Concern With Braking System?

[Newbridge]

Hi all,

I have been reading the posts here for a while, lot's of genuine Toyota enthusiasts and lot's of good advice available.

I have an issue and I'm looking for any assistance or advice that anyone can provide. I am a big Toyota fan, I currently drive a 2003 1.6 petrol Avensis Luna (old model). This is my second Avensis, I think they are a great car except for one thing which I have a real concern for and that is the BRAKES!. I feel that the brakes are not adequate for the car itself. I have had on occasions to rely on the brakes for emergencies and I have felt that that the brakes are not effective, it can take quite a while to stop the car (taking speed & distance etc. into the equation). It's hard to describe the sensation but it feels like when you press the brake pedal all the way down the car doesn't slow down as quickly as it should and in emergency situations time is of the essence. I have also experienced a rolling or shuddering feeling when applying the brakes quickly and at times like the grip of the brake has been taken off only then to be re-applied by itself, this can cause the car to almost skid a short distance before coming to a stop - could it be the ABS?. It's important to point out that this also occurred on my previous Avensis, a '99 model. I have driven other cars and do not experience this problem, namely my sons VW Passat which I feel has excellent brakes. To cut a long story short I have got on to my Toyota dealer who has tested the brakes and confirms they are fine. He brought me out for a trip down the road and applied the brakes vigurously however in my opinion this type of test is fundamentally different to a real life situation when you need to really call on & rely on your brakes, as the human reaction is going to be different. I have also been on to Toyota Ireland who have not been of much help so as a last resort I'm turing to the Web. I can't find any reports out there relating to any concerns with brakes which now means I may have to face up to asking myself is it just me!?... however I still cannot help feeling that the brakes are poor when you need them, everything else about the car is fantastic and Toyota are great however if I could just get some assistance on this issue which would help give me some closure I would be extremely grateful. Thanks in advance for any help or advice that can be given.

Mark

Ireland

[jamesholden]

I would have to agree that the brakes are not brilliant but I have driven worse.

To people who have not driven things with better brakes in a standard car then they will feel great because they are not bad either, but I must say emergency stops are not something to look forward to in the Avensis, the brakes were better in my old Primera and a Honda Accord that dad had.

[stublee]

I have an issue and I'm looking for any assistance or advice that anyone can provide. I am a big Toyota fan, I currently drive a 2003 1.6 petrol Avensis Luna (old model). This is my second Avensis, I think they are a great car except for one thing which I have a real concern for and that is the BRAKES!. I feel that the brakes are not adequate for the car itself.

I have a 2002 Avensis GS Estate discs allround and I have to say I don't have any problem with the brakes ..... in fact when I have had to stop in an emergency theyve done the job more than adequately! :D

[css]

Hi Mark,

I've found that on my 99 avensis with drum brakes at the back, the brakes are not great. But I have also found it can be down a lot to your tyre choice and the road conditions.. in the dry the brakes are great, in the wet when the ABS kicks in, you can get a few hairy moments.. Does your car have discs all around?

[matty2767]

you mention the car skids sometimes. is this at low speeds as when braking hard to start with the abs will work then as you get below 5mph the abs will shut off. otherwise you will never stop.

compared to my vw polo (with disks all round) the avensis (new model) brakes feel 75% as good. in the polo it seems like it will stop on the spot. however the polo weighs 1050kg so the avensis must be another 300+ kg more which will take longer to slow down.

you could try drawing a line on your road. drive down at 30mph and nail the brakes and measure the distance it takes to stop and see if it compares to the manufacturers figures

[Avensis116]

Hi.

I have a 2003 Avensis sw and i had to use the brakes hard for 2 times and i must say i almost took a byte out off the weel of so hard it brake and it almost stoped on the spot. My father in law has a Audi A4 and it doesent brake has well as my Avensis.

But that's my point of viewe.

Try putting some good tires in.

GOOD luck

[ST220-3SGTE]

Upgrade the drums on the rear to discs. I did this because my avensis will put out aproximately 300 horsepower when my engine swap is completely finished. I changed it to discs a few months before i began with the swap. And i must say that if the avensis has discbrakes on the back the stopping power is much much bigger than with drums with much more feel in the pedal. I measured with my g-tech pro that my breaking distance from 100 km - 0 km was 10 metres shorter than with drums, feels like throwing an anchor out. And i only measured twice. Maybe with more testing i could have done better. When my car is finished i am also going to replace the front brakes with big brakes to handle the power. If you are upgrading to discs don't forget to get the little thing under the hood (don't know the name in english) that determines how much pressure goes to the front and rear wheels. (the part looks the same but has a different colour. connections are the same.) Because else the rear wheels will get too much power compared to the front and that is the same effect as pulling the handbrake while driving. Also get the cables that will connect to the handbrake, these are different too.

Succes with the brakes.

Greetings Sander

[css]

would you happen to have a part number for the new controller you are referring to? Is it the ABS controller you are talking about btw?

Cheers.

C.