Tundra Brake Upgrade

Cool video, very informative. I would like to add that you absolutely must seat the brake pads to the rotor. Not doing this is what results in "warped rotors" which as you mentioned is a misnomer and is actually when you have uneven deposits of brake pad material.

 

I haven't noticed that bleeder on 3rd Gen 4runners but now I'm going to double check and make sure there isn't one there. Thanks for posting the pic.

 

Yeah no idea if it's in the T4Rs, but NP! Thanks for the kick ass video mkay

 

Do you have a Bedding-In procedure you could share with us? I know I have the one that is provided in the write-up I refer to in the video description but maybe the method you use is different. This is still one of those things most people don't know about when getting new rotors and pads. I didn't do a bedding in procedure on my 4runner when I installed new rotors and pads and my braking has been pretty good. I get a little shimmy sometimes but nothing like it was before.

 

What I've read and done is abruptly stopping from 50-70mph but not a complete stop 6-8 times then driving regularly to allow the brakes to cool.

 

10-20 soft stops at 20, 40, 60 mph then medium and hard at the same speeds. NEVER let the brakes completely stop the truck. I usually work this procedure into daily driving over the first 100-200 miles.

I suppose I should withdraw my statement of being absolutely necessary. If you have proper braking tendencies then you really only need to use them gently for the first hundred miles or so. Most people don't have proper braking tendencies and just mash the piss out of them till the car stops. In general you want to apply smooth pressure over the time span the brakes are applied. It is also very bad practice to let the brakes completely stop the car. As the car stops you decrease pedal pressure (smoothly) and the car will come to a stop at nearly the exact moment you let off the pedal.

 

When i was a tech at Chevy dealer the procedure was 3 or 4 medium to hard stops, never letting the vehicle get under 5 mph. Then drive around letting brakes cool for 5 to 10 min. Preferable no complete stops while brakes were cooling.

And BTW rotors can and do warp, runout and thickness. I've measured +1000's of rotors in my life with a micrometer. It can happen.

 

Nope.

 

So you're saying the rotors actually heat up enough to bend?

 

Ive turned rotors that actually had a low spot in one area before. Like a hole after one pass on a lathe. If i new the history of the rotors i'd say they were after market china rotors That were getting close to min thickness. I'm not discounting at all the material transfer causing most pulsations. But the only way to cure that is resurface the rotor or replace.
Cheap castiron can have a "MELTING" point of 1200 degrees. Thats melting not getting soft which would happen at a lower temp. Brake rotors have been measured at 1200 on stock vehicles when brakes were abused or under downhill towing conditions.

 

This is why we make do-it-yourself topics like these.

 

Older thread, I know, but I just did this on my '96. Even after reading a lot, it seems I missed that the earlier master cylinders/boosters aren't optimal for the larger Tundra calipers. I have pretty long pedal travel even after thorough bleeding (including the proportioning valve) and getting no more air. Anyone encountered this and swapped in a later model master cylinder? Is it a bolt in job with maybe a spacer of some sort? Did it help?

PS: Thanks again, Tim & crew, for your excellent videos.

 

x2!

I want to put in a larger MC, the little stock one is only so-so.

 

Does anyone know of a larger bore mc that would work with minor modification?

 

You can put a Tundra master cylinder one a Tacoma. But it requires an adapter. SOS performance brakes makes one. I don't find on their website anymore. May have to call them.

 

This is very good to know, are we talking about an 01/02 Tundra? I'm thinking calipers when asking this question...

 

@Blackdawg suggested a smaller mc may be the way to go...

 

Takes some work with the 01-04 model trucks as they use a different booster. Also, I had terrible results in doing so. Would recommend the stock smaller one. Has a better pedal feel anyways.

Not really. You can just swap a dual diaphragm booster in from an early 1st gen and then it'll bolt right up. I swapped the whole thing over to try a T100 booster. Wasn't worth it anyways.

 

Yes it was the early Tundra MC. Matches the 13wL calipers used for the brake upgrade.