Brake Upgrade: StopTech Rotors + TRD Performance Pads

If anyone is looking for a good pad (I do not work or know these people) these are the pads I installed on my truck after Death Valley killed my TRD pad

https://porterfield-brakes.com/search-result/?years=2013&make=58&model=4598&manufacturer=7444

 

They are exactly the same thing. But...

They are not the same as they were 2 or 3 years ago. Since First Brands now owns Centric Parts and StopTech....and since months prior to buying us they bought Raybestos, they have been moving production of everything into the raybestos owned factories. Raybestos has friction factories in both Mexico and India. What's going in the boxes now for the stoptech sport pads (and the TRD pads I imagine) is the latest Raybestos police pad friction material. I've seen dyno test results and it's very good, but different than the old StopTech Street Performance/Sport/TRD pads from 2 years ago.

 

Those TRD pads look worn well past their intended service lifespan. It could be a small percentage failure thing or perhaps with so little material left and the extended use that they separated and failed.

I've got Stoptech street pads (supposed to be the same material as trd pads) and stoptech drilled/slotted rotors on my Camaro and they work just fine. I was planning on doing Stoptech slotted rotors and Stoptech Truck and SUV pads on my Tacoma.

 

Those pads were toast before you left for your trip. When the friction gets that thin, it doesn't take much to get it to fall off the backing plate. Replace pads when the friction is about 1/2 as thick as the backing plate. General rule.

 

Them pads ain't cheap. $140. Just saying.

 

Fair, I am not blaming the pad it was my fault for not changing them before I left. Lesson Learned...

 

Yes but also they are not too far off the $114 price of the TRD pad that people are looking for an alternate for.

Porterfield was recommended by Rupert Bragg-Smith, the person I ran into in Beatty NV. He ran a Corvette Driving School back in the day Spring Mountain Motorsports Park in Pahrump. He gave me the corvette pad and let me use his shop to make it fit my truck to get me through my trip through Death Valley and back home.

It saved my buddy an hour each way to go buy a set of pads for me. Rupert said he always made pads for his race cars. Did not know who he was until I talked to a co-worker who races cars, but he was nice to help. Never realized I could just make a brake pad lol...


https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4EIe5IWDZSkplJAUDCSRFfy2ZO_qFOad

 

Did they come with hardware?

 

No.

The StopTech Sport pads (309 or 306 part number preffix) are the TRD material. The StopTech Street pads (308 part number preffix) are simply a Centric Posiquiet Ceramic in a different box.

Originally we only had one pad under the StopTech brand and we called it our Street Performance Pad, that later turned into the Sport pad...same friction material. We had people buying StopTech slotted and/or drilled rotors and wanted "matching" pads so they'd by the StopTech pads, which for normal street driving is not a good idea....they have some strange friction transfer characteristics when run at low temps and just kinda suck unless you're beating them like a rented mule on a fairly regular basis...then they kick ass. I got tired of fielding calls and having customers yell at me because the basically track pad they chose to buy didn't work well driving like an old man....so I proposed we stick a Posiquiet in a box with a stoptech logo on it so there was a more suitable "matching" pad for all the people that drive like their moms and just wanted slotted or drilled rotors because they look cool....and then the StopTech Street pad was born.

As of about the beginning of last year, the friction material changed on both. The Posiquiet Ceramics are coming out of Raybestos' factory in India and the Sport pads are coming out of the Raybestos factory in Mexico. (Raybestos and Centric are owned by the same company...the only difference in the parts is the name on the box) No idea what material they're using or how it performs against the old stuff now....or what they're putting in the TRD box.

 

Can confirm StopTech Street pads are not the equivalent of TRD pads. They came with my StopTech BBK and felt like a downgrade from my OEM rotor size and the TRD pads, despite being an a BBK. Switched to StopTech Sports and the familiar performance characteristics of the TRD pads returned.

 

To add to that last post...

I've got a pad available for about $90 that based on my own testing performs the same or maybe a bit better than the old StopTech Sport/Centric Fleet Performance pads with much better low temp manners. If anyone wants to try a set, send me a PM. I have them available for the TRD 6 piston caliper too.

The problem comparing anything to the old StopTech Sport pads is that they didn't work right unless they were bedded in correctly and KEPT bedded in correctly. They'd run somewhat abrasive at lower temps and scrub the transfer layer off the rotor....the result being under normal conditions/lower temps, the OEM pads would outperform the StopTech pad. Up in the higher temp ranges, if the StopTech pads were bedded in, they'd perform really well while the OE type pads would start to fail.

 

Are these the ones that did or didn't run correctly? https://www.buybrakes.com/brake-pads/stoptech-309-sport-performance-brake-pads

 

Those were great if run aggressively enough to keep them bedded in. They sucked if they're run like one would expect a normal person to use their brakes.

I have not used the new Raybestos material that those pads are using now....I have no idea if it's better, worse, or the same.

 

Gotcha, thanks.

 

Ah, makes sense. I ordered the axle pack that came with drilled, slotted and zinc plated rotors and street select pads on closeout. Also installed some stainless lines. I chucked the street select pads (yellow logo) and installed the street pads (blue logo, also on closeout for $16 a set from tire rack) with those rotors. I was told if I wanted to use the sport pads (red logo) I would need a different rotor (high carbon) as the sport pads were too aggressive for those.

They're fine for farting around town, but definitely a step down from the factory rotors and semi metallic pads. Years ago I had hawk hps pads on factory rotors on the same model car, (but different car;I've owned a couple) and those were fantastic for high speed stops and handling with the full hotchkis suspension setup I had. I'd imagine the stoptech sport pads (red logo) would be similar material and offer similar performance?

 

The StopTech Sport pads that I came to love and hate are no longer available to it's a moot point. Whoever told you that you'd need high carbon rotors for the Sport pads was an idiot. Nobody makes a high carbon rotor for a Tacoma. "High Carbon" was Centric's version of the softer European style iron that is softer than your typical Domestic/Japanese rotor (G3000, G11H18, or whatever new industry designation exists these days)...High carbon rotors control harmonics a bit better and since they're softer, create a bit higher friction levels when using an abrasive type pad. Nobody makes an abrasive friction for a Tacoma either so that's also a moot point.

BTW...the Street Select pads are reboxed 300/301 series....basically a lower end pad that's really not good for much but cheap brake jobs. i think the marketing guys were trying to see if they could hit 1 million new part number with every combination of everything under the sun.

 

Well, that'd be tire rack. Parts were installed on a 2002 Chevy SS Camaro btw.

 

What bout the Stoptech Street 308's? I run a slight lift and a topper with a size bigger tires than stock.

 

You'll likely want the trd pads, stoptech sports or a dedicated truck/suv pad.

 

308s are just the Posiquiet Ceramics...made in India now...they'll perform about like the OEM pads...at least that's the objective.

I have a pad that's a few steps up from the OEM pad but still doesn't have any wierdness normally associated with higher performance pads. I don't have pads cataloged yet on the new website...if you'd like to give 'em a shot, send me a PM.

I've had 'em on a Jeep TJ with stock brakes and I could lock up 35s at 20psi on dry pavement. They do very well on my 3/4 ton chevy. I've been trying to find time to mount the 33s and do the lift on my Tacoma and then they're going on that too.

I figure if a few of you try 'em out and they they work well, I can put together a pad/rotor package with a discount code for TW members