brake life and the high-perf brake rotors

[chrislloyd]

hello everyone

well i am about tired of all the brake issues with my tundra . we finally got all the vibrations to stop.... but it seems that the new pads only last about 13k miles. i am starting to belive its me.

soooooooo i am thinking about the TRW and Porterfield products avaliable from wheelers. will my brake life between brake jobs be any better than factory?? or does this product only improve stopping power and minimize the warping issues from heat??

as i said... i get no more tundra brake vibes... so im extremely happy for that. but they just did a "brake job" in the front about 13k miles ago... and i only have 25% left on the fronts.

like i said.. maybe it is my driving style. i dont know though. i had a honda accord with 120k on the factory brakes... and a dodge dakota with 70. (my 04 accord did already have the brakes turned because of a defect)

i hate brakes! will these aftermarket brakes improve the LIFE of my brakes??

[dyogim]

I've heard the slotted rotor actually were the pads more and the cross drilled will increase the life of the pads. Don't quote me on that. Either of the two is an improvement over stock.

Mike

PS. How did the front hitch receiver work out for you?

[wylcat]

do you set your park break occasionally? the reason i ask is that's what adjusts your rear brakes and if they are not adjusted your front brakes do all the work and wear out accordingly. also if your truck nose dives when braking normally then you may have adjustment problems.

[chrislloyd]

my buddy has cross drilled on his dodge ram. he had the same problem with warping rotors. he said that is a thing of the past... but hasnt had them on long enough to decide if the brakes are wearing any better.

do you have to turn the rotors when your pads are worn down? i really trust my service writer... and he says you do. but if they were just turned 13k ago... and the pads are just warn... i would think maybe not.

i want my wheels before i have to put more $$ into the brakes

the hitch receiver worked great... thanks again! i did have one goof though... i went to put the ball mount for my trailer in.... lol... the holes for the pin wont line up. ill have to shorten the ball mount. i didnt even think about that.

[chrislloyd]

Originally Posted by wylcat

do you set your park break occasionally? the reason i ask is that's what adjusts your rear brakes and if they are not adjusted your front brakes do all the work and wear out accordingly. also if your truck nose dives when braking normally then you may have adjustment problems.

i set the brake each and every time i park. its was a habit from the manual trans of my old truck. as the p brake becomes more mushy.. the truck does feel like it dives more. its been to toyota so many times for brakes... i dont know how it can be "fixed" to stay in better adjustment.

[dyogim]

When you get your rims and tires, get some 17's. That way if all else fails, upgrade to the TRD big brake kit.

[woody1]

At 95K replaced mine w/ Cross Drilled Cryo treated rotors with Kevlar Pads; little over a year ago.
Just turned 152K driving SoCal freeways and they're still working great

[DevinSixtySeven]

if your rotors arent damaged, they dont need to be turned, period. all youre doing is removing the bedded surface, which means you will have to bed the rotors *again* and braking performance wont be as precise right off.

if your brakes are damaged, look for ways to remove more heat, faster. vented rotors (oem are vented) remove heat faster. crossdrilled and vented remove heat faster, and dont fade as quickly as the outgassing from the pads has an escape route and is less likely to push the pad away from the rotor. a slotted rotor does a similar job, and has another purpose that i've completely forgotten at this point...i'll have to ask my buddy, he works r&d for an auto manufacturer and had a lot to say about this subject, as we recently swapped the oem rotors and pads on his eclipse for some powerslots. the slotted rotors will slow you down faster, as more energy is required to shave the pad with the slot, the slot also provides a vent as that energy is largely released as heat. it also means pads wear faster, but pads on this truck are a piece of cake to change.

if you are damaging high-perf rotors, change your driving style.

-s (cryo'd, crossdrilled powerstops, c/k pads, 40K miles, working out great)