GX470 - Brake upgrade options? (1 Viewer)

[danmm7]

I've replaced the pads/rotors on my 2005 GX470 with high quality aftermarket (HAWK) parts and so far, it stops great, no warping, no vibrations, no brake dust. I have zero complaints.

However, i keep reading over and over that the brakes on the GX 1) warp a lot under load (towing) and 2) the calipers like to 'stick'.

I can only guess but based on all the maintenance records i got with our GX, it looks like we still have the original calipers on all 4 corners. The truck has 114k miles and it has been maintained exceptionally well.
The original calipers make me somewhat nervous and i wonder if i should look for any early warning signs of stuck caliper(s)?

If i do decide to upgrade the calipers/brakes on my GX470, what are the options out there?

Somewhere i read about a "Tundra brake upgrade". What is this all about?
Any other upgrade alternatives that have been successfully done without modifying the truck too much?


Thanks!

 

[GXO]

I replaced my front calipers with OEM and added EBC slotted and vented rotors and some EBC pads. The front wear faster (I did the rear rotors and pads, but the calipers seemed okay).

Swapping in Tundra calipers is an option, but not sure on wheel clearance (should be fine).

The OEM calipers are BIG due to VSC, ATRAC, DAC, etc needing the muscle. If you feel a shudder on breaking, VSC going off on flat ground, or a strong pull to one side it can indicate a caliper (assuming the new rotors, pads, etc are all correct).

This is what a caliper should NOT look like:

 

[aiza11]

Thanks, but I just don't know if I'm going to have the wrenching time to do it. I'm driving it across the country to CO in a week and my next 7 days are ridiculously busy. I'm ok driving it like this for a little while, but not across the country.

 

[Cj80cruiser]

The brakes on my wife's truck are in need of replacement. Are all 4runner 03-09 aftermarket and OEM discs front and rear a match for the GX?

The passenger rear caliper is making a squealing sound like the previous owners shop didn't grease the pins??? I hope the caliper isn't sticking like mentioned above. I can't see the pic so I'm not sure what signs to look for. I guess it would be uneven wear on both pads?

If I go aftermarket what would be suggested? I used brembo on my 3rd gen 4runner and they seem to work well. Anyone here have good or bad experiences with this brand for the GX?

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

4Runner OEM parts for a 4th gen will fit the GX (see below *), but I'm a big fan of Centric rotors and Akebono ceramic pads. I have them on both my Lexus SUVs.

Signs/symptoms of a stuck caliper piston would be pulling to one side under braking, uneven pad wear, and being unable to compress the piston when trying to install new pads.

Some people say you should replace brake components on both sides (left and right) at the same time. I would agree that applies to pads and rotors, but I'm not necessarily on that bandwagon when it comes to calipers. However if one caliper is corroded enough to stick, the other probably isn't far behind anyway.

* 4Runners come in different trim levels and some have smaller brakes. The larger Sport and Limited brakes fit, but not the SR5. You can also use brake parts from a 5th gen 4runner. Some people claim they are less likely to having sticking calipers, but I think that's pure placebo personally.

 

[Cj80cruiser]

4Runner OEM parts for a 4th gen will fit the GX (see below *), but I'm a big fan of Centric rotors and Akebono ceramic pads. I have them on both my Lexus SUVs.

Signs/symptoms of a stuck caliper piston would be pulling to one side under braking, uneven pad wear, and being unable to compress the piston when trying to install new pads.

Some people say you should replace brake components on both sides (left and right) at the same time. I would agree that applies to pads and rotors, but I'm not necessarily on that bandwagon when it comes to calipers. However if one caliper is corroded enough to stick, the other probably isn't far behind anyway.

* 4Runners come in different trim levels and some have smaller brakes. The larger Sport and Limited brakes fit, but not the SR5. You can also use brake parts from a 5th gen 4runner. Some people claim they are less likely to having sticking calipers, but I think that's pure placebo personally.

Thanks for all the information. It's exactly what I was needing. Centric rotors were slightly cheaper than brembo when I was searching around last night so I'll go with your recommendation on those for sure.

Did you reuse the Toyota/lexus vent shims (not sure what their part name is) with the Akebono pads? I may go oem on the pads just so I don't have to keep up with those vent/shims. They are pricey for what they are.

 

[Hoosier Daddy]

My Akebono pads came with integrated shims.

 

[GXO]

I recently changed to run power stops up front and EBC rotors in the rear with EBC yellowstuff pads. Really good for offroad use, but they do wear faster.

 

[Sleepy]

Anybody try rebuilding their calipers? Mine are fine now, but I had them seize up on my FZJ80. I ordered parts from Cruiser Dan back then and was able to rebuild the calipers for fairly cheap. All I needed was to replace the pistons, their boots and worked just fine. Not that difficult either.

 

[exigex]

I do plan on rebuilding my calipers when I get the time.
I have some nice rotors and pads and the stopping power is really good but I am getting close to 170,000 miles and want to rebuild them.

 

[larsdennert]

Hey I know this is an older thread but I've been chasing vibration on Toyotas for years and never coming to a good resolution. After talking to a friend/attorney, he told me about a case he was involved in where a big rig wheel came off and hit someone. Long story short, the wheel was aluminum and had been over torqued. Apparently Aluminum expands and contracts quite a bit when heated compared to steel. Numerous heat cycles caused the studs to stretch and fail. He also said that on his G8 that over torquing the studs causes brake vibration and all he does is go back and retorque them and the vibration is gone.

This got me thinking as I needed to rotate wheels. My third Gen 4Runner would go through brakes even with the Tundra 213mm upgrade. My GX was also vibrating off and on and the braking hadn't been smooth though the rotors only had 20K on them. Here's what I did:

First you must have no balance or road force issues in the tires/wheels, no loose or worn joints or bearings and proper wheel alignment.
I loosened all the lug nuts. Some were way overtorqued from monkey that installed the new tires a while back.
Reinstalled a couple of lug nuts all the way down to hold the rotors and have the acorns center them.
Checked the run out of each rotor with a dial caliper and magnet mount. The rears had no run out. The fronts were less than .002 which is the limit. Had there been more run out I would have checked the mounting hubs for run out before replacing the rotors or turning them 180 degrees to see if that helped.
Cleaned the mounting surfaces of the wheels and rotors with a wire brush.
Reinstalled the wheel, and with it in the air, torqued down in a star sequence progressively 20-40-60 and finally 80ftlb. This takes time that most mechanics don't bother doing. Keep in mind that the wheels are engineered for 80ftlb. The average woman has to be able to tighten them to a safe amount when changing a flat. (Not being sexist, just a physiological observation.) 80ftlb is VERY little force and shockingly little rotation of the lug nut from even 40ftlb.
I went for a drive and the vibration was different. I can't explain in words other than it now felt like debris on the rotor vs thickness variation.
Decided to re-bed the brakes. Made several normal stops from 45mph to warm them up. Then made several hard panic stops from 60mph to 10mph being careful not to stop fully or engage the ABS accidentally. About 8 times so the brakes start to fade. Then drove several minutes to cool them before coming to the first stop. You can repeat the whole process several times if need be while letting them cool in between.

The result? I feel no more vibration. The real test will be towing or in the mountains. That annoying vibration that gets worse as the brakes get hot had to have an explanation especially because it goes away again after cooling off and not all cars have this problem. However during the panic stops the vibration got to be less. My theory is this. Assuming all parts are in spec, overtorquing the lug nuts may or may not cause "warpage" of the rotors as has been stated by many throughout the years. However, I believe that the heating and expanding of an aluminum wheel from the brake heat can produce very large clamping forces enough to warp something when the lug nuts are already tightened to much. Imagine taking a paperplate (rotor) and putting it over an open coffee can an then pushing on the plate in various spots. The plate will buckle into odd shapes. It doesn't take much of this effect on a precision rotor to cause havoc.

 

[Onefastrx7turbo]

Ive got the GX460 front brakes on mine, no complaints yet

 

[kwkshift]

What all is needed for that swap?

 

[half k cruiser]

I would say more often than not people aren't getting the most bang for their buck out of the factory systems. Before I considered an upgrade I would make sure I had

1) a premium set of pads
2) fully functioning calipers
3) fresh DOT 4 synthetic brake fluid
4) checked all rubber lines for cracks/fatigue

If your lines are showing issues then a swap to braided stainless would be a good first upgrade. The point is, lots of people , throughout several of the forums on here are quick to jump on the brake upgrade path, when they don't know what kind of shape their factory system is in. Even just having old fluid in your lines can make a staggering difference on a vehicles braking performance.

 

[Onefastrx7turbo]

In case you want to move to the 460 setup, you need pre 2016 GX460 brake calipers, and GX460 brake rotors.

 

[half k cruiser]

In case you want to move to the 460 setup, you need pre 2016 GX460 brake calipers, and GX460 brake rotors.

What are the advantages over the OEM 470 setup ?

 

[Onefastrx7turbo]

Thicker rotors and supposedly these calipers are not prone to the pistons seizing.

 

[larsdennert]

After my little exercise, the brakes were better but when they get warm/hot they still shudder. To many miles with them overtorqued or just cheap rotors that won't last. Got some Brembo blanks with matched pads. Issues are gone.

The gx470 pads are the same as the 231mm tundra ones that is a popular swap on 3rd gen 4runners. The gx470 calipers are different but take the same pad. There rotor had a different part number but it could be the same as well.

 

[NMBruce]

Just a heads up for people thinking about the GX460 front brake swap, my girlfriend has a 2015 GX470 about 45-50k miles on it, the pads have around 50% left and she is starting to get a plush in the pedal like I had in my GX470, so I don't know if the people who did the swap will have the same problem or not.

 

[Balrog]

Just a heads up for people thinking about the GX460 front brake swap, my girlfriend has a 2015 GX470 about 45-50k miles on it, the pads have around 50% left and she is starting to get a plush in the pedal like I had in my GX470, so I don't know if the people who did the swap will have the same problem or not.

Moisture can infiltrate brake fluid. You might try replacing the GFs.