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99 runner.... Time to upgrade the front brakes

Old 12-29-2008, 06:48 AM
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99 runner.... Time to upgrade the front brakes

Well..........it's time to replace my worn ,thin, factory front rotors with some new aftermarkets and I'm guessing new Hawk pads?

Can anyone post their favorite setu up for me to purchase?
Who's got the best prices these days?

Thanks, Kenny S
Old 12-29-2008, 06:53 AM
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I had a set of Powerslot rotors on my 1st gen Eclipse with Akebono Ceramics and they did quite well under the occasional auto cross and road course races and the brake dust was kept to a minimum and the cost wasn't too crazy either.

Right now I have Akebono pads on the front of my Runner now and doubt I'll ever try another pad but my rotors are stock and will be replaced with better ones in the spring which just might be a set of Powerslots.
Old 12-29-2008, 07:02 AM
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Do the tundra upgrade...Put on good quality rotors(I use OEM)...put on OEM,Hawk,or akebono pads.
Flush the brake fluid as well...You will not believe the differance it will stop now.
Old 12-30-2008, 07:57 AM
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I did this upgrade it it was so inexpensive for me, I went to a local wrecking yard and got a set off a 2001 Tundra, complete. I used the 199mm calipers which for a 4runner is plenty big enough. some have opted for the 231mm so it will be a personal preference. the 231mm was a result of a toyota Tech Bulletin issued dealing with an issue the Tundra's were having with the 199mm calipers. Their issue does not affect their installation on the 4runner as the Runner is lighter then the Tundra. That is why I went with the 199 and most that have done the 199mm install have had to do NO modifications to the brake dust shield. I had to do some minor filing but I cover that in my write up as well. As for my brakes, the only thing I needed to do when I got them home was evaluate the pads and disks, had them turned, cleaned and prepped the brake pads, did the swap, did a breakin (see rockslides write up) on the refurbished pads and turned rotors. They now work Perfectly. better then stock 4runner and they are Toyota OEM! You can now take it to a Midas dealer and mess with their heads!

Here is my write up to assist. It includes the link to Rockslide's complete write up on his install of the tundra brakes on his 2000 4runner as he went with new so check them both out. https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f2/0...runner-146160/

My cost to do the mod using OEM used parts from a 2001 Tundra:

$50-Rotors, calipers and pads (used)
$28-Rotors turned local auto parts store (Westbay, Silverdale- NAPA)
$2 - Bottle STP brake fluid
Total cost:$80 plus my time.

Installation time was under 3 hours. You can spend alot of money on this mod if you desire, and go with new/rebuilt calipers, new rotors and new OEM pads if you want to start with "new" brakes. Either way it is gonna be alot cheaper then having to have your front brakes done, replacing rotors, pads etc. Well worth the time and effort IMHO. If you have any questions about how I did mine feel free to ask specific questions. I will be happy to answer them Good luck and this is an EASY mod/install. The first time I ever did brakes was this mod.

Last edited by Ritzy4Runner; 12-30-2008 at 08:00 AM.
Old 12-30-2008, 08:28 PM
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Thanks for the advice but I think I'm going to stick with just new rotors
and hawk pads and a fluid change. Mine is a stock runner.


Kenny S>
Old 12-31-2008, 10:03 AM
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Kenny,
If you do any kind of towing or breaking beyond grocery getting, you will want bigger brakes. The swap is easy and increases safety.

I had planned to go with bigger brakes the last time around but became unemployed at the same time. I just dropped new pads in and kept on trucking knowing the system still sucks. I also changed out the fluid at the same time which was well worth it.

Think of the system holistically. Is the fluid under 1 year old? Do you live in a wet climate? What will you be doing with the truck?
Old 12-31-2008, 10:30 AM
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I just did my brakes. Despite what others may say, slotted/x-drilled rotors don’t do anything. Don’t believe all that hype—you’re just wasting your money. Get a good set of blank rotors. I prefer Autozone Duralast, because they come with a 2-year warranty. They’ve also been through much abuse from my racecar days and held up well. If they warp, Autozone will give you a new one right then and there. Then get some good pads. I also went with Autozone’s ceramic, because they have a lifetime warranty, but Hawk LTS’s are good, along with some others mentioned in this thread.
Old 12-31-2008, 10:42 AM
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I'm running blank Brembo Rotors w/Autozone Performance Friction Carbon Metallic Pads. I opted out of the slotted/cross-drilled fuss also. They work in some applications, but not well for 4Runners. If I did it again, I would probably go the Tundra route.
Old 12-31-2008, 04:00 PM
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The only thing i regret about the brakes i did two years ago is the brake dust...
brembo blank rotors
hawk lts pads

they'll stop on a dime, and i haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary in the 2 years they've been on! would do it again (and will, when they wear out... probably not soon)
Old 12-31-2008, 05:22 PM
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I'm just looking for better stopping in my runner.
I have wafer thin rotors on Autozone pads that need to be changed every 6 months and original brake fluid.
The brakes pretty much blow but I'll bet the new brembo's (just ordered them for 110.00 pair delivered) new OEM pads and new fluid will make a world of difference.

Now.....a better question.
How do I bleed out the old fluid from all 4 corners without making a huge mess in my garage.
Maybe vacuum hose on the bleeders into small containers???
Let them gravity bleed until the new fluid comes out?

Thanks, kenny S>
Old 12-31-2008, 09:52 PM
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Originally Posted by sharrack
I'm just looking for better stopping in my runner.
I have wafer thin rotors on Autozone pads that need to be changed every 6 months and original brake fluid.
The brakes pretty much blow but I'll bet the new brembo's (just ordered them for 110.00 pair delivered) new OEM pads and new fluid will make a world of difference.
Biggest reason I decided to go with the Tundra brake mod was it was literally disconnect the brake line, unbolt the calipers, remove the caliper, remove the rotor, replace the rotor, bolt on the caliper, screw in the brake line and bleed the brakes. I did have to do some minor filing to my dust shield and you can see what and where I had to file the shield in my write up. It was that simple and I used the entire setup from a 2001 Tundra from a wrecking yard. I know that is not for everyone, and rockslide did the same mod with new parts from an Auto Parts store. It really is not that hard. Biggest bonus is that you have thicker rotors, these should never warp like the normal OEM 4runner rotors, bigger calipers, larger pads which equates to more surface area and that equals more stopping power. Read my write up on the install I did. I even used the pads that were in the calipers from the Tundra as their thickness was almost that of new. I just did a clean up of the pad surfaces, had the rotors turned and was solid on my way. With all the parts in had and wi th the help of my son, it was literally less then 3 hours in my front yard with a floor jack and jack stands.

Originally Posted by sharrack
Now.....a better question.
How do I bleed out the old fluid from all 4 corners without making a huge mess in my garage.
Maybe vacuum hose on the bleeders into small containers???
Let them gravity bleed until the new fluid comes out?

Thanks, kenny S>
You will need a second person to help you with bleeding the brakes. You don't want to just let them "bleed out" you will get air in your system. this is very bad! Really easy way is to get a helper. Get yourself a piece of clear tygon tubing that will fit over the brake line bleed nipple. It will need to be long enough to put one end in a container to hold the spent fluid, a 10mm box wrench, a bottle of DOT 3 brake fluid.

Jack up the vehicle wheel you are going to bleed. Use a jack stand if you have it for extra safety, remove the wheel giving you unfettered access to the axle/brakes. Verify the level of the brake fluid in your master cylinder, top off if needed. Attach the tygon to the brake bleeder nipple placing the free end into your collection container. Next have your helper get in and pump the brake pedal a few times then , use the wrench to loosen the nipple. Be careful as this nipple has hydraulic fluid under pressure so it will spurt out. Make sure your helper continues to hold the brake pedal down until you tighten the nipple. Have them pump up the brakes again. Repeat this process until you no longer see any air bubbles. If your concern is the fluid in the lines, the fronts can be flushed with 5-8cycles. the rear brakes have longer lines so it could take as many as 15 or more cycles to fully flush the lines. Ideally you want to see clear fluid coming out of the nipple into the container. It will likely have a slight amber tone to it, but as long as you get all the air out of the lines you will be fine.
Old 05-10-2009, 07:32 AM
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hey people. I have warped rotors now, saw this article about tundra brakes and was wondering about the high performance tundra drilled and sloted rotors I have seen on ebay and the person selling them has almost all positive feedback. see here http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyot...Q5fAccessories
Old 05-10-2009, 08:42 AM
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What were you wondering about them..?

Just buy some regular non slotted from the parts store..

Old 05-10-2009, 09:13 AM
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Originally Posted by sdsurfer
hey people. I have warped rotors now, saw this article about tundra brakes and was wondering about the high performance tundra drilled and sloted rotors I have seen on ebay and the person selling them has almost all positive feedback. see here http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyot...Q5fAccessories
Don't waste your money. Just get some good blank rotors and pads.
Old 05-10-2009, 06:19 PM
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anybody have to grind on 16x8 rock crawler wheels with the 199 or 231mm calipers??
Old 05-10-2009, 06:49 PM
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Depends on your backspacing dude.

We put the big brakes on RockSlide's ride and his calipers were golden, even powder coated them, but he has TRD rims I think.

Old 05-10-2009, 07:07 PM
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http://www.roughcountry.com/black_wheels.html does not say, prob like the rest of aftermarket rims.
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