4th Gen Front Brake Upgrade Help

[pearlj10]

Hi All,

I know that there is a faction on this forum regarding whether there are benefits to doing brake upgrades for the 4th Gen 4Rs. But I am running 33 inch Revos and 3.5-4" lift and want a better braking option. I have 17" factory alloy wheels (just powder coated :bravo and thought that I had the 13.3" rotors and corresponding calipers. In actuality I have the 12.5" rotors and corresponding calipers. I want to upgrade to larger rotors and calipers but am perplexed about why Toyota and the aftermarket crowd carry the same brake pad for both rotor sizes. Am I missing something here? If you are running largers rotors why wouldn't the pads be larger as well? And if the pads are all indeed the same size, how could there be any braking power increase between the 12.5" and 13.3" rotor/caliper combos?

Thanks for your input!

 

[Jed]

The 13.3" rotors also have bigger calipers and pads. I have a Sport Edition, so that's what came on my 4Runner.

But if you're doing it for braking power, you're probably wasting your time & money. Bigger brakes don't really give you more braking power. If you think about it, if the smaller brakes on your 4Runner are capable of locking up the tires (forget ABS for a moment) during a hard stop, then that means you have all the braking power you need, simply because the friction of the tires & road is the limiting factor. The only real advantage to big brakes is that they resist fade better because they dissipate more heat. So unless you're planning are running your 4Runner really hard around a road course, your original brakes should perform just as well as bigger brakes.

If you do decide to upgrade, you'll definitely need the bigger calipers and brake pads too though....

 

[pearlj10]

Jed, thank you for the info! Anyone else care to chime in on this topic?

 

[00328]

When you go to Partznet for front brake pads for the T4R, it only has one listing. That leads me to believe that the pads are the same size for SR5, SE and LTD.

 

[teampwr2]

The 13.3" rotors also have bigger calipers and pads. I have a Sport Edition, so that's what came on my 4Runner.

But if you're doing it for braking power, you're probably wasting your time & money. Bigger brakes don't really give you more braking power. If you think about it, if the smaller brakes on your 4Runner are capable of locking up the tires (forget ABS for a moment) during a hard stop, then that means you have all the braking power you need, simply because the friction of the tires & road is the limiting factor. The only real advantage to big brakes is that they resist fade better because they dissipate more heat. So unless you're planning are running your 4Runner really hard around a road course, your original brakes should perform just as well as bigger brakes.

If you do decide to upgrade, you'll definitely need the bigger calipers and brake pads too though....

Dude said it all right Here ... Sorry But its true.

 

[nyc4runnin]

i agree, the sport editions come with larger rotors but use the same pads as any other 4th gen t4r. I went to the parts dept at the local dealer and used my sport edition vin and a sr5 vin to check the part numbers and they're the same ......


if u want more stopping power, maybe try the trd pads ??

 

[00328]

i agree, the sport editions come with larger rotors but use the same pads as any other 4th gen t4r. I went to the parts dept at the local dealer and used my sport edition vin and a sr5 vin to check the part numbers and they're the same ......

CORRECT!!

You would think that the pads would be larger to match the larger rotors, but they aren't. Seems to me they should be though.

 

[Jed]

CORRECT!!

You would think that the pads would be larger to match the larger rotors, but they aren't. Seems to me they should be though.

Are you sure about that? Because the calipers are larger (they have to be to fit over the bigger rotors) and they're also 4-piston calipers. Are the smaller calipers 4-piston also?

 

[00328]

Not sure about the smaller calipers.
I just ordered some front pads for my '05 LTD from Partznet and they only listed one part#. After reading this thread, I thought 'oh crap, I need make sure I get the larger pads'.
So, I called the local dealer, they confirmed there is only one size.

 

[TOYLUVA]

my thoughts

the advantage to larger rotors { even with the same sized pads} is the leverage on the rotor diameter. the further away the pad is from the center of the hub the more stopping power you will have. larger rotors {or calipers} will make you NOT have to push the brake as hard to get the same amount of stopping power. try different pad setups first and you will feel a difference. remeber you have to use them for a few miles to mate them to the rotors

:snacker:

 

[Jed]

Not sure about the smaller calipers.
I just ordered some front pads for my '05 LTD from Partznet and they only listed one part#. After reading this thread, I thought 'oh crap, I need make sure I get the larger pads'.
So, I called the local dealer, they confirmed there is only one size.

Okay, well I can say positively that the calipers are bigger. I had to replace mine (thanks to seized pistons) and I had to make sure I got the right size because the smaller ones won't fit over the rotors.

 

[Krazynative]

Jed and Toyluva are right on track! There will be better leverage and cooling.

If you really want to get more out of the bigger rotor and calipers you could get some performance pads like Hawk. Hawk Performance Brake Pads: Truck / SUV Products I have these on my RX7 and I can really notice a difference over stock.

And to even further prevent brake fade you should upgrade the brake fluid to DOT 4 low moisture. It has a higher boiling point.

 

[DC Dude]

i agree, the sport editions come with larger rotors but use the same pads as any other 4th gen t4r. I went to the parts dept at the local dealer and used my sport edition vin and a sr5 vin to check the part numbers and they're the same ......


if u want more stopping power, maybe try the trd pads ??

Brake calipers are different between the Sports Edition and the base SR5.

 

[pearlj10]

thank you all for the great input! I think I will make the plung to the larger rotor/caliper combo now based on this thread. Any additional input is more than welcome!

 

[nyc4runnin]

Brake calipers are different between the Sports Edition and the base SR5.

calipers may be different but pads are the same ......
even the trd website has no different part number for sport/non sport ed pads

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Any additional input is more than welcome!

Get good rotors as in premium OE replacements (I like the Premium Napa rotors, easy to find, fair price) or a name brand slotted rotor. Drilled, slotted, "all about the bling" rotors from Ebay will not make you happy on the long run. They will warp.

 

[riceandpho]

ebc green stuff pads are good too, im using all 6000 series front and back on stock rotors.

 

[mom]

Drilled, slotted, "all about the bling" rotors from Ebay will not make you happy on the long run. They will warp.

The first step in solving a problem is to understand the problem.

Even Ebay rotors won't "warp", simply because brake rotors (almost) never warp in the first place - even drilled & slotted rotors.

Don't believe me?
Read the references quoted here ...