Did You Know: That Toyota Tundras Have 4 Piston Calipers?

Recently, I did some work on a 2001 Toyota Tundra because it had begun spitting antifreeze through the grille with the force of 1000 agitated llamas.  I swapped out the severely cracked radiator and took it for a test drive to make sure the thermostat and heat were working properly again.  Fortunately, the heating & cooling system worked flawlessly.  Unfortunately, somebody had replaced the brake pedal with a partially deflated water balloon.  It quickly became apparent that braking was not one of this truck’s finest features.  It didn’t grind, but it didn’t stop either.  I ever so gently coasted it back to the garage and pulled the wheel to see what what the rest of the night would look like for me.

What did I find you ask? Well, two things actually.

1) About 1/3 of the brake pad surface still touching the rotor and an inner pad that was almost down to the metal. Fun times.

2) Hey look! 4 piston calipers and 12.5″ rotors!!  Sweet!

Jeremy Nutt

Hi, I'm Jeremy.

4 thoughts to “Did You Know: That Toyota Tundras Have 4 Piston Calipers?”

  1. So does my 02 Sequoia have 4 calipers. Brakes are OK but could use more stopping power. I am told that the 06 brakes can be installed with a bit of cutting on the backing plate. What works for you all?

    1. To be honest, I’m not sure what the 02 Sequoia has for brakes. However, one thing that I do know is that there are a ton of ways to improve your brake feel and stopping ability without upgrading to better calipers and bigger rotors. Here’s what I would do for better brakes on nearly any vehicle:

      1) Bleed new fluid through the entire brake system. Brake fluid absorbs moisture and boils at a much lower temperature even with the slightest bit of water contamination. Swapping from old contaminated fluid to new fluid will improve your braking for sure. Just make sure you get all the air out. 😉

      2) Braided flexible brake lines often remove the mushy feeling that normal rubber lines can often have. These make a noticeable difference every time I have installed them.

      3)Ceramic Brake Pads are awesome. Switching from semi-metallic to ceramic will be a huge improvement.

      4) Lastly, and probably most importantly, TIRES! The better your tires are, the better you will stop. There is just no getting around it.

      Hope that helps! Good Luck!

  2. Thx . run Michelin MS LTX 1st set went 102,000 w/ treadwear rating of 500. Just installed the latest LTX2
    with a treadwear rating of 720. Awesome.
    I am told the Tundra and the Sequoia have the same brakes. Ceramic’s next time. slvrfx

  3. Am planning to purchase a used 01 Tundra, getting it cheap. When I did the test drive, the owner warned me about the brakes, he wasn’t specific other than telling me it “catches sometimes.” I did not encounter any catching, but now I’m wondering if I’m gonna spend more on the brakes than on the truck itself.

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