brake pads and disks

Hey Tundras,
i've got to do brakes on my 08. front and rear.
they pulsate up front which drives me nuts.

which ones have you guys had the best results with?
there's all kinds of kits out there on Amazon and parts stores.

i'm willing to pay more for the good stuff, but don't wanna pay double.

 

Factory stuff is good. Id skip the local auto parts stuff. Cryo treated rotors are always good on a Tundra. EBC, stoptech and Akebono are popular for good reasons.

Lots written on brakes here, search in upper right and you will find plenty of threads with details, reviews, etc.

 

Toyota OEM will be the best bang for your buck IMO.

 

here is what I have been running for the past 4 years: no issues to report.

StopTech slotted sport rotors (F and R)
Posi Quiet ceramic brake pads (F and R)

my oem rotors lasted 40K ish before being warped.

 

I'm pleased with the stoptech cryo treated slotted rotors and yellow stuff EBC pads. Think it all cost me around seven or eight Benjamins though. Some say the dust is bad from the yellow stuff, I generally don't stop much though. Instead I lag behind a bit at red lights, traffic jams, etc. However, when I need to stop quick, it will shut down.

 

Check out the BrakeMotive store on eBay i have used them for several years without issues

 

I tried some Hawk LTS pads for a while, and went back to OEM pads in under 10K miles. Unless you're very abusive of the stock brakes, I'm a fan of OEM pads. Been doing OEM rotors too for a while as I haven't found anything that appear to be that much better. I have heard good things about these guys and will likely try them next time. https://www.remmenbrakes.com/

 

Make sure it's the front rotors. I've known plenty of people who spent a lot of money on their front pads and rotors only to find out it was the rear. If the pads are worn out it doesn't matter but if there's plenty of pad life left you could be spending money for nothing. With drum brakes it's easy as you could just slowly push the parking brake until it starts to grab and see if it's smooth but with rear discs you can do that.

 

I use OEM. Just did front rotors and front/rear pads. If you do decide to do OEM some Toyota Dealers are doing free shipping over $75 currently. I have been using Serra in Decatur lately. Sparks Toyota is also popular but their free shipping ended on the 28th.

 

I also just did OEM. Not much more expensive than buying aftermarket brands on Rockauto. A no brainer for me.

Don’t forget to order new shims and a fitting kit. It’s cheap…and if the pads on your truck are aftermarket the shims on there might not match the OEM Pads.

 

Mechanic tells me I'll probably get another 20k miles from my OEM brakes. I have 88,000 on them now...yep, OEM will be just fine.

 

Nice! For years I’ve avoided OEM parts like the plague, mostly because I’m cheap, and because my local dealerships in my small city overcharge. Now, with some dealerships selling online at a discounted price, the price is now so close to aftermarket that it doesn’t make sense to me to not buy OEM. Especially in the case of Toyota, where I have confidence that OEM parts are of high quality.

 

Next question will be how much have Toyota's beancounters messed with the quality of OEM parts? Especially for my 2010.

 

One thing I like about OEM Toyota parts are they’re either made in the USA or Japan. Other than oil filters. Toyota hasn’t disappointed me yet with their stuff.

 

The brakes you install should be dictated by how you mostly use your truck. I installed the Powerstop Z36 kit (front and rear) because I mostly use my truck to tow my RV. I am very satisfied with the performance, whether I am towing or not.

 

That certainly makes sense. I tow a 3500-4000 lb load every year for a couple thousand miles. What I don't do, is jump on the brakes every time I need to slow down a few miles per hour or descend a grade. Toyota included their Sequential Shifter for that.

 

my dealer helped me out a little on the parts, still dropped 425 on OEM Parts.
better than the 575 they initially quoted me....but a good bit more than the aftermarket kits.

 

centric premium rotors are great. OEM pads for sure

 

How much did the OEM front Pads and Rotors run? and do they OEM stuff make brake noise before they are about to go?

 

I second the Centric on rotors and their PosiQuiet pads. I always have a good experience with them and they come at a decent price.

 

For front brake pads, rotors, shim kit, fitting kit/anti rattle clip set-$332 including shipping

For rear pads., rotors, shim kit, anti rattle clip set, 4 new brake pad pins-$344 including shipping.

 

^^^I forgot to mention, I bought my parts online from Toyota Parts of Olathe,KS. My local dealership charges much higher prices, so I don’t even bother checking with them anymore.

 

Thanks for sharing. Their prices seem super cheap.

 

Glad that helped. Yeah, their prices are great, still cheaper even with shipping costs. Hard to beat the convenience.

 

I have found, that after replacing rotors and brakes, it is important that when you re-install the tires/wheels. you torque them to specs. (Steel wheels are around 150 and alloy wheels are around 100 foot pounds) DO NOT depend on the dealer, tire shop, etc to do it. It needs to be done correctly and the only way to ensure that is by doing it yourself. I had a tire shop "say' they torqued the lugs. but what I found was that they used a gun to put the lugs on (later found to be about 210 foot pounds), then use the torque wrench at 150 foot pounds. Anyone see an issue with this???? When you get home, remove the lugs, and redo them correctly with a torque wrench. Since then, I have not had a rotor warp and no shimmy in the braking.

 

I used Advics on rockauto, they seemed identical to the factory stuff I took off. I kept the OE shims because they seemed better than the stuff that came with the Advics pad set. Rotors were identical, pads just had different shim kits.

 

I suppose there could be some science behind that. The rotor is being compressed between the hub and the wheel. With temperature changes when operating the pressures exerted on the system components would vary depending on the torque. The lug bolts themselves, the hub, and the wheel would also expand at a higher temperature as well. So, all in all it becomes a bit complex, especially when you factor in airflow at different speeds, friction, water puddle splashes, etc. Personally, I never had a problem with the German torque spec of gudentight on every vehicle I have ever owned. I think most brake problems are caused from poor driving not lug nut torque. Just my opinion.

 

Uneven lug nut torque is definitely a variable on many vehicles. Also, the washer on the Toyota truck lug nuts lend themselves to overtightening if the right kind of grit gets between the washer and the nut, and this will cause stretching or snapping of the stud. Does torque matter on a Tundra? I don't know for sure, but I torque everything because it's an easy variable to control.

As far as brake components go, if you get a deal on OEM, go for it. I am partial to Wagner OE-X pads on my truck, they do very well towing our trailer and don't head fade as badly as some of the others I have tried. Next brake job a set of Centric premium coated rotors will go on front and rear, although I have had great luck with the OE rotors, I still have factory rotors on there after 122k miles.