Question for those with a braking-related vibration issue...

2013 4x4 SR5 DCSB with 51,000 miles.

Like the title states, I'm looking for feedback from those with experience with braking-related vibration issues. When braking to come to a stop, I feel a sometimes-violent shaking of the entire vehicle...pedal...seat...body...the whole truck. I've done some research on TW, and I want to see if what I'm understanding is accurate.

1. Vibrations from braking can be cause by: warped rotors, improper wheel lug nut torque leading to warped rotors, brake pad deposits on rotors, out-of-round brake drums, out-of-balance wheels/tires. (did I miss any?)

2. If I have been driving with a rotor-related vibration, simply replacing the rotors/pads could lead to the early return of a braking vibration due to uneven wear of the rear brake drums.

FYI: I bought my truck with 200 miles already on the ODO...it didn't seem to bother me at the time, but someone COULD have improperly driven the truck for those first 200 miles leading to the ??rotor??-related issue.

I'd like to correct this problem, and reduce the chances of the vibration returning too soon. Brembo Blank Rotors with Hawk LTS pads??? Should I service the drums at the same time???

 

*crickets...crickets...crickets*

 

I'm in this boat to. Got 50k replaced front rotors with new Toyota units and TRD pads, 5 k later it vibrates just as bad as it did before I replaced them. This time I'm getting rid of the Toyota parts and going ebc. Mine vibrates so bad under breaking it shakes my steering wheel, very annoying.

 

I'm not sure why you think that replacing the discs and pads would lead to issues with the rear drums. They are a totally independent system so they shouldn't be affected. If there's a reason why it would be an issue I'm certainly not aware of it and neither was the dealership that replaced my pads last time.

Typically, vibration under braking is caused from warped rotors. Warped rotors tend to happen when you overuse the brakes. Realistically, it's caused when there are heat spots or places where the rotor has gotten too hot. Your driving style may have something to do with this.

 

I battle with this issue, especially with oversized tires. I've replaced front rotors 3 times in 200k miles. Drums are still originals and holding up great.

It's rare that our rotors get truly warped. What happens is that break pads can gloss up and leave deposits on the rotors, which heat up at a different temperature than a bare rotor. You'll get parts of the rotor metal that are denser than others, so when they heat up under stop and go braking, they expand and contract at different rates and "warp". I use ceramic pads now on factory rotors, and haven't had the issue in over a year.

But, don't overlook getting an alignment. I have had the wheel shimmy on braking, even with new rotors/pads. An alignment fixed it. Another issue to consider is tired tie rod ends. They'll create issues all on their own, too. Most likely you're looking at a rotor issue, but it's good to get a new alignment on a vehicle you just got. You don't know how the driver with the first 200 miles treated that truck. They may have had to surrender it, and gone romping with it and tweaked things.

Trust no one.

 

Over size tires magnifies the problem, along with some gun happy kid with a impact gun. They can strip/brake lug nuts, warp rotors and rims with ease. Try taking the front tires and move them to the rear. To see if the vibration goes away. Hopefully the tires are just out of balance. If you have someone rotate them MARK the tires, to make sure they're rotated correctly.

 

See, I KNEW there were people with this problem after an attempted fix. Mine shakes my steering wheel also.

My line of thought (and possible others too) about addressing a vibration issue by replacing front brake components after driving with said vibration for extended period of time:

= IF I have been driving with a front brake rotor issue that causes excessive vibration for a long period of time, the uneven braking caused by this failed front rotor could lead to uneven wear of the shoes/drums on the rear brakes.

 

Thanks for the education info. Interesting that ceramic pads on factory rotors is your solution. Did any of your front rotor replacements in that 200k miles last a year?

I have had a braking-related vibration with the OEM dunlop tires since almost new, as well as with my "recently" installed cooper discoverer at3's at 40k miles (had an alignment at the same time as tire install).

 

Or, your rear brakes need to be adjusted and aren't helping with the braking as much as they should be. The result is your front brakes working twice as hard, which they already do because of the weight up front.

All of my front vibration-when-braking issues were all solved by new rotors/pads, or an alignment (one time took both).

 

Yup, each one lasted about 2 years. One time I burned up a set within a year. That's back when I was commuting 72 miles roundtrip, 5 days a week. It was all stop and go and was about as hard as you can get on front brakes except for towing.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/death-wobble-with-no-lift.84423/page-2

 

I do my own service (am a service manager at our family business with access to our shop). I only use the impact gun to take lug nuts off. I use a torque wrench to install. Rotating tires hasn't cured my braking-related vibration issue.

It IS possible that someone at the toyota dealership misused an impact gun on my truck during the free 25,000 mile service.

 

Good point. Haven't thought of that. Thanks for the notes re: new rotors/pads/alignment...

Wow. I have a 13 mile commute with 16 stop signs/lights. Most of my driving is between 55-60 mph between those stops...at least 13/16 of them...

 

In a nutshell, no. Your reasoning is flawed.

 

I think we all agree driving with a vibration or shaking can cause other problems if not take care of. Could a tire weight have fallen off?

 

Ok if you say so. I'm not claiming to be an expert on the topic, but I have heard many people say that they have changed front rotors/pads and had an alignment, only for the vibrations to return "shortly."

Maybe I just need to learn how to brake properly...

 

Possibly...it's hard to tell where my tire weights should/shouldn't be because the weights were changed/moved when I purchased new tires, leaving a scratch/chip in the paint where the old weights were.

 

Improper bedding of the brakes.

http://www.stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers/-warped-brake-disc-and-other-myths

http://ebcbrakes.com/articles/rotor-quality-and-bedding-in-new-rotors/

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=85

 

Our shop upgrades regular cab short bed 4x4 tacomas to pull farm equipment through orchards. I've studied/performed brake bed-ins. You might be onto something here...

 

Edit: Ernest T. Bass!