Most of the Toy guys swapping in D44's complain of soft brakes...

Somehow when I first swapped mine in, the brakes were actually more firm, but after I bought new calipers, they were soft (I shouldn't have returned my cores so quickly!). My truck stops, but I can bottom the pedal w/o locking up the tires at all and it doesn't stop like I think it should...

I've already swapped in the larger 1" bore MC.

Anyway, to my point-

I was searching around and found these calipers w/ smaller bores (stock seems to be 2-15/16"):

Howe makes a 2-5/8" (2.625") bore steel caliper for around $70:
http://www.howeracing.com/braking/braking4/indexhowe.htm

And Wilwood makes a 2.75" and a 2.38" bore (aluminum)
http://www.wilwood.com/products/calipers/gm3/index.asp
Smaller bore option, but they cost twice as much, $120 or more. :eek:

Seems to me that the smaller bores would firm up the pedal to improve the brake feel and also let me lock 'em up before the pedal bottoms.

Would they be worth a try?

The other thing is that they all say "for racing use only" or some BS... I don't know if that's just a liability thing for the manufacturers or if they are high-maintenance and/or might not put up w/ dirt and mud and crap from wheeling... :confused:

I'm sick of this mushy brake crap. It doesn't feel safe. :(

FWIW, yes everything has been bled correctly (mulitple times). Bench bled MC, gravity bled, power bled, & traditional pumped-pedal bled everything else. No improvement.

Do a rear Disk conversion!


That will help out a ton!

Toy drums work well (when clean). I could put in an adjustable prop valve that would lock up the rear brakes before the fronts (which isn't good).

I don't think rear disks will solve the real problem. Change it maybe, but not solve it.

I have the same problem Eric. Last weekend while driving around Slypark Lake I had to panic stop in a hurry:eek: to my surprise I slammed the pedal down and locked the rear and the front grabbed real good..........the Runner stopped fast. Have your tryed a emergency lockup situation like that yet? It'll really let you know if the brakes are a mushy as you think......

sounds like you have a bad master or air in the lines.

Originally posted by ErikB
Toy drums work well (when clean). I could put in an adjustable prop valve that would lock up the rear brakes before the fronts (which isn't good).

I don't think rear disks will solve the real problem. Change it maybe, but not solve it.

Actually it does....The Zuk has a SMALL master cyl......I can stop on a dime with my 4 wheel disks!!

with too small a master the pedal would travel to the floor but it shouldnt be soft, have you given thought to braided lines?? should be less than replacing calipers and definitly stiffens up the feel.

oh i forgot, make shure the drums are in proper adjustment and not worn thin, this will also cause more pedal and soft feel.

I've got stainless lines up front.
Drums are in good shape (from a '97 Tacoma) and adjusted.

I tried putting a plug in the MC. If I put it in the port for the rear lines, not much change. If its in the front port, the pedal is hard, so the problem is in the front (calipers), and probably not the MC.
It just seems to happen to every Toy w/ a 44...

Could cheap calipers cause a mushy pedal?

If so, what's a decent brand? These were $15/ea NAPA jobbies... :p


Kevin, no actual emergency stops yet, but towing dirtbikes + camping/wheeling gear down to JV for the 4runner Jambo was SKETCHY to say the least. :eek: It took a LONG way to get the rig stopped w/ the pedal bottomed. :(
Chevy brakes ought to be able to stop a Toy w/ a small trailer just fine...

Anyone know what GearMan did? I thought he had figured out some kind of fix at some point a long time ago. :confused:
I hate bugging him cause he's always busy as fawk... :p
You find out, Kevin. You're his Pirate Bro. :smokin:

mrblaine PM'ed me this tidbit:

"The first bit of advice I have is to not use the Wilwood calipers. They have no seals and are not offroad friendly. Wilwood will not warranty them under any condition.

Secondly, they do not like more than 1000 psi line pressure. After that they over flex and don't grab as well and also creak as the pad gets scooted sideways on the rotor. "

So I guess those are a no-go. :p

I'm thinking of taking the power booster out of my wife's T100 and putting it in my 4runner to see what happens. I suspect they will push easier and feel mushier, but it can't hurt to try... :confused:

If I could figure out how, I'd put some 1" thick rotors on my 44 and make a caliper mount to use the T100 4 piston calpers and just use all T100 brake parts. The T100 brakes still work/feel great w/ 35's...

I'm in the same boat Erik. Friend with a 4cyl Tacoma has a D44 under his and his brakes work great! his has a 13/16 bore MC which is what mine has. We blead them many times as well as replaced the MC. Over time they have gotten a bit better which makes me think I have gotten ride of more air, but for the most part I wish it was as firm ans when I had all the IFS on there.

I have new rotors, calipers and pads. All were the middle of the road as far as cost.

Hmm... I noticed that OOP's Tundra had a 13/16" MC too. Makes me wonder even more what swapping boosters will do.... (seems like the only thing left to try).

Yeah, none of the Taco guys complain about this that I've noticed. I guess if I find one in a junkyard :rolleyes: I'll snag it and give it a shot.

NorcalVP (Taco/44) said his were mushy. He's got a V6, FWIW...

I have a '98 Tacoma (4-banger) with a D44 under it and my brakes are pretty mushy too. I can put the pedal all the way to the floor and almost lock 'em up...

I'm running the stock m/c, braided lines, and cheap autozone calipers & pads.

Overall performance isn't too bad, but I would like to stiffen up the pedal some.

If the pedal is going all the way to the floor without locking up the front brakes it sounds like you aren't moving enough volume. I don't see how a different booster would help that, since if you are using ALL the volume of the MC, a new booster isn't going to change that.

If the rears are locking up and the fronts are not, you might try an adjustable proportioning valve on the rears.