Tundra brake upgrade??

Jeff is like one of the best reasons to be on TW.

Anyways, this thread got me thinking about how to best upgrade the front brakes. More so than swapping out for new calipers, I would think that a nice 2 piece rotor & an adapter bracket would be pretty kick ass.

All calipers have a little bit of leeway in the rotor size (diameter) they can accept, and so you might be able to get a slightly bigger rotor under them with the help of an adapter bracket to space the caliper out further. Think a little CNC machined piece like this:

Only not for a Miata. This actually gives your caliper better leverage on the new rotors, and a slight increase in braking force without a new caliper!

Then, you get a 2 piece rotor:

These are pretty neato because they reduce the unsprung weight drastically- the inner hat is aluminum instead of a thick-ass cast hunk of iron. This also helps cooling- though you do give up a good bit of thermal mass in that hat, heat retained in the hat is tough to get rid of anyways. An aluminum hat dissipates the heat faster, and allows for better air flow over the iron rings.
Even better bonus = though the initial purchase price is higher, every rotor replacement is just the rings and not the hats, which is way cheaper!

So for a little less overall than a full caliper swap you'd get bigger rotors, better handling, and better heat management.

 

kinda, but not cheaper then what a stock rotor would cost.

 

I assume switching out stock brakes for tundra brakes voids some kind of warranty? Love to see someone do it for a 3rd gen though.

 

eh, warranty is overrated lol. i generally void that the same day i buy it

 

yep me too

 

True. Personally, I would be a bit weary doing it on a 2016.

 

The first problem you're going to run into with the rear drums on a tacoma is slowing down a large trailer....and you're going to run into other problems inherent to the platform before brakes are a concern.

If you're pulling a trailer with a tacoma big enough that you need discs on all corners, you really need to be looking into a bigger truck or a first-rate trailer brake and load balanced hitch setup.

 

As was said earlier, nobody's swapping to Tundra brakes. The Tundra that has compatible brakes with the Tacoma has the same brakes as the Tacoma.

That said, swapping out your brakes will of course affect your warranty... on the brakes or related systems. It's not going to affect any warranties beside that (suspension, interior, engine, drivetrain, etc., etc.).

Jeff

 

The nice thing about factory swaps is that they look... factory! I'd wager that most techs, but not all, wouldn't even notice.

 

So for my 09 Tacoma, would it be a better upgrade to do to a newer 4runner front brake vs the Tundra 13WL? I just bought a set of used 13WL calipers on ebay for $55, going to rebuild and paint them for my upgrade. But the newer 4runner brakes are even bigger ?

 

I believe, but can't recall off the top of my head right now, that the 13WL were an updated version of the 13WG and are essentially interchangeable. They will be the same brakes your truck already have.

Jeff

 

With much more reading I have came to this same conclusion. So now I will probably rebuild the 13WL and sell them to a 1st gen guy for the swap, and buy the 13WH from the 4runner SE. HOPEFULLY I can find one in a wrecking yard and grab the dust shields as well. New pads and new drilled rotors of course

 

how big of a trailer before disc brakes are required? you do know all big truck and trailers use shoes and drums right?

 

When did any heavy duty truck from the 80s have disk brakes? Everything was pretty much drums. Even air brakes used a drum, now in newer trucks they have a caliper design. I don't know a lot on the subject but I do know that

 

I like the brake feel on my Taco better than those on my 4R, they feel more firm, I would not change a thing,.
But I would get a bigger rig if I needed bigger brakes.

Hope that helps
Cheers!

 

Also your 4R is heavier. Which require more braking power, so if you take those from your 4R and install them on your Tacoma, you'd see the difference. Just like you would if you did vice versa

 

When disc brakes where first introduced to the general public, there were lots of complaints of a soft pedal feel, until the public became adjusted to them.
I do like the firm way my Taco feels over 4wheel disc brakes. Part or some of this has to do with the fact that drums brakes are user and auto adjustable to give a firm feel, where as disc brakes are self adjustable only.

Hope that helps
Cheers!

 

No argument from me that drum brakes are very good brakes. But a bigger rotor and or pad up front will increase your braking as well

 

Agreed, no argument there, but if it's to carry bigger loads, then you could be reaching the design limits of the drive-train and chassis design hence my comment to get a bigger rig. I Just wanted to point that out.
Bigger brakes are welcome specially for ppl that live/tow in hilly terrain.

Hope that helps
Cheers!

 

I'm going to leave this here and wait for the oooooooooooooh.



Also the 4runner and Offroad Taco share brake booster styles, so the brakes feel much firmer thanks to the electronic booster. You want the best feel, get the Offroad. Otherwise I personally don't find any issues with the tacoma, especially now that we have the ECT button and proper shifter for down shifts.