Brake Rotors and pads

[Sky1111]

Folks, what would you recommend as a replacement for rear rotors and pads?

Mine is worn out so I have to do something about as soon as possible. I am contemplating between going to dealership and spending an arm and a leg on genuine Toyota stuff (which is not that great anyway), OR get aftermarket higher performance parts...

Considering EBC Ultimax Slotted Rotors + EBC Yellow Stuff pads, but those are expensive and not sure if I can get them in Canada for any reasonable amount of money

Any thoughts/suggestions? Not looking for most expensive, but something reasonable that will shorten the stopping distance, and still last for a while.

thanks in advance for you feedback!

[rupert08]

I haven't had to replace the brakes on my Highlander yet so my experience with with other vehicles. I have used NAPA's Ultra Performance rotors and their Adaptive One pads. They work well and have a great warranty as long as you keep the receipts.

I'm sure you already know this but you won't notice much difference in braking if you are only replacing the rears since the fronts do the majority of the work.

[Sky1111]

Thanks for the advice - i am looking at NAPA disks and pads - it looks like they have a new rotor - Reactive One. I wonder how much are those...

And yes - I do have realistic expectations regarding the rear breaks... I am thinking to gradually replace all the rotors with higher performance parts to get to squeeze maximum stopping power from the existing break design.

[jack63]

take your car to your local mechanic and request to have genuine parts only, or you can go to your dealership and just buy the parts then have your favorite mechanic install them.

[organ]

I only had one experience with EBC and I hate to say I wasn't impressed. Granted it was on an SUV with undersized rotors and the EBCs didn't stand up to the heat. EBC generally has a good reputation.

I have installed powerslot rotors/hawk pads on several vehicles and they are always fantastic IMO. Very little brake fade, minimal brake dust, good power, last a long time.

I wouldn't spend my money on factory rotors. Toyota's aren't bad, but for the same money you can get much better parts.

[Sky1111]

Thanks guys for your feedback. I went to the dealership today to check the rear rotors and pads, and they told me that they are fine (?). They did change the pads when I bought the truck in July, so the pads are still good and the clicking sound I hear sometimes when I break - the dude said it is normal.

Is it? do you guys hear clicking noise when you break and release breaks?

[sweeneyp]

nope, none of my vehicles click when the brakes are used. Only time I hear clicking is engaging and disengaging the parking brake.

[luck123]

The only time you might hear a click is when you are changing directions....ie. you park car in the garage, then you reverse out. In so doing, the pads shift back slightly and can create a slight click sound. Otherwise, a click when braking suggests to me that something is binding somewhere as you apply the brakes. I would have it checked out by someone else.

With the salt and crap we deal with up here in the winter, I pay my dealer $100 every spring and they pull my pads and calipers off, sand-blast the calipers, clean it all out, lube and reinstall. Keeps the brakes working well, and prevents seizure of pads which can lead to extremely premature rotor wear (its happened to me a couple of times on previous vehicles ).

[Sky1111]

Originally Posted by luck123

The only time you might hear a click is when you are changing directions....ie. you park car in the garage, then you reverse out. In so doing, the pads shift back slightly and can create a slight click sound. Otherwise, a click when braking suggests to me that something is binding somewhere as you apply the brakes. I would have it checked out by someone else.

With the salt and crap we deal with up here in the winter, I pay my dealer $100 every spring and they pull my pads and calipers off, sand-blast the calipers, clean it all out, lube and reinstall. Keeps the brakes working well, and prevents seizure of pads which can lead to extremely premature rotor wear (its happened to me a couple of times on previous vehicles ).

Thanks... I haven't gone thou a winter yet on this truck... but I like the idea of having breaks cleaned up. Which dealership does it for you (hopefully in GTA )?

[mktoyota]

If I choose the EBC rotors, which pads should I purchase? Ceramic, silver, gold, regular?

[foreman1063]

My wifes 08 brakes have 142k miles of quiet, dust free operation with probably another 20k of life left. I can't imagine why I would use anything other than OEM pads when replacement time rolls around. I already have the fronts in the shop waiting til they're needed. They were about $60 at the stealership, not too bad for the quality.

[deadrx7conv]

Skip the slotted/drilled hoopla. Get solid rotors. Brand is your choice to choose from. And, unless your rotors were toast, they could be turned.

For pads, it all depends on your driving style. For example, I could care less how long a pad lasts if it doesn't stop well when I need it to. I also am not bothered by dust or noise. Dustless to me means poor performance. Noise is great since it helps with the feeling of the brakes. Dustless quiet overly long lasting pads are my LAST choice.

I ordered EBC Yellow for my front since most of the braking is done by the front.
For the rear brakes, I just grabbed whatever rear pads that Autozone/AdvanceAuto have(~$30). The traction and vehicle stability control seem to cause the vehicle to eat rear pads, especially if you have regular snow/rain or drive with a lead foot.

[lispeej]

Originally Posted by Sky1111

Thanks guys for your feedback. I went to the dealership today to check the rear rotors and pads, and they told me that they are fine (?). They did change the pads when I bought the truck in July, so the pads are still good and the clicking sound I hear sometimes when I break - the dude said it is normal.

Is it? do you guys hear clicking noise when you break and release breaks?

I had a clicking noise coming from my driver side front caliper when braking. I took the caliper off and lubed the sliding pins that hold the caliper. I bought some synthetic grease for brakes from the local parts store. That took care of the noise. The grease that was in there seemed hard and dry. Good luck.

[Sky1111]

No good news on my side. Recently I got winter wheels at the dealership (total cost of 17 Toyota steel rims + 4 Michelin X-Ice2 installed was surprisingly reasonable) and they offered to do front and rear break maintenance. After the service clicking noise was gone for a day, and now it is back!

Thanks lispeej, I will tell them what exactly the need to do.

[lispeej]

Funny thing is that when I first took my HL in for the clicking noise, they also told me it was normal. Eventhough it was still under warranty at the time, they didn't do jack about it. I just took their word for it.
But eventually when the noise got more consistent, I had to do something about it. That's when I lubed the sliding pins. Good luck.