Rotors:Drilled/slotted vs. Solid(traditional). Also Pads question.

S

swampy_swimmer

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On my last trip I noticed that when I apply brakes on 65-70mph track starts to shake. I suspect it’s a rotors problem, but didn’t take it to the mechanic for diagnosis yet. It’s 2002 Sport Edition with about 113K on it. Still has original rotors, not sure about pads.
So I see that stock rotors are plain solid and nowdays a lot of rotors come with holes and grooves in them and they cost more. I’m not a street racer and I do not tow heavy loads, but I do light/medium off road stuff in the spring – summer –fall. Drive on send and unpaved roads with a lot of pot holes in them.
I guess my question is: should I go with plain/solid rotors as originals or upgrade to slotted/drilled ones? And what is the decent choice of rotors should I be looking for?
And braking pads: semi metallic or ceramic ones?
One more thing: should I be worried about rear brakes? I think on my truck it’s drums, not rotors at the rear.

Edit: does the fact that it's Sport Edition mean that rotors should be of a different size from regular SR5?
Thanks much for all the input. Sorry I’m not much of a mechanic.
 
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You should go ahead and service the rear brakes with OEM shoes too. I was told that the fronts warp when the rear is out of adjustment. I went with Wagner blanks and Thermoquiet pads and they have been good so far.
 
Thanks, maybe I will. Another question: is turning the existing rotors an option in lieu of replacing them with new? Or better just to replace them?
 
swampy_swimmer said:
Back to my original question: solid or drilled-slotted? Does it worth difference in price?
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Personally I think the slotted/drilled are not worth it and i'm not sold on all the hype. I think if it were a track or race truck where you were going to change pads each race and stuff yeah it's fine, but for a DD... nope.

If you really want better braking performance on your 4runner then do the Tundra brake upgrade. It would be money better spent. IMHO

Or you can just replace with factory 4runner rotors/pads and let it go another 113k.
 
The main advantage of brembo slotted and drilled with performance pads is $300-ish in parts vs. $600-ish in parts for the Tundra upgrade.

BTW I've had my Brembo rotors since 2008 and they are still going strong.
 
I'd do the Tundra upgrade too. But no need for OEM in my opinion. (OEM pads maybe) You can do the whole thing parts from Advance Auto for around $300. Well worth it.
Do not turn the stock rotors. They're already way too thin to begin with.
 
How much is a mechanic going to charge to do the tundra swap and will a book rate mechanic even do that?
 

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The Tundra upgrade is a nice upgrade, but it isn't necessary if you aren't planning on towing often. The stock brakes with good pads, rotors, and rear shoes work well for most situations. Just something to think about before shelling out the cash.
 
T4R2014 said:
The Tundra upgrade is a nice upgrade, but it isn't necessary if you aren't planning on towing often. The stock brakes with good pads, rotors, and rear shoes work well for most situations. Just something to think about before shelling out the cash.
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I have to disagree with you. The stock set up does the job. But they wear out way fast. The Tundra brakes do a much better job and pay for them self by how much longer they last.

OP, which 16's? 5 star or Split Spoke? Depending in which wheels will dictate which Tundra brake kit you go with?
 
PitbullRescuer said:
I have to disagree with you. The stock set up does the job. But they wear out way fast. The Tundra brakes do a much better job and pay for them self by how much longer they last.

OP, which 16's? 5 star or Split Spoke? Depending in which wheels will dictate which Tundra brake kit you go with?
Click to expand...

That's true as well. I haven't really had any problems with the stocks wearing out quickly though. They only ever warped once. The OP said he has a 2002 Sport so I'm guessing he has the coke bottle wheels. The Tundra calipers should fit.
 
swampy_swimmer said:
Back to my original question: solid or drilled-slotted? Does it worth difference in price?
Click to expand...

The idea behind cross drilled and slotted brakes is heat dissipation and gas dispersal. Keep in mind, your brakes need a certain amount of heat in them to function at the peak performance, just like anything else. Ever notice the difference in stopping power hot vs. cold?

Without going into all the physics of it, you're not going to build enough heat during day to day driving to ever get your brakes warm enough to function properly. In all likely hood, you'll notice a decrease in performance with cross drilled. You MAY get away with slotted, but not both. And I am speaking from experience, as I had them on my last truck and wished I'd never made the switch. There was only one instance where I was able to get them hot enough that they actually improved stopping distance over the factory rotors, and that was coming to a dead stop from about 130mph in under 800ft racing a STI.

Just buy a good set of OEM rotors. They lasted 100k on your truck, so there's no reason you couldn't repeat those results.
 
They are 16" 5 star wheels. Brian, thanks for the link. Very good read, however i doubt that my small shop mechanic will do all that grinding. Unless 2002 Tundra brakes will fit there with 213mm calipers w/o any mechanical grinding.
 
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