Upgrading brakes for more stopping power.

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ekolpack said:
I recently replaced my pads and rotors and researched the issue more than any sane person should...as I tend to do with everything. In short, the consensus seems to be that the only advantage to drilled/slotted rotors MAY be on very high performance track vehicles which regularly undergo lots of heavy braking at high speeds with very little time to cool off, which I could imagine could also translate to a vehicle that does lots of towing with heavy braking. But even then, it's unclear there are any advantages. The slots/holes can IN THEORY help them cool off faster. But they also result in less surface area for the pads to contact, which may require more braking force, possibly negating the theoretical advantage in cooling. But they're also lighter weight? Yes, but that also means less thermal mass, so again, we're back to the world of trade-offs that probably negate each other.

That's all fine and dandy, but all in the realm of theory. Independent testing shows little or no difference between slotted/drilled rotors and standard rotors when using equivalent pads, calipers, braking pressure, etc. It does show that drilled/slotted rotors cause more noise and cause brake pads to wear faster, meaning they are also much dirtier, Re-profiling them (if you're into that kinda thing, I'm not) is more difficult and they're more expensive to begin with. I'm not sure about the quality of Toyotas OEM rotors, but I know that most legit mechanics will recommend AC Delco, Raybestos, or similar standard rotors, preferably the highest quality you can afford, and Akebono pads are generally considered the best, although Raybestos, Bosch, and Powerstop are all up there too in the same league.

In fact, outside of manufacturers websites selling slotted/drilled rotors, or "racing" forums (where, let's be honest, looks often triumph over ACTUAL functionality) it's tough to find many people advocating slotted/drilled rotors over standard. Yes they are out there, but tough to find, versus the "consensus" seeming to be that traditional solid rotors and good pads are the way to go.

I have found this forum to be a wealth of knowledge, much like this forum, but more tilted towards serious mechanics who nerd out on specs, empirical data, and a vast wealth real world experience actually working on vehicles professionally and as a hobby. This thread kind of summarizes what I found on multiple other blogs, forums, review sites, etc. which is why I went with AC Delco gold rotors and Akebono pads.

Drilled or slotted rotors still relevant?

I've been told by a few people that on modern cars with ceramic brake pads, there's really no benefit to using drilled or slotted rotors any more. The reasoning is that ceramic pads don't outgas or dust up like semi-metallic or organic pads did, so the slots/holes aren't removing any gases or...
bobistheoilguy.com

That said, if you're noticing a marked improvement in your braking performance, that's great! But keep in mind that could be a function of simply changing from old pads/rotors to new ones more broadly. You might've found that you would've got similar or even better results had you gone the "traditional" route. Either way, you do you! Glad you're happy with the new safety clamps!
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Am i missing the part where you back up your claim of "Significant Disadvantages?"
 
I like to speed but I don't like to stop fast or start fast. I do tow a lot. I have 16 and still running it stock. At 50K had to do front brakes, pads and rotor turn. Second time pads had life but rotors needed turn and I did full fluid replace, I was at 100k. The next time I will be replacing rotors and pad and swap the flex lines for new lines. Beyond that I think my 16 breaks just fine. I have had a couple off full on ABS panic stops in those first 100K but beyond that about 70/30 Highway/Surface street mix of driving miles. I think the highway stuff going through Houston 1.3 times a month is were I get most of my not great break wear. I work from home so city traffic driving is always an adjustment for about first 20 miles.
 
Coming from the Euro world where Alibaba mods have taken over to undercut some crazy priced mods, including big brake kits. Among the different brands that have risen is Icooh Brakes, who does offer both steel and carbon ceramic brake upgrades for 200 series.

As an offroad vehicle, Icooh recommends steel for the LC200. Specifically, the propose, for the front, a 6-piston DM6 caliper with 355 disc and, for the rear, a 4-piston DM4 caliper with 365 disc. Cost for the kit is less than the PowerBrake X-Line BBK, which is a front-only upgrade.

Curious if anyone has given Icooh a chance and also whether a BBK upgrade has any (adverse) impact on the functionality of the MTS, Crawl Control, etc.
 
GreatBenzini said:
Coming from the Euro world where Alibaba mods have taken over to undercut some crazy priced mods, including big brake kits. Among the different brands that have risen is Icooh Brakes, who does offer both steel and carbon ceramic brake upgrades for 200 series.

As an offroad vehicle, Icooh recommends steel for the LC200. Specifically, the propose, for the front, a 6-piston DM6 caliper with 355 disc and, for the rear, a 4-piston DM4 caliper with 365 disc. Cost for the kit is less than the PowerBrake X-Line BBK, which is a front-only upgrade.

Curious if anyone has given Icooh a chance and also whether a BBK upgrade has any (adverse) impact on the functionality of the MTS, Crawl Control, etc.
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Do you know if they’ll fit a 17 inch wheel? If so, I’m game to giving them a shot.
 
kong24680 said:
Do you know if they’ll fit a 17 inch wheel? If so, I’m game to giving them a shot.
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I'm asking the sales rep I've been speaking to on WhatsApp for confirmation, but the Icooh website says the DM6 front calipers fit 17 inch wheels. The DM4 rear calipers, unfortunately, do not (18 inch minimum). That said, maybe you could pair it with the IC4S2 rear caliper, which is also a 4-piston and does fit 17 inch wheels.
 
Also not all 17 wheels are the same so they might fit some but not all. Just something to keep in mind.
 
Question for those running the Hawk LTS pads: how is the initial bite?

I replaced my stock pads with the Powerstop/TRD pads all around trying to get more out of my brakes, but still find them lacking. In particular, under lighter pedal pressure, they seem to do very little like the stock pads. A lot of pedal effort is required to get them to really work, which is not my preference. Even stuff like sitting at a red light with a foot on the brake, the torque of the engine easily overpowers the brakes and the truck creeps forward, where the same amount of brake pedal effort in any other vehicle would keep you stopped no problem. I don't need massive heat capacity as I'm rarely heavily loaded these days and practice good brake management (engine braking) in the mountains, so I'm careful not to let things get too hot. Just looking for a stronger grab.

I ran hawk HPS on a sports car back in the day and didn't love them. My favorite pad so far has been Axxis Ultimate (both in sports and truck applications), but they don't make a size for the 200/Tundra.
 
Heckraiser said:
Question for those running the Hawk LTS pads: how is the initial bite?

I replaced my stock pads with the Powerstop/TRD pads all around trying to get more out of my brakes, but still find them lacking. In particular, under lighter pedal pressure, they seem to do very little like the stock pads. A lot of pedal effort is required to get them to really work, which is not my preference. Even stuff like sitting at a red light with a foot on the brake, the torque of the engine easily overpowers the brakes and the truck creeps forward, where the same amount of brake pedal effort in any other vehicle would keep you stopped no problem. I don't need massive heat capacity as I'm rarely heavily loaded these days and practice good brake management (engine braking) in the mountains, so I'm careful not to let things get too hot. Just looking for a stronger grab.

I ran hawk HPS on a sports car back in the day and didn't love them. My favorite pad so far has been Axxis Ultimate (both in sports and truck applications), but they don't make a size for the 200/Tundra.
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Have you done the full system purge/bleed via tech steam or similar?

I had same issues, new rotors, new pads, brakes still sucked and pedal feel was exactly what you describe

Did a full bleed/flush the old school way, not much difference

Did the computerized bleed purging everything, and the big abs junction box thing and it made a NIGHT AND DAY difference all around and now great “normal” pedal feel.
 
I have changed out the fluid and bled the traditional way. I wasn't even aware there was a techstream bleeding process. I'll look into that. This truck is too fancy for guys like me :o
 
Heckraiser said:
I have changed out the fluid and bled the traditional way. I wasn't even aware there was a techstream bleeding process. I'll look into that. This truck is too fancy for guys like me :o
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Yes, same here…. It was all new to me also, I’m just a cave man.

The tech stream (or similar) method activates the ABS pump, which holds a ton of fluid and does some electronic wizardry in the bleeding process

Made a world of difference honestly


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