Tuning Brakes

I just finished my rear drums and shoes replacement. I want that punch when you barley tap the brakes and really dig in. For example when i slam on the brakes, Im not really skidding to a stop. What is the best method to achieve this? I have adjusted the star adjuster till the shoes touched, and backed it off, pedal height looks ok. brake fluid is good, so Im not really sure about how to correct it?

any thoughts?

Thanks

 

Does your truck have ABS?

 

Yes it does, will this affect the skidding? (if so, i'm a dummy haha)

 

Correct, it effects skidding (you be the judge on the dummy part), basically it eliminates skidding. As soon as the wheels start skidding, they have lost traction, this increases stopping distance.

 

I think he's saying the pedal feels too soft? Like you slam it down and it goes to the floor without "attempting" to lock up the brakes?

 

yes and no, the pedal never touches the floor, but when i drove a friends highlander the other day, the brakes were waaaaay touchy. I was looking for that kind of action.


Thanks.

 

do you have the adjusting star adjust out far enough to make contact with the drum?

 

yes, i adjusted it all the way until contact, then backed it off. my fluid may be little over filled, could this be an issue? I mean, brakes are working, but just don't feel touchy enough. I guess Im looking for more punch.

 

The brake fluid level doesn't affect the feel unless it's really low. Honestly the best way to achieve this is to upgrade to Tundra brakes up front, the stock brakes just aren't gonna do what you want. And you don't want to have the shoes in the rear too far out or you'll have excessive drag and your rear brakes will wear quick.

 

With ABS, you never should be able to lock your brakes, as the ABS will slightly release them in order to stop the skidding, but your brakes should still be pretty decent once you get used to them.

If you feel like the brakes are mushy, then you should bleed the brake system, of course. It might just be a bit of air in the system that takes a bit more pressure to compress than you're expecting.

That being said, the brakes on our truck really aren't that fantastic. They get the job done safely, but I'd rate them closer to minimum standards as far as stopping power goes.

Like said earlier, upgrading to Tundra brakes and rotors is about the only true solution. When my front brakes need to be replaced, that is the route I plan on going, but its going to be a while as I still have lots of pad remaining.

 

Bleed the brakes all the way around and make sure all the air is out of the lines/cylinders and then get back to us.

 

Ill put the vacuum pump to the lines this week and post back, thanks everyone..

BTW, does the Tundra have rotors all they way around (all 4 wheels)?

 

Considering that the front brakes does most of the stopping (I think it's like 60% up front and 40% in the rear) you should upgrade your front brakes. Bigger disk and calipers would improve your braking action, but not sure if there's a kit for that. You might want to do some research.

 

you know now im not sure, I don't get an ABS light when i turn on my ignition.. how would I know for sure?

 

go drive down the street and slam on the brakes really really hard. do you tires lock up? yes then no abs if they dont and you feel the abs kick in then yes you have abs

 

It sounds like to me that you need to do what was posted earlier. Just adjust your rear drum brakes and if they does not make your pedal firm up then you probably need to bleed your brake system a couple times!

 

To know 100% if you have ABS, you'll have an ABS Actuation in your engine bay. Not certain since I dont have ABS, but I believe I read somewhere its on the passenger side near the firewall or on the top of the wheel well. It looks like it has 5 brake lines going into the top, as well as a wire assembly going into the side. Also, at each wheel, you'll have the rubber brake line (that everyone has), as well as an ABS sensor wire (that only those with ABS have). It will be connected to the upper control arm and/or the knuckle in the front at go into a hole thats near the rotor.

Those are the only two ways, besides the indicator light on the dash, that I know of to tell if you have ABS.

 

Are you still stock height? No Lift? If your rear springs are stock it is possible that your rear brakes are not fully engaging because of the BPV. You might try raising the arm a bit to get the rear brakes to engage sooner. Almost as it you have a small lift installed. Raise it by 1" to see if it has an impact. Raising it will cause the braking balance to increase slightly in the rear. Here is a pic that shows the bracket you would raise.
Here is a pic of the bracket mount raised for 2.5" lift. That would be too much if you are srock. Try raising it by 1" first to see if you can "feel" any difference.


BPV = Brake Proportioning Valve. Follow the arm back to where it attaches to the valve.