is 2004 LC stock brake not enough

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T

txslg

10 Year
Joined
May 4, 2013
Threads
7
Messages
52
I bought 2004 LC recently. Everything is stock. When I am driving, I always feel the brake is not powerful enough. I need to push really hard to fully stop the truck.
is it normal?

I searched the forum, I see mixed responses. Some upgrade to very powerful brake with larger wheels. Some say stock brake is good enough.

Thanks
 
Stock works great for me on a stock truck, however I am moving up to 315's probably this week so I can give an update if there's any interest in that. I expect to not have to brake harder, however I expect I will be braking sooner with the 315's. Gonna be a big change!
 
Trunk Monkey said:
Stock works fine for me, but there's plenty of people spending lots of money here on upgraded rotors, pads, and lines.

Check your fluid level and maybe bleed your brakes.
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Thanks for the suggestion.

I saw some threads about brake updates. They are awesome but not cheap.
 
If you recently purchased it, the previous owner might have used a cheap(lifetime warranty) pad from pep boys. Those tend to not have much braking torque. My stocks feel great on 33's. and I tend to load to capacity a few times a month.
 
If there is a MUD member near you - maybe you can test drive their truck and see how it compares to yours. Maybe your master cylinder needs a rebuild, or air in the lines or the pads are not stock like suggested above or it can be something else.
Also, its all relative - depends how you drive it too. 5,000 pound trucks are harder to stop than other lighter trucks. Please let us know what you find out.
 
A simple pad swap can make ALOT more difference than a lot of people give credit for. Hawk hps pads on the front, cheap ceramics on the rear and mine 6k lb Cruiser stops better than my wife's 08' Accord. As long as you don't have a frozen caliper, less than $200 and a couple hours work will be time and money well spent. Also give time to bed in the pads, but you'll notice better braking almost right away.
 
My factory brakes worked perfectly fine until I upgraded to 35's. Even they were not scary, and I could have stayed factory.

Is your LC stock? If so then something is definitely wrong. Could be as simple as flushing the brake fluid and then bleeding the brakes properly, or as worse the master cylinder is leaking/failing.

Definitely get it checked soon.
 
i4c4lo said:
If there is a MUD member near you - maybe you can test drive their truck and see how it compares to yours. Maybe your master cylinder needs a rebuild, or air in the lines or the pads are not stock like suggested above or it can be something else.
Also, its all relative - depends how you drive it too. 5,000 pound trucks are harder to stop than other lighter trucks. Please let us know what you find out.
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Thanks for the suggestions. I am thinking about change the rotor and pad by myself. I have done so for my Camry by myself . It is an easy job on Camry and the result is very good. I am not sure about the land cruiser.

Could the brake service be a DIY project?
 
txslg said:
Thanks for the suggestions. I am thinking about change the rotor and pad by myself. I have done so for my Camry by myself . It is an easy job on Camry and the result is very good. I am not sure about the land cruiser.

Could the brake service be a DIY project?
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If you have done for your Camry, LC is just bigger. Did mine, used Hawk LTS pads all the way around. Had the rotors turned. Found the parking brake shoes were shot when pulled rear drums. If you have to pump the pedal to get good braking, a master cylinder rebuild kit fixes most of these cases.
 
I replaced mine with Jonesys Offroad 360 Performance Rotors and new Toyota pads. IMO, you can't beat Toyota pads. No squeal, no muss, no fuss. I couldn't be happier. http://jonesysautoclub.com/shop/100...ed-rotors-and-pads-both-front-and-rear-axles/
or Slee sells Powerstops
http://www.sleeoffroad.com/products/products_drivetrain_brakes.htm

If you're a DIY'er, it's not a bad job but you do have to separate the rotor from the hub. You might as well repack your wheel bearings since they'll be in your hand and grease the spindle bearings too. http://www.sleeoffroad.com/products/products_grease_tool_detail.html

If you don't have air tools, here's a trick for removing the bolts that attach the hub/rotor. Lay your wheel face side down and mount the hub/rotor on the inside of the wheel, attach lug nuts to secure it, now you can use the force you need to turn those bolts. Same goes for re-tightening them to specs.

image-2932061270.webp
 
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"If you don't have air tools, here's a trick for removing the bolts that attach the hub/rotor. Lay your wheel face side down and mount the hub/rotor on the inside of the wheel, attach lug nuts to secure it, now you can use the force you need to turn those bolts. Same goes for re-tightening them to specs."

That's a good idea and good advice on the bearings. I used a vice with a soft cloth around the rotor, next time I'd do this.

I looked at all of the aftermarket options out there for rotors, but decided to stick with OEM. All of my OEM rotors were still in spec and straight when I replaced them at 152,000 miles. They're very well made (I find this true with most Toyota rotors) and figured I could get another 150,000 miles out of the new ones.

I also recommend pulling apart the rear calipers and greasing the slides and installing new grease boots. Be prepared to replace the slides if you're in the rust belt.
 
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When everything is working properly, the stock brakes on an '04 are great and don't need a heavy foot. I had a couple frozen pistons in the front calipers on mine that I found when replacing the front pads. I'm sure that affected the braking force. OEM remanufactured calipers and OEM pads, along with fluid flushing/bleeding, brought the brakes back to new and excellent performance.
 
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