Do you guys feel the upgrade reduces the chances of warping rotors? I have a 2014 LX570. It does not appreciate my wife’s driving style. Our Avalon was okay with it so hoping I can upgrade and eliminate/reduce the issue.
Brakes upgrade question, flame away (11 Viewers)
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bloc
SILVER Star
Probably not, if the driving style doesn’t change.
Hawk LTS. Good stopping power, but a little dusty. Talking about what are the best pads can quickly resemble talking about politics or religion
A sticky piston in one of the calipers can cause premature rotor warping. Try to push the pads all the way back and away from the rotors. If one of the pistons is a little stubborn and doesn’t want to go back into the caliper, you may have found root cause of the warped rotors. It’s been said many times before but I’ll repeat it: factory discs are very good and surprisingly affordable.
And obviously pump the brakes a few times after you’re done checking the caliper pistons to push the pads back into the rotors before you drive the truck again… or else the pedal will go all the way to the floor with no slowing down on the first stop when pulling out of the garage.
bloc
SILVER Star
I agree completely on factory rotors but many people report brake pulsation due to uneven deposits (technically not rotor warp) on this platform, including vehicles that are way too new to have sticking pistons.
I have definitely dealt with it in the past, with perfectly healthy calipers. Changing driving style (try to avoid coming to a complete stop after moderate to hard braking from freeway speed) and especially changing pads effectively fixed the issue.
Not that they shouldn’t check. But IMO it’s so common when people don’t take care with these brakes it’s likely wasted work.
I have same truck with Load E 33s. Dealer I bought it from did brakes, probably with non-OEM parts, and I am at point where at least pads are needed and probably at least one set of rotors.
I am replacing all pads, rotors with DBA parts and upgrading the fronts to larger 2016+ parts. DBA is what a lot of fully but Aussie rigs seem to use with good reviews and probably slight overkill for my current build, but my philosophy with this truck is replace wear parts with OEM+ quality parts because I plan to keep it forever.
Have never had an issue with the OEM brakes not performing (even with a few collision avoidance events where the Lexus PCS system kicked in), but they generally have weird feel and do not inspire a ton of confidence especially when truck is full of stuff and/or people.
"Gas -n- go" is not a bad way to live.
- Thread starter
- #29
I went back with oem front rotors and pads( for an 08).I think it was like $280 shipped from Lexus in Scottsdale, Az. I got a hardware kit from autozone for $10. The old rotors and pads were not oem. Pads had plenty of life left, and the rotors looked fine, but had a weird blackish color on the surface. Anyway the new ones are night and day better. No pulsing, much better grip. I don’t plan on towing much besides an aluminum fishing boat. Really not a bad job and if I have to do it again I feel like I will go with the updated parts. Btw, I tried the ranger method for changing brake fluid. Couldn’t get much out of the reservoir ( maybe half). I couldn’t get all the way to the bottom with my oil extractor tube. Is there a trick?
FWIW, I've had my 09 and have run the s--t out of it up and down the rocky mountains for almost 10 years now. The stock OEM brakes are up to the task, but I did switch to the TRD pads way back. I've researched the Tundra brake swap, but just never went with it due to various reasons. As others have posted previously, good quality parts (OEM) and install go a long way. Not able to help with the bleed, been doing that for years in the past, but now just have the dealer flush the system at required intervals.
bloc
SILVER Star
Search for "blunt 14g needle" on amazon, look for the 10" version. Then get a handful of 60mL syringes.
The needle is long enough that it provides some drag to the fluid and takes long to fill. If you are careful you can cut them down some while avoiding crimping to reduce the drag and really help how quickly it can draw fluid.
Drilled and/or slotted rotors OF GOOD QUALITY help tremendously.
Some intraweb keyboard warriors immediately crap and poo on drilled and slotted rotors, "they are going to crack, warp, youre gonna die, etc.."
Almost every high end sports car has them stock, they work...
I've ran the DBA rotors with LTS pads on 4 different rigs, include the Race 80 series, and have nothing but amazing praise. Pads are a tad dusty, but they have close to zero fade, and last forever.
The last set of my VERY overweight 2014 Tundra and camper looked almost new at 50k.
I am currently still looking for a 200, and DBA rotors and LTS pads will be the first thing i do when i baseline it.
Now yes, if you get $50 drilled and slotted rotors from autozone, youre likely to have a bad time.
My .02
- Thread starter
- #33
Sounds good, I'll give it a try
For the 08-15 I highly recommend the Z36 brake upgrade from Powerstop. They work really well, no brake fade, long lasting, and are very noticeably better under heavy braking or towing. 08-15 Brake Upgrade - https://forum.ih8mud.com/threads/08-15-brake-upgrade.1237763/
I dont see how an LC brakes would ever get hot enough to need drilled and slotted rotors. I sure hope yall arent racing them around lol.
Edit to add that I was the person that spent big money to add slotted rotors to my car... because I actually took it on the track. Nothing gets hot enough on the street to need them however.
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bloc
SILVER Star
My stock brakes respectfully disagree.
I don't have warped rotors but something odd is going on.
Truck drives great, plenty of pad left, no pulsing pedal or wobbling steering wheel.. no detectable uneven pad deposits (aka "warped rotors). I do drive it pretty hard but am religious about not stopping and holding the brakes on hot rotors. Anyone know what's going on here? Same on both sides...
forum.ih8mud.com
I cooked my stock LX570 brakes that were fairly new on a roadtrip with a very long downhill decent. Then again on another set while towing in heavy traffic a year later. 2016+ brakes are much better on the LC/LX. The 2008-2015 brakes are fine for daily driving unloaded. But add load + repeated braking and you quickly heat the brakes and experience brake fade.
Same. Cooked mine in WNC mountains while engine braking and riding the brakes (probably my fault). Swapping to DBA rotors and pads with 2016+ equipment up front.
Maybe an unladen stock rig, but when putting these things to work with big tires, mods, and big payload / towing weights, I can assure you that the brakes do get a workout. Even stock at 6k lbs curb weight and 400HP, honestly it's not hard to put heat in the brakes on downhill descents if pushing harder, but that's more driving style. When laden, it gets your attention when coming down an 8%+ extended grade, dipping into the stock brakes, and needing to increase pedal pressure as the pads heat up. Sounds like you've been on race pads, as have I, and it's a different level of confidence with pads that can take the heat.
My happy place is 2016+ sized OEM rotors with Hawk LTS pads. Brakes are strong enough to manage 35s with stock pedal pressure. Well mannered, with high heat capacity, even under punishment. The LTS compound can be squeaky when cold, have medium dust, but are otherwise great pads, easy to modulate (don't underestimate this as many performance pads can be hard to modulate especially off-road), with consistent friction under cold temps and wet.
For those with 6-speeds and oversized tires and heavy loads, re-gearing can do wonders in regards to engine braking. A world of difference and safety.
