pads/rotors/struts - 2002 sport edition 4Runner

[alpine0000]

you guys are the experts!

im about to replace my brake pads, rotors, and struts (all only on the front, not touching anything in the rear) on my 2002 sport edition 4runner. my buddy gets a 20% discount on parts at the local toyota dealership. i called toyota today and these are the prices they gave me (before my 20% discount through my friend)

pads - $64.47
rotors - $98 each
struts - $104 each

my question to you guys is this:

would you go with all stock parts straight from toyota as listed above (minus 20% for my connection) or would you go with aftermarket parts?

my buddy suggested going with factory pads and POWERSLOT rotors ( http://www.powerslot.com/pages/power_slot.html ) and Bilstein struts.

i can find the powerslot rotors online for about $100 each, and my buddy told me i can find the Bilstein struts for about $75 each online. I dont know anything about aftermarket car part manufacturer brand names (whats good and whats crap?)

FYI - im installing this stuff myself. also, i do zero offroading, so far my 4runner has been 100% street use. so im not sure if i really need heavy duty bilstein struts, but if they are a great strut, and its about the same price that im paying for the OEM, then why not, i guess... but, i dont want a really stiff ride if thats what its going to give me.

so? what would you do? any suggestions for brand names or part numbers or web links for parts you might choose to use? any advice? im open for anything you wanna throw at me!

thanks in advance!

william

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Many could chime in with strut comments, I assume you do not plan to lift, if that's the case then maybe the stock ones are for you. If you want to save a few bucks and have OEM or better ride I like these:
http://www.shockwarehouse.com/site/gasajust.cfm http://www.shockwarehouse.com/index.cfm?mode=results&selected_model=4468&selected_year=2002 They are tuned to a smooth but controlled ride. Really aggressive drivers would say they're too soft. The wimpiest of driver's would not complain about a harsh ride.

As far as brakes go: I like factory pads, they last a long time, they don't squeak. In real life they tend to be more versatile and work better than "high-performance" pads. Factory rotors are good. Napa Gold series rotors are also very good. NAPA has a few grades of rotors, the gold series is what you want or buy the genuine Toyota rotors. Even if you choose the NAPA rotors I'd still use the Toyota pads. Hope that helps, good luck!
:cheers:

 

[alpine0000]

thanks for the reply! i get the feeling this sub forum isnt frequented as much as some of the other ones

at any rate, i ended up getting toyota pads, powerslot rotors, and bilstein struts.

havent installed the rotors or pads yet (still waiting for the rotors in the mail) but decided to do the struts today while i wait.

slight problem though... the bilsteins are 1-2" LONGER than the factory struts. i got the spring compressor and got the spring installed on it, but im having one hell of a time trying to pry open the space to fit the whole assembly back into its home in the wheel well. is this normal?

i definitely ordered the correct struts from tirerack.com

Manufacturer Part #: F4-BE5-2450-H0

link to the ones i bought

ive been 4 hours so far on the front drivers side and dont have it in yet. does anybody have any suggestions? :bigok:

 

[CJ3Flyr]

thanks for the reply! i get the feeling this sub forum isnt frequented as much as some of the other ones

at any rate, i ended up getting toyota pads, powerslot rotors, and bilstein struts.

havent installed the rotors or pads yet (still waiting for the rotors in the mail) but decided to do the struts today while i wait.

slight problem though... the bilsteins are 1-2" LONGER than the factory struts. i got the spring compressor and got the spring installed on it, but im having one hell of a time trying to pry open the space to fit the whole assembly back into its home in the wheel well. is this normal?

i definitely ordered the correct struts from tirerack.com

Manufacturer Part #: F4-BE5-2450-H0

link to the ones i bought

ive been 4 hours so far on the front drivers side and dont have it in yet. does anybody have any suggestions? :bigok:

I wish I could help, I don't have 3rd gen 1st hand knowledge. It does sound like you made great choices on the brake stuff

:cheers:

 

[nc211]

In my opinion, TireRack blows. I have never been pleased with anything I've ever bought from them, and always seem to waste more money and time messing with them, then just ording directly from the manufactorers website(s). I wasted about $200 on mountings, shipping, and utter frustration with two sets of tires from them for my old LS400. They weren't as advertised "rode like a ton of bricks", or they were defective, or wouldn't seal on the rim, or..... End result was a set of Michelins from my local tire store, with free mounting, rotation for life, and warranty.

In my opinion, I'd put your stock shocks back on, return those aftermarket shocks to tirerack, and buy some oem shocks from one of the online vendors, which you'll find are probably cheaper anyway.

For instance, www.lexuspartsonline.com is a genuine Toyota parts seller, and they have your shocks for $66 each.
http://www.lexuspartsonline.com/ind...tion=selectCatalogYearMakeModel&siteid=214281

OEM, in my opinion, is the only way to go, so long as you buy them online and not through the stealership. I learned so many hard lessons with the restoration of my old "95'" LS400 with aftermarket parts.

 

[delsurf]

yeah i just took my 2002 sr5 4runner in to a local shop for brakes and I was told i need new pads(i knew that) new rotors(kinda thought so) but they told me that my front strut(s) were leaking fluid and need to be replaced, also the back ones were a ticking time bomb too. theyre the origanal ones and i have 103000 miles on her. All together with labor to replace the pads, rotors, struts front and back and clean and adjust the back brakes was 975.00.:bash: :bash: