Tacoma brakes: Panic stops?

Lots of people complain about how spongy the Tacoma brakes feel, and I've noticed the same thing. Also, the power assist feels weak to me in normal driving, but somehow they feel better with a load in the truck.

My impression was that these brakes are supposed to be completely computer regulated, as they are part of the anti-lock/stability control/traction control system.

Mercedes-Benz claims that their brakes can sense (from the driver's actions) when you're trying to make a panic stop, and the system increases assist to the brakes at that time. I'm wondering if Toyota has this same technology, but I've never had to make a panic stop yet.

For those of you who have, what was your impression of braking performance? Was your truck loaded or unladen at the time? Wet or dry pavement? Did you really feel the anti-lock system kicking in?

(In my Bonneville I locked 'em up once while towing my boat, and those anti-lock brakes REALLY kicked in. They worked well too.)

Anyhow, lots of folks are complaining, but I want to know how they work when the chips are really down.

 

I dont know if its just my trd but everybody who drives it say " the brakes are very touchy" ...also if your not careful its easy to spill your coffee on the dash due to the twitchy reation.

No maybe its just mine but theres nothing spungy about them.

I have almost 85k on my 2006 extra cab.
about 65k have been with a loaded 6x16 enclosed trailer with motocross bikes and tools and gear .....ect so it was fairly heavy to say the least.



and i have come into some pretty sticky situations as far as quick stops while both loaded and unloaded and it stops very well.
also while under hard braking and turning off of the roadway to avoid being hit in the rear , never once have i had a tire lock up or skid.
It kept traction and control under hard braking.


Thumbs up !!!!!!!!!

 

I made a "panic stop" two days ago...two people pulled in front of me on the interstate ( into my safety gap ) as traffic was making a slamming stop from something up ahead. I could feel the ABS pulsing - and honestly the spongy feel was gone, it stopped me faster than I could in my 98 acura integra w/ ABS so I was impressed. No load in the back and the pavement was dry so good conditions for it, luckily no one got into a wreck.

 

Wow, I was thinking about my brakes this morning, and I agree with you they are very spongy. I own a 2000 Toyota Sienna, and sorry to say but that thing stops 10 times better then my truck, I have even been thinking of changing my brakes with just 23689 miles on my truck.... Should I?? Would I get any better results....dunno?

 

I drop a 1000 ft and some grades of 12% just to get to town. Brakes can seem weak under normal stops, but hammer down and they'll do the job. My main complaint is winter the ABS is way too sensitive. Goes off pretty easily and you dont stop as fast... reason why some have disabled theirs for off-road/snow driving.

If you look at mid-size shoot outs, you'll see they complain of spongy feel, but it stops shorter than the competition.. go figure.

 

I had do to a panic stop and swerve with about 600lbs of sand in the bed a month ago. Some guy not paying attention pulled across traffic in front of me. My brakes are usually spongy, but when I needed them they responded very well. The pavement was dry and I can't recall the ABS kicking in, but the seat belts work great and the truck handled like a champ.

 

my brake pedal felt real soft and under hard stops it almost went to the floor, but the actual braking was excellent. So not liking the soft pedal I changed the stock rubber lines with braided stainless steel ones and threw on some slotted rotors. the brakes feel even better now, under hard stops the pedal stays firm and no fading feeling (pedal going to the floor).

 

Yeah I had a last minute 'panic stop' as well and they worked great work for me. ABS kicked in, no joke stopped in about 100 feet from 35-40. Only an inch off that guys bumper though LoL!

 

I have had a couple of what I call panic stops. I can't really say that I know whether or not the abs is doing it's thing or not, but no lockups or feeling a loss of control on all but one. On that one, I was on the highway on a curve going 70+, can't remember the situation, but had to come down hard on the brakes. It felt like the right rear tire locked for a split second. But it did not stay locked and there was no real control issue. Since then the one or two panic stops have been fine all straight-line stops.

HTH

 

You can definitely tell if your ABS goes on. It's happened to me a few times while being cut off by people not paying attention.

 

If you lay on the brakes hard and the back end does not lock the ABS is doing its job.

My 09 pedal feels squishy to me, perhaps a good bleeing may help.
I have seen some crappy fluid in new trucks before.

 

x2

 

I'm considering changing the brake lines and fluid in my 09 to help increase the sensitivity. I don't do any racing but I'd like them a bit more responsive to regular driving conditions. The G-stop lines are about $115 at tire rack. Also make sure if you've added a lift over 3" to have the dealership zero out your VSC or it can become to sensitive.

 

Part of the safety package on all '09 Tacomas is something called "Brake Assist".

This site is for SUVs, but it is standard on Tacoma starting in 09.
http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/demos/star-safety.html

 

I got my new Tacoma a few weeks ago. I absolutely hate the brakes. It's bad enough that they don't have 4 wheel disk. But to have the computer deciding the pedal feel. I hate it, I hate it! My Silverado 2500 HD has way better brakes and can stop faster. My wife, whom has MS doesn't even want to drive the Tacoma because she's afraid it won't stop when going slow in traffic.

I am shopping for a new car right now and toyota is off my list. They must be getting guidance from Airbus! Toyota could do themselves a favor and go to Detroit and hire a couple of laid-off GM brake engineers.

 

No complaints here, I had a panic stop yesterday and they did the job just fine.

I believe every one should be practicing panic stops every now and then. you should know how your vehicle reacts in situations that aren't every day occurrence. And practice making quick turns under hard braking.

 

Going from my 97 to my 09 I don't remember hating the brakes.. they do their job. I haven't had any panic stops yet though.

 

4 wheel disk brakes aren't going to help the stopping distance any, not for daily driving. Drums are just as powerful as disk brakes (not to mention they last far longer), and completely adequate for the rear wheels, it's more about people just wanting to have disc brakes all around because they're 'cooler' and newer. Hell I'd like em too. 90% of the stopping power is from the front though and its not gonna actually help anything putting discs in the back unless you're gonna drive the thing on a race track.

Second you must be a pansy on the brakes or yours are screwed worse than normal. You read some comparison tests the Tacoma has the shortest stopping distance in its class. The pedal just takes a little more force to push down.


On a side note I'll agree the pedal feel is a little soft or spongy but the truck will stop on a dime if you want it to.

 

First, if drum brakes are as good, why don't they use them on high performance vehicles and racecars? Oh, they do not stop as well and do not dissipate heat as well! They fill up with water too for you off roaders!

If I put the same amount of pressure on my Silverado as I have to on the Tacoma everybody would be hitting the windshield. The sensation is you are stopping faster. I have been in two real panic stop situations in the Silverado and both times avoided the pile up in front of me and been hit by cars behind me. Both times didn't work out well for them----receiver hitch is like a spear! The brakes on my Silverado are much more beefy than the Tacoma, but at last you are probably correct; at the end of the day the Tacoma is much lighter and probably does stop in a shorter distance. The math would seem to make that true, but it sure feels like my Silverado stops better.

Either way, ABS good, computer deciding pedal feel bad.
Airbus computer deciding how to fly the plane in a crisis---bad---crash.
Boeing relying on the pilot to make critical decisions---I'll ride that plane thank you!

FYI, my Silverado has 89,000 on the original brakes and they are still in good shape with plenty of pad. Hope my Tacoma can do that well. Don't get me wrong, I've gotten more used to the Tacoma brakes, but if you drove my Silverado for four years and jumped in the Tacoma, you'd definitely have a culture shock.