Does it have ABS?
Is the brake pedal sinking to the floor?
Is the steering wheel shaking when you step on the brakes?
How fast are you going to stop at a certain amount of distance are you not happy with?

 

It does have ABS, and I did the brakes recently -- it didn't noticeably improve. Maybe I'll bring it in to my mechanic and see if he thinks the brakes are soft.

I'm just comparing it to rental cars I've driven recently, like a new Altima and a Sonata. Both had brakes that were far better. And my friend with a 2004 BMW 325xi said my car brakes like a Buick :/

 

You're comparing apples to oranges. All of those vehicles have different designs for brakes, especially BMW. And on top of that, most rentals are recent cars so I assume 2012+, a huge age gap from your '02. I do maintenance on a few Bimmer's and let me tell you those brakes are not a joke, even worse on M cars.

A few things that come to mind you can try but isn't a guaranteed "will work":
1. Replace brake fluid and bleed properly
2. Check calipers/replace if necessary, even upgrade to dual piston calipers from a Highlander (I believe they will fit a gen 5 but not sure, they do on the gen 6)
3. Upgrade to more grippy pads like Hawk (these are used in racing, and GRIP, some don't like it for everyday driving)
4. Stainless steel brake lines

 

My experience:

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...eneration-2002-2006-2007-2011/1060585-oem-brake-pads-high-performance-pads.html

 

Just bear in mind that this gen Camry is known to have crappy brakes. I could not improve mine much with doing most of the stuff here and took it to the dealer for a check and they said "Normal behavior of brakes".

 

I wouldn't say they are crappy. I would say they feel crappy. I know on my 02 they feel soft, yet if you press them good they will stop the car quickly. At least mine have never filed to stop the car in a short enough distance.

 

The brakes on the Gen5 were not very 'responsive' for most people.

Hows your suspension? Suspension can make a huge difference in braking. If your suspension is worn out, excessive nose dive can occur when braking causing you to feel like your brakes are not biting as much as you'd like. When all the weight shifts forward, you'll need to apply more brakes to get the same stopping power versus if the car stays more evenly during braking.

Braking power between my 2004 SE I4 5spd and my 2004 XLE V6 is quite night and day even though the SE has smaller front discs VS the V6. Mostly I think contributes to the noticeably soft springs in XLE.

 

I would add that upsizing the wheels from 15 to 17"ers has reduced nose-diving/lunging quite a bit. That and the performance pads make the 2005 Camry braking very effective.

 

That's the way it is. Like my 04 V6 but the brakes a *^%@#%.

 

I like the car I feel the same way. I've been investigating this for some time. When I had my 1992 Acura Legend Mine was the L model. with single piston front brakes I was able to upgrade to the LS two Piston plus rotors. Easy and cheap and it worked.

I was thinking about the Lexus ES series of the same years. Does the ES have duel or single calipers Rotors? That would be idea considering its a Lexus should be better than Camry eh?! My friend told me about Stop tech with a more bite with out upsizing my OEM wheels.

 

The 3ES and + shared the same brakes as the V6 Camry AFAIK. Only the 2ES had the dual piston brakes (ES300 94-96 1MZFE). 95-97 Avalon ABS are dual. 1994-1996 V6 Camry w/ ABS was dual. Not sure if this would work on the Gen5.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...103-3rd-4th-generation-1992-1996-1997-2001/298359-ls400-brakes-gen3-4-done.html

If anything, you could just go big brake upgrade, but you would need factory 17" minimal.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1.../104-5th-6th-generation-2002-2006-2007-2011/393447-cheap-big-brake-upgrade.html

 

Replace your OEM rotors and pads with better stuff. I have EBC Ultimax slotted rotors (around $220) and Wagner TermoQuiet pads ($40) - very noticeable improvement in initial bite, more stopping and no fading.

 

OE and generic pads are pathetic but work fine for the daily driver.

Simply pick better pads for your brake job.

I would start now with a good brake bleed and generic bed-in procedure. If that doesn't help, get new GG rated pads and solid rotors.

BTW, the OE brakes are usually better than OE tires. And, Toyota pedals tend to be slow and over boosted with no feel compared to other makes. It's the perfect ol' fart's brake pedal. Braided rubber caliper hoses and different brake fluid can make the pedal feel better.

Anyone with brake issues should mention pad/rotor/fluid brands and part numbers, and if they have any weight adding mods like 24" wheels or a few 18" subwoofers.

 

the Akebono ASP908 high-performance pads linked above are in fact GG rated...and do improve my braking.

 

A lot of people rave the Akebono pads eh? Good for the Camry too?

I used them in my IS250. Braking is sooo soo much better with almost no dust. Bites so much now after new brake pads all around and bleed brakes. Only thing is they chatter upon bumps (that annoying metal to metal 'clunk'). Might need new pad clips?