5 Lug Better Brakes, Not Bigger (2005-2015)

Hey TW friends, so I decided to do this thread after noticing some similarities between the RAV4 brakes and the Tacoma 5 lug models for second gens.
I'll be posting pictures and some valuable information that I found after looking into it, hopefully some of you will find it helpful.

 

So, background on the how and why's, I'm a mechanic and have worked on quite a few toyotas in general. Last week my passenger wheel started to pull, and I figured I was due for pads.
Wrong.
Caliper was seizing up.
So after researching how to get better braking, as the 5 lug tacomas don't seem to like to stop, I ran into a problem that I didn't like:
ANY brake upgrades that I could find any info was a big brake kit and required 17 inch rims or bigger. Not in my budget, nor on my interest list.
So I tore it down and noticed something that I hadn't realized before. The pads looked damned familiar. The pads were the same shape as the RAV4 pads. So I started looking into the similarities between them and for this absolute gem of a post:
https://rav4gtt.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/front-brake-theory-part-1/
So I kept digging around to see what else I could find out and found out that Dynamic Friction show multi-vehicle interchange for tacoma 5 lug pads, confirming that the Avalon, Camry, Solara, and Sienna all use the same brake pads:
https://www.finditparts.com/product...gIA0wfITn8z0Tj_EYH2iKBQDZUHU50TYWrm6LMDz0uh2Q

 

So after that, I decide to got to the local parts house, as I've got a friend that trust me to tinker around, and hears what I find out:

5 lug tacomas have a unique bracket that resembles the rear vented brake systems on the early 2000s Lexus model, but I wasn't able to dive more into it at this time, however it did confirm that the caliper slides are measured at 160mm. This is important for later.

Most all other toyotas share this 160mm spacing for their front brakes so long as they are single or dual piston calipers. That means that with next to no modding, or even none at all, you should be able to swap the caliper for a larger bore, and that's what ai was able to confirm.

2006 Toyota Avalon caliper, but not brackets, bolt on without any issues. The piston size is 64mm, while the tacomas are 60mm (why on earth would they do that?! IDK) and both share the 160mm spacing.

Now that's all I have for info, so here are the results of my labor, stock rotors, drilled and slotted, Avalon caliper with the stock bracket.
It stops 10x better than when I first did my brakes 3 years ago.

Edit 03/17/2025:
After researching more, I've come up with a parts lift for the 2 different setups that I find to be the most optimum:

Dual piston caliper setup:
https://a.co/d/0pLdvLT
Detroit Axles p/n:
#19B3352_19B3353

Based of the 2010+ Highlander/Sienna, it is a dual 45mm piston caliper. I chose this instead of the Supra calipers due to brake line positioning. It is only slightly smaller that the single piston caliper, but applies pressure more evenly for smoother braking.

Single piston caliper setup:
https://a.co/d/bThyO5U
Detroit Axles p/n:
#R19B2714_R19B2715

Base on the 2005+ Avalon/Sienna, it is a single 64mm piston caliper. The cost is lower, but it doesn't look as good. However, it is larger that the dual piston caliper, applying more force to the brake pads.

Rotors:
https://a.co/d/dRscapJ
Detroit Axles p/n:
#4PR1200008|

Stock sized rotors, drilled and slotted. Lighter than stock, better at shedding water, and less brake fade.

PLEASE NOTE:
The left and right sides may not have the same orientation as stock. Make sure the bleeder screw is above the brake line inlet hole, otherwise bleeding the caliper will be extremely difficult.

YOU MUST USE THE STOCK 5 LUG TACOMA CALIPER BRACKETS AND SLIDES

 

So, after all that info dumping, I have to get my hands onto the supra calipers, as they're the only dual piston caliper with a larger volume than the Sienna caliper at a single 64mm vs dual 45mm with Supra's. I also want to look into the rear caliper brackets on scions and Lexus models, and see if I can't find one that will allow for a cheaper bbk option with stock parts.

 

You can probably ignore the Scion rear brackets, they are a pain to find anything to swap with. A budget upgrade for the front brakes on the xB is to swap RAV4 or 2nd gen tC calipers and rotors for the .75" larger diameter rotor and larger pads. Nice find on the Avalon parts swap. Personally I'm going for the LS 460 / IS-F caliper and rotor combo but I also have 20" wheels so I can fit them.

 

Yeah, my trucks are working truck mostly, so anything over 17s are a waste of money due to he price of low profile tires. By the way, can you link me to the ls460 info? I might be able to pick up some more details.

 

With adapter brackets the 07-15 LS 460 non-AWD front calipers can be bolted up to the hub and then the rear rotors from the IS-F. Here's the original thread about it.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/new-big-brake-kit-option-for-5-lug-x-runner.661165/

I'm planning on using the Strictly Street brackets but you can also get some from XAT Racing

https://www.strictly-street.com/toyota/x-runner/caliper-adapter-brackets

https://xatracing.com/XAT-XRunner-LS460Brackets.html

 

Ah. Thanks for the heads up. I'm looking for oem parts, for cost savings.

 

Do you have a link to the new calipers? I just put on some 267/70/r17 tires and it take my truck a bit longer to come to a complete stop.

 

Yeah. Give me a few, I'm going to recompile my list of parts. Did you lift yours?

 

Ya, 3” in the front 1.5” in the back.