What Front Pads for Towing? '01 Sequoia - Toyota Tundra Forums : Tundra Solutions Forum

Jettix2 · #1 (**permalink**) 08-29-2005, 03:20 PM

I have an '01 Sequoia 4WD SR5 w/o the TSB front brake update. I've got 53k on the clock right now and the front brakes are starting to squeal.

Rear pads/rotors are brand new, OE equivalent.

We plan to buy a travel trailer in the spring, and I wondered what front brake pads are recommended for towing. My thought had been OE rotors and Hawk HPS pads......Yes/No?

Thanks, Ben

lelandstanford · #2 (**permalink**) 08-29-2005, 05:08 PM

I would go with slotted/cross drilled rotors for higher friction index and better cooling.

A set of "Severe Duty" pads will probably work best for towing such as PFC Z-rated or Hawk SD.

Jettix2 · #3 (**permalink**) 08-29-2005, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lelandstanford

I would go with slotted/cross drilled rotors for higher friction index and better cooling.

A set of "Severe Duty" pads will probably work best for towing such as PFC Z-rated or Hawk SD.

OK, I just didnt want pads that were more apt to overheat the front rotors.

Thanks, Ben

Jack Burton · #4 (**permalink**) 08-29-2005, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jettix2

OK, I just didnt want pads that were more apt to overheat the front rotors.

Thanks, Ben

Just stay away from the ceramic pads for your driving conditions. They can transfer heat to the rotors over the semi-metallics if worked hard....

Don't know if you saw this INFO I posted on another Sequoia thread....... JB

RockyMtnRay · #5 (**permalink**) 08-29-2005, 11:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jettix2

I have an '01 Sequoia 4WD SR5 w/o the TSB front brake update. I've got 53k on the clock right now and the front brakes are starting to squeal.

Rear pads/rotors are brand new, OE equivalent.

We plan to buy a travel trailer in the spring, and I wondered what front brake pads are recommended for towing. My thought had been OE rotors and Hawk HPS pads......Yes/No?

Thanks, Ben

Your travel trailer will have its own brakes. The fundamental rule of tow braking is the brakes on the trailer stop the trailer, the brakes on the tow vehicle stop the tow vehicle. You do NOT need special brakes on your Sequoia to safely tow a trailer if the trailer has properly adjusted brakes and you equip the Sequoia with a high quality trailer brake controller such as a Tekonsha Prodigy or Jordan Ultra.

I've put nearly 18,000 miles (12,000 towing miles) on my Tundra...nearly all of them across high and steep mountain passes here in Colorado...and my front brake pads are showing almost zero wear; I expect them to last at least 70,000 miles. The reason I have so little front brake wear is I turn OD off to get engine braking on descents, I use a Tekonsha Prodigy controller, and I keep my trailer's brake drums well adjusted.

If you want to have high performance brakes on your Sequoia for reasons other than towing a travel trailer, fine. But you certainly don't need anything higher performance than the OEM pads/rotors to safely tow a travel trailer...if you use a good controller and keep the trailer brakes properly adjusted. Now if you were unwisely towing a heavy trailer that did not have its own brakes, then maybe a brake upgrade would be a good idea. But it's not needed for any trailer that has its own brakes.

There are two myths about towing travel trailers that I'd like to see go away...one is that you need better brakes on the tow vehicle and two is that you have to beef up the suspension on the tow vehicle.

Jack Burton · #6 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 01:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockyMtnRay

Your travel trailer will have its own brakes. The fundamental rule of tow braking is the brakes on the trailer stop the trailer, the brakes on the tow vehicle stop the tow vehicle. You do NOT need special brakes on your Sequoia to safely tow a trailer if the trailer has properly adjusted brakes and you equip the Sequoia with a high quality trailer brake controller such as a Tekonsha Prodigy or Jordan Ultra.

I've put nearly 18,000 miles (12,000 towing miles) on my Tundra...nearly all of them across high and steep mountain passes here in Colorado...and my front brake pads are showing almost zero wear; I expect them to last at least 70,000 miles. The reason I have so little front brake wear is I turn OD off to get engine braking on descents, I use a Tekonsha Prodigy controller, and I keep my trailer's brake drums well adjusted.

If you want to have high performance brakes on your Sequoia for reasons other than towing a travel trailer, fine. But you certainly don't need anything higher performance than the OEM pads/rotors to safely tow a travel trailer...if you use a good controller and keep the trailer brakes properly adjusted. Now if you were unwisely towing a heavy trailer that did not have its own brakes, then maybe a brake upgrade would be a good idea. But it's not needed for any trailer that has its own brakes.

There are two myths about towing travel trailers that I'd like to see go away...one is that you need better brakes on the tow vehicle and two is that you have to beef up the suspension on the tow vehicle.

Given that you'd probably drive less miles towing a trailer vs. everyday driving, why wouldn't you advise on better stopping power of aftermarket pads..???

Jettix2 · #7 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 10:38 AM

Ray;

Ok, I understand. I'm going to go with Hawk HPS just to get a little better stopping power during daily driving......and we'll be sure to get a good brake controller. Thanks again!

Ben

Quote:

Originally Posted by RockyMtnRay

Your travel trailer will have its own brakes. The fundamental rule of tow braking is the brakes on the trailer stop the trailer, the brakes on the tow vehicle stop the tow vehicle. You do NOT need special brakes on your Sequoia to safely tow a trailer if the trailer has properly adjusted brakes and you equip the Sequoia with a high quality trailer brake controller such as a Tekonsha Prodigy or Jordan Ultra.

I've put nearly 18,000 miles (12,000 towing miles) on my Tundra...nearly all of them across high and steep mountain passes here in Colorado...and my front brake pads are showing almost zero wear; I expect them to last at least 70,000 miles. The reason I have so little front brake wear is I turn OD off to get engine braking on descents, I use a Tekonsha Prodigy controller, and I keep my trailer's brake drums well adjusted.

If you want to have high performance brakes on your Sequoia for reasons other than towing a travel trailer, fine. But you certainly don't need anything higher performance than the OEM pads/rotors to safely tow a travel trailer...if you use a good controller and keep the trailer brakes properly adjusted. Now if you were unwisely towing a heavy trailer that did not have its own brakes, then maybe a brake upgrade would be a good idea. But it's not needed for any trailer that has its own brakes.

There are two myths about towing travel trailers that I'd like to see go away...one is that you need better brakes on the tow vehicle and two is that you have to beef up the suspension on the tow vehicle.

lelandstanford · #8 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jettix2

OK, I just didnt want pads that were more apt to overheat the front rotors.

Thanks, Ben

Neither one will generate more heat than OEM.

RockyMtnRay · #9 (**permalink**) 08-30-2005, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jack Burton

Given that you'd probably drive less miles towing a trailer vs. everyday driving, why wouldn't you advise on better stopping power of aftermarket pads..???

If better stopping power for everyday driving is the goal (and justified by the owner's driving style and usage patterns), then certainly aftermarket pads are advisable. The point I was making is that neither aftermarket pads nor improved stopping power are needed for towing a travel trailer for the simple reason that it's the trailer's brakes that should be stopping the trailer...not the tow vehicle's brakes.

As for myself, I see no reason to spend any money to upgrade my own truck's brakes for even everyday driving (in my case towing miles greatly exceed everyday miles). Given my non-aggressive driving style and usage patterns, the OEM pads/rotors are more than meeting my needs for stopping power, quietness/smoothness of operation, and longevity. I may consider non OEM brake parts when my mileage gets up into the 70 to 90K range...but at less than 10K miles per year, that's many years in the future. OTOH, I am seriously considering upgrading my trailer's brakes with an electrohydraulic disk brake system to ensure that the trailer is doing its own stopping and not adding to the truck's braking load.