Front brake upgrade

[turnerjr]

Hi all. Has anyone done the 2 pot brake upgrade on their Alphard / vellfires? I’m pretty sure the Lexus NX front calipers with a 330mm disc will bolt straight on. I’m just wondering if anyone has done this or has them already fitted?

[BigNev]

Hello there!

I've been considering this after reading it suggested somewhere!

My brakes are absolutely fine, I fitted new discs and pads by Apec shortly after we got it last November, no concerns at all, but I'm still tempted!

 

Do you have any pointers?

 

One note I did make was that the calipers ref "4533" should be the ones, from Lexus range and Toyota RAV 4.

Cheers!

[turnerjr]

Hi Nev,

My brakes are also fine, discs and pads all round are in great condition although I don’t know which brand they are. (They came fitted when I imported it)

I can’t help but feel the brakes could be much better, especially fully loaded with people or luggage. 
yes Lexus and Rav 4’s use the 2 pots, they are also fitted to the Alphard / Vellfire G’s edition I believe.

There is another option using a disc and pad setup from a tuning company in Japan using our existing set up which should see significant improvements.

At £560 a set though, I can’t decide which way to go!

 

[BigNev]

I can say ours had a jolly good testing last week away to Wales, 4 of us, loaded up, including the kitchen sink - my 3 always pack enough for the available space......

 

A couple of rapid haul ups gave me no thoughts at all about the brakes.

Ours has a little more free play at the top of the pedal travel (but it's still not a lot) than than other stuff we've had.

It's not a firm, hard feeling, (yes, I know, I need to get my act together and go out and rebleed them!) on the pedal, but with only gentle pressure on the pedal it pulls up no mither.

 

But so what, I still might want to have a tinker with them 😀

[BigNev]

Does that company say how they can improve the braking significantly, without swapping calipers or disc size?

Just disc type and pads?

 

Yes, an improvement can be made with a softer pad material, at the expense of longevity and dust.

Or a material that works really well when hot, as per track day cars and bikes, which wouldn't any good for the road.

Edited June 5 by BigNev

[Rojie]

15 hours ago, BigNev said:

I can say ours had a jolly good testing last week away to Wales, 4 of us, loaded up, including the kitchen sink - my 3 always pack enough for the available space......

 

A couple of rapid haul ups gave me no thoughts at all about the brakes.

Ours has a little more free play at the top of the pedal travel (but it's still not a lot) than than other stuff we've had.

It's not a firm, hard feeling, (yes, I know, I need to get my act together and go out and rebleed them!) on the pedal, but with only gentle pressure on the pedal it pulls up no mither.

 

But so what, I still might want to have a tinker with them 😀

 

The handbook cites free play, i.e. no pressure increase as 1 to 6mm.

 

Distance to floor when pressed with 490N should be greater than 59mm.

 

Hopefully, this data may help you assess the brake travel.

 

I believe comparing the brakes of any vehicle against any other dissimilar vehicle is not that meaningful as there are so many variables.

 

So owners, I believe, have fitted braided brake pipes to improve the feel.

 

A serious point, check you have the driver's seat adjusted correctly to your physical characteristics.

[BigNev]

Hiya Roger, thanks for those numbers, much appreciated!

You've cajoled me into setting myself the aim of getting on it this weekend!

 

I do agree, so much can affect the way brakes feel. I seem to remember a few VW cars I drove felt like they were very "over servo'd" - way too much brake for very little pressure. 

 

I always used to change hoses on my motorcycles, but as yet never felt it necessary on any cars, not even the Impreza we had a while ago.

 

Yep, I've only got little legs, but strong, so I do have it far enough back to be away from the steering wheel with bent legs on the pedals.

My Mrs and I have the same leg length, so never have the argument about the seat position, but in the Alphard she does have the seat higher than me. 😁

[BigNev]

Hi guys!

I didn't mange to look at the brakes when I hoped, the family had other ideas 😂

 

But I did this weekend! Free play, travel, and distance to floor under pressure are all sound.

So I did a "lazy bleed" of them - put a tube on the bleed nipple and let it dribble into the jug, keeping a watch on the reservoir and topping it up.

I do have a little one way hose device for one man bleeding, but I just did it that leisurely way with a cup of coffee!

I let around 200ml through each front caliper. Feels a bit firmer!

 

Also, I checked the free sliding motion of the caliper pins and pistons, very free, as are the pads in the carriers. This can cause lots of loss of brake effect if they're not lubed properly, with the correct grease.

Perhaps something to check on @turnerjr to be sure that's not a thing with yours.

 

And I have been trying to look into what part numbers the 328mm discs, calipers and carriers may be........  🤓

 

Edited Monday at 09:23 PM by BigNev
More details

[Gamith]

On 6/6/2025 at 3:56 PM, BigNev said:

>seem to remember a few VW cars I drove felt like they were very "over servo'd" - way too much brake for very little pressure. 

 

My hydraulic Citroens (GS(A)s and BXs) had virtually no brake pedal travel - as soon as they were touched they came on, in the case of the rear brakes it would depend on the load in the back as to how much pressure was sent to the brakes.

Took some getting used to and needed good tyres.