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Toyota Camry: Brake Modifications

Find out how you can fit effective brake upgrades within your budget to make sure your Toyota Camry stops on a dime every time.

By AJ Mawley - July 22, 2015

This article applies to Toyota Camry (1997-2011).

Your braking system is made of a few simple components that are relatively simple to replace. These components include brake pads, rotors, stainless steel brake lines, and a Big Brake Kit (BBK). Another overlooked aspect of the braking system is brake fluid. This hydraulic fluid can be flushed and refilled with a more performance-oriented brake fluid like ATE DOT 4 brake fluid. This will reduce stopping distances and reduce brake fade due to boiling of brake fluid. The braking system is activated when you depress the brake pedal. This in turn causes the brake fluid to be displaced which eventually causes the brake pad to push against the rotor. This massive amount of friction causes your wheels to slow down and stop the vehicle.

This simplified explanation can be used to justify the effects of various brake upgrades. Upgrading your brake pads to a more efficient material like ceramic will create less dust and noise. Other compounds will reduce stopping power at the cost of more brake dust and noise. Upgrading your brake rotors to a finned, drilled, and slotted model will allow the rotor and pad to cool faster and provide better braking efficiency for a longer period. Upgrading to stainless steel lines improves brake feel and inspires driver confidence. For the ultimate upgrade, a big brake kit comes with new lines, brake pads, rotors, and calipers to significantly reduce stopping distance.

Explore the options below if you are looking for any brake upgrade as there are options for every budget and end goal. For those who want to keep their Toyota Camry "factory original," there is the TRD Camry BBK. For those on a budget, check out the other simple yet effective options available on the market.

    Figure 1. Toyota TRD brake kit.

Brake Pads

DIY Time – Two hours

DIY Cost – $50-200

Professional Cost – $200-350

Difficulty Level – Easy; A few simple tools and patience will make this a very easy job. This is a great way to get experience with working on your braking system.

Installing aftermarket brake pads can be beneficial to nearly every Camry on the road. There's a wide range of pad upgrades from the low-dust, quiet ceramic pads to the heavy-dust, noisy race pad. A great low-cost ceramic brake pad is the Wagner Thermoquiet. These are available for under $50 online and produce much less dust and noise than the original factory brake pads; they are also more resistant to heat. This resistance to heat allows you to brake for longer periods of time without brake fade.

For someone who enjoys spirited driving, a great compromise between a street pad and a track pad is the Hawk HPS. This pad will produce slightly more dust and noise than your average ceramic pad, but will be substantially more resistant to fading. The most extreme pads available are track pads. These pads require some time to warm up before they produce their maximum potential stopping power, which makes them less desirable on the street. These pads also create a great amount of dust and are very noisy. Recommended for those who desire better stopping power and don't mind a bit of extra dust.

Brake Rotors

DIY Time – Two hours

DIY Cost – $100-250

Professional Cost – $250-400

Difficulty Level – Moderate; Replacing rotors requires some mechanical experience, but patience is key.

A brake rotor upgrade is important for those wanting maximum brake performance. The most common aspects of an upgraded brake rotor are to be finned, drilled, and slotted. A finned brake rotor allows heat to dissipate through the center of the rotor and leads to reduced brake fade. A trade-off of this design is that the rotor is less resistant to cracking and is not as structurally strong as a solid rotor. A drilled rotor either has small dimples or small holes drilled along the surface of the rotor. This design allows hot gases from the brake pad to escape into these dimples and holes, thus providing more efficient braking. The downside to this brake rotor is that they are usually more expensive and reduce brake pad life. A slotted rotor works similarly to a drilled rotor and has the same trade-offs.

In recent years, the car community advocates buying blank rotors. These rotors are the cheapest, most structurally sound, and provide the longest pad life. However, these do not provide the benefits described above with the finned, drilled and slotted rotors, but they are great for track racers since they are cheap. Recommended for those who have more money to spend and desire taking braking power to the next level.

Stainless Steel Brake Lines

DIY Time – One hour

DIY Cost – $100-150

Professional Cost – $200-250

Difficulty Level – Easy; Simple tools and patience make this job a breeze.

This simple mod can be enjoyed by anyone. Stainless steel has many benefits over rubber hosing, including better brake feel and resistance to wear and binding. If you are not in search of the ultimate brake feel and you daily drive your car, your money might be better spent on quality brake pads and rotors. For those who drive their Camry on the track, these brake lines help tremendously as they are resistant to wear and have a higher heat capacity than rubber hosing. Recommended for someone who wants to establish every part of their brake system in a performance direction.

Big Brake Kit (BBK)

DIY Time – Five or more hours

DIY Cost – $1,500+

Professional Cost – $2,000+

Difficulty Level – Hard; Substantial mechanical experience required as some installations require fabrication.

You are looking at the ultimate brake upgrade. For those who want that awesome big caliper look and unparalleled stopping power, there is no alternative to the BBK. Although they are generally expensive, they come with everything you need to upgrade your braking power, including pads, rotors, brake lines, larger calipers etc. The TRD kit is highly regarded as it is produced by Toyota and provides great stopping power. Starting with a good set of pads and rotors can go a long way and will allow you to gauge if you need more stopping power before investing in a BBK. Recommended for the driver who desires nothing less than the best for braking performance.

Pro Tip

Proper maintenance of brake fluid and following procedures when installing these modifications will ensure you get the maximum benefit from your investment.

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