Brake Upgrade: StopTech Rotors + TRD Performance Pads

I’m not saying you’re right or wrong. You do what works for you. I’ve had old folks tell me they’ve never changed transmission or brake fluid in vehicles before and they’ve ran over 300k miles and I’ve had ppl say you should and they run over 300k miles.
Crashnburn if I’m not mistaken is an actual engineer and he has a wealth of knowledge and brings it to this forum on many interesting topics of our trucks and just automobiles in general. I definitely respect his opinion and take it into consideration when doing upgrades or mods to my Tacoma. we don’t have to all agree on everything so what works for you keep on doing it

 

Just a reminder to all, because the internet is always right; experience is confounded. In the world of research/science, your intuition/experience is biased and not useful evidence to support an idea or claim. Research (like the chart shared) is probabilistic. It is tested. It removes confounds. Your personal experience can contradict the research. Exceptions to rules don't make them the rules.

Believing the chart may lead to frequent maintenance. Believing personal experience may lead to less frequent maintenance. Both options may or may not be just fine in the end. You're both right in your own minds, but only one provided data to support the claim.

 

What I posted was fact. This is supported by nearly every automotive manufacture and brake fluid manufacture as well as every credible automotive expert.

DOT3/DOT4 Brake fluid is hygroscopic, aka it absorbs water from atmosphere. Water has a low boiling point. Brakes work on the principles of hydraulics where fluid is not compressible and that incompressible fluid pushes the brake pad against the rotor. However a gas is very compressible, so if the fluid in the brake hydraulics boils and turns to a gas your hydraulic system based on incompressible fluid now has a compressible fluid/gas mixture so it will be unable to apply full braking force to the pad and rotor. Brake fluid has a known water absorption rate of 3.7% over 2 years. Manufactures are required to test and publish the "wet spec" of 3.7% water absorption and the resulting change to boiling point. Hence the boiling point dry spec (new fluid) and wet spec (fluid absorbing 3.7% water over 2 years). Again these are all facts of brake fluid, doesn't matter if you believe them.

Since the change in performance is gradual over years, people don't realize it getting worse or how bad it actually is. That graph does not indicate that your brake distance is 50% longer, it indicates the boiling point is 50% of what it was new. 50% lower boiling point means the brakes are only capable of 50% of the energy being put into the system before fade/failure. Having experienced brake fade, it is somewhat scary as your brakes stop working. So even on very old brake fluid, your vehicle may brake relatively ok at low brake temps. It is the higher temps where the brake performance is affected by wet fluid. A panic stop from 70 to zero is possible to put your brakes at over the 125 degree boiling point of 4 year old DOT3 resulting in brake fade/failure, especially if you live somewhere hot. Or pulling a trailer down a mountain, or coming down a long steep trail decent.

Brake fluid is often neglected, so many vehicles are operating at much lower braking ability than their design allows if properly maintained. This thread is about how to improve braking system performance. A pad and stock size rotor upgrade will not increase braking system capacity to the same extent that simply replacing old wet brake fluid will. If you don't want to maintain your brake system, that is certainly your prerogative. But saying you don't notice so the information is inaccurate is factually incorrect.

 

I have another set will have to check

 

So searching around for

$169 PTR09-89111 Toyota Genuine Parts - TRD Tacom Brake Pads (PTR09-89111)

PTR09-89111 I find PLENTY of TRD pads. Are these NOS or were they never discontinued? Or, worse, are those some different parts in the same box with the same pet number?

 

edit: never mind

 

Could have been a temporary supply chain shortage. Many reported having a hard time finding them in stock a while back. I never saw anything officially saying they were discontinued.

 

Thanks, debating now whether to get TRD pads or these as recommended by member @lbhsbz

https://autobrakesolutions.com/prod...rmance-brake-pads?_pos=1&_sid=a16fe8429&_ss=r

has anyone tried these yet? But cheaper than TRD pads because of free shipping

 

I just put those in weekend before last. Seem to work great in the short time I've had them on there. Better than stock stopping power in normal driving so far. No comment on dusting yet. I put them on StopTech Sport slotted rotors.

 

Thanks! Did you follow the same bed-in procedure?

 

10-15 aggressive stops from 40 mph to 5 mph back to back until you can smell them. Then a couple mile cool down. Don't come to a complete stop while they are hot during the first heat cycle per lbhsbz.

 

Yup yup! Did he give you a discount code for TW members?

 

The reason for not coming to a complete stop is pad material will transfer to the rotor, giving a pulsing effect when braking afterward. This is the same for TRD/StopTech pads.

 

I’ve got about a month on those pads from @lbhsbz. Big improvement over powerstop z36 pads (& rotors). Much firmer pedal and grip on rotor. Replaced with rotors from him as well. Feel like I got the impact of a BBK but saved $2700

 

I bought them before they were listed on his website and paid what they show on there now w/free shipping.

 

I can't keep up with discount codes for every group...so I just price them the best I can and throw in free shipping.

I will put together a caliper/rotor/pad kit in the next couple days which will end up saving a few bucks over buying everything individually.

Any interest in SS brake lines?

 

Let us know if/when you get them or a tracking number. I've got them waiting in my cart, but I have a feeling they might not actually be in stock.

 

New to the thread here - any suggestions for replacing the rear brake drum shoes & drums? I see Centric makes a brake drum kit for our Tacomas or should I stick with OEM?

 

OEM