Brake Upgrade: StopTech Rotors + TRD Performance Pads

No need to read all 28 pages, all the info is in the first post.

The EBC rotors are just stock style blanks with a coating and dimples/slots. They are not a rotor upgrade. The StopTechs have more mass for better heat capacity, and more veins and surface area for improved cooling. Both together make a higher performing rotor that is more resistant to warping and with towing they'd be a good upgrade to consider. Also make sure your rear brakes are properly adjusted as well, so they are doing their share of the work and not just offloading their share of the braking onto the front brakes.

Pulsing can be caused by pad material transfer to the rotor. If you do a long hard stop like 65-0 pulling a loaded trailer, and come to a stop and leave your foot on the brake clamping a very hot pad to a very hot rotor in a single spot for an extended period, you can get pad transfer to the rotor depending on the pad. You can also warp the rotor depending on the rotor. The pads you are running are not appropriate for street use. EBC says the following on the product description page:

Orange Stuff is an "aggressive full race material for track only use that is not required to bring a vehicle to rest (which Bluestuff NDX was specifically designed to do) and this has led to the development of the orange grade material."
https://ebcbrakes.com/product/orange-stuff/

I'd speculate that the orange pads are not designed to sit still on a hot rotor as would be required of a street pad, and that is likely contributing to your current problem.

 

EBC has 2 different orange stuff. One is designed for trucks.

 

My mistake! Confusing to have two completely different product lines with the same name. Orange Stuff truck pads look perfectly appropriate for your use.

 

TY crashnburn80 there is a special place for you in automotive heaven. And if they give you any flack about it when you get there tell them to come see me.

 

Glad studying vehicle design didn’t go to waste even though I now work in an industry primarily serving aerospace.

 

https://youtu.be/DZ8O2tJOGLE

Interesting performance testing.

 

crashnburn80- upon inspection of my ebc rotors and pads,(I was looking for reason for a clank that has to be coming from the brake area because it only happens when i apply the brake and I was measuring for rotor run out to try and justify going ahead and spending the money on stoptech rotors in answer to my pulsing problem.) I noticed that the lug holes in the ebc rotors are about 1/8" larger than the lugs giving play between the lug holes and the lugs. On a vehicle that is lug centric not hub centric wouldnt that throw off the balancing?

 

That doesn’t sound right. The rotor doesn’t center on the hub? Does it have any play for movement when just pressed on by hand?

 

Was interesting! It would have been nice if they covered pad material. Were they all ceramic like OEM? Probably for a reasonable test. The results are not surprising though, you get what you pay for and OEM is super high quality. I don’t buy autoparts store brake pads.

 

I apologize for the untimely response. I have been out of town.
Yes there is about a .125 inch play corresponding to the .125 inch over sized lug holes. I do not know why I didn't notice this when I installed the rotors. The torque on the wheel must have initially prevented the rotor from playing and as time went on the torque weakened and rotor began to play. I need to take off the other tire and inspect it. There hasn't been any clank noise coming from it.

P.S.-Yes the rotor centers on the hub. And in that respect if you try to move the rotor horizontally side to side or vertically up and down there is no play. But if you try to rotate the rotor clockwise and counter-clockwise there is .125 inch play. And it is my understanding that all Toyotas are designed to be lug centric meaning the lug is the critical tolerance versus other vehicle manufacturers design their vehicles to be hub centric making the hub the critical tolerance. I hope that makes sense.

That is why when a tire shop balances Toyota wheels they are "Supposed" to use finger plates on the spin balancing machines so that the wheel spins by it's lugs versus spinning the wheel on the spin balancing machine by it's hub like most other vehicles.

Please note that it has been a very long time since I acquired that knowledge. And can not remember how I acquired it. And given I am at the age where some days it is all I can do to remember my name I could be confused. Lol!(half heartedly)

 

anyone know of sales going on for the stoptech rotors? Also Calipers? About to pull the trigger and figured I'd ask

 

@crashnburn80

what’s your take on the StopTech sports brake pads vs the TRD brake pads?

 

If you can’t find any @eccracer104 can hook you up with the rotors.

 

That certainly doesn't seem right. The rotor should not have play when mounted on the studs, I would get different rotors.

StopTech BBKs on sale 15% off, though it is the same price as the ongoing group buy code.
https://sosperformance.com/t/tacoma-2005-2015

Sports are a semi-metalic compound. So they should offer better bite when cold and extremely hot than the TRD ceramics, though they will also dust more and have more NVH and be harder on the rotors than than the TRD units. The StopTech Street ceramic pads would be a more direct comparison, though I cannot say how the two compare. Though my next pads will be the StopTech Street pads, since they come with the BBK.

 

Just wanna thank op for putting this thread together. Pulled the trigger on it, and some Napa calipers. 20% off anything at Napa all month if you’re a AAA member.

 

Don't know if I am ready to go with the BBK.....I haven't read up enough on that way......plus @EatSleepTacos said I need to get my brakes taken care of asap

 

Did my brakes today. I went with Centric cryo rotors, trd pads and Power stop calipers from Summit Racing. I’d have preferred black calipers but they’re not available yet and I needed them. A little soft on the first press of the pedal then they firm up with the second so tomorrow I'll bleed them again. I've already installed speed bleeders so should be no big deal. Got to be a little air in there still. Once that's sorted I'll go do the bed in process.

 

I just added mine the other day and dealing with a squishy pedal as well. I was able to bed them in at least. Excited to firm them up and really see what they’re made of.

 

Mine were the same so did a full mc/line flush w new fluid and it firmed right up. Also did the dynamic break in...the next day, they were biting hard! Fantastic setup. Next up will be the SS lines.

 

That’s what I’m doing Monday. Today i cycled the abs pump at a buddies but he forgot his pressure bleeder at the shop, so we bled normally and no improvement. Monday once she’s blasted clear should be good to go.