ebelen1

I thought (but have no proof) that I read that the Tundra piston sizes were larger.

bamachem

i didn't measure the piston diameter, but i did look at them and they appeared to be the exact same size - actually, they looked like the exact same part, just in a slightly different casing.

motoracer47

i agree with both of you, and essentially your saying the same thing. bama, i think jc is referring to tundra pad being larger surface area than the stock 4runner pad, and if pressure is the same for both setups, the larger tundra pad will have less pressure per area than the smaller 4runner pad, if indeed they are both supplied with the exact same pressure. same thing why skinny tires work better in snow, the goal is to get maximum contact pressure, not maximum contact surface area. now i'm not saying that is law for brake pad design, and larger pads are better because they dissipate the heat better from a higher mass of material. if you saw the size of open wheel race car brake pads in relation to the braking performance they produce, the pads are somewhat small. and another point would be to notice that toyotas tsb for fixing the tundra problem was in one part, with a smaller pad. i think the part about the tundra upgrade, and what it really fixes has been lost in all this. the main problem is rotor warpage. if the tundra upgrade fixes that(which it does, no one can deny that the overall larger size of the system helps absorb the main culprit of braking problems=thermal energy) than the tundra upgrade will be more powerful because the rotors will not warp, and you wont loose that bit of braking performance. yes, warped rotors decrease braking performance, and its measurable. so, this post was really to midget who keeps saying it doesnt offer a benefit, when the true benefit of this upgrade is its ability to absorb more thermal energy than the stock 4runner system could with any combination of rotors and pads. also, i have to comment on 2 things that were said.
1. for race cars have no doubt that slotted rotors are a benefit, de-gassing does exist, i could care less what a company that makes street braking systems like stoptech says. when ap racing, alcon racing, brembo racing, performance friction does all the analysis and decided that for road racing they are a benefit, it is find me a road racing car without slotted rotors(unless rules don't permit, and ill show you a losing car)
2. the whole 300zxtt reference. clearly you have no engineering background at all. this was brought up twice as an argument to 4runners having sufficient brakes, and its wrong here's why. you are assuming braking abilities in static. in the real world, the 4runner's front brakes will have to do considerably more work than the 300zx. while the weight of both vehicles is close, the runner compared to the z has: center of gravity almost 5 times higher, does not have favorable instant roll centers, has long travel suspension, and is softly sprung. what all this means is the runner will have considerably more dynamic weight transfer to the front than the z when both are at full on braking(the thing that warps rotors, panic stops and long brake usage) so the z doesnt need as big as front brakes as the runner, and u notice the z has considerably stronger rear brakes than the runner. and on the track reference, i know this sounds cocky, but i race, and there is no production car(except ceramic brake 911s) that i could not cook the stock braking setup in a 20min track session(dont assume everyones braking ability is the same, im a demon on the brakes, and for me, abs is just a henderance, stock cars are designed for civilian use, so are their brakes), and the z's stock brakes were not the greatest in the first place, so the reference of the z have awesome stock brakes that are smaller than the runners, and that's the argument why the runners brakes are just fine is just incorrect. sorry, i know I'm just contributing to but i got to this thread late

gregbreakseverything

There is no stopping this dabate, lol

motoracer47

i know, im sorry, i just couldnt help it, i tried to stay away from the keyboard, but it just kept calling me

MTL_4runner

As far as I am concerned your post was spot on.

Greg, to answer your question, I don't believe the Brembos warp nearly as fast as other brands so even if you go with stock size Brembos, with history/other's experiences as a guide, you should fair much better with those type.

bamachem

cackalak han

Interesting read.

I, for one, will always be a fan of Autozone rotors. Are they better than Brembo or OEM? I don't think so. But they're readily available at my local stores, they're a little bit cheaper and they come with a warranty.

I've raced on these Autozone rotors in my Integra Type R and S2000. I've had no issues with warping, cracking, or failure. Great rotors. I don't understand those that are bashing Autozone rotors. Have you guys tried them out? Go to any reputable race forum, and ask those that have used these rotors on their race cars. They'll tell you the same.

Now, as far as the Tundra brake vs. OEM set up issue---I'm staying far away from that ball of tangled up fishing line...very far away.

Blue_Stone

LOL...Good reading goin on here...

Heres something that may or may not answer a few questions...
Not really specific to to the Tacos and 'Runners, but some things to consider...

http://home.4x4wire.com/erik/4runner/brakes/

BruceTS

Dang did I miss out on a very good debate.... yes this thread is old, but i need to add my 2 cents..... Stock, my brakes worked great! I could easily lock them and have the ABS kick in, but with wider/ bigger tires and the additional weight, there is the need to really stomp on the brakes, even then, the ABS system has difficulty kicking in.

One thing not mentioned about the Tundra upgrade is the contact patch, pad on the rotor... from what I have seen it's a bit further out on the disc, which equates to better stopping force.

Since I tow with my runner, I constantly maintain the system, it gets flushed on a regular basis. As for some of the comments made against the MOD, unless you have personally done it, or have compared it against someone who has, I would doubt everything you state. Many have done the mod, that have in the past done previous disc/pad replacements and have noticed a big difference between the two. I'm still running my original rotors, but have installed PF pads after my OEM ones wore out.

I have looked into going the tundra route and may do this in the future, if and when I do, I'll be able to give a difinitive answer on performance.

DIHOWARD

Stoptech(centric) Make A Very Nice Setup, I Put Them On A Few Weeks Ago And Have No Regrets.

johnw999

Anyone have experience with the Autozone warranty? Will they swap a new rotor for a warped one without any hassel? I'm surprised that their 15" rotor is $19, but their 16" rotor is $60. If the autozone warranty is trash, then I'm going with Brembos.

Whitey13

I've never heard this before. Certainly an interesting thing to think about when going with larger tires. Would this also stand to reason that your stopping distances are considerably longer?

BruceTS

The bigger tires you gain rotational force, also a larger footprint, so it takes more brake pressure to lock them up. Stopping distance is actually shorter or the same, due to the additional traction, because of this the brakes are working harder.

surf4runner

not for rotors...but for MANY other items.
on a p/u radiator that was folded in a accident (i was not the driver) it was replaced w/o question. i couldnt believe it.

mkgarrison5

i have 30k miles on my factory rotors and pads and they do just fine!! 2002 tacoma xtra cab