I just put 33x10.5 tires on my truck and I have noticed a bit less braking power. I drive like Grandma Moses and mostly in town so I can't even remember the last time I had to lock up my brakes. Anyway.... I just tried it from about 35 MPH and it gets really close to locking up but not quite. I can't decide if that is good or bad. I think I would prefer to be able to lock them and be my own ABS system.

The brakes feel good and I have about .21 inches left on the pad but I suspect the previous owner had a brake job and one of those brake places (Brake Masters) and the pads are really hard lifetime warranty pads. Do you think going to a softer pad would help?

Anyone else who switched to larger tires notice a difference in braking?

 

My truck has 33s on it too and the brakes also feel weak. From 55 quick stops really arn't an option. I bought it like this though so I'm not sure what it felt like before though.

 

thats where larger brake conversions/swaps come into play. A few times I've had to jump curbs in order to avoid hitting vehicles in town. Or taking the ditch when a deer pops up on the road at highway speed. Just don't follow so close and you'll be fine. Of course theres always those times where you can't do anything.

If it ever comes down to a collision, never say "my brakes are bad because of my big tires" you'll instantly be at fault.

 

If you understand what putting a breaker bar on a socket does to increase leverage, it's pretty much the exact same thing going on with bigger tires and stock brakes.

The only option is to upgrade the brake system with larger calipers and master cylinder to match.

 

Yeah I normally just follow about 4 seconds behind traffic on the highway. Where would be a good parts source for a brake upgrade though?

 

if you want a kit, just search through the main aftermarket suppliers sites. If you want a junkyard pull, google.

 

I got slotted rotors & Hawk Suoer Duty brake pads from Rotorpros. Best braking I've ever had. Tons cheaper than upsizing brakes.

Do hou have 3vze or 22re? V6 brakes are more robust.

 

I have the 22re. I was thinking about new pads and possibly new rotors. Glad to hear that they made a difference in your truck.

 

Good rotors and upgraded calipers is a good combo. I had an 89 4runner 22re a while back with NWOR cross drilled rotors and v6 calipers from IIRC a 90 4runner and it made a huge difference. I didn't do any master cylinder upgrades and was happy with the improvement with 33" tires. I think I ran that truck through 3 sets of pads and never needed to have the rotors turned either. They were pricey but well worth the cash.

 

Search V6 brake upgrades. Dual diaphragm booster, larger bore MC and bigger front calipers. All bolt on Toyota stuff. Do your homework and hit a pick and pull its cheap.

:wabbit2:

 

This is why I love this board! I would have had no idea that the V6 brakes were different than the 22re brakes. That's not something that pops up in a google search. Sometimes half the battle is knowing what to search for.

 

After several hours of research it looks like I have the double diaphragm brake booster and I can't tell about the master cylinder size. (If I have the smaller one that just means more travel in the pedal when I upgrade to V6 calipers right?) So I am going to start with just switching to V6 clipers, pads and a new rotors. But that brings up a new problem.

Napa online says:
1994 4Runner V6 uses 291mm Rotor, 65.8mm Height, 25mm thickness
1994 22re Truck (what I have) uses 289mm Rotor, 64.5mm Height and 20mm thickness.

Is the 1994 4Runner rotor really going to fit on my truck? I know I will have to trim the backing plate for the calipers to fit. After reading through 22 threads I still don't understand what rotor they are putting on for the V6 swap.