95.5-2004 Tacomas & 96-2002 4Runners 4th gen pickups and 3rd gen 4Runners

Another Tundra brake swap

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Old Oct 14, 2009 | 08:33 PM
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Another Tundra brake swap

I know I am not the first but I am also not the last.

My rotors were very warped and I was needing new pads too so this only cost another $200. I ordered 2 lifetime warranty 231mm tundra calipers from autozone and had them price match a place online that was $100.55 a piece. Brakewarehouse has them for 82 a piece but with a 30 or 90 on them.

$100.55 x 2 231mm Calipers (lifetime warranty)
$ 59.99 Duralast Cmax Pads (lifetime warranty)
$ 52.99 x 2 Duralast brake rotors (2 year warranty)
$ 3.43 x 4 2006 Tundra Caliper Bolts
$ 10.00 Brake cleaner and stuff.

Less than $400.

Tools needed:
Good jack and jack stands
Lug wrench or whatever you need to take the wheels off
17mm ratchet and a short extension
10mm flare wrench
vise grips, not required but handy

Last night I opened up the caliper boxes and and put a couple of coats of paint on them.









I started about 1:15pm



The stock rotor. Really warped!



Dust shield before trimming



After



4runner and Tundra bolt side by side. Hard to tell but the Tundra bolt is about 1/4" shorter than the 4runner one. I couldn't get the caliper bolted down tight without using them.



Stock vs. Tundra



Bolted up and ready to go.



I had the front and rear brakes bled and wheels on by 4:30pm ready for a test ride. This includes 20 minutes spent cursing my roommate trying to find a 19mm socket to take the lugnuts off. Also another short period looking for my 10mm flair wrench for the rear brakes and a trip to the store to get another. Found it where I left it on the rear bleeder last week. It was still there.

Also hard to tell but I used some vise grips on the brake line so I wouldn't have to bleed as much out of the systems. I used a shop towel folded up to protect to brake line.

It does stop better but anything better is better than before. I need to bleed the brakes again but I am still a little disapointed with the initial travel of my pedal before getting some braking but that was happening with the old brakes. I am thinking if bleeding doesn't solve this problem it might be a master cyl problem. It firms up with a few pumps. Also if you mash on the brakes it jerks hard to the left for a split second but straightens back up. No hands and it easily stays in the lane. Hoping bleeding will fix this as well.
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Old Oct 14, 2009 | 08:42 PM
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nice job, you don't see 231mm write ups very often.
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Old Oct 14, 2009 | 09:05 PM
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You can save about $50 or so doing the 199mm. Also, I had no problems with clearence. The wheels are pro comp rock crawlers in 16x8
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Old Oct 14, 2009 | 09:33 PM
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Nicely done, sounds like they need to be bled again though. That's funny that your 10mm wrench hung on back there for a whole week.
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Old Oct 15, 2009 | 06:41 AM
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Yep I would definetly continue to bleed them. I always seem to have such a PIA time bleeding brakes for whatever reason...it always takes a lot longer than I think it should.
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Old Oct 15, 2009 | 08:24 AM
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Originally Posted by okie81
Nicely done, sounds like they need to be bled again though. That's funny that your 10mm wrench hung on back there for a whole week.
Yeah. I took the drums off last week to check the shoes and I was going to bleed them but I decided to wait until I did the fronts. The wrench was already on there and I just reached over the drum not paying attention and put the rubber cap back on. That was last week on Friday.
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Old Oct 15, 2009 | 08:46 AM
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They look the same?
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Old Oct 15, 2009 | 10:29 AM
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The brake calipers? Maybe it's the angle cause the tundra ones are seriously heavier and much larger.
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Old Oct 15, 2009 | 11:59 AM
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Does the mod actually improve the function of the brakes or is the mod just to prevent warping?
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Old Oct 15, 2009 | 12:17 PM
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It's supposed to do both. A lot more braking force and swept area by the pad. Also when I tow it should help me out a lot. If you want an upgrade and to not have to worry about warped rotors I would go with the 199mm. If you tow or something that your truck weighs a lot more I would recomend 231mm but since these are the only size I have tried I can't tell you the one is that much better than the other.
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Old Oct 15, 2009 | 01:19 PM
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Ive read countless people who have done this swap saying its one of the best mods they've done to the 4runner. Yes, and the Tundra rotors are much thicker which allow them to resist warping.
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Old Oct 15, 2009 | 01:49 PM
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So you cut the dust shield up to the holes so the caliper fits? Sorry your pic is the only time I have noticed this.
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Old Oct 15, 2009 | 03:32 PM
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Originally Posted by WEINERDOGBONE
Does the mod actually improve the function of the brakes or is the mod just to prevent warping?
Zero increase in braking power. Caliper pistons are the same diameter as stock, as is the rotor. You're just adding more steel to the brake system, to increase heat capacity.

No one has ever verified a "warped" rotor on this website, and this mod only increases the maximum heat capacity of the front brakes. Tundra rotors/calipers is basically a towing package upgrade, which is the only reason I did them. Mountains and a 6000 lb trailer are a recipe for overcooked brakes. Braking performance didn't increase at all over the stock set up; the Tundra set up simply doesn't fade like the stock brakes did when towing or in the mountains.

High quality pads in the stock calipers can go a long way to preventing heat damage and glazing of the rotors, which is what most people consider "warped".

Also, there's no need to trim the rotor shield when installing the larger calipers. All I did was grab the parts that interfered with mounting the caliper with vise grips and bent them back. They actually will bend to the perfect position because of the large bumps in the shield will force them into the right position.

Strange the OP needed a different caliper bolt. What was on the truck worked just fine when I did them.
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Old Oct 15, 2009 | 08:59 PM
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Really!!??!!

Everything I read is how much more braking power they get after installing!?!?! Maybe its cause they finally put in new pads?
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Old Oct 15, 2009 | 10:57 PM
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That's what I say. People go from stuff that barely works to brand new and of course they think the brakes "stop way better". But the fact is you're not altering anything hydraulic (different sized pistons or more pistons) or doing anything to increase brake torque (bigger diameter rotor).

I didn't notice any difference until I drove through Rocky Mountain NP weeks after I put on the Tundra stuff.
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Old Oct 16, 2009 | 08:41 AM
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Originally Posted by Midget96
That's what I say. People go from stuff that barely works to brand new and of course they think the brakes "stop way better".
Very true; that can be said about a lot of mods out there.

I did the swap as a means to prevent warped rotors, that's it. That being said, I'd like to hear from someone who's had experience with BOTH the 199mm and 231mm calipers just to see a comparison (besides 32mm, haha). If they put out a TSB for the Tundra's, I imagine there's gotta be some indication of braking improvement.
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Old Oct 16, 2009 | 01:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Midget96
Zero increase in braking power. Caliper pistons are the same diameter as stock, as is the rotor. You're just adding more steel to the brake system, to increase heat capacity.

No one has ever verified a "warped" rotor on this website, and this mod only increases the maximum heat capacity of the front brakes. Tundra rotors/calipers is basically a towing package upgrade, which is the only reason I did them. Mountains and a 6000 lb trailer are a recipe for overcooked brakes. Braking performance didn't increase at all over the stock set up; the Tundra set up simply doesn't fade like the stock brakes did when towing or in the mountains.

High quality pads in the stock calipers can go a long way to preventing heat damage and glazing of the rotors, which is what most people consider "warped".

Also, there's no need to trim the rotor shield when installing the larger calipers. All I did was grab the parts that interfered with mounting the caliper with vise grips and bent them back. They actually will bend to the perfect position because of the large bumps in the shield will force them into the right position.

Strange the OP needed a different caliper bolt. What was on the truck worked just fine when I did them.
Thanks for telling it straight. I changed all 4 brakes about 3 months ago and I have not warped the rotors yet. I towed my boat to Minnesota and back too. I have a total of 5k on the new brakes and they are holding so far. The brakes are weak though.

I bought new rotors and pads from Advanced Auto and told them to order the best stuff money could buy. I ended up with a set of Borg-Warner rotors that seem to be holding up well. I still can't stop the boat very well though. They feel like the brakes that used to be fitted on old Harley Davidson motorcycles. More of a suggestion of braking as opposed to any real stopping power.

Last edited by WEINERDOGBONE; Oct 16, 2009 at 01:31 PM. Reason: typo
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Old Oct 22, 2009 | 10:06 AM
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Originally Posted by pkt1213
I know I am not the first but I am also not the last.

My rotors were very warped and I was needing new pads too so this only cost another $200. I ordered 2 lifetime warranty 231mm tundra calipers from autozone and had them price match a place online that was $100.55 a piece. Brakewarehouse has them for 82 a piece but with a 30 or 90 on them.

$100.55 x 2 231mm Calipers (lifetime warranty)
$ 59.99 Duralast Cmax Pads (lifetime warranty)
$ 52.99 x 2 Duralast brake rotors (2 year warranty)
$ 3.43 x 4 2006 Tundra Caliper Bolts
$ 10.00 Brake cleaner and stuff.

Less than $400.

Tools needed:
Good jack and jack stands
Lug wrench or whatever you need to take the wheels off
17mm ratchet and a short extension
10mm flare wrench
vise grips, not required but handy

Last night I opened up the caliper boxes and and put a couple of coats of paint on them.









I started about 1:15pm



The stock rotor. Really warped!



Dust shield before trimming



After



4runner and Tundra bolt side by side. Hard to tell but the Tundra bolt is about 1/4" shorter than the 4runner one. I couldn't get the caliper bolted down tight without using them.



Stock vs. Tundra



Bolted up and ready to go.



I had the front and rear brakes bled and wheels on by 4:30pm ready for a test ride. This includes 20 minutes spent cursing my roommate trying to find a 19mm socket to take the lugnuts off. Also another short period looking for my 10mm flair wrench for the rear brakes and a trip to the store to get another. Found it where I left it on the rear bleeder last week. It was still there.

Also hard to tell but I used some vise grips on the brake line so I wouldn't have to bleed as much out of the systems. I used a shop towel folded up to protect to brake line.

It does stop better but anything better is better than before. I need to bleed the brakes again but I am still a little disapointed with the initial travel of my pedal before getting some braking but that was happening with the old brakes. I am thinking if bleeding doesn't solve this problem it might be a master cyl problem. It firms up with a few pumps. Also if you mash on the brakes it jerks hard to the left for a split second but straightens back up. No hands and it easily stays in the lane. Hoping bleeding will fix this as well.
Do you have a link to the calipers and everything you used? I am having trouble finding them on the AZ site.
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Old Oct 22, 2009 | 10:11 AM
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Actually just found them on their site....I was looking under the wrong year of Tundra!
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Old Oct 22, 2009 | 02:38 PM
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I just looked up ones for a 2006 and you pick the 231mm or the WL. The more expencive ones. You can get the 199mm ones also. Just google the cailpers online and find a place that does a lifetime warrenty and then have the store price match em.
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