Steady On the Brakes- 2016 Toyota Tacoma Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

Steady On the Brakes- 2016 Toyota Tacoma Long-Term Road Test

While our long-term 2016 Toyota Tacoma may be well suited to off-road duty, there's a problem with the brakes that makes it a bit less loveable in the city.

Read the full story here

desmolicious

1/ Can you compare it to other TRDs?
and
b/ do the non TRDs do that?

ebeaudoin

The TRD Off Road has rear drums, correct? Would that have anything to do with it? Or perhaps they just need to be more broken in?

nate001

Whatever the reason for the brakes to grab like that, if it's the TRD package, or the drum brakes or something else, Toyota made a big deal when this vehicle launched that it still had drum brakes and it was better because of it. So they should have made sure that they worked flawlessly across all the trims since would be under extra scrutiny because of the comments that they made.

longtimelurker

Oh, yeah...drums are so much better for off-road - I guess the problem with that scenario is that the front discs are going pretty much everywhere the rear drums are.

Seriously, though, sounds like the discs and the drums don't have the same release point when you come off of the pedal. Probably don't have the same engage point under application, either. And no, for serious off-roading that is not gonna be good.

growlerguy

" this thing isn't an ideal city truck, at least not in TRD Off Road trim."

You seem surprised that to optimize performance in one area you give up something in another area.

thecardoc3

It's unlikely that the rear drum brakes have anything to do with the sensation. If the rear suddenly grabbed, the most likely result would be that the rear tires would skid. You can test this by going somewhere safe (large empty parking lot, rem; No brake lights when it does stop) and use the parking brake to stop the truck right at the end of the stop. (Back off the regular brakes as the parking brake is then applied at the end of the stop)

5vzfe

I think this is more of an issue of how Toyota designs the mechanisms that act between the pedal and the brakes themselves. On my 4runner it's tricky to come to a gentle stop as well - it's possible, but it requires a fair amount of finesse. The brake pedal itself is a little squishy and weak for about the first inch of travel, then you feel the brakes "bite" and from there the pressure is smooth and linear. My issue is that the pedal travel is shorter than you expect and this is where it's tricky - there's just too small of a window between full braking power and just enough to hold the truck in place, so you need to know just when to back off.

moparbad

Don't be so quick to beat on the drums. They are small, simple, and effective for rear axle where they provide 20% or less of the braking.

longtimelurker

moparbad said:

Don't be so quick to beat on the drums. They are small, simple, and effective for rear axle where they provide 20% or less of the braking.

Even a pickup configured as this one is for off-roading rather than towing or hauling is much more likely than a car or even an SUV to be used for towing or hauling, has a much higher payload or tow rating relative to its GVWR than a car or SUV (for the most part), and when it is used for towing or hauling, the rear brakes then take a much higher proportion of the work than they do when the vehicle is unloaded.

maxtitan

It's probably the brake booster. TRD Offroad have a hydraulic brake booster instead of a vacuum booster. I rather have a hydro booster even if it means a little more grabby brakes.

csubowtie

longtimelurker said:

Even a pickup configured as this one is for off-roading rather than towing or hauling is much more likely than a car or even an SUV to be used for towing or hauling, has a much higher payload or tow rating relative to its GVWR than a car or SUV (for the most part), and when it is used for towing or hauling, the rear brakes then take a much higher proportion of the work than they do when the vehicle is unloaded.

It's not about static weight, it's about weight transfer. Have you ever noticed that semi trucks still run drum brakes? So do dump trucks. Unless your tow ball or payload are below the front wheel centerline, any time you brake it's trying to transfer weight to the front tires and off of the rears. The harder you brake, the more effectively the front tires grip the road and the more work the front brakes do. And if you're not braking hard enough for the weight transfer to be a big issue, then who cares, the rear brakes aren't working to their full potential anyways. Stop harping on drum brakes just because they were found on older cars. It's like the people who complain about pushrod engines, or cars with torque converters instead of dual clutch. Just Buzzwords man.