Brake Upgrade: StopTech Rotors + TRD Performance Pads

GREAT write-up, as always, @crashnburn80. Thanks!

 

Actually this seller makes a big point in the listing addressing these issues. The rotors they sell are OEM spec and have the same number of vent holes, thickness, etc. I have been completely happy with them so far. No difference noted compared to the OEM brakes I ran for 60k. Admittedly I have not run these for 60k, but have no reason to believe they won't do just as well.

 

Fuckin Tommy Boy. Go stick your head up the cows ass if you want a guarantee.

 

Seems like a lot of unnecessary hostility.

 

Nice catch, don't forget to go cow tipping.

 

I actually think he is making a joke about the movie Tommy Boy. It is funny I actually have Callahan brake pads/rotors on my Taco now!

 

Facepalm. Love that movie and failed on the correlation. My bad.

 

they can charge you more for those rotors as part of the car because, since as OP explained it was originally developed for racing, car companies still try to upcharge you for that, and also a lot of the time on super high performance cars they are carbon-ceramic rotors so you dont really have to worry about thermal expansion and cracking as much as with steel. After reading this im not sure the drilling itself has ANY appreciable benefit anymore other than the fact that when you look in the wheel well on a porsche/ mercedes benz/ or the new corvette ZR1 the rotors look mean as hell

 

Did you eat paint chips when you were a kid?

 

great write up @crashnburn80 ..my 2015 TRD PRO had 23,000 miles on it when I had the rotors turned and new pads put on and now at 26,000 the steering wheel is already shaking which means the rotors are warped already.....I will go with your advice and install these rotors and pads!

 

Good write up!

I already did stainless lines on mine... Slightly firmer pedal feel lends to a better feeling of control and judging distance when braking but maybe that's all in my head. I felt a similar improvement when I went to stainless lines in my old BMW. I got a set of these pads waiting to go on soon too. I think I'll either resurface my current rotors (no vibes) or stick with new OEM mainly for cost. I'm almost at 60k.

Are you still happy with their stopping performance? Is the dust as horrible as everyone says it is? Thanks!

 

My rotors pad imprinted ("warped") at 18,000 miles. Replaced them with these same rotors, although I decided against cryo treatment. I've had no issues with shimmy since. FWIW, the information I've read indicates better initial bite and wet braking with slots. Drilled rotors create stress risers, which induce cracking.

 

I've seen studies that show no benefit with slots. I'll stick with blank rotors , currently using brembo blanks and they have been vibration free.

 

Maybe his will outlast and outperform the OP's brakes. My brother had a Silverado with worn stock steering components at 110k & paid $70 for a steering replacement kit on e-bay, which I criticized him for, and now it's over 300k and still no issues. I order used OEM wiring harnesses/sensors/ECU's for motorcycle builds off e-bay all the time, but I wouldn't put anything from there on my truck either.

 

Dust isn't bad compared to other performance pads I've run. Keep in mind too ceramic pad dust is much lighter/finer than semi-metallic pad dust. I haven't washed my truck in many weeks and it is very light when I run my finger across the wheel spokes, not enough to show on the wheel but enough to notice on my finger. Performance seems improved but isn't mind blowing. With the the harder cryo rotors I may be tempted to try a semi-metalic next go around. However the TRD pads are completely silent and vibration free just like stock. Semi-metalics are definitely noisier and felt more. I did notice spending some time in cold climates in the mid-teens, the pads did not have excellent cold weather stopping, not compared to stock but in general, which is a trait of ceramics.

Agreed. I've run slotted in the past and liked them but I think it may have been a pad/rotor combo, which is always an issue when changing multiple components at once. I wanted to try slotted again. That said StopTech does not offer an improved rotor like the Sports in blanks. You can get blank rotors, but they are not improved in cooling capacity or performance in which case are similar to a basic OEM rotor. The Sports which come in Slotted or Drilled, offer increased mass, more cooling fins, and greater cooling surface area for improved performance and greater resistance to brake fade.

 

Awesome write up. Thank you for taking the time to share. I need to do this, mine are warped again. They were replaced under warranty at 30 k but they started to shake again at 70k

 

Sub'd

 

Are there any detailed guides on TW for stainless brake line installs and bleeding Tacoma brakes? I have changed pads and rotors plenty of times, just not the other bits. I feel confident I can do it, just don't want to get stuck in the driveway with brakes that don't stop

 

Should be very straight forward. One at a time, remove OEM lines, replace with new and have someone pump the brakes while you operate the bleeder valve on the caliper using a clear hose to drain the fluid. After many pumps with no air bulbs in the system that you can view in the hose, close of the bleed valve on a slow downward brake pump. You will need to monitor and add brake fluid during this process as you will run low.