The stock brakes on our 2012 Tacoma are . . . adequate . . . with the Four Wheel Camper mounted. On long, twisty downhill roads—I'm talking six, eight, ten miles here—I can feel the pedal begin to get mushy and brake effort increase. When Roseann was hauling a full cargo trailer north to Flagstaff this spring, on the descent into the Salt River Canyon she kept the six-speed (manual) transmission in third to maximize engine braking, but still described brake feel as "Decidedly mushy."
So I've been shopping for potential upgrades to the front discs (Tacomas, to Toyota's discredit, still come with rear drum brakes, which incorporate technology that reached its peak sometime in the 1950s and which are impossible to modify effectively).
One obvious possibility is Toyota's own TRD (Toyota Racing Development), but they didn't list a kit for the 4X4 Tacoma. Next up was Brembo, legendary supplier to such marques as Porsche and Ferrari. I Googled "Tacoma Brembo brakes," and indeed found what appeared to be a source for a Brembo kit. Rather eagerly I looked to the description for technical details, to determine just how the Brembos would improve on the stock brakes.
And here is the entire pitch for this ($1,600) kit from this company:
Brembo GT Slotted Brake Kit Features
- You won't find a cooler looking or operating brake kit than the Brembo GT Slotted Brake Kit.
- Nothing accents a vehicles wheels better than a trick looking Slotted brembo rotor and painted brembo caliper.
- Do yourself and your vehicle a favor and bolt-on a Brembo GT Slotted Brake Kit and give your friends something new to envy.
Words fail . . .
(And never mind the spelling and grammar . . .)