Okay so this is my first time at this forum so be nice.

So I have a 95 Tacoma V6 4X4. The brakes suck (which I have found to be a common problem with this model). So right now I have really two options I'm aware of:

Option 1: The infamous Tundra Big brake conversion

Option 2: A rear disc brake conversation kit (side note: as I understand it, I would lose my parking brake if I go this route???)

My question is, which would be better stopping performance?
(I know someone will say "Do Both" but I don't have that kind of money.)

I come from a car background and this is my first truck I'm using as a project.

Thanks in advance.

 

Pros of Tundra brakes:
Better stopping power.
Bolt on.

Cons:
Will have to step up to 16" rims which means new wheels and tires if you're not already on 16's.
Some have reported a different feeling in the pedal which is a typical issue when adding bigger brakes with bigger pistons.


Pro's of rear discs:
Infinite adjust-ability in F/R braking proportion.
Better stopping power.

Con's:
Will lose E-brake unless you do eldorado/ supra calipers. I believe FZJ80 rear discs have E-brake cables but I don't believe there is a "kit" that is readily available to put them on your rear axle.
Will need fabrication skills.
Should be able to still run 15's.


Think I covered it all.

 

@scuba

You mentioned Stopping power on both of them as a positive, which has the better performance of the two options? (I'm very performance based). I'm really interested in people who have done the mod and their impressions from real world experience.

Right now I am running 16" rims and the stopping is downright scary. A friend drove my truck once and calls it a "butt clenching experience"

 

I would do the Tundra Calipers upfront since you already have 16's. Front brakes do most of the work. I can get my rear brakes to lock up with the stock drums if I try. If you are not getting enough braking power to the rear now, try raising the LSPV on the rear axle housing.

I have not done a rear disk conversion so I can not comment on the exact amount of performance increase you'd receive, but I have done the Tundra upgrade and it was a big improvement. With E rated 32's I couldn't get the ABS to activate with stock brakes unless there was snow or ice on the road. Now I can get them to activate in any situation with the exception of clean dry pavement.

Chris

 

You might try new rotors and a decent pad. Doesn't matter what caliper you have, if you use a bad pad compound they won't work well at all.

If you're really picky about brakes I recommend the Carbotech bobcat (1501 I think) compound or Hawk HP+. Carbotech will custom build you any pad. Stay away from drilled rotors, but slotted are nice.
Fresh fluid and keeping them bled is key.

Jumping to new calipers isn't the first solution IMO.

 

@Ccannon and everyone else. Just so I get a gauge as to improvement on a scale from 1 to 10.

Say "0" being stock brakes, and all the way up to "10" meaning can stop on a dime as well as a car.. how would you rate the performance improvement?

 

@SCToy - I should have mentioned in my original post, that I already changed the rotors and pads with fresh fluid and the brakes still suck for sudden stops. Should have mentioned that in the beginning. My bad!

 

I'm honestly not sure. I would be lead to believe the rear discs would have better stopping power improvement over just bigger front brakes.

Are you lifted? Bigger tires?
Before you touch anything, I'd try adjusting the LSPV upwards.
It will proportion more stopping power towards the rear and give you a little bit more power.

This is what I did. I cut the rod that goes to the axle and just ziptied the rod upwards toward the bed.



EDIT: I run 35's and have about 500 extra pounds of armor and gear and I can stop just fine.

 

@scubba _ my truck is a 4x4 v6 stock: the only mods I did are the follow:

16" rims with new tires (nothing massive like the rock crawling guys. Just some all seasons that would for those rims.

New shocks (front and back)

a bumper guard on the front

Cold Air intake

That's basically it. I want to modify the engine, but that makes no sense if the braking sucks at stock engine power. You know what I'm saying?

 

tundra upgrade = 4

rear disc brake = 1

the tundra brake upgrade doesn't offer much increase in braking power because the rotor diameter is the same as stock. the increase comes from a bigger piston and bigger brake pads which is not much. another advantage is that the rotors are thicker which result in more mass absorbing heat which equates to less chances of warping rotors.

this is assuming that there's nothing wrong your current brakes. with normal brake bias, rear brakes only do 25% of the work. if you increase the bias to the rear, there is a tendency for the rear brakes to lock first and initiate a slide. that is the reason why rear brake calipers in toyota SUVs are floating not fixed like the front calipers.

 

Still wondering what pads you put on it. I know that the big brake upgrades look cool and are fun, but a nice set of pads will make a bigger difference for your money. Ideally you do both haha.

My benchmark for good brakes is very high. My DD has these on all 4 corners.

My truck has the T100 calipers and rotors, and it really didn't make that much of a difference, I felt way more of a difference when I bought a really nice set of pads. They are harder to fade than the old P/U brakes were.

I know there are other companies out there, but these guys cannot be beat for customer service. It doesn't matter what caliper you have, they will get the backing plates and custom build you a pad with any compound you wish. For a DD, the 1521 Bobcat is ideal.
http://www.ctbrakes.com/brake-compounds.asp

Before you spend a ton of money on new calipers and rotors I would recommend trying these guys out, or the Hawk HP+ if they make it for your application. I use the Hawks on the BMW because its cheaper and comperable. It's really annoying that most of the good brake companies don't make any pads for our trucks, so kinda leaves you with Carbotech

I'm not affiliated with CT brakes in any way, just a happy customer.

 

Your front brakes do 80%+ of the braking work, upgrading the fronts will make much more difference than a rear disk swap.

 

can someone explain what's that lspv mod do exactly?

 

It adjusts the position of the lever arm/stem such that the valve allows more fluid to go to the rear brakes than the oem position. this increases rear braking power. if you do a suspension lift on your truck by more than 50mm, you need to adjust the LSPV to compensate for the lift which results in a reduced braking pressure because the valve "sees" less load due to the position of the stem/lever.

 

If you need to replace calipers and rotors anyway, upgrade. Otherwise regular brake maintenance will do wonders, like turning rotors and new pads.

Rear disc upgrade is the same. Upgrade if you are having to get new parts anyway or have a trail rig, otherwise well maintained stock should be just fine.

You can make a bracket to raise the LSPV or use a manual one and remove it.

:wabbit2:

 

Well... Since your vehicle is newer than mine I dont think this'll offer much of a alternative, but here goes.

I have a 92 4Runner with the v6 ( the v6 matters because its a heavy piece of crap ) on top of having probably close to 600lbs in armor. and the v6's also came with "enlarged" brakes factory. To my knowledge, its not as easy as a swap to do tundra brakes on my year ( if its even possible ) So, my alternative is this: EBC BRAKES They're a drilled/slotted/dimpled/vented rotor. and they're gold zinc plated. I'll be going with this on my truck on my next brake selection. A few people have done them on here if you do a quick search

all in all, you could just stay with factory too.

 

i have a factory setup and as others have stated the key is keeping the system maintained. I can lock up the brakes on dry pavement, ABS will engage during an emergency. I experience it every so often with idiots during rush hour.

I read somewhere awhile ago that brembo blanks + oem pads work well and thats what I used on my first brake job around 70k. I'm at 160k now and the rotors are beginning to show very slight signs of warping. I think spring time will be another brake job and I will again go with brembo blanks and oem pads. I have not serviced the rear shoes but I check them every so often and they are getting close enough that I may do them in the spring as well.

I do not haul much, tow a trailer or boat a few times a year.

 

Tundra brakes are great, but you definitely won't stop any shorter, unless you're stock setup was junk to begin with. They're only advantage is heat capacity due to a thicker rotor and beefier caliper; rotor and pistons are the same size as stock 16" brakes. Great upgrade for a heavier truck that does some towing or spends time in the mountains. I cannot get mine to fade in these conditions.

Don't waste time with perforated rotors. Can't believe people still waste money on that garbage. You lose performance with these because of the reduced surface area, and they're more likely to crack. You're average rotor from an autoparts store will do just fine. Brembos are nothing special and I wouldn't bother unless you find a great price on them.

Hawk LTS pads are kick ass, much more bite than Toyota pads, but they dust a lot more, too.

Rear discs are bling, and expensive. The only kits I've seen that keep the e-brake (Sky, FROR, etc) use semi-obscure OEM calipers that are pretty pricey, mostly because you don't get the core charge back.