Should I replace???

I currently have 54,000 miles on my 03 Prerunner TRD tacoma. I still have the original brakes and am wondering when they should be replaced.

When I am at low speeds or the brakes are wet, they brake really good. However at higher speeds, they seem to be a bit bad at slowing down. They never make noise and still seem to be good.

However with 54,000 miles, I am thinking they need to be near the end of their life.

 

Im at 50,000 on my 04 and mine are still good. I even bought new pads and took the wheel off to look I have plenty of life left. Depends on driver I think they can last long time.

 

50 K on original brakes, WOW! That's pretty good. I've got over 43.000 miles on mine now & still have plenty of pad left. This is my first 4x4 & so far, I've really been impressed on how long brakes last on these trucks.

 

Yeah I am not sure whether I should replace mine or not. I kind of wanted to because of the winter coming up. I have new tires, so new brakes would make it extra nice.

Being that it is a PreRunner, I need all the help I can get in the snow. lol

 

The only way to tell is to "look" at them. They last kinda long because these trucks are light.

 

They're cheap and you can change them yourself...so its not like you'll be blowing a lot of money on them (unless you don't do the work yourself).

Just change 'em. Who said you have to wait until they're totally shot?

It'll bother you until you change them. So, call it peace of mind.... stop stressin about it and just do it!

 

I agree they are very easy to change!

 

They are lite, but back when I owned an '88 stake side bed, the brakes would only last 15 to 25 thousand miles......go figure?

 

as stated earlier pull the wheels off and look at the pads, for your own piece of mind.
you stated that you bought new tires, if your brakes were worn, the tire shop would have called them to your attention. that kind of repair is a very good profit maker for the shop! with 54,000 miles i wouldnt think you would need to mess with them.

if you do think a brake job is needed, it is an easy job to do.
took me right at 2 hours to replace the pads and rotors on my 72,000 `02 trd, due to warped rotors.
i could have reused the pads, as they had tons of life. i bought a set of premium ceramic pads to, i hope, help with the warping of the rotors. i paid $22 each for the rotors, when they warp i'll go buy a new set. which again is a testement to how easy it is to work on the brakes on the 1st gen tacoma.
YMMV.

cadman

 

What ceramic pads did you get? How do they grab, and are they dust free? I hate how much brake dust my put out. My front freakin wheels are black in a week. When I but my new wheels and tires on, I want to put dust free pads on.

 

I replaced mine at 60k miles... but I commute a long way everyday and drive hard sometimes.

 

What he said!!!!!

 

i bought a set of Adaptive One brake pads. i am very impressed with them.

http://www.napaonline.com/Search/Detail.aspx?A=ADOAD7671_0259157901&An=599001+102002+50070+2070023#

i've only put on 660 miles and as far as brake dust, i honestly haven't noticed as much as what was on the truck before. brake pads are made to wear and that is going to cause dust.

i do agree that most OEM parts are a very good choice to use, but i wanted to try something different.

anyway if you decide to run these pads, i would like to know what you think of them.

take care,
cadman