2010 Vigo Brakes Too Sensitive?

[bkksw]

I bought my Vigo last February after selling my 2004 Fortuner. At the time I remember thinking "dam_n! These brakes are sensitive" and much more powerful than on the Fortuner.

Over the last 8000km's the brakes remain very powerful, never squeak or make noise, and are seemingly exceedingly fine.. except for the sensitivity increasing even more. To be more descriptive they're not as progressive as in the Fortuner.. for a small bit of travel the brakes come on very strong. This reminds me of the over boosted brake performance of late 80's American sedans with a luxury tilt..

Anyway.. hate it.. and I'm curious if anyone else has or is experiencing the same and if you found a fix?

It's funny.. with the Fortuner I came very close to a Brembo front/rear upgrade just because they'd fade so severely in the mountains and never seemed to be strong enough.. yet the Vigo feels as strong as you'd think a pickup should be.. very powerful.. and I'm more close to looking into a Brembo upgrade than I was with the Fortuner just to improve drivability.. though I realize the problem is probably a power booster design issue..

Any input would be appreciated.

[angiud]

Maybe for the weight difference between Fortuner and Vigo?

[Lickey]

Bkksw, find a long downhill road, select neutral, turn off engine, dab the brakes a couple of times, to exhaust the servo, then try progressive braking to bring you to a stop, is the feedback from the pedal better now?

Alternately, put a ton of sandbags or something heavy in the back, this will bring the rear brakes into play more,

Yes, you are right, i agree with you that changing the discs/pads wont help, its a master cylinder issue,

[bkksw]

Maybe for the weight difference between Fortuner and Vigo?

I considered that and I do wonder how much more a Fortuner can weigh over a 4 door Vigo.. the Vigo has a longer wheelbase and longer body.. Pretty much the same car to the back of the second row of seats and then you have the weight of the bed/cap compared to a much shorter stretch of body/third seat area.. Can't be that much.

And I also considered that in the 5-6 year model year difference they've probably upgraded the brakes significantly and judging by their stopping power they have.

But mostly it's a matter of drivability which is unfortunate because the rest of the truck is very well balanced, great steering weight with good road feedback, not too much body roll, and an excellent powertrain.. the brakes sensitivity just seems way out of place.

[bkksw]

Bkksw, find a long downhill road, select neutral, turn off engine, dab the brakes a couple of times, to exhaust the servo, then try progressive braking to bring you to a stop, is the feedback from the pedal better now?

Alternately, put a ton of sandbags or something heavy in the back, this will bring the rear brakes into play more,

Yes, you are right, i agree with you that changing the discs/pads wont help, its a master cylinder issue,

I don't mind sandbags and their weight when there's snow and nice on the road.. but to me it's not a fix for something like this.

This servo doesn't seem to exhaust itself. And if you stop hard the rear brakes seem in proportion to the front.

Maybe it's just me.. but I'm still curious how any other 2010 Vigo owners feel about this.

[bkksw]

If me l would take it back to dealer for them to test drive it. If your ride has traction control, which l believe is now controlled by brake application, there could be a problem. Remember Toyota has upgraded the brakes on 2010 Vigo's so could just be the improvement.

I remember when l first drove an unladen heavy goods truck with air brakes, just touched the pedal and everything locked up, took a while to master it.

I don't think the Vigo has traction control.. at least none that I've noticed. And it is a 4wd if that makes a difference.

I did take it back and they took me out for a drive and the mechanic said all the new ones are this way. I suspect he's correct so I'll be calling Toyota and see if I can get a regional tech rep to listen to me.

[VocalNeal]

Bkksw,

Many years ago I drove a Simca van with over servoed brakes, and it was very light. Now I prefer brakes that way I find them easier to modulate that ones I have to step on. Eventually you will get used to it. You just have to caress the brake pedal rather than stepping on the brake pedal like driving a bus.If you must fix them then change the servo for one from a 2004 Fortuner.

Edited July 26, 2010 by VocalNeal