Big Ole' Brake Upgrade Thread for Third Gens

Nah, they were trashed after very little time, mine started to wobble and shit and I would get pulsing in the pedal so I figured buy once cry once and went all out on the first brake pad/rotor change

 

Oof. The master cylinder part is not going so well. I wasn't really happy with the lines that are provided. I didn't realize that they're supposed to be bent by the purchaser. I don't know why they just don't build a simple jig and bend them. It's not a huge deal, just details. I got everything done and went for a test drive. Welp, it seems I adjusted the actuater rod too long and as the fluid got hot the brakes locked up. I was able to limp home. Going to try the short screw when things cool down. It's things like this that should be detailed in the instructions. If I still have issues aftrr this, all I know to do is take bolt out all together.

 

Hopefully, in the light of a new day, your problem will turn out to be trivial.

Do take a pic or two of what you're dealing with, if you have the chance.

 

I kept on. I switched out to the shorter bolt. It's much better. It's driveable and all. The bolt MAYBE could stand to go out further. I'm not messing with it anymore for the time being. It's weird because I eyeballed the length compared to the old one. I'm not sure, but it seems that small adjustments make big changes. Don't want this to scare you off. I knew this would be something to mess with.

 

Subb'd

 

Ended up getting some braided lines made to cone off the master cylinder. I didn't expect anything. Just wanted to make it a little cleaner because I have a Switch pro sitting in the corner where the hard lones bend around. Also makes it a few minutes job to mess with actuater rod.

 

Follow up...

Finally got around to having the rear disc conversion done with M/C yesterday. The feel at the pedal is definitely much smoother and more consistent. There's a bit more pedal travel than I would like now. Might just be something I just need to get used to, need to drive it some more. The e-brake probably needs some adjustment, too. The handle is now at, like, 60 degrees when the shoes engage the drum.

 

Good deal! I'm at the same point. Thought I had the ebrake good, but it may need some tightening at the handle .The free play can also be tuned out at the MC.

 

I know on my personal setup I had a tiny leak at first that would make the pedal feel a bit soft, it was right on the hardline coming off the mc, I cranked down on it with a brake line wrench and it sorta popped into place and its been good ever since that! Id look for leaks first and then bleed the brakes one more time, then if its still mushy you could see if moving the actuator rod helps. Always like to eliminate air in the system first, I feel like thats one of the more dangerous things that you can take off the table right away

 

Thanks, Stephen. I know the spongy feel of brakes that need bleeding, and this isn't that. The pedal feels fine, it's just that actual braking happens with more pedal travel than I would like. I had the work done by a reputable shop that I have a lot of experience with, so I'm reasonably sure they checked for leaks and whatnot when they were done. I'm going to have to read up on making adjustments to the brake pedal and MC to see if anything can be done. Managed to make it this far in life without ever having replaced an MC. Again, brakes work fine, just want to change the point at which they start working.

Side note: Once I get this straightened out (hopefully), I'll be looking at replacing the fronts with a

$216 Power Stop K137-36 Front Z36 Truck & Tow Brake Kit, Carbon Fiber Ceramic Brake Pads and Drilled and Slotted Brake Rotors For Toyota 4Runner FJ Cruiser Tacoma 6 Lug

Power Stop K137-36 kit and braided lines next month sometime. Not that I actually NEED it or expect any real improvement, but I've gone this far, so...

 

Follow up to the follow up...

After having the rear disc conversion done AND after driving it around for a few weeks, I decided the pedal travel thing mentioned before was a non-issue. It was "different", and I probably just got used to it. When I get ambitious, I do still need to get some of the slack out of the e-brake cables, but that's not urgent, it works fine.

Had the fronts done yesterday with the

$216 Power Stop K137-36 Front Z36 Truck & Tow Brake Kit, Carbon Fiber Ceramic Brake Pads and Drilled and Slotted Brake Rotors For Toyota 4Runner FJ Cruiser Tacoma 6 Lug

Power Stop K137-36 kit (calipers, rotors, and ceramic pads) and Stop Tech braided s.s. lines. Tried bedding in the pads/rotors this morning, but trying to find a stretch of road around here where you can do ten stops in a row without having some SUV come up behind you and try to climb up into your bed is virtually impossible. My first impression was that the pedal did feel firmer than before the front upgrade. Overall, I'm happy with the "feel" now. It was all worth it to me. Not sure about actual stopping power yet, still breaking them in. So far I haven't put my seat belt to the test.

 

https://www.zeckhausen.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=6446_6443

I've found that's a little more realistic process. It doesn't really matter how you do it. Your goal is make a deposit of pad material around the rotor face.

 

A little different from the Power Stop procedure, but essentially the same idea. Heat 'em up and cool 'em down without actually stopping.

https://www.powerstop.com/brake-pad-break-in-procedure/

I'll try this again tonight.

 

Yup. The Zeck process just is a little more doable on the street. As long as the material transfers, you're good.

 

Just wanted to say "Thanks!" to Dave (@crashdb) and Stephen (@stevotivo12) for the assistance.

I'm officially happy now. The feel at the brake pedal is firm, consistent, and pedal force is directly proportional to braking force. Big improvement over stock.

 

Never a problem. Glad one more has discovered that this can be done and it makes a difference.

 

Glad to hear it, Mark (@Ruminator ). That was my hope all along, to provide others with the knowledge I gained through doing my own brakes so that others can make improvements to their trucks. Glad you're enjoying the thread, and glad you're here man!

 

Has anyone with method 701 trail series wheels in 17x8.5" 0 offset installed the Stoptech 6 piston front big brake kit from SOS or the Wilwood kit? Wondering if there's any clearance issues?

 

As dumb as they sound, both vendors have templates you can print out and test for clearances.

 

Thanks, yeah I saw that. I'll definitely be taking some measurements using the templates, but not sure how accurate that'll be. If someone is already running this wheel and BBK set up then that'll just be added assurance for peace of mind.