Brakes are an integral safety item and the system should only be modified by a professional. Any modifications from stock are done at your own risk. 4x4.rocks shall not be held liable.

The first and probably best upgrade is a simple bolt-on swap — the power brake booster. Switching this out to a newer dual diaphragm model is probably the most noticeable seat-of-the-pants upgrade you can do to your brake system.

Swapping to a dual diaphragm booster found in late '80s to mid '90s Toyotas is a direct swap with the earlier versions.

The dual diaphragm model is easily distinguished by the step up in the housing on the booster, unlike the single diaphragm models which have a smooth, uniform shape.

I recommend doing this at the same time as the booster swap. Some of the T-100s as well as the one-ton Toyotas (also found from late '80s to mid '90s) have a master cylinder with a 1.065" bore — a drastic improvement over the stock 0.8125" bore.

Again, this is a direct bolt-in swap.

The third upgrade is to swap out the rotors and calipers for a newer, larger version. There are several different options here — everything from IFS calipers with Land Cruiser rotors to newer Tundra calipers and rotors.

Your wheel size is a large factor here. I don't believe the Tundra parts will work if you are running a 15" wheel. There is much contradicting information on the web about this.

Personally, I did the IFS hub swap and used '97 Tacoma rotors with '89 IFS calipers. By swapping the calipers to the outside of the mounting ears and adding a small spacer, I was able to locate the calipers properly to work with the Tacoma rotors. ***NOTE: BE SURE TO CLEARANCE YOUR CALIPERS ENOUGH TO ACCOMODATE THE LARGER ROTORS. IF YOU DONT YOU RUN THE RISK OF BREAKING A ROTOR. I WENT THROUGH TWO NEW ROTORS BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO ISOLATE THE CAUSE***

• Marlin Crawler — IFS hub swap & caliper setup
• Pirate4x4 — IFS hub solid axle widening method write‑up

Last but not least, I eliminated the load sensing valve located inline with the rear brakes. This allows the rear brakes to work better in my opinion.

Some say an adjustable proportioning valve must be added inline to prevent the rears from locking up too soon. Personally, I didn't add one and my brakes work great without issue.

• Marlin Crawler — Load sensing valve elimination

The combination of all these mods should leave you with a brake system that will stop on a dime, regardless of tire size:

• Dual diaphragm brake booster — best single upgrade
• Larger master cylinder (1.065" bore) — direct bolt-in
• Larger rotors & calipers — multiple swap options available
• Load sensing valve elimination — improved rear braking

⚠ Reminder: Brakes are a critical safety system. Any modifications from stock should be performed by a qualified professional. All modifications are done at your own risk.