Preferred brand of brake parts?

Stan in Oly, WA

Well-known Member
I recently bought a used Toyota Tacoma. I got it for a good price, and I expected to have to deal with a few issues. One issue is that the front disc brake pads are worn down to metal. I have two questions. 1) What brand of parts should I buy to get good value? I want reliable parts, but I don't foresee needing exceptional quality parts for special circumstance such as overweight loads or pulling a trailer. 2) Should I replace the calipers, too? Probably a good idea to do it all at the same time, but I don't want to spend time and money unnecessarily.

Thanks, Stan
 
id use a mid grade pad from napa. toss a new set of rotors on too. they are cheap. if your calipers are working good and not dragging, id leave them. if the pads are worn even, caliper should be ok.
 

I have installed 100's if not more than a 1000 Advance Auto Wearever Gold pads its rare to have a complaint.

For $35 are so more you can get Akebono Pad from advance I would wager its an OEM pad. It may sunrise you at how competitive Toyota is on the parts.

Calipers I like Napa Total Eclipse... Napa pads are a hit and miss : (

If you put calipers on it check them for sticking before you put them on. Put a wood block in it apply air pressure it should release the block and the prison be easily pushed back in. If it sticks are you have to pry the block out its a bad one and they are out there..
 
I would use simi-metalic pads, no particular brand preference.

New rotors.

Only replace the calipers if the pistons have cocked from coming out too far (probably not) or the boots are torn (probably not) or the piston won't go back in with a c clamp or vise grip welding clamp.
 
A bad installation will ruin the best pads. If you reuse your calipers make sure the pins are free and lubed. If the piston is pushed out very far, when you push it back in check to be sure the boot does not have air behind it. You may have to burp it. Also be sure the hub surface is free from rust. If there is any rust it will not allow the rotor to run true. Be sure to tighten the lug nuts to the proper torque.
 
I don't know about Toyota, but in my experience with my GM vehicles, it's pretty hard to beat the OEM Delco brake parts. Buying from Rock Auto, the price is comparable to aftermarket parts. Looking at Rock, it doesn't look like they carry OEM parts, but they do carry Delco Professional and Akebono pads, both of which would be very good.

I try to replace calipers on the second set of pads. Of course you should check to see that the calipers are sliding smoothly on their pins every time you change pads. And here in Michigan, it's usually necessary to replace rotors every time the pads are changed because of salt.
 
I haven't had much luck with Napa Eclipse
calipers. And neither has my local Napa.
Napa is starting to switch to Centric, I
believe.
 
In my experience a mid grade pad gives the best balance between pad life and rotor wear. That being said most rotors are so cheap these days that it makes little sense to reuse or resurface the old rotors anyway.As the other poster said be certain the floaters are free and purchase a hardware kit. I always use Raybestos brand when avaialble for the job.
 
Depends on the mileage. If you are under 75,000 miles and the caliper rubber seals look good and the bleeder valves are good, then I wouldn't do them. I would flush the system. It improves brake pedal quality. Do a front and rear flush. On the pads, I buy lifetime warranty ceramic with shims and new hardware primarily because of noise issues. When they go bad you get another set of really good pads at no cost. I would buy decent rotors. Rotors go bad in many ways. Too thin, out of parallel and runout. I've been to quite a few shops that don't care about the condition of the lathe or adapters used to cut rotors. Variation from parallel can be as low as .0002, runout .005 +-.
 

Its rare I get a rust belt brake job you have not lived till you get hold of one : (...

I did one from Canada 1-1/2 years ago its back he put 6K on it says it sits most of the time the pads were rusted solid in the mounts I had to beat them out WTF we don't see this in the south... I told him if it squeals now and has good brakes be happy. I lubed everything well sandblasted, filed, what a mess...

nnalert has him stuck in the states he cannot get back into Canada I was glad my brake job did not get into the hands of another shop they would have condemned my work as they should have : (

I am a believer NOW : ) my god the mess Y'all have to put up with...
 
I like the Wagner thermo quiets. The one's I put on my Taurus are at 160,000 miles now with no noticeable rotor wear.
 
I prefer mine to be the IN rusted variety? lol
pedals rusted on shaft n hate to use torch on them to break loose as it was a county owned tractor so all I can think is they let sit in a large POND????
 

I like Delco from Rock Auto, or Wagner locally. I stay with the mid range semi metallics. No organic, no life, or the ceramics, too hard and can wear rotors. Sounds kinda like an old fairy tale.
 
I respectively disagree. Aftermarket pads are not regulated like OEM frictional surfaces. The price difference is quite large also.
 
OEM brake parts are the only way to go. Available from Rock Auto. They cost more but we’ll worth it. I use OEM parts only on all of my vehicles and equipment.
 
(quoted from post at 08:44:57 08/06/20) Bought a Delco Professional suspension parts. No zerk, no grease, clunking in less than a month.

Delco Professional are what ever they call them are just a cheap part to compete with the other lines of cheap parts...
 
I'm in the rust belt and when I do brakes (mine or the customer's), I get the "geomet coated" raybestos rotors from rockauto and their E3 pads, no complaints yet and those rear discs stay much nicer than the scaley rusted out ones I seem to always be taking off.
 

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