Brake pads, need advice

I've had good success with akebono ceramic, terrible experience with hawk hps. Followed bedding procedure precisely and warped three sets of rotors before I gave up and went with akebono...smooth sailing after that.
For those recommending oem, akebono is the closest I have found to the oem lack of sound and dust, but also around 45$ per set on Amazon compared to 80-90$ for oem
Food for thought

 

Mine over heated this weekend going down a steep mountian with rtt and camping gear in the back. I almost crashed (couldn't stop plus smoke from the pads.) and the oem pads only lasted 18k miles. Lots of hills in San Francisco.
I have akebono with oem rotors that were resurfaced that was installed last week.

 

Nice 100K. I am at 70K and was thinking it is time. Rear pads changed at 30K and going strong. Will probably due OEM as well.

 

Find it amazing front pads lasting over 100k. 2011 and on my 3rd set at 92k

 

I have at 14' SR5 with auto trans. Needs brakes at 55k. Ordered the Powerstop kit K137 from Amazon. Does the "rental" kit from O'Reilly have the correct tool to retract the calipers, or do I have to buy this one on Amazon?

 

No need for a special tool. You can use two flat top screw drivers to push the pistons back in before removing the pins, pads and rotors.

 

I used two big flat pieces of 1/4" metal and a pry bar to force all 4 pistons back at once. Worked like a charm. Bought Napa brand pads. No complaints. My old pads lasted 296,000kms. And there was still about 2-3mms of pad left.

 

Everyone has their opinion so I will play along. I just put brembo rotors, hawk lts pads and stop tech ss braided brake lines on and I am happy

 

This is what I did flat screwdriver on the old pads

 

I just put new pads/rotors on Monday. I went with Powerstop pads and Centric rotors.
Works like a charm.

 

Dont forget to check your rear drums too. One of mine wasn't functioning properly and even after new front brakes the brake pedal travel was excessive until the rear was fixed.

 

Do you think the oem rotor or a regular autozone rotor matter? Do you think you gain anything but paying for the oem rotor or is just the pads that matter for stopping?

 

Ask yourself this, what are you trying to accomplish with aftermarket brake pads? Have you faded your OEM brakes or are otherwise unhappy with them? If not "upgraded" parts are often a downgrade. Everything from shorter pad life, brake dust, noise and degraded performance when cold are possible.

 

Do any of y'all check the runout when you do rotors? I know you should... but does anybody actually do it?

 

I get the oem pads but I wanted to know if the rotors from Toyota are worth getting or should I get some upgrades one

 

I can get the OEM rotors for $60, that's probably what I'm gonna do. Mine have lasted fine until I had them turned... then they warped. I'm thinking about doing the 5th gen 14WA caliper and 338x32mm rotor upgrade.

 

I got about 3 to 4 hundred pounds extra on my truck and if you add me another 215 and I just use the duelist lifetime warranty top tier brake pads and I just don't think it's stopping very well. Also ton note I changed my rotors to autozone after market about 15 k mikes ago or so.

 

My previous statement applies to the rotors too as well as most other things. Toyota put a lot of thought into your brakes and people rarely complain about them. "Upgraded" parts will often cause you hassle, degraded life, etc. For example, drilled rotors crack. Slotted rotors will degrease pad life.

 

Personally I would stick with the OEM brake rotors, many of the aftermarket rotors are cheap junk. If you want to get the longest life out of your rotors just have them resurfaced if you have a brake vibration, not necessarily when you change brake pads. They have a minimum thickness so they can only be resurfaced a number of times.

 

LOl, rotors... for sure! Pads, at 144,000 miles I have changed them 3 times, maybe 4! Rear brakes still look almost brand new! You also have to consider tire/wheel weight and the type of driving you do.