Elk Hunter 2
Member
Has anyone else experienced front brake issues on their 5th gen T4R. I've had mine resurfaced, then replaced and keep getting vibration when braking from highway speeds. My 4Runner is a 2010 with 133000 miles on it.
Front brake problems
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Elk Hunter 2
Member
Front rotors replaced on 22,Apr. 2015, the replacements where resurfaced Jan. 17 and July, 17
CutthroatSlam
Senior Member
Yes had front end vibration when braking at highway speed.
Changed front rotors, but vibration continued.
Noted feathered or sawtooth wear on all tires. Changed out OEM shocks for Bilstein 5100s. Vibration disappeared and sawtooth wear slowly disappeared.
No problem since. Key is whether the vibration is felt in the brake pedal or just the steering wheel. If the latter, then it's likely shocks. You can test the shocks by bouncing each corner of the truck and observing the response.
Warped rotors can be resurfaced, but the problem will soon reappear. Basically you have a heat hardened spot on the rotor(s) that does not wear as fast as the rest of the rotor. Resurfacing takes it all down, but then the uneven wear causes that hard spot to become the high spot, resulting in your vibration.
OEM shocks were done at 80K miles.
Changed front rotors, but vibration continued.
Noted feathered or sawtooth wear on all tires. Changed out OEM shocks for Bilstein 5100s. Vibration disappeared and sawtooth wear slowly disappeared.
No problem since. Key is whether the vibration is felt in the brake pedal or just the steering wheel. If the latter, then it's likely shocks. You can test the shocks by bouncing each corner of the truck and observing the response.
Warped rotors can be resurfaced, but the problem will soon reappear. Basically you have a heat hardened spot on the rotor(s) that does not wear as fast as the rest of the rotor. Resurfacing takes it all down, but then the uneven wear causes that hard spot to become the high spot, resulting in your vibration.
OEM shocks were done at 80K miles.
Elk Hunter 2
Member
Has anyone switched to aftermarket brakes and rotors, I saw slotted ones supposedly heavy duty for vehicles that tow trailers. Yes pads replaced and vibration is in steering wheel.
daytonaviolet
New member
i had the same issue. after re-surface, i believe the rotors are not as strong and they have the tendency to warp. i changed to new rotors, the vibrations during braking went away.:clap2:
Jeffy
New member
I've had this kit for 20k miles now, I'm happy so far. When I first put it on, it started feeling warped coming down from the mountains about a week later, I'm not sure I bed them in hard enough on the install. I contacted the company and they sent me full replacements, no hassle at all. I made sure to bed the new ones in much harder and they've been great ever since.
CutthroatSlam
Senior Member
Still haven't told us how many miles on the truck, or whether you have tested the shocks for wear.
As for brake parts.....
Get the best grade pads made by Raybestos: RAYBESTOS SP976TRH Specialty - Truck; Ceramic at RockAuto
And AC Delco Specialty Performance Rotors: ACDELCO 18A2738SD Specialty; Performance at RockAuto.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=9167016&cc=3307198&jsn=515
CutthroatSlam
Senior Member
Elk Hunter 2
Member
Thanks Slam, I had been looking on line at raybestos and never though of ac delco for a Toyota...:thanks:
CutthroatSlam
Senior Member
The AC Delco Performance Rotors and Raybestos Advanced Technology rotors are one in the same. Same manufacturer and same material. I could only find the AC Delco listing for the 4Runner at Rockauto. I used Raybestos on my K2500 Suburban, AC Delco on my wife's 4Runner. They've been solid.
Raybestos:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=2768652&cc=1412143&jsn=535
AC Delco:
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=3289320&cc=1412143&jsn=525
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I installed the ac delco rotors and wagner quickstop pads. My OEM rotors had a couple of pad imprints which I think is what caused the vibration when braking on the highway when braking. No problems for the past 5k miles.
rigtec
New member
Hi Elk Hunter 2,
Yes, surprisingly I was getting a severe vibration from the front brakes when slowing down on the NJTPK (doing about 80 mph)... which is normal here (much like I-285 in GA) and this '2012 Limited' with 275/55 R20's make it feel like you're only doing 50 mph. It's only got 20,000 on it now, but when this became a problem it only had about 15.000 on the clock!
From the symptoms, I knew the front rotors were warped; just didn't know why. So I took it in to a local Good*Year shop where I was a tech years ago... I still know one of the mechanics that worked there when I was there! So he pulled the front wheels off and showed me that the caliper guide pins (Sliding rods) had rusted; causing the floating calipers to seize, and never allowing the pads move away from the rotors.
I thought I could get away with just 'a Resurface', but he said that there wasn't enough meat on the rotors to clean them up... too much wobble! As a result I ended up replacing two rotors, set of pads, and a hardware kit (about $550.00 bucks)! ...but at 15,000 miles? That seemed much to soon but I use another vehicle (a commercial hvac service van) for work, so the 4Runner spends most of it's time waiting for me to take her out for a ride lol!
Just hoping that this doesn't happen every 15,000 miles; the rear pads are almost ready to be replaced as well (due to the way 'VSC' and 'A-Trac' work), ugh! 'Best to you',
rig, cheers
adamsrotors
New member
slotting is great for head dissipation and glaze avoidance.
we're a HUGE promoter of slotting and different forms of it. we've focused most of our catalog around it.
what you seem to be experiencing is glazing. that can occur on the rotor, pad, or both. so after resurfacing or just swapping pads on the same rotor/pads, the symptom will still occur. new pads and rotors is ideal and the most important part, is bedding immediately after. this is something many installers/owners skip and can create the shudder prematurely and often times is what you feel and not infact warped rotors.
nevada
Senior Member
it doesn't sound like this guy is much of a friend, nor is he an honest mechanic. at 15,000 miles, the rotors were still pretty much new. the pulsation/vibration isn't from the rotor being warped, but instead uneven friction material buildup. there was plenty of meat left on your rotors. they could have easily been resurfaced.
I suggest a different shop next time.
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