Ok, first let me say I CANNOT DO THE TUNDRA UPGRADE.
I would love to, but I have 15" rims, and cant fit them. And Im not in a position to drop an extra grand on some bigger rims/tires in addition to the brakes.

Currently I have brembo blanks and oem pads. They suck.
The Brembos warped almost immediately, and I've been dealing w/ it for the last 25k miles or so. Had them turned - warped again immediately.

So Im going to replace them once again.
I've found some EBC blanks for a mere $20 each.
Or I can go w/ more brembos for about twice that cost, but Im disinclined to do it considering the results from my last set.
Or find something at autozone w/ a long warranty period so I can keep replacing them when they warp.

Anybody know of a reason NOT to go w/ the EBCs?

What pads would you recommend?

Would going w/ some EBC slotted Ultimax rotors ($123/pair) be worth the price?

 

I know you said your not going with the big brakes, but have you considered buying some used factory tundra wheels that someone is just throwing out because they got some of those thousand dollar wheels your talking about?

You should check your local craigslist or whatever, you should be able to pick up some decent ones, probably even with tires, for significantly less than $500. That is the route that I'm looking at cause I can't afford aftermarket rims yet either.

Seems like the other options you list are gonna get expensive quick when you keep replacing parts every 6mo to a year.

Just my 2c

I just picked up a set that I think will work for $40 with tires, though the tires are probably only good if used for
spares, you still can't beat the price. Just keep looking every day

 

i was thinking the same. i cant do tundra upgrade on my 98 runner due to the cost of spending. I'm not sure what sorts of brakes to look out for and what to NOT go with.

i'm not trying to jack this thread, pretty much in the same spot and dont know much about brakes myself. But hey, i'm learning here and there

 

Tundra brake upgrade is worth it only if you tow a lot. I have stock Tacoma brakes, which are the same brakes you have. I am in the Rockies and frequent the canyons, which means lots of braking. Have not had fade issues or warpage.

I use Autozone Duralast blanks. Probably not better than any other blank, bit they have a 2 year warranty. If they warp, you get new ones. I was going to get Hawk LTS ceramic pads, but decided to try Duralast. They haven't disappointed in the last year and half.

BTW, do NOT get slotted or drilled. They do nothing but cost you more. They will not cool better. In fact, they'll be more prone to cracking. Stick with blanks.

 

Not a bad idea. I'll keep that in mind.

 

Thanks for the feedback.

 

One of the biggest things to help prevent the fronts from warping is to make sure the rear brakes are properly adjusted. I would say about 8 out of every 10 3rd gen 4runners have the bake brakes out of adjustment causing excessive load and heating on the front. If your E-Brake handle takes more than a few clicks then your back brakes are out of adjustment.

 

X2 this is definitely an issue.
just pull the E-brake and release until the handle only pulls about 3in or less.

 

x-whatever on checking craigslist. Tundra/Sequoia/Tacoma/4Runner wheels are listed on there a lot.

I picked up a set of 16" Sequoia wheels with some tires that have 10,000 miles life left on them - driving them today. Paid $200 for the whole set. I thought it was a steal - but I see deals like that at least once a week on CL.

Makes the T4R look like a truck too, I see T4Rs with 15" rims now and they look almost toyish.

I can't wait to do the brake mod - will have to check my spare when I do it - don't like the idea of doing musical tires if I have to change one up front.....

As far as brand recommendation, don't have one. I do like the review feature on tirerack - see what is available there and see what others have to say about it.