Brake problems

[MrWheeler460]

Hey all! So I've had my 2008 for two years now and about a year ago I put a 2" lift with 33" tires on (new brakes, shocks, struts and control arms as well). All was well for about two months until I noticed my brakes would pulse as I came to a stop (feels like I am pumping the brakes). Figured it was the rotors and had them changed out again. Well the same thing again in about another 3-4 months and then for a third time after another replacement. Each time mechanic told me it was warped rotors but it seems like maybe there is another cause? I do not feel it in the pedal or the steering wheel really . Also it seems like it does not do it all of the time. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[bloc]

Hey all! So I've had my 2008 for two years now and about a year ago I put a 2" lift with 33" tires on (new brakes, shocks, struts and control arms as well). All was well for about two months until I noticed my brakes would pulse as I came to a stop (feels like I am pumping the brakes). Figured it was the rotors and had them changed out again. Well the same thing again in about another 3-4 months and then for a third time after another replacement. Each time mechanic told me it was warped rotors but it seems like maybe there is another cause? I do not feel it in the pedal or the steering wheel really . Also it seems like it does not do it all of the time. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

OE rotors? What kind of pads?

Pulsating brakes are almost always actually uneven pad deposits, not technically warped rotors. And usually it’s a result of pad chemistry and more importantly the way it is driven. The brakes are designed to transfer a super thin layer of pad material to the rotor face, but if you come to a complete stop with hot brakes that spot gets an extra dose of the pad material.. then this spot is thicker so it makes more heat right there, which leads to more pad material right there, and you have a positive feedback loop.

Your 33” tires just increased the work the brakes have to do, increasing the heat, and increasing this phenomenon.

Use quality rotors.. Genuine Toyota are about the best you can get and are surprisingly cheap on the discount sites. Use pads appropriate for the use.. I’d say a metallic compound. And above all try to avoid quickly coming to a complete stop from highway speeds. Make it a habit to leave room to creep forward to avoid the pads sitting in a single spot on the hot rotor.

Sometimes brakes can be rehabbed by going out and getting them quite hot to burn off the uneven deposits and lay down a fresh layer, but this can be a nuanced process and it’s easy to overdo it.

Good luck with it. If you want to do more reading on the pad deposit issue I can try and dig up the white paper stoptech did on it.

 

[El Skywalker]

Hey all! So I've had my 2008 for two years now and about a year ago I put a 2" lift with 33" tires on (new brakes, shocks, struts and control arms as well). All was well for about two months until I noticed my brakes would pulse as I came to a stop (feels like I am pumping the brakes). Figured it was the rotors and had them changed out again. Well the same thing again in about another 3-4 months and then for a third time after another replacement. Each time mechanic told me it was warped rotors but it seems like maybe there is another cause? I do not feel it in the pedal or the steering wheel really . Also it seems like it does not do it all of the time. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Calipers.
Take a heat temp gun to each after a drive.

One will probably be higher in temp and need replaced.

 

[El Skywalker]

Also take a look at your rotors to spot for any kind of heat wear or change in color of the rotor.
I just went thru this same thing and this resolved my issue.

Good luck.

 

[bloc]

In my opinion if it were a sticking caliper that would have been found during the multiple brake jobs since this all started.

 

[AnyMal]

Its not the rotors its the stock pads.

 

[MrWheeler460]

Its not the rotors its the stock pads.

Any recommendations for pads?

 

[AnyMal]

Any recommendations for pads?

Anything but the toyota advics pads really.

Stoptech truck / SUV, hawk lts, akebono, or EBCs multiple options are all made for us / the tundra depending on year. I went with the highest end i could find prior to “race” pads, EBC yellow.

In reality though the brakes are not good on any year of the truck. But if you are pre 16+ you have to do front calipers at the very least.

 

[LX Cruiser]

I’m getting ready to swap in Tundra brakes on the front and install new pads/rotors on the rear of my LX.

I went OEM on everything. We’ll see how it turns out.

 

[AnyMal]

I’m getting ready to swap in Tundra brakes on the front and install new pads/rotors on the rear of my LX.

I went OEM on everything. We’ll see how it turns out.

OEM pads are deposit queens, highly recommend you switch those out for something more aggressive. Your rotors will thank you.

 

[LX Cruiser]

OEM pads are deposit queens, highly recommend you switch those out for something more aggressive. Your rotors will thank you.

What do you mean by deposit queens? They cause a bunch of brake dust?

 

[bloc]

What do you mean by deposit queens? They cause a bunch of brake dust?

See above post #2 about uneven pad deposits.

 

[AnyMal]

If you want to baby your brakes at every stop, buy Toyota!

Poorly setup from factory. I guess they fogured it out and “upgraded” in 2016, but that still doesn't change the fact you are running same pads as a camry.

My rotors measured the full 32mm when i swapped them, but absolutely krispy kremed by the pads. Insane level of pulsation. Milling was $300 something and the insides were all rust since they cheap out and don’t coat internally, just the hub face. No point in buying OEM when it comes to brakes. And i wont baby brakes on a $100k truck if you paid me to.

On top of that my wheel and tire assembly is 80lbs same as stock. And i ran a 70 lb fitment before that. Brakes lasted maybe 20k miles.
If you stick your head out of the MUDhole and corresponding circlejerk of misinfo, this is a notorious problem for tundras as well.

From day one, ive been fixing toyota shortcomings on an otherwise fantastic truck.
But I better not talk too bad about “the best built car in the world” before i get name called again and banned when I retaliate.

 

[LX Cruiser]

See above post #2 about uneven pad deposits.

I did see that. I guess I'm just not clear on deposits vs dust. The OEM pads will cause deposits that lead to pulsating...do those deposits cause dust? Or is that just from use?

I've never had brake dust buildup on any Toyota–I've had a Prius, a 5th gen 4Runner, and currently a '21 Tundra. This LX was detailed before we bought it but is already showing brake dust on the front wheels. (My wife is a late braker.) I'm hoping to avoid dust and get better performance with the larger Tundra brakes up front.

If you want to baby your brakes at every stop, buy Toyota!

Poorly setup from factory. I guess they fogured it out and “upgraded” in 2016, but that still doesn't change the fact you are running same pads as a camry.

My rotors measured the full 32mm when i swapped them, but absolutely krispy kremed by the pads. Insane level of pulsation. Milling was $300 something and the insides were all rust since they cheap out and don’t coat internally, just the hub face. No point in buying OEM when it comes to brakes. And i wont baby brakes on a $100k truck if you paid me to.

On top of that my wheel and tire assembly is 80lbs same as stock. And i ran a 70 lb fitment before that. Brakes lasted maybe 20k miles.
If you stick your head out of the MUDhole and corresponding circlejerk of misinfo, this is a notorious problem for tundras as well.

From day one, ive been fixing toyota shortcomings on an otherwise fantastic truck.
But I better not talk too bad about “the best built car in the world” before i get name called again and banned when I retaliate.

I have 35k miles on my '21 Tundra. The factory brakes are still great for stopping a 6k lb truck. Not sure how long they'll last though. Unlike my wife, I am not a late braker, lol.

If you had to make do with OEM rotors/calipers like I'm going to do since I just bought them, would you recommend the Stoptech pads you mentioned above?

 

[AnyMal]

I did see that. I guess I'm just not clear on deposits vs dust. The OEM pads will cause deposits that lead to pulsating...do those deposits cause dust? Or is that just from use?

I've never had brake dust buildup on any Toyota–I've had a Prius, a 5th gen 4Runner, and currently a '21 Tundra. This LX was detailed before we bought it but is already showing brake dust on the front wheels. (My wife is a late braker.) I'm hoping to avoid dust and get better performance with the larger Tundra brakes up front.

I have 35k miles on my '21 Tundra. The factory brakes are still great for stopping a 6k lb truck. Not sure how long they'll last though. Unlike my wife, I am not a late braker, lol.

If you had to make do with OEM rotors/calipers like I'm going to do since I just bought them, would you recommend the Stoptech pads you mentioned above?

Nothing wrong with OEM rotors aside from lack of full anti corrosion coating. You wont gain any more real brake performance with fancy rotors, perhaps even less. However, heat management is real, and a flat face rotor is the worst at that. Despite what Mud members will tell you, go look at any real performance car and see if those “theories” hold up to reality.

I bought split slotted because they help keep the pad face true, likely will shorten their life though, but ill still get more out of them the way i drive than the oem setup.

Manufacturer also claims they manage heat better as well via off gassing expulsion. Id take their word over a forum. Theyve been making brakes for a while.

I posted all the pics in the 200 weekly mod thread.


Cant comment on other brands but EBC makes quality stuff. Some of the guys here like Hawk LTS the best. Anything is better than oem though.

 

[AnyMal]

Oh, one other mistake I made listening to the forum a few years ago was 17” wheels. There is so little room for ventilation it undoubtedly has contributed to early brake wear.

But i’m not mad about that one, i have the lightest fitment on all of MUD. haters gonna hate of course, and others will tell you wheel weight is inconsequential and in the next breath tell you it wears components faster!

I go by my own intuition and experimentation these days. Happy to help if i can but not interested in debates.

 

[bloc]

I did see that. I guess I'm just not clear on deposits vs dust. The OEM pads will cause deposits that lead to pulsating...do those deposits cause dust? Or is that just from use?

I've never had brake dust buildup on any Toyota–I've had a Prius, a 5th gen 4Runner, and currently a '21 Tundra. This LX was detailed before we bought it but is already showing brake dust on the front wheels. (My wife is a late braker.) I'm hoping to avoid dust and get better performance with the larger Tundra brakes up front.

In this context I'm referring to the layer of material that builds up on the rotor as deposits, and you are correct the stock pads are great about avoiding dust. But they aren't great about avoiding uneven deposits on the rotors.

IMO in our application the base quality of the rotor outweighs the importance of any other features like slots, which introduce their own (albeit mild) issues via vibration. Or drilling, which is notorious for starting cracks. OE rotors have among the best base casting quality, and the best coverage of corrosion-preventing paint of any rotor I've put eyes on. They are shockingly high quality parts for the cost.

But yes pad choice and driving style have more to do with uneven deposits than anything else.

As for cooling.. These guys felt the need to go slotted/drilled. Not your average daily driver, however.

But they did stick with 17s.

 

[AnyMal]

Best coating in the world!!!!!
I cant take anything here seriously anymore…

Here are some actual photos if you prefer to remove the rose glasses.

Stock at around 20k:

EBC:

 

[pattay]

Hey all! So I've had my 2008 for two years now and about a year ago I put a 2" lift with 33" tires on (new brakes, shocks, struts and control arms as well). All was well for about two months until I noticed my brakes would pulse as I came to a stop (feels like I am pumping the brakes). Figured it was the rotors and had them changed out again. Well the same thing again in about another 3-4 months and then for a third time after another replacement. Each time mechanic told me it was warped rotors but it seems like maybe there is another cause? I do not feel it in the pedal or the steering wheel really . Also it seems like it does not do it all of the time. Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

Is it a true pulsing in the sense that it happens several times a second or a steady front to back pulse like you're slowly pumping the brakes?

The former problem is most likely brake pad deposits. Try the brake bedding procedure and see if it helps.

The latter problem I described is just the way the truck brakes. I've been fighting it for a while, but the OEM braking system seems to apply the brake in a non-linear way when depressing the petal. It barely has any bite in the beginning, but by the time you really press it far, it grabs hard. It's annoying, and the effect is compounded by the downshifting of the vehicle and it's weight. My body lurches back and forth below 25 MPH because of it. Only solution discussed is getting upgraded rotors & pads which seem to make it more linear, but they come with the compromise of more brake dust, shorter life, and noise.

 

[bloc]

Best coating in the world!!!!!
I cant take anything here seriously anymore…

Here are some actual photos if you prefer to remove the rose glasses.

Stock at around 20k:

View attachment 3170614

View attachment 3170616

EBC:

View attachment 3170617

View attachment 3170619

What do new brake rotors compared to 20k mile examples prove? EBCs will do the same thing. I’ve used them.

Also there is no need to cut through the paint on the rotor when bedding in pads. Not sure if they still do but EBC used to put an extra abrasive material on their pad faces to accomplish this..

Since we apparently want to compare to sports cars, find me a high end braking system that comes with painted rotor faces.