13WL Brake Upgrade

Hey All,

I know I will catch some crap about bringing this thread up again, but I am having a hard time finding clear answers on this topic.

It is time to do the brake upgrade on my '02. I want to purchase new calipers, pads, rotors, stainless brake lines, and possibly spacers (not brake related). I have seen some kits on Amazon, but it does not clearly display if it is the 13WL or 231mm caliper.

What products have you all used? Any brands to avoid?

Also, are there any other parts I should replace while I'm at it?

Thanks in advance,

Mike

 

RockAuto is your friend.

Tundras had their brakes updated in the middle of the 2002 year, so some 2002 kits will be 13WE (the one you don't want) and some will be 13WL (the one you do want)...all 2003-2006 Tundra kits should be 13WL. Notice in the two links below, the first one is for a 2002 Tundra and lists both kits, while the second one is for a 2003 Tundra and only lists the 13WL kit.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...heel+hub,caliper,+rotor+&+brake+pad+kit,14204

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...heel+hub,caliper,+rotor+&+brake+pad+kit,14204

If you choose to go the Amazon route, just make sure you buy one that is good on 2003-2006 Tundras, it will fit your 2002 and will be 13WL...

 

I did this kit on my wifes 02 Sequoia two years ago. It has performed flawlessly.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6516108&cc=1431003&jsn=4

 

Perfect, that is the exact kit I had my eye on.

Thanks for the advice guys.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

One other thing, what stainless brake lines has everyone used? I'm wanting to go front and rear. Thanks.

 

The red ones obviously add 5hp:

 

Haha have to get red.

 

But the black ones add 19.36 rwhp and 37.42 tq!

 

If they charge you a core for 13wl calipers, are they gonna be ok getting 13we for a core return?

 

Actually the year split is 2003, not 2002, 2004 and up have 13WL. 13WG is another option, it is the same caliper with slightly different angle on the brake line fitting.

Core trade should be fine.

 

Yeah, I don't imagine they will even look at which caliper is being returned. But I will let you know when I send them in!

 

Check out the ‘Better Braking Brakes Easy’ thread for some tips on how the adjust your Load Sensing Proportioning Valve.

Made a huge difference on my truck. 02’ like yours.

From memory, Darkness said in another thread the brake upgrade you are considering isn’t all that much of an impact for the work cost/involved? I have the ‘dreaded’ WE calipers and they warped my rotors the first year. I tow/haul sometimes and would nurse trips by being slow and deliberate.

My LSPV nuts were bottomed out from factory and ended up raising them to the middle. A commentor created a thread about this adjustment is the only reason I found out about it. Probably the best ‘upgrade’ mod I’ve done to the truck and its free! Only took 15 years to figure out. Truck stops way better now as the rear drums are sharing the work. Before they were non-existent which explains why the drums never wore out in 15 years.

Give it a go and see what you think. Takes less than 5 minutes to perform at no cost.

 

https://www.tundras.com/threads/better-braking-brakes-easy.33217/

 

The LSPV was already adjusted all the way up and the previous owner complained about how the brakes were always a problem. After pulling the records from the dealerships, it looks like the brakes had been "serviced" (whatever that means) by dealerships multiple times. I live in Montana (lots of mountain passes), and do quite a bit of towing/hauling. The labor involved in swapping calipers/rotors is minor compared the fighting warped rotors. Better to resolve this issue now instead of having to deal with it later while away from the garage.

I also plan on purchasing a slide-in camper to make our hunting/fishing trips around the country a little more luxury (we are pretty much over tent camping at this point).

 

Sweet. Keep us posted on those brakes install. I wonder if your LSPV is adjusted too high? Not enough front brake now? Just curious as I’ve not taken mine past the middle.

 

That is a good question. Once I have some brakes up front that are able to take some of the workload without warping the rotors I might tinker with the setting.

 

I just did mine on my 2001 and got my parts online and from local stores. The supplies I used are listed below and were purchased from Autozone/Advance Auto:

13WL calipers (I gave them back the 13WE cores and they didn't even look at them, mission accomplished)
Rotors-same size as OEM
Dremel/cutting tool to cut back the brake dust shield
Brake pads for 13WL calipers
PB Blaster
A long breaker bar
Beer (essential)

 

The only thing left to pick up are the beers.

 

Alright, now you guys need to redo the rear drums and give us a full write up.

 

Depending on how the front swap goes, I might open up the drums and take a look. Last time I opened the drums on a 3rd gen 4Runner I ended up having to replace the rear axle seals too.

 

You notice a huge change in braking? Or, slightly better?

 

Slightly better. Definitely grabs more evenly throughout pedal travel, though pedal travel is longer. My confidence in braking has increased, and stopping distance seems a bit shorter-though I haven't measured it.

As for the drums-I opened them yesterday when I rotated my tires because the left rear was squeaking a bit on brake release.

Pretty sure everything inside was straight from the factory. I only have 135k miles on my truck and the shoes are fairly worn but not completely gone.

I emptied a whole bottle of brake cleaner on them and you should have SEEN the black liquid that dripped out from the years of brake dust build up, absolutely disgusting.

 

Almost as important as the calipers

 

How can someone find out if they have the better brakes on their 2003? Build date was March 2003 if I remember correctly. Been wanting to get better brakes for a while now. What would you recommend as an upgrade?

 

Take a peek at the back of the calipers. It'll say what they are. Look at the calipers on here and you can see 13WL on them.

 

Thank you fine sir

 

Did yours clear 16" wheels? I'm looking at mine and it looks like the aftermarket wheels won't clear 13WL calipers just by simple tape measure.

 

Depends on the aftermarket wheel. Myself and a few others run 13WLs 16" with aftermarket wheels. Here's the clearance on 16" Methods.

 

My 16” American Eagles clear my 13WLs.

 

I have mine high. I will snap a pic and edit this post. It helped but i have not had significant weight in bed to test. I had about 600 plus my box its it was / choppy when braking. Or scary. Def felt like front or rear we not working in tandem. Lmk if you guys think its to high. But it feels better at its daily weight set hi. I prob need to stop being lazy and turn rotors or wl's. Damn started pouring again. Ill get better one later lol