on there whenever the Falkens seem worn out.

Completed the Tundra 231mm install, which went pretty smoothly. Toughest part was getting the rigid brake line threaded into the caliper again. Oh, and I strongly recommend a real Dremel for the dust guard cutting. My cheap Harbor Freight tool just didn't have the juice for it. Bought a Dremel and it cut like butter. Use ear protection, though! Dust guard makes quite a racket when you're sawing on it.

So, success! Thanks for the advice and guidance.

 

[Drron]

I know Im late to this party, Im glad it worked out. I have American Racing 16x8 Baja style wheels, does anyone know if the 231's will fit?

Much Thanks