OK, I give in. Time for a facelift

[HighMile200]

So far, so good.

I LOVE the KO2s on TRD rock warriors! Excellent road manners and wet weather performance. Driving in heavy rain on crappy hwy I couldn't feel the puddles at all. They perform excellent on dry curvy ozark highways. Have not yet gone offroad or gravel, but seems to me their performance there is a given. These are 285/70r17.

There is a much firmer feel to the truck's handling combined with improved ride. Maybe the stiffer sidewalls transfer force more directly to the koni shocks or maybe just more rubber absorbs the road more effectively. Not sure why, but I am very pleased with the result.

DBA rotors with TRD pads are excellent so far. Haven't really pushed them but the feel of my brakes is dramatically improved. They seem to produce more dust than the stock setup, but not terrible.

Front spring spacers give a nice result noticeably raising the front end giving improved stance and clearance. I am happy with the lift given by the spacer and likely won't seek anything more.

I learned that the rear kdss hydraulic mechanism was leaking probably causing my lean. This has been replaced and the system bled and repressurized to restore proper function. This appears to have resolved my lean and the system seems to control sway more effectively as well.

Slee sliders to go on soon!

 

[Willy beamin]

nice looking

 

[HighMile200]

Here's a pic post kdss repair and a view of DBA front rotors.

 

[MScruiser]

Those rotors are slick! Got a link?

 

[HighMile200]

Those rotors are slick! Got a link?

I hate to say that I learned about them from Slee's website, but since he didn't have any inventory to sell me, I bought them from Tire Rack. DBA is Disc Brakes Australia and has been into the premium rotor market for awhile. They more recently developed this 4x4 Survival series for the SUV market. They have some unique proprietary featueres designed to improve airflow and wet performance.

I'm not sure whether it's gimmick or real functional design improvement, but they look good and have worked well so far.

Both Slee and Tire Rack have good info. There is also a YouTube video from an industry show.

 

[Hothonda]

I notice the new one on the left in the first photo has the "LC lean"

 

[AL LC2013]

So, toyota dealer advised that BFG is running a promotion this month - buy three get one for $1.00. So five in 285/70r17 are $1200 and some change. One more reason... Will order them tomorrow

I will be the guinea pig for DBA rotors with TRD pads. I think Christo Slee has one set of these rotors in stock - for his truck. Sorry man, couldn't wait. I am sure you will give them a much more thorough testing than I.

Thanks for all the feedback!

How are the DBA rotors working out for you? are TRD pads an improvement?

 

[Island1064]

So far, so good.

I LOVE the KO2s on TRD rock warriors! Excellent road manners and wet weather performance. Driving in heavy rain on crappy hwy I couldn't feel the puddles at all. They perform excellent on dry curvy ozark highways. Have not yet gone offroad or gravel, but seems to me their performance there is a given. These are 285/70r17.

There is a much firmer feel to the truck's handling combined with improved ride. Maybe the stiffer sidewalls transfer force more directly to the koni shocks or maybe just more rubber absorbs the road more effectively. Not sure why, but I am very pleased with the result.

DBA rotors with TRD pads are excellent so far. Haven't really pushed them but the feel of my brakes is dramatically improved. They seem to produce more dust than the stock setup, but not terrible.

Front spring spacers give a nice result noticeably raising the front end giving improved stance and clearance. I am happy with the lift given by the spacer and likely won't seek anything more.

I learned that the rear kdss hydraulic mechanism was leaking probably causing my lean. This has been replaced and the system bled and repressurized to restore proper function. This appears to have resolved my lean and the system seems to control sway more effectively as well.

Slee sliders to go on soon!

You mention you are in the Ozarks, can you PM me the dealer that fixed your KDSS system, mine tells me that 1 Inch of len driver side is normal.

 

[HighMile200]

How are the DBA rotors working out for you? are TRD pads an improvement?

The DBA rotors with TRD pads developed a vibration after a few thousand miles. I am at 185K now and just had them turned (per DBA tech tip). The vibration is now significantly diminished but not gone.

It was susggested to me that the TRD pads may be getting the rotors hotter faster thus contributing to the vibration (not really seeing that as a true cause of it though since these are supposed to be high-performance rotors and pads).

The setup also lost its initial bite after a bit as well moving more back to the feel of the stock setup.

I'm considering doing something different like maybe replacing the pads. Or - maybe - do bjowett's tundra big brake kit.

 

[mark71]

How did you break in the pads?

 

[HighMile200]

How did you break in the pads?

Per DBA instructions went from like 60-30 mph with easy pressure for a few miles to bed in. I don't recall the exact specifics. There are lots of concentric scratches in the rotors - more visible than I am accustomed to seeing.

I probably should have repeated this procedure after turning them and didn't. I took it easy from the shop to home though.

 

[mark71]

Stoptech wrote a good article explaining rotor "warping", explaining that is wasn't warping but rather deposition of pad material on the rotor. This occurs when the pads get very hot and then are held against a stationary rotor (i.e. brake hard and stop). I didn't know that but it made sense.

Their instructions were basically to do five near panic stops, without locking up the rotor or coming to a complete stop, then driving for a while until the pads cooled off. This apparently helps both bead them to the rotor as well as cook off the most volatile materials used in their manufacture.

Not sure if this is what happened to you or not, but thought I would share what I learned.

 

[HighMile200]

Stoptech wrote a good article explaining rotor "warping", explaining that is wasn't warping but rather deposition of pad material on the rotor. This occurs when the pads get very hot and then are held against a stationary rotor (i.e. brake hard and stop). I didn't know that but it made sense.

Their instructions were basically to do five near panic stops, without locking up the rotor or coming to a complete stop, then driving for a while until the pads cooled off. This apparently helps both bead them to the rotor as well as cook off the most volatile materials used in their manufacture.

Not sure if this is what happened to you or not, but thought I would share what I learned.

Thanks for the tip. Couldn't hurt anything to try this. I've realized that even though it has been only a year on these, it appears I have put about 30,000 miles on this setup.

That being said, I did just have the rotors turned, so I would think any deposits or surface imperfections should have been mitigated.

 

[JtBrown]

Truck looks awesome even with the miles! That spacer really does the trick too!

 

[linuxgod]

Stoptech wrote a good article explaining rotor "warping", explaining that is wasn't warping but rather deposition of pad material on the rotor. This occurs when the pads get very hot and then are held against a stationary rotor (i.e. brake hard and stop). I didn't know that but it made sense.

Their instructions were basically to do five near panic stops, without locking up the rotor or coming to a complete stop, then driving for a while until the pads cooled off. This apparently helps both bead them to the rotor as well as cook off the most volatile materials used in their manufacture.

Not sure if this is what happened to you or not, but thought I would share what I learned.

I've read that as well - -Warped- Brake Disc and Other Myths

Do you use your parking brake? If you don't use it regularly or it's out of adjustment, based on my experience with a few other vehicles that could be the cause of your vibration.