Rotors and brake pads recommendations?

Keyen702

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Planning to change my front rotors and pads this upcoming week. What are the best rotors + pad combo? And does it really make a difference buying the expensive stuff over the autozone stuff?
 
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Planning to change my front rotors and pads this upcoming week. What are the best rotors + pad combo? And does it really make a difference buying the expensive stuff over the autozone stuff?

Napa Ultra Premium rotors
Toyota Pads
Yes, they stop you from hitting things.
 
I bought a beck/arnley rotors and a akebono ceramic pads. so far, i'm happy with it. it does not make my rims turn black. :)

if you are ordering online, make sure to measure your rotor's diameter so you know exactly you have the right size.

Planning to change my front rotors and pads this upcoming week. What are the best rotors + pad combo? And does it really make a difference buying the expensive stuff over the autozone stuff?
 
I put a Powerstop kit on mine. About 150 from rock auto or many others. Hands down best brakes I've ever had.....hopefully you won't have to but be prepared to put on calipers if needed. Piston like to rust/cease up on 4th gens.

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The first question I like to ask people is, how do you honestly use your vehicle? If you tow/haul nor drive fast on and off road, then I have one recommendation. If you are a normal joe, then I have another recommendation. It all depends on your usage.
 
The first question I like to ask people is, how do you honestly use your vehicle? If you tow/haul nor drive fast on and off road, then I have one recommendation. If you are a normal joe, then I have another recommendation. It all depends on your usage.

To expand upon that, even with an SUV like this, different brake pads have different coefficients of friction (i.e. how much stopping force they generate for a given clamping load) and spring rates (pedal feel) that even a self-proclaimed average driver will notice if given the chance.

Brakes are definitely worth spending some money on. Better rotors last longer, and better pads stop better.
 
I would advise to skip the slotted and dimpled rotors. I have some from brakeperformance.com and when the rotor surface is fresh they stop amazingly smooth and fast. But after about 30k the pad buildup is terrible and they don't stop so great. I can burn off the buildup by doing a new pad bed-in procedure but I have to do that every other week. The other downside with a slotted/drilled/dimpled rotor is that nobody will resurface these.

The best brakes were truly the OEM rotors and pads which lasted over 100k.
 
I really appreciate everyone's suggestions and recommendations. I will look into all that was mentioned. I would say I am an average Joe when it comes to driving. I don't really speed or tow anything. I occasionally take it off road for short stretches to ponds or campsites. I don't mind spending on quality parts I just didn't know where to start looking.

I bought this car with about 93k on it. I immediately felt the pulsating so I wanted to fix it. But now I am unsure if I should change just the front or front and rear so I am going to take all the tires off tonight and see what I find.
 
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Changed all fours with Centric rotors, premium pads and calipers from rockauto. Been happy with it especially during offroading excursions. Keep in mind of stuck calipers. Check out uneven brake pad wear when changing brake system. I had a stuck caliper on the left side and I went ahead and changed both front calipers. No pulsating or pulling when braking.
 
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I tell customers, when in doubt, stick with exact OEM equipment. As far as dimpled rotors, yes, they are a waste of time. But, a good quality Slotted rotor and pad combo can greatly improve stopping distances and help with brake fade. As I mentioned, not everyone qualifies for the higher performance option of mine, but my combo does work excellent guaranteed, but only if your needs require.
Just like with tires, do you want a tire or brake pad that lasts 65000 miles or more but is hard as a rock and has lousy grip, longer stopping distances, and no dust? Or would you rather have a tire that lasts 35000 miles yet has much greater grip, stops shorter, is safer for you and your family? That extra 10' to 20' of shorter stopping distance could be a big life changer! I look at safety and performance when it comes to selecting my components period. I would not sell any customer what he or she didnt need. But for those who do, they get good stuff and have always come back and thanked me for it!
 
I would agree if you can stick with OEM there's nothing wrong with that.

For a daily driver, I would also highly recommend Centric Premium Rotors and Akebono Pads. They are as good as OEM and reasonably priced. I've used hawk pads and EBC pads on various cars and Akebono hands down has less dust and noise.

I also recommend the stainless brake lines and flushing your fluid often for the 4runners cuz of the stuck calipers mentioned above.

For slide pin lube I recommend Napa Sil-Glyde.

I've done quite a few brake jobs for my cars and my family and I have found this combo to be a winner in my book. Best part is most of this can be bought with free 2 day prime shipping. Rock auto and autoanything also ship fast.
 
I typically use carquest rotors from advance auto along with remanned calipers and wagner pads.

If you order online and pickup at the store you can typically get a 35% off coupon code which really lowers the price of your job.
 

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