Big brakes for 08-15 using 16+ parts (6 Viewers)

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bloc

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Anyone paying attention to this section recently will have noticed @TeCKis300 excellent thread on an easy big brake kit for 08-15 cruisers using Tundra parts. Deep in that thread info emerged that fitting the 16+ brakes was more easy than initially thought, and as that method has been developed I decided to document things and start a dedicated thread.

If you haven't seen that thread, here it is:

First, the why.

08-15 cruisers/LX570s had 340mm rotors with steel 4-piston calipers using a banjo fitting for the hydraulic line. From 2007 the Tundra came with 354mm rotors, with a reverse flare hydraulic line to a caliper that had mounting bolts in the same location and size as the early 200 parts, which means if you can sort out the hydraulic line everything physically bolts up easily. This is what Teckis documented.

In 2016 Landcruisers and LX570s moved up to a rotor of the same diameter as the tundra for extra thermal capacity and leverage over the tire, but instead of using the Tundra calipers, they retained the banjo fitting, and increased the early 200 and tundra caliper bolt size of M12 to M14.

I have no doubt the Tundra parts are good enough, but have to wonder why toyota felt the need to run the larger hardware. In my head the banjo fitting seems more vibration resistant than the double flare, and given the use-case these vehicles are designed for I can see why toyota stuck with that.. but the hardware.. what do they know?

Initially the suspicion was that the 16+ caliper bolt were not only larger, but in a different position than the earlier parts. @VooDoo2 shook things up when he posted evidence of simply enlarging the holes in his knuckles and the calipers ending up in the correct position. Then we started trying to find a way to do this easily, with a "step bit" turning out to be the easiest method.

All of this for 14mm?! You wouldn't think it but this upgrade provides a substantial difference in brake feel. The initial bite is much more pronounced, with it feeling exactly like what we've done.. allow the caliper to provide more braking power over the tire by increasing the leverage. Plus larger rotors means more ambient-temperature metal to act as a heat sink during a hard braking event. These won't completely transform the truck, but they will provide a noticeable improvement, especially for people with larger tires or loaded down.

And after all, toyota felt it was necessary in 2016 even for stock trucks.



Anyway, with the big 25% off sale offered for southeast toyota parts dealers I bought all the needed stuff to do the brakes, but also the backing plates. Teckis modified his to fit, but with them being under $70 each and arguably doing a little better job of protecting the larger rotors from splashing, I pulled the trigger.

Doing backing plates requires removing the front hub bearings, which means a couple extra parts are needed.

Still, I think we can break this job up into a couple options. Rotors and calipers, and do what teckis did to modify the backing plates, or add the plates too. So I'll break up the posts as well.

Before:
IMG_6950.JPG



After:
IMG_6976.JPG




If you just do the basics, here are the part numbers. Surprisingly cheap at the discount parts sites:

16+ brake rotor x2: 43512-60210
16+ Left front caliper: 47750-60320
16+ Right front caliper: 47730-60320
16+ front caliper bolts x4: 90105-14198 (Edit: NLA. New part number 90105-A0336)
Front caliper banjo fitting crush washer (1 needed per caliper): 47389-50020
If you want to replace the banjo bolt, 2x: 90401-10058

For the situation with the holes, here are the details.

The stock hardware is M12, with the hole in the knuckle being ~12.2mm. The new hardware is M14, and we'll need just a bit bigger hole than that to allow misalignment and ease of install. A 9/16" bit converts to 14.3mm. So get a bit and run it through, right? Turns out that is pretty difficult, when asking it to merely remove 1mm per side, the bit will tend to catch badly.

Cheap step bits are everywhere, only not in 9/16” as the largest diameter, but with the right tools you can easily make one. Teckis took a low-cost 3/4" step bit, chucked it up in a drill, then spun it against an angle grinder to take off the shoulders larger than 9/16. Modifying tools like this is done all the time in machine shops, and is a great way to end up with tools that do the job. That tool is on the left in the following picture.

On the right is a Champion XSR "brute" 9/16" step reamer made for more industrial use. It likely has better steel, and doesn't need any modifying. In addition I found that the longer steps did a slightly better job of keeping the bit stable while drilling.. but frankly it is overkill if you can modify the cheaper bit. It was about $60 online.

Also in the center, a Bosch C2S2 5/8"countersink tool which is useful for chamfering the holes after drilling. Only $11 on amazon.

IMG_6981.JPG


Here's what all the hole-enlargement is about. Tundra/2008-15 200 on bottom, 16+ 200 on top.

IMG_6957.JPG


Still plenty of meat left on the knuckle (foreshadowing, this is after drilling).

IMG_6958.JPG
 
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So enlarging the holes with this step bit is pretty easy, but not absolutely fool-proof. You can run the bit in crooked.. to keep it straight I looked around the back and kept the protruding portion which was smaller diameter than the hole so easy to center. You'll need to be able to strike a balance of speed and pressure, but I didn't even use cutting lube on 3 of the 4 holes and it worked great. Maybe a minute per hole. The bit will be more likely to catch right as it breaks through the other side, but just balance the pressure and speed (I find a little extra RPM's at this point helps.)

Basic Dewalt 20v cordless drill did this job just fine.

IMG_6952.JPG


Half-drilled:

IMG_6953.JPG


Finished, chamfered with the above mentioned bit. Note the hole isn't the absolute cleanest drilled one in the world, but it'll work fine for this.

IMG_6956.JPG


This video is drilling with the modified bit. Holding the phone with one hand meant the drill was less stable.. but it still worked. Even better using both hands.



This is the heavy duty bit. It was a little worse with one hand, but marginally better than the modified bit if I could use both.. I think the longer steps made it more stable in this condition.

Note that I had already removed the brake backing plate when drilling this second hole.. I would advise against this. Metal chips end up all over the place and the backing plate keeps them out of the area behind the bearing, where the ABS sensor and tone ring are. Unless your drill has an atypical chuck you should have plenty of clearance with the backing plate still in place.





If you elect to keep the stock backing plates, check Teckis' thread for how to modify them. Then simply stick the rotors on, bolt on the calipers (130 ft-lbf), install pads (calipers even come with new hardware and grease added at the contact points), move the lines over from your old calipers and install here using the new crush washers (22 ft-lbf).. bleed brakes, done.
 
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Backing plates..

Obviously, the 2016 parts are larger, to protect the larger rotors. They also have a bit more venting.. maybe subsequent development pointed toward changing this.

IMG_6967.JPG


IMG_6966.JPG


To install the backing plates, you'll need to pull the front hub bearings from the knuckle, and to do that, you'll need to separate the hub flange from the CV joint.

Parts.

Left backing plate / splash shield: 47704-60100
Right: 47703-60100
O-ring between bearing and knuckle x2: 90301-99182
Cotter pin for CV nut x2: 95381-04045
Mud/grease cover for hub face x2 (you will destroy your old ones): 43514-34020

Tools.
39mm 12-point deep socket
251ft-lbf capable torque wrench. Mine goes to 250.. I considered this close enough.
3-jaw or hub/CV puller.. lots of different versions of this. If you have a lot of rust this could be a challenge.. note that driving the CV out the back of the hub with a hammer is bad for the bearings if you will be reusing them.
17mm torque adapter. I got a Mac Tools XB217MMR for about $30. This is needed to properly torque the bolts between the bearing and knuckle.

Torque adapter:
IMG_6973.JPG


IMG_6974.JPG



Remove the hub mud/grease cover, then the cotter pin, and you are ready to loosen the CV nut. I like this method to hold back on it.. requires putting the caliper and rotor back on temporarily. This nut is very, very tight. 251ft-lbf plus all those miles of settling, heat cycling, etc.

IMG_6961.JPG
 
I forgot to get a picture of the puller in place driving the CV out the back, but if you attempt this job that won't be too much to figure out.

I will say that one trick is you must loosen the bearing to knuckle bolts and let the bearing push itself away from the knuckle, vs driving the CV through the back. There is an oil seal between the CV and the back of the knuckle and it is best to leave the CV more or less in place.

You'll be left with this

IMG_6963.JPG


Finished holes
IMG_6971.JPG


Clean everything up, grease the OD of the bearing, splines (but not threads!), ID of the knuckle, install a new o-ring, juggle the backing plate and everything in place. The splines are tight, so you'll need the large nut to pull the bearing onto the CV stub.. if you bolt the bearing on to the knuckle first it'll push the CV out the back. So use the 39mm nut to pull the bearing in, and when ready start the four bearing bolts and snug everything up. The backing plate is centered by a shoulder on the bearing.. this will all be obvious when you see it in person.

The center nut gets torqued to 148 ft-lbf, then loosened, then tightened again to 251 ft-lbf. The FSM is specific about there being no oil or grease on the threads or contact surface of the nut when doing this.

Now you need to torque the bearing bolts to 73 ft-lbf using the torque adapter. Either do the math to figure out how much to adust the setting if you go straight, or set it to a 90 degree angle and proceed.

IMG_6972.JPG


Another picture of the extra parts:
IMG_6968.jpg
 
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After all of this.. fully-filled 17" rock warrior wheel barrels.

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Any questions, let me know..

Thanks to @TeCKis300 for sending me the modified bit, and his thread documenting the tundra swap, @VooDoo2 for confirming the caliper bolts were in the correct location to be modified, and @bjowett for the posts I read about the tundra and 16+ parts so many years ago.
 
Thanks @grinchy for the stuff you've posted!

To be clear, Teckis' tundra swap is still a great method, but this is merely another option. This retains factory lines, but requires modifying the knuckle. Costs should be similar.

It's good to have options!
 
I was about two weeks too early in my upgrade, as enlarging the holes are my lunch, but once done this has been an awesome update.

Thanks to all who worked out the pathway to the bigger brakes, quite a satisfying upgrade.
 
Great writeup! It was cool watching this all evolve. Awesome teamwork.

I haven't done this upgrade, but did go from a 13 to a 16, so experienced the brake upgrade via a different route, and the difference in braking power is striking.
 
Awesome right up and very detailed!
 
very nice write up, when I did this upgrade years back myself and the mechanic didnt have much documentation. I remember it was countless trips to the dealer and figuring things out as we go. I recall cutting the dust plate for some reason.

For my setup, I was not impressed with the difference but this could be due to my 35's ...I ditched the tundra upgrade after less than 4 months and invested in a BBK for the fronts 👍
 
To anyone that has plans to do this job, Teckis doesn’t need the tool back and said to send it on to whoever might need it. It is still sharp enough, so if you are collecting the stuff and going to give it a go, drop me a PM and I’ll send it your way. Then maybe send it to someone else. This tool could get around.. (phrasing)

I’ll loan out the nicer bit too if there is a need, but want to get that one back so I have something to help locals do this job if needed. Same thing, drop me a PM.
 
Sorry I might be in the wrong thread here for this but could really use some help. I have 2018 LC and was getting a little wobble in my rotors that were original at 35000 miles. Given I added some weight and tow 3000 lb trailer I thought upgrading brakes was important. Many of my miles are tow miles. I decided on DBA rotors and DBA pads. Did this with the understanding that it could come with a little more noise at low speeds vs stock. The performance is great. Never felt more confident braking than I do now but holy cow these things squeak like no other. It’s not just mild but very loud at low speeds. I tried the method of slowing down quickly from higher speeds multiple times without stopping and the letting the pads cool but still hasn’t solved the problem. Any ideas. It’s so bad I am about to look a whole different option.
 
Sorry I might be in the wrong thread here for this but could really use some help. I have 2018 LC and was getting a little wobble in my rotors that were original at 35000 miles. Given I added some weight and tow 3000 lb trailer I thought upgrading brakes was important. Many of my miles are tow miles. I decided on DBA rotors and DBA pads. Did this with the understanding that it could come with a little more noise at low speeds vs stock. The performance is great. Never felt more confident braking than I do now but holy cow these things squeak like no other. It’s not just mild but very loud at low speeds. I tried the method of slowing down quickly from higher speeds multiple times without stopping and the letting the pads cool but still hasn’t solved the problem. Any ideas. It’s so bad I am about to look a whole different option.
If you’ve already put anti-squeal material on the relevant surfaces I’d contact DBA and see whether those attributes are to be expected for that pad compound.
 
That Champion step bit really works!

Seriously, about 30 seconds per hole. With that bit, enlarging the holes is the easiest part of this swap. I ordered the bit from Acme Tools off ebay.

BTW, the new m14 bolts from the dealer didn't come with washers, so I added some from my hardware bin.
 
That Champion step bit really works!

Seriously, about 30 seconds per hole. With that bit, enlarging the holes is the easiest part of this swap. I ordered the bit from Acme Tools off ebay.

BTW, the new m14 bolts from the dealer didn't come with washers, so I added some from my hardware bin.
Glad to hear this is working out for others!

I personally wouldn't put washers on there.. could impact how the torque setting compares to clamping force, and possibly play in to why the torque setting is so much higher than the old bolt (beyond being 2mm larger). It wasn't on there from the factory so toyota didn't think it was necessary...
 
Does anyone know if this impacts the overall dimensions of the braking systems? Obviously, the rotors are now 14mm larger in diameter. However, the reason I ask is that I have 17" wheels on my 2011 LX and I know that at the time I got mine, there were only a few 17" wheels that would fit around the brakes (calipers?). So, I'm thinking about doing this upgrade but curious if anyone knows if it could cause issues with my 17" wheels (Icon Six Speeds).

Thanks!
 

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