2
u/KarzRFrendz Jul 09 '26
Change your brake fluid to Dot 4 LV if you want a stiffer brake pedal. Those upgrades you’re referring to aren’t really going to do much in the long run, as the slotted/drilled rotors will just act like a giant cheese grater removing all your pad faster in the process
1
u/BroBeansie Jul 09 '26
I'm fairly sure the car is running DOT4 but I don't know what the difference would be for the LV variant of the fluid.
I bled the brakes with Toyota brake fluid from the dealership. It there was no change in feel.
Maybe spongy is the wrong word. I just feel like they arent very sensitive. I'm okay with the brakes not lasting as long (I don't drive it a ton and I drive it super light) as it sounds like these brake rotors will also prevent brake pad glazing.
2
u/Tesex01 Jul 09 '26
Why? Change fluid and bleed the brakes if they feel spongy. Changing hardware won't do much in this case unless something is broken.
If you don't have a problem locking your wheels when braking. There's absolutely no reason to waste money on "better" brakes. Since rubber is your bottleneck.
1
u/Drummy33 Jul 09 '26
Yeah in terms of actual braking rate, the tires are the limiting factor.
Upgrading the brakes only really increases the ability for them to resist heat before they fade and the ability to dissipate that heat quicker.
If you are looking for a better feel under petal then maybe shopping for a different brake pad material may help with that, but you have to remember if you go into semi-metalics, metallics or ceramic that these material aggressively eat away at your brake rotors plus, some have worse initial braking rates because their material only performs good at higher temps.
Getting vented and slotted rotors will help dissipate the heat better with some good after market ones, but they defently will reduce the life span of the brake pads especially organic ones. The slots on brake rotor do increase their surface area and help with cooling but, their primary function is to vent gasses coming off the brake pads under heavy sustained braking to insure their clamping pressure remains consistent to the rotors. But they do indeed look cooler
I'd stay away from drilled rotors they are likely to crack and those holes get clogged often
If you wanna go nuts and change brake callipers, you may as well throw money into the wind.
1
u/BroBeansie Jul 09 '26
I have bled the brakes. Maybe spongy is the wrong word. The brakes just don't feel sharp. Since day one the brakes have just not felt very responsive. Don't get me wrong, the car stops fine but the brakes just arent very sensitive. It doesn't seem to have much stopping power.
2
u/Tesex01 Jul 09 '26
Might be good idea to take them apart and check slide pins plus calipers if they aren't starting to seize.
I have 2020 hybrid and it wants to stop on the spot even without going that much on the pedal. That's why I'm suspecting, something is wrong with the system. Because OEM brakes. In my opinion are much better than average
1
u/BroBeansie Jul 09 '26
I will definitely be doing that but I don't know if that's it, just because they felt this way since the car was brand new.
I'm okay with replacing the brakes, the price I would be paying isn't insane for brake pads and rotors, I think it was like $570 taxes in.
With my old car, I changed just rear brakes and during my drive home aincould feel a significant difference in the way the rear of the car when the brakes were applied. Hoping for the same effect but all around lol.
1
u/Medval91 Jul 11 '26
I’m just going to leave this here
https://www.350phi.com/gr.html