Anyone upgraded their brakes?
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bjohnston115
New member
Upgrade to what...? Not sure of any "Big Brake" kits for our truck yet and if you are just talking about pads then half the people will say OEM is best and the other half will say their favorite brand is best.
Engineer
New member
OEM is best, never swapped but when I do that's what I will be going with. Don't fix what isn't broke
1engineer
Moderator
We have talked about this topic several times and the majority will say to keep OEM. Why? Stopping distance is great, fade is almost non existent, life is phenomenal and the price is cheap. Pretty hard to beat that but if you can find something that will out perform the OEM in any one of those categories then please post it!
jwkilgore
New member
The 4Runner already has fairly substantial stock brakes that are good quality. If you've been happy with the performance through the first set of pads, then stick with stock. If you've experienced brake fade or overheating while towing then consider upgrading, but you didn't say that.
Pretty much anything you do to "upgrade" will result in a trade off. You'll potentially get better and longer braking ability at the cost of having to replace your (more expensive) pads and rotors much more frequently.
But the best upgrade for frequent towing of heavy trailers is to install trailer brakes controlled by an electronic brake controller: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/59624-brake-controller.html
For driving in traffic you'll want a proportional controller instead of a time-delay. No, I don't have a specific model recommendation, but I have driven the same vehicle towing the same trailer before and after installing a brake controller and the difference was phenomenal.
Pretty much anything you do to "upgrade" will result in a trade off. You'll potentially get better and longer braking ability at the cost of having to replace your (more expensive) pads and rotors much more frequently.
But the best upgrade for frequent towing of heavy trailers is to install trailer brakes controlled by an electronic brake controller: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/59624-brake-controller.html
For driving in traffic you'll want a proportional controller instead of a time-delay. No, I don't have a specific model recommendation, but I have driven the same vehicle towing the same trailer before and after installing a brake controller and the difference was phenomenal.
Bootleg
New member
I have to respectfully disagree with everyone here. I think the stock brakes are pretty terrible, honestly. The only thing they have going for them is the pad life which comes at the sacrifice of initial bite, stopping distance, and brake feel. Before buying my truck I came from a sports car racing background and the brakes felt shockingly bad to me, right off the lot. When it came time to replace my brakes I decided that I would upgrade because the cost was only marginally higher than stock parts. Not only did I need new pads but I also needed new rotors because mine were extremely shaky, or “warped”, most likely due to uneven pad material on the rotors. Having used Hawk brakes on every track car I’ve driven I decided to give their LTS light truck pads and Sector 27 rotors from [MENTION=120150]TotalAutomotiveLV[/MENTION] (great company and great supporter here) a shot. Much, MUCH better than stock. Totally restored my confidence in driving in heavy traffic, rain, and generally less than ideal conditions. Bite is fantastic and stopping distance is significantly better than stock. I also don’t need to worry about brake fade in the mountains and they stand up to my harsh style of braking. Only issue is the amount of dust is pretty high. Worthwhile trade off in my opinion.
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marshal
New member
did you know that the 4Runner stops in a shorter distance than a Range Rover Sport with Brembos?
the stock toyota brakes are very very good. the pedal feel might not be all the way there, but the actual stopping power is substantial. there is only so much friction you have available with the stock dimension tires before they lock up.
I recently did front and rear brakes on my 2012 w/ 40k I still had pad life left but the brakes squealed like mad and the front rotors were a little warped. When I did the brake job I replaced all 4 rotors with drilled and slotted units and I replaced the rear brake pads with a brand called Advics. Apparently, it is a Japanese brand and the closest thing to OEM w/o getting OEM pads. So far I'm happy with the outcome.The brakes feel smoother than when the vehicle was new and my wheels so far seem to stay cleaner for longer. I pull a jet boat in the summer. I think that will be the true test.
jwkilgore
New member
Key phrases in bold. As he hinted, overheating doesn't technically "warp" the rotors (it's heavy cast iron... it ain't warping). What overheating does is cause the pads to deteriorate and distribute friction material unevenly to the rotors, which causes them to wear unevenly. So if you drive your SUV like a sports car with a "harsh style of braking", then yeah, you need high-temp brake pads and maybe even grooved rotors. Keep in mind that these parts will both cost more and will have to be replaced more frequently. See that where he said the "amount of dust is pretty high"? That's because the pads are wearing faster. It's a trade-off.
You might also contact Adco about going forward with development of thicker aftermarket stabilizer bars so you can take corners faster and don't have to brake as hard.
Again, to the OP, if you've been happy with OE for a full set of pads, then stick with OE. If you want to pay to upgrade, then pay to upgrade, with the understanding that "upgraded" pads likely won't last as long.
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1engineer
Moderator
Please go out and do a 60-0 stop a few times with your new brakes. Measure the distance. Report back.
Sorry you are wrong. I also come from a sport compact background. I had 2 2003/2004 Dodge SRT4s that very famously have incredibly brakes. These brakes in the 4runner are very comparable to those brakes in the SRT4.
isdriven
New member
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DKFTPNYC
New member
Personally, I think the brakes do the job of stopping the truck just fine. My only gripe is the seemingly large amount of pedal travel before the initial bite. After that, it brakes just fine and with great force. Ultimately, I just don't like the feel of them (the lack of it) but otherwise I think they are powerful and get the job done. I might try the LTS pads and stainless lines, when they need servicing, as I have had good experiences with them before.
RESQLAB
New member
yes, i changed the rotors and pads out.
i was creeping at stop signs even with my foot on the brake and felt the balance was poor from front to back.
installed F&R cryo rotors (slotted) , akebono ceramic pads, stainless brake hoses F&R.
in a nut shell, i never think of my brakes now and that says a lot.
was it worth the cost... yes, but it wasnt cheap.
i was creeping at stop signs even with my foot on the brake and felt the balance was poor from front to back.
installed F&R cryo rotors (slotted) , akebono ceramic pads, stainless brake hoses F&R.
in a nut shell, i never think of my brakes now and that says a lot.
was it worth the cost... yes, but it wasnt cheap.
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I'm sorry.... And what year SRT4 did you own now?
