So I've been a lurker for a long time, but finally decided to register! I've currently got a 2004 GX470 (6112/5160, GX460 brakes, rear coil conversion) and a 2019 GX460 (stock, family car).
One thing that seems to be a recurring issue with these trucks is the front brakes. The Toyota truck platforms all seem to be very sensitive to rotor runout, and coupled with the fact that Toyota sizes their brakes for conservative wheel sizes we end up with marginal brake systems. The warped rotors and frozen calipers are both symptoms of this design and engineering philosophy. There is no such thing as a free lunch, and having brakes sized for 17" wheels on a truck the size of ours is a compromise.
That said, I've been running down a few options and am curious what people here think. Some of the criteria I constrained these options with:
Must be able to utilize stock Toyota parts given a failure in case the aftermarket parts are not available.
Must be a substantial upgrade in heat capacity and rejection.
Must keep all vehicle electronic systems happy.
I've seen many people using drilled/slotted EBC rotors. I'm not a fan of these in this application. Vehicles that come with drilled/slotted rotors have those designed in as a part of the brake system from step one. They are nearly always fully floating rotors to minimize cracking at the stress risers the drilling creates; they are also cryo-treated to remove any stress from the manufacturing process. Further, the discs are sized so that the heat capacity of the rotor is still sufficient for the worst case scenario. Slotted rotors help with releasing gasses from pads; this is more useful but still of limited usefulness on our application. It doesn't have nearly the downsides of drilling, however.
Circling back to a point made in the previous paragraph there IS a technology that would allow for a large increase in heat capacity and heat rejection, and thereby allow for more aggressive use of the brakes without warping. That is to have a set of two-piece fully floating rotors made in stock (338x32mm) size. This allows for unconstrained expansion of the rotor when it heats, preventing warping due to the differential heating between the hat and the rotor. This allows the use of more aggressive, higher heat pads both due to the heat capacity as well as the better materials and heat rejection through better designed rotor venting. It also shaves a couple of pounds of unsprung weight as a bonus.
I've been in contact with a company that makes very high end braking parts and systems for professional applications, and they are interested in seeing if there is interest in something for our market. They looked into it in about 2010 and decided there was no market. That said, they want a minimum order quantity to tool up. I'm still looking into costs, but if it's in-line with their other applications it will be around $1,000 for the initial set and around $300 per friction disc for replacements, with replacements needed 1/2-1/3 as often as standard discs. Those numbers come from some communities that are VERY hard on their brakes and use these to replace stock high wear items (Porsche, BMW, Ferrari). The bigger buy in we can get the better price we could likely get.
Is this something that there would be takers on? If so I'd like to hear what your go/nogo price point would be and how many sets you would be interested in. Depending on the number of interested parties here I would be looking to set up distribution myself, as they don't typically sell to individuals. If there is enough interest (at least a dozen sets) I'll move forward in talks with the company.
I would appreciate any feedback; I know this is a fair amount of money on brake rotors. I figure that given the amount we spend on tires, bumpers, suspension, etc. that the safety systems could use some investment as well.
One thing that seems to be a recurring issue with these trucks is the front brakes. The Toyota truck platforms all seem to be very sensitive to rotor runout, and coupled with the fact that Toyota sizes their brakes for conservative wheel sizes we end up with marginal brake systems. The warped rotors and frozen calipers are both symptoms of this design and engineering philosophy. There is no such thing as a free lunch, and having brakes sized for 17" wheels on a truck the size of ours is a compromise.
That said, I've been running down a few options and am curious what people here think. Some of the criteria I constrained these options with:
Must be able to utilize stock Toyota parts given a failure in case the aftermarket parts are not available.
Must be a substantial upgrade in heat capacity and rejection.
Must keep all vehicle electronic systems happy.
I've seen many people using drilled/slotted EBC rotors. I'm not a fan of these in this application. Vehicles that come with drilled/slotted rotors have those designed in as a part of the brake system from step one. They are nearly always fully floating rotors to minimize cracking at the stress risers the drilling creates; they are also cryo-treated to remove any stress from the manufacturing process. Further, the discs are sized so that the heat capacity of the rotor is still sufficient for the worst case scenario. Slotted rotors help with releasing gasses from pads; this is more useful but still of limited usefulness on our application. It doesn't have nearly the downsides of drilling, however.
Circling back to a point made in the previous paragraph there IS a technology that would allow for a large increase in heat capacity and heat rejection, and thereby allow for more aggressive use of the brakes without warping. That is to have a set of two-piece fully floating rotors made in stock (338x32mm) size. This allows for unconstrained expansion of the rotor when it heats, preventing warping due to the differential heating between the hat and the rotor. This allows the use of more aggressive, higher heat pads both due to the heat capacity as well as the better materials and heat rejection through better designed rotor venting. It also shaves a couple of pounds of unsprung weight as a bonus.
I've been in contact with a company that makes very high end braking parts and systems for professional applications, and they are interested in seeing if there is interest in something for our market. They looked into it in about 2010 and decided there was no market. That said, they want a minimum order quantity to tool up. I'm still looking into costs, but if it's in-line with their other applications it will be around $1,000 for the initial set and around $300 per friction disc for replacements, with replacements needed 1/2-1/3 as often as standard discs. Those numbers come from some communities that are VERY hard on their brakes and use these to replace stock high wear items (Porsche, BMW, Ferrari). The bigger buy in we can get the better price we could likely get.
Is this something that there would be takers on? If so I'd like to hear what your go/nogo price point would be and how many sets you would be interested in. Depending on the number of interested parties here I would be looking to set up distribution myself, as they don't typically sell to individuals. If there is enough interest (at least a dozen sets) I'll move forward in talks with the company.
I would appreciate any feedback; I know this is a fair amount of money on brake rotors. I figure that given the amount we spend on tires, bumpers, suspension, etc. that the safety systems could use some investment as well.
