Need Better Brakes

[WALoeIII]

I've been driving around in hilly/mountanous New Hampshire and I think I need some better breaks. I've gotten to stop signs and white clouds have come out of the front wheels - not good. Suggestions? Since this is a "saftey" thing I can pretty much go all out.

 

[Doc]

Well, if you're going to go 'all out', contact the nice folks at Brembo, and have them custom make a set of adapters for their 6 pot calipers and some 12" rotors for your rig.

If you're like the rest of us and don't have $4k to drop on your front brakes alone, you can start with a complete brake flush with brake fluid that has a much higher boiling point than what you are using. Performance fluid like you'd use in a track car (RBL 600?, is that the stuff?) comes to mind. Ask at a local performace shop. Step up in pads too, get something with more grab, you'll have more brake dust, but big deal.....

If it's still not enough you can do the rear disc conversion, it might help some as well.

 

[60wag]

White clouds? Like maybe vaporized brake fluid or gear oil? I'd have a close look at the brakes to see if something is wrong. If the brakes are not in need of repair, you might consider downshifting more when descending hills. The stock setup is adequate for most people. I have heard of some people switching to a later model 4Runner caliper - supposedly more piston area. Not sure what rotors to run with those or if it messes with the front/rear proportioning.

 

[Mike S]

Andrew - my brakes are stock and work so well (stop really well, and no smoke, etc.) that I am not inclined to 'fix' them. I suggest that you work with what is there brfore your decide to drop some $$ on fixes. Check the cylinders for wear and leakage, rebuild or replace as needed, flush and refill and bleed, have your rotors inspected for true, new brake pads, and turn the rear drums and set up a new set of metallic shoes.

Every little bit you do will improve performance in the stock vehicle.

 

[Jman]

I have to echo what the others said--I have spent a few summers in very hilly terrain and have never had any brake problems, no smoking, nothing. I can lock them up in any situation if I need to.

However, if you are coasting down those long hills in fourth gear and using only the brakes to slow ou down, DON'T! You can overheat your rotors and lines and do some damage. What you need to do is downshift to the appropriate gear and apply the brakes occasionally to control your descent.

 

[WALoeIII]

I was on a very steep hill (22%) and when I got to the bottom (engine braking in 1st the whole way) I stopped easily but these huge white clouds came out. I don't have 4 grand to buy an entire new setup, I was just looking for suggestions on things that could help out. The new fluid/pads I'm definatly going to look into. What else would the white smoke be from? It only happens when desending hard, and still pretty rarely.

 

[cahilc]

I was on a very steep hill (22%) and when I got to the bottom (engine braking in 1st the whole way) I stopped easily but these huge white clouds came out ...

22% ? How far ? 1/4 mile ? 1/2 mile ?

I do some faily long descents(road) loaded with my rig. Gotta do some sleuthing and figure out where that smoke is coming from ?

Stock brakes correctly setup is a very good system. I was fortunate to have the bucks to completely overhaul my brake system. Works great with stock parts. Mod's may be in your future but figure out why stock is not enough.

Got Smoke ?

Got Fire Exstinguisher ?

Cheers,
Cahil

 

[Doc]

I was only kidding about the brembo route...

But you should have your calipers and lines inspected for leaks, I missed the part about white smoke being from a leak, but that's probobly the case. Brake pads themselves don't smoke like that.

 

[cahilc]

I was only kidding about the brembo route...

Why ?

If he's into tracking his truck they would be the best option. It's doable and probably would be a heck of a braking system.

Not cheap ...



Cahil

 

[Landpimp]

something is not right, check for fluid leaks onto the rotors. Hard brake use should not make smoke IMOP........or at least have never had a cruiser brake smoke.....

 

[overhanger]

something is not right, check for fluid leaks onto the rotors. Hard brake use should not make smoke IMOP........or at least have never had a cruiser brake smoke.....

Pimp, you have used Brembo rotors on some of the horde, haven't you?

 

[Landpimp]

yep, my 45LPB and 82 fj40 has Brembo's(came in an Auto Specialties box), nice rotor, cost me about $35 each. My 60 and 80 run DBA sloted and Metal Master pads.

Funny the best stoping pads I have are some no name organic pads that came loaded in a set of reman calipers, this is on my 82 fj40, I wanted MM but they were a few days away so I ran what came with the calipers..........assumed they would suck and I would swap to MM but they stop VERY well.........so they stayed.

Pimp, you have used Brembo rotors on some of the horde, haven't you?

 

[Jman]

Any chance the engine braking is creating higher than usual pressure in the system, resulting in leak when used? Like the others said, check for leaks, monitor your fluid level closely. If it happens again, immediately pull over and pop the hood to find out exactly where that smoke is coming from.

Uh, if it's a LOT of smoke, stand back when you pop the hood.