FORANA

Hey all. My rotors are funky. They are less than a year old and have never been machined. They have started to vibrate on downhill braking. From you guys' experience should I replace them or have them machined? I would replace them without question but they are fairly new. Thanks all

MTL_4runner

Toss them and get new ones....on these trucks, once they warp, they will continue to despite machining.

rimpainter.com

Yep, I agree. Do a search for rotors and see your options. There are a few. Just to give you an idea, I got 1-year warrantied rotors with PF pads shipped from Autozone for $160. You may not need the pads, so knock about $30 off that.

Roadtripr

Discard and get new rotors. I got Brembos from Tirerack for $56/rotor. Couldn't be happier. Just remember to buy the right size rotor, Brembos are ~320mm or ~12.5" for 16" wheels (I took off my front wheel to get a measure to be sure as my doorframe states 15" tires, but I have the 16" wheels)

calg3

I agree with everyone else so far. Toss them and get new. When you turn the rotors you have less metal and you run the risk of them warping again even sooner. Very simple to replace the rotors.

DrummerDaveB

Check out taylorautomotive.com for brembo blanks for cheap.

For my 98 2wd, I think I got them for something like $42 each w/ free shipping, and they arrived the day after I ordered them!

cybrenergy

I have a 2002 4Runner Sport Edition with the 16" wheels and bigger rotors. I don't see which ones I'd need.

My truck is about 2 1/2 years old now and I've got the shaking front breaks too. I guess it seems pretty common for these to warp. That or I'm too hard on my breaks.

I want to upgrade to a higher performance rotor and pad. I've heard the Brembo's mentioned and may consider those. Tire Rack also has some slotted rotors. Are they worth looking into? Which pads would be a good addition to a higher performance rotor? I want something that's going to work well with my agressive braking.

mike_d

i'd say "it depends". do you have a lathe that you can use for free? if so, why not machine them and get a little more life out of them. if you have to pay to get them machined, then it's better just to get new ones.

MTL_4runner

It is not even worth the time on a 3rd gen (not sure about 2nd gen rotors).
Every set I have done, the warp came back in less than a week.
If you want to try machining them, go for it.

I am not saying never machine any rotors, just on this particular vehicle.

cybrenergy

So do we all just drive our trucks too hard or do these rotors suck? I want to know if upgrading to an after market set will get me the reliability that I'm looking for. A little better stopping power would be nice, but mainly I want to avoid the shaking from the warped rotors.

Also, does having warped rotors make your pads wear faster?

mt_goat

It appears that the newer trucks got crappy rotors because my 93 still has the original rotors and they have never warped on me (109,000 miles). I had them turned once to get rid of the ridges (about 85,000 miles).

My BMW is another story, it is on it's 3rd set of rotors in (95,000 miles) due to wear. The BMW OEM rotors never warped on me (2 sets) but the last set I switched to aftermarket rotors (brembo I think) and they have warped now.

I saw Click and Clack do a story once about a brake problem where rotors were warping very fast and they said it was usually caused by the brake system not fully releasing pressure on the pads and letting them drag on the rotors. This draging was over-heating the rotors and warping them. I can't remember for sure but I think the condition was caused by a bad master cyl.

jc1kz

the after market slotted drilled rotors are not worth the time or price....the 4runner doesnt have the 4wheel disc brake (it has frt rotor rear drum ABS) so the stopping power of the slotted/drilled rotors are lost on the 4runner....it is better to go with a better made standard rotor and a higher grade brake pad than the slotted/drilled rotors......(just my opinion, since I've already tried them and found that since I do hard braking they warpped just as bad if not quicker than the stock rotors.....)

calg3

I tried using a set of drilled/slotted rotors from JC Whitney on my 4Runner, no noticeable improvement in braking. They warped in a month and the warranty was only good for two weeks-they were crap. Now I am using a set of rotors from AutoZone, lifetime warranty and they were only $40-60 for both. No problems at all after using them for almost a year. The biggest improvement for me was the carbon fiber brake pads. My 4Runner has 15" wheels so I have the smaller brakes and they need all the help they can get.

rmode

Bought a set of rotors from NAPA and the pads from Toyota and the rotors warped the first week. Bought rotors from Toyota and they warped the first month. Bought rotors and pads from Powerslot and never looked back. Problem solved.

rmode

cybrenergy

Any brand suggestions for good carbon fiber pads? Where is a good place to buy these?

Silver_Truck

I agree, although in theory they would still help because they'd eliminate the gas and particle build up on the rotor surface...I can't speak for drilled rotors (esp Brembos-high quality) but I know my powerslots warped pretty damn fast like 5-10k after getting them put on...But there was a noticeable increase in braking power after the switch to those and EBC truck pads