I drove a GS400 with AP Racing brakes and I loved how tight the brake response was in the pedal. I want my brake pedal to be very sensitive as well. It seems I can press it down ~30% before the braking power kicks in. Is there any adjustment or trick to stiffen it up so the brakes kick in sooner when it is depressed?

I installed Supra front brakes this morning and bled the front calipers out so I don't think the squishiness is due to air pockets (I think the ABS has two reservoirs front and back so I didn't bleed the rears).

While I'm at it, I know there is some trick to make the e-brake tighter so you don't have to yank it up so high. The dealer used to do it for me when I took it to them. Any idea on that one?

 

Do you have SS lines Rich?

 

Yep

 

ebrake is cable operated as opposed to fluid so tightening the cable would be a quick easy way to have a tighter ebrake. As far as the brakes go, bleeding some more never hurt really. Try tapping the calipers with a rubber mallet to loosen up any trapped air bubbles then bleed again. Any air at all will soften up the pedal feel. Check fluid levels and that all bleeder screws are on tight(but dont over tighten). After all that, im sure there is some kind of way to get the brakes to respond stiffer. Hopefully someone else can fill in.

 

Finally got those brakes you've wanted forever, huh Rich. Too bad you didn't have them b4 last years carson meet.

Anyway, I experience the same thing with my tt brakes. I don't have ss lines, so prolly a little worse, but I have the same thing you're experiencing. It doesn't bother me too much,, so I don't worry about it though.

Oh, and post some pics!

Tim

 

Here's a follow-up... I realized my brakes had no shim kit and no retaining clips, plus two of the rods that hold the pads in were bent. I installed the shim kit and the clips, straightened the rods with a vise, topped off the brake fluid to the max-line, and now the brake pedal is much more responsive. I don't know if it's a result of the new pads, the extra hardware, or the extra brake fluid, but altogether my brake pedal is much tighter (not to mention no more squeaks or vibrations). I was looking at the Supra brake microfiche and it looks like the turbo Supra's brakes have no u-springs (like non-turbo Supras and our stock brakes do), just a bronze-colored metal plate.

 

not having the shim kit or the proper rods on the calipers will make it feel very very soft rich...when I installed the rear TT calipers on my car, i didn't have the proper parts for the rear so I used the front shim kit and it made it very soft...

once I had the right shim kit in place, it fixed the problem...glad you finally got some TT brakes...all SC400's need them...

 

Glad you got it fixed. Now I just wish I had no squeaks. My brakes started squealing when coming to a stop within the last few hundred miles I used the brake grease all over when installing so don't know what the deal is.

 

Tony, I think the rods bent because of the lack of hardware I was driving on the first few weeks . They seem legit now. The rods have a hole at the tip for a locking pin, but mine came with a wire looped through and twisted close. It works I guess, but I want the real deal. I guess that's the next move...

Tim, the shim kit's sole purpose is to eliminate squeaks and squeals. Maybe your current shim kit is dirty with brake dust and crusty lithium grease. The shim kit is $15 shipped from Carson Toyota, not a bad investment against that annoying squeak. Only other thing I can think of is warped rotors or cached brake pads...

Another question I just thought of: when I bought the hardware kit for the TT brakes, it came with four of those clips that go on the corners of the pads and two of the bronze plates that wrap over the caliper. At first I thought I screwed up and only ordered hardware for one caliper, but then the bronze plates I had two of, one for each caliper. So now I'm thinking they shafted me by four of the pad retaining clips since there are four pads times two corners (supposedly eight clips). Anyway, my quick solution was to just install two clips on each side, one for each pad on the lower corner. Seems to work fine for now, so is this the way it's supposed to be or do I need four more clips?

 

Rich, I do have a shim kit on there. I ordered everything I needed new from Carson, so I'm kind of perturbed by having this squeaking problem already.

And you're only supposed to have 4 clips (that's how many I had anyway). Out of the whole job, that probably took me the longest to figure out what side those stupid clips were supposed to go on. If you need help, look up my brake install thread and there's some good pics- I knew the microfiche isn't all that clear and descriptive.

 

Hah, I have mine installed on the same corner, other side...