Rear Brake Pads and rotors upgrade!

Hey folks,

Time to get new rear pads and rotors. Anyone has any experience using other brands other than OEMs. Better bite, less noise, good life etc etc etc.
I have heard Akebono ProAct pads are better. And also Centric rotors?!
I would need part numbers please, it's a maze out there.
Cheers.

 

Hard to top OEM.

 

OEM rotors. Aftermarket rotors in the last few years have a high chance of being out of round from the factory. Akebono makes good pads. If you go aftermarket, they are the only pads I would use. It's a heavy rig-don't expect much improvement.

 

I just did rear brakes last weekend and used oem parts.

Pads are stamped "Akebono" on them.

Whole order was under $300. Quality of materials and fit was evident.

 

Got it. I was inclined to go with OEMs but was wondering if there were other brands like EBC, Galfers etc that make pads for the 4R that have been tried.

I am also looking to change the emergency brake pads. Anyone done these?
@jasonmcelroy- How long did it take you to do the rears?

 

Maybe an hour? Was doing the oil and driveshafts at the same time. Very simple job.

Jason

 

How many miles on your current ones, and are they OEM? I replaced the originals on my 2019 at 92k miles (rear) and 115k miles (front). That's a great argument for not looking into other brands. I used OEM. Did not replace any rotors, as they looked to be in fine shape and didn't need replacing.

 

I am going to go ahead and order an OEM set of pads and rotors. Just need to decide where. Online after shipping is only a couple of tenners cheaper than local dealer.
Mine started squeaking at slow speeds some days ago.

 

Advics (OEM Toyota brake system supplier) makes "best" pads for the aftermarket, but I don't see them offering ceramic pads for the rear, so I went for Bosch earlier this year:

Raybestos 980780PER slotted rotor
Bosch BC606 ceramic pads

 

I also used these bc606 pads.

 

How is the noise/squeak and life on them?

 

^So far, so good. No dust. No noise.

I had good experience with the Raybestos PER-series slotted rotors on my father's Subaru (which previously chewed through StopTech rotors after 25k).

 

If I were to install something besides OE breaks, it would be Powerbreaks. Since those are over $2500, it’s OE for me!

 

I went with StopTech slotted rotors front and rear + NRS Premium galvanized-backed hybrid pads (made in Canada). Very happy with them. Pretty much zero dust, no noise and stop on a dime.

 

OEM rotors are awesome, inexpensive and Made in Japan. TRD brake pads, if you don't mind brake dust - you will thank me later for recommending them. Superb initial bite.

 

I think OEM is a good solid choice. I revamped mine last year with the Bigbrake kit or whatever is called, by powerbrake. I can tell a little bit of a difference but not so much. I never did a good benchmark on before and after, but I think they are a bit better than OEM. Issue is, these things were expensive.... Nothing new there.

 

I think the advantage Powerbreak brings is the ability to dissipate heat and provide reliable breaking in extreme applications. So if you’re heavy and running 35+” tries, it could be worth the bucks. But I’m still waiting to hear back from some of the early adopters.

 

Maxim, are those stock calipers with the logo on them or did you add that? Looks neat!

 

Topic is rear brakes, which do ~20% of the braking unless you're in 4WD. Does this vendor even offer a rear big brake kit? Does it require 18" wheels?

 

For the rear, Powerbreak has the D-Series

 

Interesting. It "seems" on the 4R that the rear brake pads tend to wear just slightly sooner than the fronts. My 2010 FJ Cruiser (essentially the same mechanics) did the same thing. But close enough where I replaced all four at the same time. The later ceramic brake pads appear to last a long time. And so nice not to have to deal with the old, black brake dust.

 

A friend who is a service manager at a local Toyota dealer strongly suggests OEM brakes on my 4Runner. They are an excellent combination with the 4Runner weight, use, and design. When the time comes, that’s what I’ll use.

 

I would agree. Toyota designed this vehicle knowing the weight and towing capacity so I would certainly think they designed the brakes to handle it all. If not it would be one heck of a lawsuit and injuries. Aftermarket isnt always better its just another company making money and SOMETIMES improving a product

 

Just a door handle Sticker on stock caliper. Did it for kicks. Amazing it held up for years now.

 

Big Brake Kit for the rich $$$$, for those who are interested …

https://yotamafia.com/product/powerbrake-x-line-big-brake-kit-5th-gen-4runner-2010-2014-stage-1/

 

Totally amazing it held up this long. Well done.

 

Try Lewis Toyota in Kansas for free shipping.