Thread: Venza Brake Improvements?

Does anyone know of an upgrade to the OEM brakes on a Venza? I am not happy with the OEM brakes, stopping power is not that great, it is my first Toyota, have had Honda's for the last 25 years, liked the look of the Venza over the Accord Crosstour. I have 20" tires, was not happy with the tires (Goodyear RSA), they were installed by Toyota because of the limited 20" tires available, in snow they were a joke.
With the 20" tires, the rotors provided are TOO SMALL to brake adequately, does anyone know of a aftermarket brake kit for the Venza? Overall, Toyota got the vehicle right, it just needs a few tweeks. I called TRD, they do not have plans for a brake kit for the Venza.

The tires were replaced with Continental Extreme Contact DWS (Dry,Wet,Snow), had to go with a 255/45/20. UTQG 520 A A. Tire Rack had the best price, most Discount Tire shops will match
or come very close to the Tire Racks price. These tires are great, I liked them so much, I had them installed on my 2009 Honda Accord. If you have any ideas for improving the brakes on a Venza, I'm all ears.

It took me a while to get use to the braking with my Venza and everyone I know said I was nuts when I said it felt to me like the brakes come to me even with out pressing harder on the brake pedal I was basically saying that it never felt like I needed to press harder to get more brake the longer I was on the break the harder the car would break, since I have got use to them its been pretty good but nothing like the braking on my old 4runner that's for sure, I swear I could brake so hard in the 4runner it would lift the rear tires off the ground .

I forget the stopping distance but it was pretty good for a vehicle as heavy as the Venza. You can try changing the brake pads to EBC or something and add some steel braided brake lines.

I'm equally not impressed with the braking power. I have the I4 and lets just say, I'm not stopping on a dime.

Then again, I've had my car for 1000 miles, perhaps it could get better once the breaks get in their groove?

I called Stop tech, the maker of the TRD Big brake kits. They suggested new rotors and brake pads. The total for the pads and 4 rotors was $500. i should receive the parts soon. I purchased the parts from Zeckhausen Racing, these guys know their stuff, they explained to me what I needed and did not try and over sell me. They had the best price on pads and rotors from http://zeckhausen.com

Boy I sure don't notice any issues with the OEM brakes on our Venza...........it'll put you through the windshield if you want it to.

From Edmunds road test...........
http://www.insideline.com/toyota/ven...full-test.html

The Venza stops in 121 feet from 60 mph, which is above average for the segment. The brakes also exhibit good fade resistance thanks to relatively large 12.8-inch front rotors.

Pretty darn good for a 2 Ton vehicle........IMHO, I sure don't see the need to spend $500+ to upgrade something that already works quite well.

Rest of the data..........

Track Test Results
0-45 mph (sec.) 5.9
0-60 mph (sec.) 9.3
0-75 mph (sec.) 13.9
1/4-mile (sec. @ mph) 16.8 @ 82.5
0-60 with 1 foot of rollout (sec.) 9
Braking, 30-0 mph (ft.) 31
60-0 mph (ft.) 121
Slalom, 6 x 100 ft. (mph) 63.6
Skid pad, 200-ft. diameter (lateral g) 0.77
Sound level @ idle (dB) 42.4
@ Full throttle (dB) 72.4
@ 70 mph cruise (dB) 69.4

Just about getting near the 5k mark and I have noticed a much better feel then the first 1 to 2k miles with my brakes it might just be me though I was so use the brakes in my 4 runner that would literally put you threw the window being so unbalanced to the front.

Scott, Brian thanks for the break information (and reassurance!). Maybe its just my confidence is not there in the breaks, yet, but they do feel a bit mushy.

If they'll improve around 5k, I'll drive safely until then (joking).

The Venza has softer brakes. The pedal travels more and the brake force is much more gradual compared to my Matrix and Sienna. However it has really strong brakes. Once you slam on the brakes it stops the heavy weight champion in a heart beat! I read in another forum that they designed the rakes as two stage brakes, softer, more gradual on top, then strong on the lower portion of the travel. Remember, it also has brake assist. That works great. I have used the brake assist in my van and it stops the sienna in shorter distance than a Civic!

I have no problems with the brakes. Coming from a 4-runner it seems to stop the same.