GX460 front rotor and pad selection

[Boondoggle]

Just picked up a 2015 GX460 w/92K for the wife and the front pads are ready to be replaced and I was going to do new rotors too as under hard braking there's a little shimmy/pulsing. I was going to do Centric rotors and Akebono pads as that seemed like the most popular option for standard (not drilled or vented) rotors but it looks like they are no more. I was thinking of just going with OEM rotors and Akebono pads. She's not going to be towing anything and quiet would be the priority.

I'm also looking at the PowerStop Z23 option but there are some mixed reviews regarding noise which would be the first thing she notices regardless of stopping power.

I've got an 06 LX470 but this is our first GX and any help and advice is most appreciated.

 

[Rednexus]

Lots of people have had bad luck with Power Stop products - myself included. They have a D rating from BBB, and in my experience that is a well-deserved rating.

IMO OEM Toyota/Lexus rotors are the way to go. They are not that expensive from the dealer (around $70/each for fronts when I did the GX460 brake upgrade last year), and they are made in Japan. I personally run EBC Green pads which stop awesome but are dusty. Akebono makes the OEM pads, so for a daily driver, those are totally fine as well.

 

[tech703]

i got ebc yellow pads and they stop well with low dust but are quite a bit noisy

 

[BC11SVT]

I went with EBC Ultimax blank rotor (RK7578) and Akebono ProACT pads (ACT976) and would buy the same setup again.
Zero complaints, just smooth, zero noise, low dust braking.

I swear braking feel and effort improved too, at least that was my impression for at least a week after the swap so I really don't think it was placebo.

 

[thescreensavers]

Akebono pads and brembo blanks on rockauto is popular .

Advic makes the front pads and Akebono on the rear stock

 

[r2m]

Factory have been just fine for me and I'm running 35" tires with a very heavy rig.

 

[Arailt]

FWIW, I've always run factory rotors and pads. I just changed my 460 today with old Duralast pads (gold rear and elite front) that I had left over from my 470 years ago. They feel great. My old fronts were at 25% (remaining) and my rears were probably 1-5% (near dead), so anything would have been an upgrade. I'll check back after a few K, but they seem just as good or better as if I would have changed with factory pads.

 

[volklflip88]

I’ll chime in another option for those looking. I haven’t installed yet but the NAPA Adaptive one rotors (apparently very good) with Akebono pads (top tier also from NAPA). The NAPA rotors are coated (unlike OEM). Slightly more expensive but realistically a better product than OEM, especially because most dealers carry the low tier stuff for brakes.

 

[IdleTheory]

I've use EBC Sport discs paired with Bosch pads. No noise or vibration with great stopping power.

 

[Boondoggle]

Finally finished up the job. When I got in there, one piston on the right caliper wouldn't compress or move. It was going to take too long to get factory calipers with the 12mm bolt holes so I went with TRQs. Fitment was very good and everything buttoned up nicely.

So far very good performance and no noise at all and happy with the results. One tip I got from YouTube that really helped and I did not know was pinning the pedal to the floor to keep the fluid in the master cylinder which made the swap and bleeding much easier.

Greatly appreciate all the help and recommendations.

 

[r2m]

Finally finished up the job. When I got in there, one piston on the right caliper wouldn't compress or move. It was going to take too long to get factory calipers with the 12mm bolt holes so I went with TRQs. Fitment was very good and everything buttoned up nicely.

So far very good performance and no noise at all and happy with the results. One tip I got from YouTube that really helped and I did not know was pinning the pedal to the floor to keep the fluid in the master cylinder which made the swap and bleeding much easier.

Greatly appreciate all the help and recommendations.

Can you post the Youtube you caught that tip from?

 

[yosshaa]

DO NOT BUY HAWK BRAKE PADS.
They do not stand by their products.

 

[RJinVA]

DO NOT BUY HAWK BRAKE PADS.
They do not stand by their products.

I run Hawk HPS 5.0 pads in both my vehicles, my GX and my autocross/daily driver. Never had a problem with them and the braking performance improvement I noticed on the GX is very significant. It's the only pad I'll use.

 

[r2m]

I run Hawk HPS 5.0 pads in both my vehicles, my GX and my autocross/daily driver. Never had a problem with them and the braking performance improvement I noticed on the GX is very significant. It's the only pad I'll use.

Ahh, but I think you missed his point. He didn't say that they were not any good, he stated, "They do not stand by their products." Which to me reads, if you ever have any issues with the brake pads, good luck getting any type of response/service/? from that company.
Not all good products have good customer care, and likewise, some bad products do have good customer care.

 

[RJinVA]

Ahh, but I think you missed his point. He didn't say that they were not any good, he stated, "They do not stand by their products." Which to me reads, if you ever have any issues with the brake pads, good luck getting any type of response/service/? from that company.
Not all good products have good customer care, and likewise, some bad products do have good customer care.

It's anecdotal from one person...who knows what the real story is, a lot of people buy products from unlicensed vendors like Amazon so they can save $2.34. Amazon is notorious for comingling parts from legit and scam vendors so the counterfeit parts get lumped in with legitimate parts and of course companies won't warranty amazon purchases, could have been the scenario. Hawk provides support and discounts for SCCA members and autocrossers so, I'll stick with my own experience.....

 

[dryfly]

Has anyone tried DBA’s pads & rotors?… they’re out of Australia.

 

[Rednexus]

Has anyone tried DBA’s pads & rotors?… they’re out of Australia.

I looked at them in the past but stuck with OEM Toyota rotors as the DBAs are about 2X as expensive. If someone were to try them in the future I would be interested as they are a legit 4x4 rotor instead of a performance-car rotor put on a truck. In my experience OEM Toyota GX460 rotors with EBC pads stop very well so I haven't seen the need to upgrade rotors; but my current rotors will wear out at some point in the future and need to be replaced.

 

[orangerock]

I’ll chime in another option for those looking. I haven’t installed yet but the NAPA Adaptive one rotors (apparently very good) with Akebono pads (top tier also from NAPA). The NAPA rotors are coated (unlike OEM). Slightly more expensive but realistically a better product than OEM, especially because most dealers carry the low tier stuff for brakes.

I went this exact route 6 months ago and I'm now dropping my GX off again tmrw for OEM rotors because the NAPAs ones are warped already.

 

[Rednexus]

I went this exact route 6 months ago and I'm now dropping my GX off again tmrw for OEM rotors because the NAPAs ones are warped already.

Per NAPA's website, Adaptive One front rotors are $163/ea. New OEM Toyota rotors from my dealer were only $69.56/ea last year, and were made in Japan. Decent-brand Chinese rotors on Rock Auto (i.e., Bosch) are at least $60, so rotors appear to be one of the parts where going non-OEM really is not cost-effective relative to legit Toyota parts.

I've always found that aftermarket rotors seem to hold pad deposits easier than OEM rotors on my various Japanese vehicles (which is usually the source of the brake pedal pulsation, rather than the rotor actually being warped). Sometimes they can be cleaned off by a few aggressive brake stops to heat up the rotors and cook them off, but that's a PITA. I've had many sets of new OEM and OEM replacement rotors last 70K plus miles; non-OEM are usually done by 40-50K. Driving style has a big effect on how long rotors will last - I'm light on brakes, avoid hard stopping unless it's a panic situation, and gear down on long descents instead of riding the brakes.

 

[volklflip88]

I went this exact route 6 months ago and I'm now dropping my GX off again tmrw for OEM rotors because the NAPAs ones are warped already.

I’ll keep an eye on it for sure. I got a discount on them that put the price close to OEM rotors and had heard good things.. did rears brakes only; fronts had half life left in them.