09 Camry Brake travel and feel

[Dragon88]

First let me say that I have searched though the previous threads on Camry brakes and found mostly info on Gen 5s, so I decided to start a new thread for mine.

I have an 09 Camry SE with 26k miles. The brakes have felt weak since I first got the car, which is seemingly a common problem with the Camrys. Today I replaced the stock Proxes J33s, which were completely worn out, with Bridgestone Turanza Serenity tires. They feel quite nice so far, but I felt little or no improvement in braking. My issue is that I have to begin braking quite early under normal city driving, say as I am approaching a red light or backed up traffic. Trying to stop suddenly shows a lack of responsiveness from the brakes, long pedal travel, and quite a long stopping distance. I know the Camry is a heavy car, but I would really like to improve this.

My 30k maintenance is coming up soon and I will have the dealership check this out during the maintenance. What should I ask for? Will new pads improve braking performance? Do the dealerships commonly have some type of upgrade for the pads available? What other options might I consider, such as bleeding the brake lines?

The only brake work I have had done so far was to have the rotors turned, they were warped after my car sat in storage for five months while I was deployed last year. The dealership did this under warranty at no cost and the vibration was fixed completely. I have no vibration problems or squealing, and the car does stop ok...eventually.

Thanks for any suggestions you can offer.

[sxe-10]

you can improve brake feel and brake distance quite easily actually, dont go to the dealer, they will just say things like "oh its normal or its working under normal parameters", go and buy some good brake fluid dot3 or higher and have a garage flush the stock fluids and bleed the brake lines. Make sure they pump the brakes really hard so that all the air get outs. If that doesnt do it for you, then you can look into hawk street+ pads or ebc green stuff. Pads + flush , you will notice immediate improvement over stock. Hope that helps.

[MJZ]

How many cars have you driven? I've done the whole stable of Zipcars, various rentals etc.. the Camry has the BEST brakes I've ever used. They perfectly modulate so you can stop *exactly* how quickly and where you want to, whereas other brakes are either too touchy (jerk and go) or too much mush.

I think it does around a 60-0 stopping distance of around 130 feet, which is not excellent but not weak at all.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features...tion-tech_dept

[njerald]

Rotors do not warp by sitting.

Start by bleeding the brakes....

My brakes were fine when new and are still great after 48,000 miles.

[Dragon88]

I drive rentals several times a year when traveling, and very rarely find one with worse braking (to me) than the Camry. These brakes are smooth and comfortable as long as you can plan your stop and start early. It's when I have to make a very sudden stop, or decelerate suddenly to make a sharp turn, that the issue is most noticeable. That feeling of barely being able to stop in time to avoid something isn't very fun. Load transfer can also be very dramatic under quick deceleration, though I suppose that's more due to the weight of the car than the brakes. I realize my brakes may be in normal working condition, I guess I'm just looking for ways to improve them.

Would bleeding the brakes normally be necessary on a car with 26k miles?

[MJZ]

Originally Posted by Dragon88

I drive rentals several times a year when traveling, and very rarely find one with worse braking (to me) than the Camry. These brakes are smooth and comfortable as long as you can plan your stop and start early. It's when I have to make a very sudden stop, or decelerate suddenly to make a sharp turn, that the issue is most noticeable. That feeling of barely being able to stop in time to avoid something isn't very fun. Load transfer can also be very dramatic under quick deceleration, though I suppose that's more due to the weight of the car than the brakes. I realize my brakes may be in normal working condition, I guess I'm just looking for ways to improve them.

Would bleeding the brakes normally be necessary on a car with 26k miles?

I think you are not using your brakes correctly... under hard braking, the car's stopping feedback is instantaneous, the throw you against the seatbelt kind.

But perhaps my tires are better for braking than stock (they are $220 Michelin Pilot Sport A/S P Z-rated 18").

[JohnGD]

Sure, seems like many people complaint about weak brakes too. I'd ask the service writer to document it in writing so you have the record of raising the question about its effectiveness. Beyond that ask if they can give you new pads (ask for Akebonos) or bleed the system while tickling the ABS module.

Originally Posted by Dragon88

First let me say that I have searched though the previous threads on Camry brakes and found mostly info on Gen 5s, so I decided to start a new thread for mine.

I have an 09 Camry SE with 26k miles. The brakes have felt weak since I first got the car, which is seemingly a common problem with the Camrys. Today I replaced the stock Proxes J33s, which were completely worn out, with Bridgestone Turanza Serenity tires. They feel quite nice so far, but I felt little or no improvement in braking. My issue is that I have to begin braking quite early under normal city driving, say as I am approaching a red light or backed up traffic. Trying to stop suddenly shows a lack of responsiveness from the brakes, long pedal travel, and quite a long stopping distance. I know the Camry is a heavy car, but I would really like to improve this.

My 30k maintenance is coming up soon and I will have the dealership check this out during the maintenance. What should I ask for? Will new pads improve braking performance? Do the dealerships commonly have some type of upgrade for the pads available? What other options might I consider, such as bleeding the brake lines?

The only brake work I have had done so far was to have the rotors turned, they were warped after my car sat in storage for five months while I was deployed last year. The dealership did this under warranty at no cost and the vibration was fixed completely. I have no vibration problems or squealing, and the car does stop ok...eventually.

Thanks for any suggestions you can offer.