Tundra Brake Upgrade Complete

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arich

arich

Anthony. aka arich
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Location
New York
I just finished installing Brian Jowett's Tundra Upgrade kit. The setup consists of front new Tundra Calipers (your choice new or rebuilt), Centric rotors, Centric Fleet pads, Tundra backing plates and hardware. I also ordered new rear rotors and pads. I asked Brian to special order me the rotors with a e-coating to prevent future rust. I had the calipers locally powder coated in gloss black at Proformance Industries in New Rochelle
Total parts from Brian about $1,000
Powdercoating-free (brother in law)
Installation- $275

I bed the brakes properly tonight using the break in recommendation from POWER STOP.
http://www.powerstop.com/break-in
First of all my vibration is gone which is why I decided to do the brakes anyway. The brakes have a great pedal feel and I now have a new piece of mind when I tow the boat. This is a simple upgrade that I'd recommend. When you need new rotors why not spring for a few hundred more and get the tundra calipers.

If anyone wants my stock backing plates or calipers contact me.
Anthony

photo33.webp
 
Is there some reason the kit doesn't include all four wheels? Is there not much difference in the rear brakes between the Tundra and LC? I understand that most braking is done my the front wheels so having a larger brake surface area up front is good. However, it seems like the Tundra's rear brakes would be proportionately larger to match the increased stopping power in the front. Assuming that's true, wouldn't you also want those larger rear brakes on your LC?
 
I have yet to determine if these brakes will fit under the factory 17" wheel. All USA cruisers come with 18" wheels.

The rear brakes are the same on both vehicles, so no upgrade exists there.
 
Not trying to throw arich or bj under bus just trying to keep it cowboy real here... how is this an upgrade? What testing has been done to prove that this is better than what LC engineers put together in 5 yrs of dev?

I'm fine with "tundra caliper switch" but not upgrade unless there is ample proof via testing. Not anecdotal fluff.

You def lost in warranty coverage right off the bat assuming ur truck is new enough.

Again nothing personal just asking more out of the claim.
 
I look at it this way.
My brake started vibrating slightly at 25,000 miles. Dealer would not replace rotors even after repeated requests so I knew I needed rotors. My extended warranty does not cover rotors or pads. At first I was going to replace att the rotors with centric drilled rotors but after repeated discussions with Brian and the realization that essential I was only buying new calipers and packing plates (plus the rotors and pads) I decided to try it.
I liked the idea of bigger rotors with more surface area and mass and more cooling vents in the backing plates. I doubt they will stop our 6000 lb rigs any faster but I believe that they will not fade under extreme conditions. Scientific data, none. But I was sold on the concept and the piece of mind I'll have when towing.
So if you needed brakes anyway wouldn't you spring for this too. It just make perfect sense to me.
Sure I would have liked Brembos but that's on a whole other level. Thanks Brian for putting in the research and machine work possible to put the kit together. If anyone in NY wants to come by and try on a 17" wheel contact me. I have factory 18" and LX 20s for the summer.
 
THEROK, I appreciate your questioning things... IMO everything should be questioned, it's the only way to gather up good conclusions and weed out BS. To the point, there is nothing anecdotal here. This is a factory Toyota engineered system that has been applied. The physics behind this are no mystery, and I'll touch on them if you would like?
 
I appreciate the pro response from u both.

Bj what r and d have u done to study the benefits/concerns of stuffing a front caliper from a pickup truck to an awd suv? Should things go wrong are you providing a warranty like toyota?

You're in the spotlight as a seller of goods. Here is your chance to show us why this is truly an upgrade from the toyota backed braking system.
 
Much of the kit is OEM, the parts already have a long design life, but should something happen, I stand behind it.

The Tundra is essentially a Land Cruiser 200 Series pickup, there are differences, yes, but they share much in design and parts.

The Tundra caliper is nearly identical to the Land Cruiser, but sits 7mm further outboard. They have the same piston sizes and also share brake pads, thus the hydraulic system stays happy. By moving the caliper out, the lever arm is increased. The caliper can, in theory, now create almost 4% more torque at the same pedal pressure. The pads, and everything upstream, including your leg and foot, now have an easier job since reaching the same brake torque as before requires less force/squeeze. Less squeeze on the pads creates less heat, pads/rotors now last longer (given the same materials), and fade performance is increased.

Rotors, pretty simply.... they create the longer lever arm. They contain 1.5 lbs more grey iron over the 200 rotor. That gives more surface material to create the friction, more internal material to store the heat, and more surface material to get rid of it. I have the surface area percentage increase, I'll try to find it, if not, I'll recalculate it.

The splash shields have more vent slots to give a better supply of air to the rotor. Move more air, remove more heat.
 
Brian's explanation wins. Just back from a ski trip up in the mtns. Really good brake feel coming down the steepest longest pass. I do use engine braking too.
 
I like the idea of plus sizing the front brake hardware, and especially the use of OEM grade parts. The added heat capacity is a solid win.

What's not talked about here is brake bias. Due to the increase lever arm advantage, this would also marginally increase brake bias to the front. Not necessarily a plus in all scenarios.

Though the likely scenario is aligned with increasing front bias. Most people that do this will add a lift and/or increase front tire size. Or even add more gear/armor. These mods increase the center of gravity, thus increasing weight transfer under braking. Fortunately, the physics for optimal braking would dictate marginally increased front bias.
 
I like the idea just hope it works with 17" RW wheels. I have been convincing friends to switch from german cars to a LC/LX and their first disappointment with the 200 was the soft brakes. It was mine as well as the 100 would way overbite which I got used to. Even now on the 200, I'm slamming my foot alot in high traffic conditions. Usually my first upgrade on any car is to rip out stock brakes and put the biggest brembo kit money can buy. It has saved my life and from car accidents on many occasions. The only reason I haven't on the 200 is I like my trucks with maximum rubber.
 
THEROK said:
Not trying to throw arich or bj under bus just trying to keep it cowboy real here... how is this an upgrade? What testing has been done to prove that this is better than what LC engineers put together in 5 yrs of dev?

I'm fine with "tundra caliper switch" but not upgrade unless there is ample proof via testing. Not anecdotal fluff.

You def lost in warranty coverage right off the bat assuming ur truck is new enough.

Again nothing personal just asking more out of the claim.
Click to expand...

FWIW, I think the 2016 Land Cruiser DID upgrade to Tundra sized rotors, so the Toyota engineers came to the same conclusion as Brian.
 
HDJdreams said:
FWIW, I think the 2016 Land Cruiser DID upgrade to Tundra sized rotors, so the Toyota engineers came to the same conclusion as Brian.
Click to expand...

if that's true, then this mod will definitely work with RW 17" wheels... they're on my truck. :)
 
usmcHOG said:
Not sure why the Tundra brake kit wouldn't work with RW wheels? The RW wheels were made for the Tundra...
Click to expand...

Correct - they were made for the Tundra, Sequoia and Land Cruiser:

TRDpoopSheet1_17MAR16_zpsz1nrluhz.jpg


HTH
 
Yes, but they came factory installed/equipped on the '09-'13 Tundra "TRD Rock Warrior" special edition package. Sequoia and Land Cruiser never had a factory equipped package like that. TRD designed and manufactured them specifically to work on the Tundra with their "Rock Warrior" equipped package.
 
I've had the upgrade for three years. No problems at all.
 
arich said:
I just finished installing Brian Jowett's Tundra Upgrade kit. The setup consists of front new Tundra Calipers (your choice new or rebuilt), Centric rotors, Centric Fleet pads, Tundra backing plates and hardware. I also ordered new rear rotors and pads. I asked Brian to special order me the rotors with a e-coating to prevent future rust. I had the calipers locally powder coated in gloss black at Proformance Industries in New Rochelle
Total parts from Brian about $1,000
Powdercoating-free (brother in law)
Installation- $275

I bed the brakes properly tonight using the break in recommendation from POWER STOP.
http://www.powerstop.com/break-in
First of all my vibration is gone which is why I decided to do the brakes anyway. The brakes have a great pedal feel and I now have a new piece of mind when I tow the boat. This is a simple upgrade that I'd recommend. When you need new rotors why not spring for a few hundred more and get the tundra calipers.

If anyone wants my stock backing plates or calipers contact me.
Anthony
Click to expand...
Hi, I have a 2012 us model lc200 5.7l in the uk and want to upgrade the brakes. There aren't so many tundras in the UK but I can buy tundra calipers on eBay and have them shipped or pick up when next over. Is it just a case of swapping discs and replacing calipers by undoing two bolts holding calipers and bending pipe? Does it help, have 285/65 r18 cooper at3 3% oversize tyres so more lever arm on the brakes will help.
 
arich said:
I've had the upgrade for three years. No problems at all.
Click to expand...

How much did it improve stopping distance? I am getting tired/anxious about my brakes as I keep nearly rear ending people on the highway at abrupt stops. I was originally going to wait until the next time I needed brakes but may pull the trigger on this sooner. I am just trying to figure out how much of a difference will this make? Usually, on my german cars when I would change out calipers it would be to an 8-12 piston setup. They would be the best brakes money can buy. I have feeling that the Tundra kit while better than stock is not going to be a night and day difference. Please help quantify the difference thinking from an aggressive drivers point of view.
 
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