luke87gt
New member
Hi guys, I read through some of the 5th gen brake swap threads and have a few remaining question that I am hoping you could help answer. The brake job I will be doing is on a 2006 4Runner XSP (for the sake of argument, it has SR5 brakes).
First, I usually stay with OEM for brake parts but the prices for new OEM 5th gen calipers are insanely high. I'm seeing ballpark pricing of around $350 per OEM caliper. That would make for quite a pricey brake job once you add rotors and pads into the equation.
As a result, I'm thinking about going the parts chain route (rockauto) as it looks to be much cheaper. Few things:
1.) You don't have to be on this forum long to learn that the 4th gen is plagued by a frozen caliper issue. Do we know if the 5th gen calipers have any design enhancements that would help prevent this problem? When I looked at both the 4th gen caliper and the 5th gen caliper side by side at the parts store, I couldn't tell any major differences other than the 5th gen pistons are ~3mm larger in diameter. I wonder if the 5th gen guys will begin reporting frozen calipers as the years go by and the 5th gens accumulate more miles. I haven't yet seen any evidence that suggests there is a design enhancement in the 5th gen calipers to prevent this problem, and am skeptical that the 5th gen calipers offer any design enhancement?
2.) I don't want to buy any parts store calipers that aren't coated/painted. I have seen the Centric "141" series rust right away and I won't buy those for that reason. Centric does have a coated version "142" that should do a better job of resisting corrosion. However, the "142" only exists for 5th gen rear calipers and both front/rear 4th gen calipers. Centric does not carry a "142" for the 5th gen front calipers unfortunately. As a result, I've been considering getting the following:
- Centric 4th gen "142" series coated front calipers -> 14244228 & 14244227
- Centric 4th gen "sport" front rotors, 338mm (larger than SR5) -> 12044127 x 2
- Centric 5th gen "142" series coated rear calipers -> 14244587 & 14244588
- Centric 4th gen rear rotors - 5th gen rear rotors should not be used because they have a larger brake hub diameter from what I've been reading -> 12044128 x 2
As you can see above, for the front calipers, I'm putting more priority on the coating and going 4th gen rather than going with the 5th gen which Centric only offers in the bare metal version.
3.) Does anyone know of any other caliper brands that are coated/painted to prevent corrosion? Do Napa or Raybestos offer any coated calipers? If I can find a quality coated 5th gen front caliper, I'd certainly consider that.
4.) For you guys that have done the 5th gen brake swap and sent 4th gen parts back as cores, have you ever experienced any problems with rockauto taking issue with the core refund? So far, I've only heard from people that rockauto doesn't check this too closely.
At this point I'm only doing research and haven't made any decisions so I am open to any other options that make sense. I look forward to your feedback.
Thanks guys!
First, I usually stay with OEM for brake parts but the prices for new OEM 5th gen calipers are insanely high. I'm seeing ballpark pricing of around $350 per OEM caliper. That would make for quite a pricey brake job once you add rotors and pads into the equation.
As a result, I'm thinking about going the parts chain route (rockauto) as it looks to be much cheaper. Few things:
1.) You don't have to be on this forum long to learn that the 4th gen is plagued by a frozen caliper issue. Do we know if the 5th gen calipers have any design enhancements that would help prevent this problem? When I looked at both the 4th gen caliper and the 5th gen caliper side by side at the parts store, I couldn't tell any major differences other than the 5th gen pistons are ~3mm larger in diameter. I wonder if the 5th gen guys will begin reporting frozen calipers as the years go by and the 5th gens accumulate more miles. I haven't yet seen any evidence that suggests there is a design enhancement in the 5th gen calipers to prevent this problem, and am skeptical that the 5th gen calipers offer any design enhancement?
2.) I don't want to buy any parts store calipers that aren't coated/painted. I have seen the Centric "141" series rust right away and I won't buy those for that reason. Centric does have a coated version "142" that should do a better job of resisting corrosion. However, the "142" only exists for 5th gen rear calipers and both front/rear 4th gen calipers. Centric does not carry a "142" for the 5th gen front calipers unfortunately. As a result, I've been considering getting the following:
- Centric 4th gen "142" series coated front calipers -> 14244228 & 14244227
- Centric 4th gen "sport" front rotors, 338mm (larger than SR5) -> 12044127 x 2
- Centric 5th gen "142" series coated rear calipers -> 14244587 & 14244588
- Centric 4th gen rear rotors - 5th gen rear rotors should not be used because they have a larger brake hub diameter from what I've been reading -> 12044128 x 2
As you can see above, for the front calipers, I'm putting more priority on the coating and going 4th gen rather than going with the 5th gen which Centric only offers in the bare metal version.
3.) Does anyone know of any other caliper brands that are coated/painted to prevent corrosion? Do Napa or Raybestos offer any coated calipers? If I can find a quality coated 5th gen front caliper, I'd certainly consider that.
4.) For you guys that have done the 5th gen brake swap and sent 4th gen parts back as cores, have you ever experienced any problems with rockauto taking issue with the core refund? So far, I've only heard from people that rockauto doesn't check this too closely.
At this point I'm only doing research and haven't made any decisions so I am open to any other options that make sense. I look forward to your feedback.
Thanks guys!
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