2nd Gen 5-lug Brake upgrade.

Heeeeyo. New to TW, been lurking on here for a couple of years. Decided to make and account cause I REALLY need to resolve a major issue with my brakes.

I got my 2011 double cab 5-lug from an old lady about 3 years ago with around 250k miles. Truck was in horrible condition, cosmetically and mechanically. The only good thing I can say is there is absolutely zero rust on it. Frame and suspension look to have been replaced and perfectly undercoated by the big local Toyota dealer. Ive put a TON of time and work into my baby to make it look and ride as good as I can and Im very proud of my progress. This is my first vehicle, and I paid cash for her.


Now that that's out of the way.
Id always wanted to get rid of the stock 15" steelies and 26" tires. In October of last year, I got the chance to buy a set of 5 stock Rubicon wheels w/tires for $300 from a Jeep girl. Drove 100 miles to meet up with her and get em. Wheels were in super good condition, tires were atrocious so I saved up to get some nice ATs. While I saved up for those, ($1500 for 4) I thoroughly looked up how to lift a 5-lug, since its significantly different from standard. Got me a set of strut spacers for the front, and an AAL for the back. Total was 3" front, 2" back. I managed to make enough space to clear 285/70 17Rs super happy with the look.


Now for the issue. THE TRUCK DOES NOT STOP. Im not sure how much the wheels weigh by themselves but each tire weights about 50lbs, and im confident the stock wheel+tire together was under that. Add the 26" - 32" diameter change and the fact that Toyota decided to use 10" rotors with a single piston caliper on a 4600lbs truck and you get a train.

I replaced my OEM rotors and pads for some drilled/slotted rotors and carbon ceramic pads from stoptech, and they helped a bit, they take way longer to heat soak so i have a little more bite when they're cool.

Reason I went with just rotors and pads is because all the big brake kits out there have been discontinued and I CANNOT find them at all.
Ive tried looking at interchange parts from other vehicles, but the knuckle, caliper and hub are pretty much specific to this damn truck.

The only caliper adapter ive ever seen on TW and elsewhere for a 2nd gen 5lug is made to fit 360mm rotors and need a 19" wheel minimum. Basically made for X-Runners and low pro tires.

Brake fluid has been changed, they've been bled, rear shoes replaced and properly adjusted, lines are beautiful... there's simply no way I can get more stopping power without more material and area.

Is there *any* way I can get my hands on a BBK or anyone that knows about any conversions that will clear 17" wheels?


Sorry for the giant wall of text.

 

Brake Upgrade: StopTech Rotors + TRD Performance Pads | Tacoma World

 

Thx for the suggestion, but thread is dedicated to regular 6-lug Tacomas. Suspension and brake parts for these arent interchangeable.

 

I’ve been digging looking at options for 5 lug big brake kits. If you search you’ll find some Frankenstein kits but most are 6 lug.

The stop tech kits I was thinking of specifically say for xrunner. So I’m certain they’ll fit mine with 18” wheels, yours with 17” maybe not.

You could try calling some of the dealers that sell the stuff like 4 wheel parts. Or:

https://sosperformance.com/

https://urdusa.com/brakes/

https://akebonobrakes.com/

 

You have 10.83" rotors and the truck weighs 3,705.

Doesn't solve your problem, but better info might help.

So. Can you lock up the tires / make ABS kick in on dry pavement?

 

Sorry, I quoted the rotor size and weight off of memory, but how did you get the curb weight? I weighted mine last time I went to the landfill and it was well over 4000. This was before the new wheels.


Also no, I cant get the front wheels to lock up AT ALL, and I have to be going over 40mph to get the rears to lock up.

Hell, I cant even get it to stop immediately at anything over idle. Meanwhile I have to be careful not to snap my own neck pulling out of the driveway in my mom's CRV.

 

I have the spec documents for a 2013, which is where the numbers came from. For a DC 5 lug.

I'd think yours would be close or even lower. But, who knows. Publications can be wrong.

I'm not convinced bigger brakes are your total solution. Even small brakes should lock up wheels.

Lot of miles and age there. Wondering if the front soft lines are clogged some or soft enough to bulge under load.

 

I've read the DC is lighter than the AC in a couple different places.
Its not so important anyway.

Would the pedal feel squishy if the lines were worn out? If im at a stop light, my compressor switching on, making the idle go up will actually jerk the truck and the breaks will slip a little if im not 'ON' the pedal.

Is there any way to check those lines? Or should I just swap them for braided steel lines and see what happens?

 

Something’s wrong.

 

Master Cylinder you think? I have no fluid coming out anywhere. And the Pedal was nice and firm (as firm as Toyota pedals feel, that is) before the wheel swap.

 

A very common problem is getting air in the abs. The easiest but not cheapest way to fix it is to bring it to a dealership or shop with the necessary software. Another way is to slam the brakes on wet pavement or sand or gravel to activate the abs, then bleed the air out. But it won’t work if you can’t get the fronts to lock up.

Did the brakes work better before the wheel swap? You’re absolutely positive the brakes are assembled correctly and you didn’t get any oils on the rotors and pads?

You could pull the pad’s off to confirm they’re making contact with the rotors and wearing evenly.

 

Yes they worked better before the swap, albeit I still found them very lacking compared to my father's first gen tundra.

I did a rotor and pad change hoping for any major improvements but I didnt see any changes other than them not fading as easily as OEM. The pads that did come off were fairly crumbly around the edges but everything was very smooth.

 

Braided lines are overkill for most folks. The braid protects the plastic line inside. And they cost a good bit. New OE lines should work just fine.

But I agree w/ @Waasheem though. Air in the ABS is suspect here. If the master got too low during bleeding that would do it.

 

Im not opposed to dropping 80 bucks on lines if they'll be a bit tougher than 40 dollar OE lines.


On the ABS thing, do I try to get all 4 wheels loked up to move the air out of the module and into the lines, then bleed them normally?

I assume taking it to a shop or a dealer would be absurdly expensive.

 

For now, I wouldn’t be concerned about getting ss braided lines. You need brakes that work.

The abs thing, you’re more trying to lock up the fronts. Then bleed like usual. It might take more than once. I’ve never done it, just heard about it.

The ss braided lines. I did them on my Supra. It involved spending a tremendous amount of time with a jeweler file because they over tightened at the factory. The bubble was flattened and expanded so the new lines wouldn’t go on, the old lines wouldn’t go back on. Of course the right thing to do would have been replacing the hard line too. But I was patient and got them filed perfectly so they fit & didn’t leak. Before and after was an improvement in pedal feel. Not really an improvement in braking.

 

Yeah, the pedal is mushy but consistent and smooth. Super firm when the truck is off.

I looked into brake lines and I cant find anything local under 70 bucks for both.


I'll try to find a dirt or gravel road and run hard enough to push that brake pedal as far as I can.

 

Once you get your stock brakes working properly, you might decide you don't need a bbk. If you still want one, I came across this. Apparently, Centric's performance brake department is Stoptech. From their site, you can download templates to see if a particular kit will clear your wheels.

https://www.centricparts.com/resources/fitment-templates

 

A good way to get long spurts of continuous ABS activation to help bleed the system (short of a bi-directional scan tool) is to go to a safe gravel/dirt road (or flat, wide-open snow/ice area, like a parking lot) and brake light-to-moderately from moderate speeds (25-35 mph.) Way safer & probably more effective than trying to get 4-wheel ABS activation on dry pavement.

 

Not really a big brake kit but an upgrade.

#118
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/what’s-your-1-mod.803003/page-6#post-29020273

 

im a little late to the conversation but theres this rear conversion kit from lce, it says you need 16" wheels or bigger, but it also only says that it fits the x runner, but i think theres no difference in the regular 5 lug and x runner breaks?