1st gen brakes suck. What improvments can be made short of the Tundra swap?

How much weight are you hauling around ??

I haul anywhere between 1000 pounds and maybe tow another 2000 .

My stocks brakes work just fine .

Are you looking for sports car type brake performance ?

 

Interesting, I can see that being able to happen. Hadn't dawned on me.

 

Data! gotta cold spoon for me, I can't handle all of it
Awesome list on pad material grades hermano!
Wagner makes a GG? No kidding

 

data!

 

I never understood the need to go with the tundra upgrade. I will never give up the ability to run a stock 15 inch rim. And my brakes are great, even hauling enough wood in the bed that I'm sitting on the stops. Went through everything, rebuilt calipers up front, new wheel cylinders, good pads, good shoes, parking brake working and adjusting as it should, drums adjusted correctly, parking brake used every time i get out of the truck, fresh fluid flush with good fluid.

With a drum-in-the-rear setup the bulk of the customer complaints about crappy brakes that I see comes down to shoes needing adjustment. The 1st gen tacoma wants more shoe 'drag' than any other vehicle I've ever worked on.

Then followed by siezed parts, old fluid, etc. Or someone put the autozone 5 buck brake pads on and wonder why they suck...

 

*peer reviewed* data

 

Or your axle seals leak as bad as mine and all stops must be planned well in advance. I normally give 7-8 car lengths in front of me. Ehhhhhh

 

Hauling a fiberglass camper cap. Empty bed for the most part. I guess I'm comparing it to the rental 4th Gen I had over the summer. Just touching the pedal in comparison would put me into the steering wheel. Rear parking brake bellcranks are 2 years old if I recall. Put them in just before the frame swap. Is there a procedure for bleeding the ABS modulator? I may look into that before winter really hits...

Got the Powerstop Z36 (GG) kit 2 summers ago. Didn't improve much, IMO...

 

I just bought a 2002 2.7 single cab 4x4 tacoma and the brakes work too well they feel like they are going to throw me through the windshield.

 

PO did TBU and you didn't know it, lol

 

Could be but i doubt it, i bought it off an old lady who bought a new tacoma. My 97 4runner has the tundra brake upgrade that was done by the previous owner and it stops well but no where near as well as my new 02 taco.

 

Not to toss a screw into this thread's carb but not "all" 1st-gen brakes "suck". Over the long almost 19 years I've had this truck, those stock brakes have always performed very well, and have sometimes been flat-out impressive in accident avoidance. IMHO they will stop on a fucking dime.

 

You probably need a new master cylinder and brake booster with a flush.
Stainless lines will help.

I can lockup my tires easily

 

Lmaooooo I'm stealing that one! Right click save

 

True, agreed.....some people's 'data point is a disgrace to the forum'. I hear ya Brandt (seriously I do and I'm glad you're saying it, very valid)

 

Was thinking about this the other day, and I remembered I had said that I couldn't see a way for that to make any difference, but the other day in my head it clicked. When we slam the brake pedal hard and fast that fluid needs to move hard and fast to the pistons right? I was thinking there's no way it could be a volume issue going through banjo bolt but maybe it is? I just had the thought just now typing, that some folks that do the TBU, they use hard lines to connect to caliper, and those hard lines that diameter is pretty darn small.... And they run longer than the bolt and it's diameter....i dunno man, I can't think of something to convince me either way fully yet

 

No kidding? That's where their big push on continuous improvement came from? Amazing. They are an incredible company with an even more incredible story and history. Deming, that's cool to know

 

Running green stuff EBC and these work excellent
GG rating .45

 

I just put the Power Stop Z36 pad and rotor kit in my truck about a week ago and followed the break in procedure and they have been working awesome. I also have the stainless lines installed and flushed out the brake system when I did the brake lines.
The brakes saved my bacon when an idiot did a u turn in front of me right at the last minute, I think I was a foot away from hitting him when he pulled that stunt.