Brakes

Hey folks!

I was told in a past inspection that I need new brakes. (As some of you know, I don't really know what I'm doing but I'll get the job done) Can you tell by the pictures if I need pads, calipers, rotors? I was planning to just replace the pads with OEM but I'd love to hear what you have to say. Thanks in advance!

 

HOLY WHEEL WEIGHTS BATMAN!

Take the rotors to get turned, replace the pads n call it good.

 

Need to machine or replace the rotors.

Pads do not wear the rotor flat, so it bows and creates a U shape on the rotor face.

So when you install the new pads, the force will be only on the outside of the U and have irregular wear.

Also I think you have aftermarket pads in there right now, and the shims on the pads need to be transferred, or you need to buy OEM shims (if you want oem pads). Sometimes aftermarket shims don't like to come off the pad and will break on removal.

 

What do you think of these?

$128 Power Stop Brake Kit For 2003-2009 Toyota 4Runner [Models with 12.56'' Front Rotors], 2007-2014 FJ Cruiser, 2005-2022 Tacoma 6 Lug Models - Front Replacement Brake Pads and Rotors Kit, KOE137

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AN5RWLM

 

I think I have a set laying in the garage..
I’ve managed to get the rear brakes done. (Same company)
But the front are still “good enough”.

If the hardware for the front is like the rear.
I’d suggest getting new hardware.

Other than that, I’m happy with the rears.
Shoes and drums seem to be good quality.
But the hardware?…….Not so much.

 

Power stop is ok for the money, it looks like a 5 lug pad set but in the customer section its saying its 6 lug.

Kinda odd. But looks ok to order.

 

Check out this thread. I went with StopTech rotors with new pads a few years ago. Did a lot of mountain driving in AZ, UT, CO and NM this year between February and May and they worked great.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/brake-upgrade-stoptech-rotors-trd-performance-pads.523829/

 

I’ll try to explain. The last picture. The brown rusty part, the rotor. The rectangle with 2 pins in the outer holes & 2 little ear’s with holes, the pad. The gap between is the brake friction material, which does look thin.

Doing a brake job on discs is very simple, even for someone who claims to not know what they’re doing. You could probably find a step by step instruction in the stickies, or a video.

Drums on the other hand is complicated but not impossible. It can be done with sockets, pliers, screwdrivers but your hands will hurt, your head will hurt, and your cussing vocabulary will be exercised. It’s so much easier with the brake drum shoe specific tools. It also helps to take pictures before taking it apart or do one side at a time. Have a friend to call if you get stumped.

 

OEM pads, rotors and shims. Start from scratch, do it right.

 

I look at what's left of the pad material and the only to do it is to take the wheel off. I just checked mine when I did an oil change and rotated the tires. I measured mine with a caliper and one pad measured about 3 mm or so and the other three were about 4 mm or so, so I'm letting it go for another oil change and will check them again. I did order Akebono pads and Advice rotors from Rock Auto. Apparently, Akebono pads are U.S. made. The rotors came with a certified sticker on them saying something like "certified high carbon". It's the first time I've seen such a sticker on rotors.

 

Do you know if these are any good?

$126 Detroit Axle - Front Brake Kit for 6-Lug Toyota 4Runner Tacoma FJ Cruiser Drilled & Slotted Brake Rotors and Ceramic Brakes Pads Replacement: 12.56" inch Rotor

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07LCF9D9M

 

I don’t know about for the Tacoma.
But we used the on my dad’s 2015 Ram and they were great.
The only thing I have to say is the brake fluid leaked out of the bottle in shipping.
Other than that, they have been great.

 

I have no idea. OEM pads and rotors gets me over 100k miles in hilly western Pa. No vibration or pulsing…

Toyota engineers know way more about this stuff than folks on the internet

 

Great point! I'm all about OEM, just trying to keep the cost low and the performance equal.

 

You DO NOT need to replace or turn the rotors. I actually recommend against it unless there is a problem (like a pulsation/judder, rotors too thin, excessive grooving, etc). Based on the pictures, those rotors look to be in excellent shape. You will be fine simply changing the pads. If you're happy with the performance of the OEMs, I would go with those...

 

I don't believe most of us need drilled and slotted rotors. It would be interesting to know how they can package it at that cost. You're talking about two drilled and slotted rotors, pads, and brake fluid.

 

Plain rotors will offer the best performance on a street driven vehicle, as well as the best longevity in the rust belt areas.

A rotor is a friction surface and a heat sink....that's it.

What happens when we take a friction surface, then mill a bunch of slots and drill a bunch of holes in it which REDUCES the surface area? We have less friction surface

A heat sink needs mass....drilling holes and milling slots reduces the mass of the rotor, making for a less effective heat sink...sorta.

Claims are made all the time that a drilled and slotted rotor will cool better, which is true...BUT

Keeping in mind that all brakes do is convert kinetic energy into heat, let's use an example of a 4000lb truck going 60mph and coming to a complete stop in 200ft...the rest of the numbers are made up just to get the point across. That braking event, regardless of what parts you are using, is creating (converting) X amount of heat. If we put X amount of heat into a plain rotor with 100 units of mass, that rotor may get to 300°. If we put X amount of heat into a rotor with 90 units of mass, that rotor may get to 330°. Less mass will end up at a higher temperature after absorbing the same level of heat energy. Now, we have slots and drill holes which helps a bit with airflow which will likely cool that slotted and drilled rotor faster than a plain rotor would cool.

Now we have a rotor that gets hotter faster and cools faster, we call that thermal shock. What causes cast iron to crack? Thermal Shock.

Some people think slotted and drilled rotors look cool....that's the only reason to use them.

in the rust belt, the failure mode of ever brake rotor is going to be to surface degregation due to rust. Rust will start around the inside and outside of the swept area, and slowly creep into the friction surface until the surface condition is so poor that the brakes simply aren't very effective. If we add holes and slots, we'll now have rust forming in these features, making them mostly useless, and creeping out into the friction surface from each hole and slot, in addition to rust coming in from the ID and OD of the swept area...so the rotor surface will be consumed by rust faster.

I prefer plain rotors on everything I own.

 

Just curious why you recommend against turning or replacing rotors. I read your more recent post as well. You obviously know what you are talking about or you're an amazing BS'er!

 

Of course I prefer the best performance I can afford. I want excellent stopping power, I don't want my brakes to squeal, they don't have to last 5 years. Which brake pads would your recommend? Also, is there a need for a caliper repair kit? Anything else I can do to improve my stopping performance? Thank you for your advice!

 

The one thing you have to remember about turning rotors or drums is there is no guarantee that they will be within minimum spec when complete. You could just as well put the cost of machining to a good set of rotors.