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- #21
Any particular bleeder you like?
What the ultimate brake setup?
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@LandCruiserPhil, what vacuum bleeding set up do you use, and do you have a link showing it being used?
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- #24
I've heard good things about the Napa calipers. I think the remans from Toyota are done by the same company.
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- #25
I plan on rebuilding my existing calipers. I may swap some oem remains in while I'm learning on the calipers. By front left are you referring to lpsv?
The "pump and dump" method can also result in pedal over-travel which takes a "seasoned" master cylinder piston and booster diaphragm past the range they have been operating in for ages, much like old u-joints after a fresh suspension lift. I have seen this over-travel damage masters and in at least one case a booster.
By front left I'm referring to the front left caliper, or the one closest to the ABS pump.
So, after reading all the comments here, it sounds like OEM is the best way to go. With EBC Green Pads, Unless you can custom machine something like the Willwood setup jfz80 posted above,(which looks extremely expensive)
Alternatively, save yourself a lot of time and go with remanufactured Centric caliper assemblies. I have it on excellent authority that it is all too easy to screw up the rebuild, and any little mistake doubles the cost and Triples the time. So I said no thanks to rebuild.
I just installed the rebuilt calipers from Napa and OEM rubber hoses. The calipers are Toyota calipers rebuilt by NAPA or whoever does it for them.
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- #33
Thanks for the info guys. I may buy some remans and then use my current calipers to practice rebuilding them in the spare time I don't have.
Many years of autocross shenanigans has forced me to try many different setups that retain the stock sized rotors and original design calipers. I won't say I've tried it all, but if you can think of a company in the past 20 years that's made brake products in OEM dimensions for NA Miatas, ST185 Celicas, Civics (1st, 4th and 5th gen), 240SXs, C5 Corvettes and Fiat X1/9s (don't ask... it was an odd time in my life), then there's a good chance I've either personally used them, was close friends with someone who has used them, or have spent some time behind the wheel of a car with them.
By far, hands down the best setup that's consistently performed across the various platforms has been Brembo OEM style rotors (not cross drilled or slotted) and Porterfield R4S pads. The longest I had a set of this stuff last was about 60k miles (at the time, I was offloading cars once a year, so most of the cars I had I only drove for 10- 15k) on my Celica AllTrac, and that's daily driving, weekend canyon carving and autocrossing and about a track day a month during the summer. When I pulled them to do the big brake upgrade, the pads were still about 50% and the rotors barely had a ridge worn in them. At no time did they ever warp or require turning, and the pads produce next to no dust. Pedal feel and ease of modulation is improved, stopping distance and fade decreases, and as mentioned, they just last forever.
A friend has this setup on his 80 with 35's for the past two years and loves it, and I've had it on mine with 33's for several months and all the attributes and improvements I've experienced on the various car applications apply to the 80. Of note, though, is that the rear brakes do far more braking then I thought they would on these rigs, so don't cheap out and use Autozone stuff on the rear. Brembos and Porterfields all around ran me about $400- $450 or so if memory serves, and while I don't put nearly the miles on this thing that I have on cars in the past, I do expect the setup to last a very long time.
No, it won't stop like a race car, but if you're tired of chewing through pads and rotors, give this a shot.
By far, hands down the best setup that's consistently performed across the various platforms has been Brembo OEM style rotors (not cross drilled or slotted) and Porterfield R4S pads. The longest I had a set of this stuff last was about 60k miles (at the time, I was offloading cars once a year, so most of the cars I had I only drove for 10- 15k) on my Celica AllTrac, and that's daily driving, weekend canyon carving and autocrossing and about a track day a month during the summer. When I pulled them to do the big brake upgrade, the pads were still about 50% and the rotors barely had a ridge worn in them. At no time did they ever warp or require turning, and the pads produce next to no dust. Pedal feel and ease of modulation is improved, stopping distance and fade decreases, and as mentioned, they just last forever.
A friend has this setup on his 80 with 35's for the past two years and loves it, and I've had it on mine with 33's for several months and all the attributes and improvements I've experienced on the various car applications apply to the 80. Of note, though, is that the rear brakes do far more braking then I thought they would on these rigs, so don't cheap out and use Autozone stuff on the rear. Brembos and Porterfields all around ran me about $400- $450 or so if memory serves, and while I don't put nearly the miles on this thing that I have on cars in the past, I do expect the setup to last a very long time.
No, it won't stop like a race car, but if you're tired of chewing through pads and rotors, give this a shot.
I have a hand vacuum bleeder and this one
Amazon.com: Capri Tools Vacuum Brake Bleeder: Automotive
trying to get any volume of fluid with the hand one is hard and very awkward.
spend the money and get the air on!!!
the advantage of vacuum is that it makes the bubbles in the system get larger rather then smaller under the pressure of the master. the larger bubbles have an easier time of getting through the fittings and out of little corners that they hide in in the system
I just tried some Centric pads that were a huge improvement over the Reybestos fleet pads I had.
Amazon.com: Capri Tools Vacuum Brake Bleeder: Automotive
trying to get any volume of fluid with the hand one is hard and very awkward.
spend the money and get the air on!!!
the advantage of vacuum is that it makes the bubbles in the system get larger rather then smaller under the pressure of the master. the larger bubbles have an easier time of getting through the fittings and out of little corners that they hide in in the system
I just tried some Centric pads that were a huge improvement over the Reybestos fleet pads I had.
Running NAPA remans on both 80's for some time now with no issue. As stated they are rebuilt by the same company that does them for Toyota. Before I went this route I rebuilt my own but they started having issues within a year. The fact is you may be perfectly capable of doing them yourself. But, the company that does it for a living is going to do a better job for the simple fact that they have the facilities and procedures that you don't.
I'm a big fan of the "gatorade bottle" bleeding method. A few weeks ago the "brake" warning light was on indicating low fluid. I thought it might be due to worn pads so I flushed the system while inspecting all of the calipers and outside hoses. Low and behold a few days later I was lower on fluid and found that the inner front brake hose had a leak (I mistakenly skipped these on the first inspection).
After replacing both inner front brake hoses I flushed the system again, no issues using the gatorade bottle method. The best part is that the fluid never backtracks into the caliper and with a sealed connection to the clear hose you can see even the smallest bubbles if any are coming out. You also never have to worry about timing the pedal pumps and bleeder opening incorrectly which can suck in air.
One key thing to remember is to never let the reservoir run too low. Even when I had my hoses off I kept topping up the reservoir so that no air could make it into the master cylinder.
I also use the gatorade bottle method on my BMW's with their fancy ABS/traction control systems and its worked great every time.
After replacing both inner front brake hoses I flushed the system again, no issues using the gatorade bottle method. The best part is that the fluid never backtracks into the caliper and with a sealed connection to the clear hose you can see even the smallest bubbles if any are coming out. You also never have to worry about timing the pedal pumps and bleeder opening incorrectly which can suck in air.
One key thing to remember is to never let the reservoir run too low. Even when I had my hoses off I kept topping up the reservoir so that no air could make it into the master cylinder.
I also use the gatorade bottle method on my BMW's with their fancy ABS/traction control systems and its worked great every time.
Been down this road. Running 365/75R16 BFG's. Roughly a wide 37" tire.
When stock, the brakes were OK, but nothing to write home about. Turned out both from calipers has stuck pistons. Replaced with rebuilt calipers, added Akebono pads. Better, and good enough at the time. Added the 37's, and braking was marginal. Got away with it for a year or so.
I could not kick on the ABS with the brakes functioning as they were on dry or wet roads. On snow covered roads the ABS would kick on, and it was like turning off the brakes altogether. I was so bad that I pulled the ABS fuse for the winter. Had a log get jammed up over the rear axle on a wheeling trip, and it took out an ABS sensor.
So with a non functional ABS system, I had nothing to lose removing the ABS unit. I also bypassed the LSPV at the same time. That change made a drastic difference in braking. I could now lock them up on dry road with a heavy foot.
A few months later, I had a road trip vacation coming up, and the rear pads were toast. Installed Hawk LTS pads front and rear. Yet another jump in performance. I am completely satisfied at this point. The only negative is the rear pads have a bit too much bite, and the rears will lock up before the fronts. I will probably install a adjustable proportioning valve on the rear brakes to dial them down a bit. I could also swap out the rear pads for something with less bite, but they work really well towing 5k lbs.
When stock, the brakes were OK, but nothing to write home about. Turned out both from calipers has stuck pistons. Replaced with rebuilt calipers, added Akebono pads. Better, and good enough at the time. Added the 37's, and braking was marginal. Got away with it for a year or so.
I could not kick on the ABS with the brakes functioning as they were on dry or wet roads. On snow covered roads the ABS would kick on, and it was like turning off the brakes altogether. I was so bad that I pulled the ABS fuse for the winter. Had a log get jammed up over the rear axle on a wheeling trip, and it took out an ABS sensor.
So with a non functional ABS system, I had nothing to lose removing the ABS unit. I also bypassed the LSPV at the same time. That change made a drastic difference in braking. I could now lock them up on dry road with a heavy foot.
A few months later, I had a road trip vacation coming up, and the rear pads were toast. Installed Hawk LTS pads front and rear. Yet another jump in performance. I am completely satisfied at this point. The only negative is the rear pads have a bit too much bite, and the rears will lock up before the fronts. I will probably install a adjustable proportioning valve on the rear brakes to dial them down a bit. I could also swap out the rear pads for something with less bite, but they work really well towing 5k lbs.
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- #39
The $60 ish ones?
Pressure bleeders are the best, I made one out of a bug/weed killer sprayer, I used it on 2 LC's both had new lines or the body taken off, BTW always start from the farthest from the MC, and bleed the LVSthingamajig, I can do a LC by myself with a pressure bleeder