Brakes for tow package

Hi y’all, I just purchased a 2015 Tacoma 4x4 with the factory tow package. I’m working on replacing all the “replaceables”, the previous owner was having his maintainable performed at Firestone, so I’m going into this with the mindset of if they’ve touched something I need to get in there and replace it.

The truck has the factory tow package and I’m wondering if there are specific brakes I should be looking for.

I don’t want to assume because Firestone has put something on there it’s correct. I’ve already pulled auto lite plugs out and replaced them with ngks for a noticeable performance boost.

 

AFAIK, all of the 6 lug 2nd gen trucks had the same brakes, so PreRunners and 4wds with and without the tow package will be the same as far as brakes go.

 

How many miles is on the truck? The stock rear drums typically last 125-150k miles. The front pads last about half as long, so if the brakes were just done recently I’d leave it alone unless there are other issues you’re trying to work through

 

It has about 160k. I don’t know if the rears have been changed. I’ll be pulling the wheels to have a look. Thanks for the quick reply!

 

Autolites are terrible

It blows my mind why a repair shop would put those in when ngk/denso are so easy to get

 

For the money and longevity; OEM.

I tow a boat.

I changed the fronts at 100k with a good amount of life left on the pads. The rears just needed cleaning and adjustment.

Stay away from those lifetime guarantee pads. They guarantee that you'll be doing brakes every 2 years.

 

For towing pads I really like the Hawk LTS pads, they also make HTS pads if you think you'll be towing a lot of weight/near the max for the vehicle. The LTS pads feel like a nice upgrade over the OEM ones, they have a good light bite then a noticeable harder bite when you press harder at a certain point. You will have to change the rotors if you go from OEM ceramic to ferro-metallic pads.

I used NAPA ultra premium coated rotors because I got a good deal. No complaints.

 

There’s no difference in stock brakes between trucks with or without the towing package, but it’s worth inspection of both front and year to determine level of wear. Particularly if you’re going to tow. And if you don’t like the brand of pads on the front this gives you the opportunity to swap out.

Depending on mileage your rears are unlikely to require replacement but hey why not have a look-see or have a shop take a look since you’re combing over the truck and making sure all is well.

 

all 4x4 6-lug 4.0 got the same Garbage brakes