Brake Upgrade: StopTech Rotors + TRD Performance Pads

No, Tacoma rears are still drum brakes.

 

Thank you

 

Do you happen to have a part number on those puppies?

 

Why are the 2 rotors from different brands. Stoptech and powerslot?

 

Stoptech Rotors: 126.44129CSL and 126.44129CSR
Powerstop Pads: Z36-976

 

My OEM rotors and brake pads are now replaced.

 

Great thread, quick question. I’m currently running stock rotors with the TRD pads and they are warped pretty bad. Lots of shaking when braking. Lots of life left in these pads tho. Can I just change the rotors, or should I replace rotors and pads together??

 

So I just completed this brake upgrade. The StopTech Cyro rotors, TRD pads, wheelers SS lines, and new Motul 600 dot 4 fluid. Also did new Toyota brakes in the rear while I was at it.

Went out and did the brake-in for the pads. 8-10 high speed hard stops, 60-10, never fully stopping. Very stinky and smoky lol. My question is, brakes feel soft compared to before. Stopping distance is actually worse. Are the brakes just not fully broken in yet? Didn’t bleed the brakes correctly? I had a shop do the work, I’m 90% sure they know what they are doing. Also, there were what appeared to be fine metal shavings on the wheels when I stopped to take a look at everything. Is all of this normal??

 

Brakes feeling soft is independent of the pad/rotor change. That indicates the brakes were not bleed correctly, as you have air in the lines which will make stopping distance worse.

 

Best practice is to change them as a pair. If your pad has uneven wear you will start off the new rotor with uneven wear greatly reducing its lifespan. You can replace just the rotor, your results may vary but of course you have no idea till you tear it all apart.

 

Quick question. What if I use the regular oem pads with the upgraded rotors? The break-in process for this seems like a big pain in the butt. Will I see an improvement? My pads are fairly new and I'm thinking about swapping out the rotors.

 

Performance brake pads offer higher coefficient of friction, which means faster stopping. The rotors offer greater cooling, which means lower operating temps and better resistance to brake fade.

Swapping just the rotors will not improve stopping distance, unless you are experiencing brake fade. Brake fade typically occurs when towing down hill, or prolonged steep descents that cause your brakes to over heat. For most users, the pads will be a greater benefit than the rotors.

 

The only time I notice my brakes suck is when going down a grade with camping gear in the bed or when towing. So I suppose that is my problem. In day to day driving the OEM brake setup has been, fine.

Edit: I should mention I haven't changed my brake fluid since I got my truck 80k miles ago. She's at 140k now. I gotta get on that. Gonna do the new lines while I'm at it.

 

Fluid should be changed every 2 years, as old fluid fades very quickly, so that will definitely make a big improvement. But going down a grade with a load, yes the new rotors will help keep things cooler which will increase brake performance in those scenarios.

 

Thanks. Gonna do this in stages so I can see the differences and not take an immediate hit to my wallet. My pads and rotors are still new. Your post was enlightening. Never thought so much went into rotors. First I'm gonna tackle the brake lines and fluid swap. Then probably rotors. I'll do the pads when these wear out. I think I know a place I can break in the TRD pads

 

@crashnburn80 How have the Stoptech 309 pads been? I ran them many years ago on my nitrous fed G35 with Stoptech BBK and loved them. I did notice a little shimmy occasionally when braking since the car would sit for a week or two, but nothing a hard stop or two wouldn’t fix. I’m ready to change out the pads on my Tundra and figured I might as well put some new Stoptech slotted rotors on too. But I keep going back and forth between the new 308 pads since the truck is my daily driver or stick with the 309s, albeit they are a more aggressive pad. So, how have the 309s been on the truck as a daily driver?

 

I made the mistake of buying the 308s (street) with my BBK and immediately noticed the braking was not as aggressive as the stock size StopTech rotors with the TRD 309 (sport). Huge disappointment in performance. I’m sure the 308s last longer and are less dusty, but if I’m buying performance brakes those attributes are secondary to me. I threw away the new 308s on the BBK after a couple months and swapped to 309s and was immediately much happier.

 

Ever felt like the pads needed to be re-bed, or has normal driving kept them pretty well mated to the rotors? Because I know the Sport pads need to have heat put through them to prevent the transfer layer issues. At 5,700 lbs, I’m thinking daily driving and bringing this truck to a stop should heat up the pads up pretty good and keep them from any of the vibration issues.

 

After break-in the pads were fine and didn’t require rebedding. I usually did a hybrid of some quick stops (but not enough) paired with the street break-in procedure and just careful to not leave a hot pad on a hot rotor.

 

I ended up with stop tech rotors and pads. Trd pads were on back order and with 260k I couldn't wait. So far so good. I wish I had chance to replace calipers and add SS lines. If I ever get a day off I plan on getting it done.