Standard life for 3rd Gen. Brakes

[GamecockRooster]

Gentlemen,

Got a question for you all. How long, typically, should I expect my brakes to last? I was told this week that my brake pads are almost gone and I haven't even had new brakes for a year. I trust my mechanic, so I don't think I'm being mislead. I know Landcruisers burn through brakes fast due to their weight. However, I hadn't heard this regarding 4Runners.

Any insight would be appreciated.

By the way, I have a '99 Limited 4WD.

 

[Ghostrider]

Definite YMMV. I am easy on my 2001 4WD. I got 70K on the front and could have gotten at least 20K more but I had time and parts so i did them. I still have the original rears at 79K and they are good at least till 100K.

 

[GamecockRooster]

Ghostrider, what does "YMMV" mean?

If it does turn out that I'm burn through my brakes too fast, what type of brake pads should I request and or purchase?

 

[mikehinthehouse]

I would do away with the 4runner setup and do the Tundra brake upgrade... do some searching lots of info on here and YT. I had rotor warping issues with the stock setup, this was the only cure, I wasted alot of money with stock 4runner parts.... hope this helps
mikeh

 

[004Gunner]

My front pads went 70k too before I replaced them. They didn't quite need to be replaced but it was close. I replaced the rotors at the same time because the old rotors had a lot of grooves and I don't think they could have been cut to specs.

 

[RonMAIDEN]

I'm hard on brakes and I got about 40k on my Akebono ceramics.

 

[peter78]

I have 107,000 miles and I am on the first set of brakes. Everytime I take it in for a tune up, I say take a look at the brakes. They always say they are fine. My Accord, the front brakes last 30,000 to sometimes 40,000. My Integra went 80,000 on a set of brakes. I am unsure why they are lasting so long on the 4Runner.

 

[road1will]

I have 107,000 miles and I am on the first set of brakes. Everytime I take it in for a tune up, I say take a look at the brakes. They always say they are fine. My Accord, the front brakes last 30,000 to sometimes 40,000. My Integra went 80,000 on a set of brakes. I am unsure why they are lasting so long on the 4Runner.

Wow, and you tow a trailer too?

My girlfriend got 40k out of her last set of OEM pads. I just put on Autozone Duralasts last night so we'll see how they last.

 

[p nut]

Ghostrider, what does "YMMV" mean?

If it does turn out that I'm burn through my brakes too fast, what type of brake pads should I request and or purchase?

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary. Which means, it depends.

You might want to make sure that your calipers are in proper working order. Unless you drive like a maniac and ride/slam on your brakes like crazy, it should last a while. Mine generally last 50-70k miles.

Also, regarding the Tundra brake upgrade -- it's a good upgrade, but not necessary for everyone. It is more for people that tow/haul a lot, or have experienced frequent rotor warping. For ME, the stock brakes do just fine. I have Autozone Duralast rotors and their ceramic pads (lifetime warranty). They've been fantasic in the stock sizing. So don't go spending $600 doing this mod, if you don't even need it.

 

[racedirt1]

I have 107,000 miles and I am on the first set of brakes. Everytime I take it in for a tune up, I say take a look at the brakes. They always say they are fine. My Accord, the front brakes last 30,000 to sometimes 40,000. My Integra went 80,000 on a set of brakes. I am unsure why they are lasting so long on the 4Runner.

Sounds like me, I tow a 3,000 lb. camper and wheel it quite a bit and still am on my original brakes.

 

[GamecockRooster]

Thank you all for the replies. I also have a lot of warping issues with my rotos. When I replaced the brake pads the last time I had them "machine" the rotos to try and make the braking smoother. However, evem after machining the rotors I still have some shaking when braking at higher speeds.

I'm definitely going to research the Tundra upgrade due to the shaking problem.

I too was surprised when I was told my pads look to have about 3,000 miles of life left.

Again, thank you all for the feedback.

 

[twitchee2]

my mom got 90k out of the factory rears and 110k out of the original fronts. that was on a 96 v6 2wd

 

[TopRunner]

I too was surprised when I was told my pads look to have about 3,000 miles of life left.

Wow, you must have Super Mechanic Man.

 

[GamecockRooster]

Wow, you must have Super Mechanic Man.

He's a good guy. He's just estimating. He said the life could vary, but based on what he's used to he said it looks like there's maybe about 3k left.

 

[GamecockRooster]

Quick question regarding rotors. With my 4Runner being 4WD what should I expect to pay for new stock rotors?

I think I'm going to give one new set of stock rotors a try to eliminate this braking vibration problem and if it doesn't work then I'll most likely switch over to the Tundra Upgrade. Last year, I had the rotors machined which worked for about a month or two. The problem has gotten progressively worse so my hope is that new rotors will satisfy the problem.

 

[jamess]

I am not sure how old my brake pads are, but I purchased my 4Runner in August 2005 with 72K and I now have 142K and I have not changed the brakes. I bought parts to change them because I thought it should have been time, but when I pulled the wheels everything looked great.

 

[mikehinthehouse]

Quick question regarding rotors. With my 4Runner being 4WD what should I expect to pay for new stock rotors?

I think I'm going to give one new set of stock rotors a try to eliminate this braking vibration problem and if it doesn't work then I'll most likely switch over to the Tundra Upgrade. Last year, I had the rotors machined which worked for about a month or two. The problem has gotten progressively worse so my hope is that new rotors will satisfy the problem.

In my opion this is the best route.. mine had fairly new brakes when I bought it.. 2 months later they where warped. I put on autozone rotors and pads... a few months warped.... then bought Brembo rotors few months same thing... ive had the Tundra parts on for about a year and a half with no issues.. I drive alot, kinda hard on the brakes, and we get alot of pop up rain showers here in Louisiana which could have something to do with them warping.
mikeh

 

[jeremy9allen]

I have 120,xxx on the original brakes on my 97

I have a 91 corolla still on the original brakes!

 

[Sarasota 3rd Gen]

In my opion this is the best route.. mine had fairly new brakes when I bought it.. 2 months later they where warped. I put on autozone rotors and pads... a few months warped.... then bought Brembo rotors few months same thing... ive had the Tundra parts on for about a year and a half with no issues.. I drive alot, kinda hard on the brakes, and we get alot of pop up rain showers here in Louisiana which could have something to do with them warping.
mikeh

[MENTION=9963]mikehinthehouse[/MENTION] - I'm having similar issues. I burned through several Advanced Auto brakes and rotors about every 30K. I usually change once the wobble from the warped rotors gets annoying. After listening to Scottie Kilmer I purchased Centric Premium Rotors and Akebono pads. After 26K I didn't get any warping but my wear indicator is starting to squeak so I'm pretty sure my pads need replacement. I'm a bit disappointed as I was hoping to get 50K out of these.

What did you end up going with? How's it holding up?

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

 

[T4R2014]

[MENTION=9963]mikehinthehouse[/MENTION] - I'm having similar issues. I burned through several Advanced Auto brakes and rotors about every 30K. I usually change once the wobble from the warped rotors gets annoying. After listening to Scottie Kilmer I purchased Centric Premium Rotors and Akebono pads. After 26K I didn't get any warping but my wear indicator is starting to squeak so I'm pretty sure my pads need replacement. I'm a bit disappointed as I was hoping to get 50K out of these.

What did you end up going with? How's it holding up?

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Mikeinthehouse has not been "in the house" since Sept 2013.