spoogie

I'm tired on going through oem rotors and having that braking shimmy appear so often on my GX 470. The brakes are undersized for that truck.

Is there a retrofit that can be done to beef up the brakes? Or better than oem rotors?

new2012jee

Any of the towing brake kits will be much stouter.

spoogie

Towing brake kits? Didn't know there was such a thing. Which ones are good?

cssnms

I share your frustration. I am particularly frustrated with the calipers that continue to seize up. It's easy enough to unseized them but what a PIA!

I just order Power Slot rotors with EBC 7000 brake pads - going to give this combo a try.

spoogie

Right on. Let us know how that works out.

jdeguzman1

I just changed my oems for the first time with EBC all around. EBC green stuff and I believe EBC Ultimax rotors front and back. Put ~2500 miles on and so far so good. Definitely like the bite of the EBC's.

cssnms

How's the noise and dust?

Did you buy the EBC pads for SUV/LTs i.e. 7000 series pads?

jdeguzman1

No noises yet, dust is manageable but definitely more than oem. Yes, I got the 7000 series for the front and I think 6000 series for the back.

cssnms

Good to hear. Yes I got the 6000 for the rear too. Looking forward to it.

steevestim

Hey guys!,
Well I have seen a lot of action on this post so I wanted to just chime in on few things about my experience so far with the Power Stop Break Rotor & Pad Kit.
They have been installed on my 2004 Lexus GX 470 for two years now (Installed 3/13) purchased and Installed at Denver 4WheelParts.
Issue: Zero
Break Dust: Zero
Type of driving
Day to Day – Normal 12 miles to work and back
Weekend – Denver to Breckinridge to go skiing (4 or 5 times a year) | Summer time drive up to the condo at Lake Granby | Or just normal driving

This is my opinion only, I did not buy them for looks I don’t care about that it’s not a corvette with shiny red calipers. And it’s not like all the girls are going to say Wow nice rotors!!! .

I purchased them because my stock ones were warping and after two resurfaces within 18 months I got sick of the break dust and the cost of getting them redone. So I did some looking on this forum and saw lots of people had issues with the rotors warping.

So because I’m also into custom trucks and new that slotted and drilled rotors were good at dissipating heat for lifted trucks so I started to see if anyone else had installed them on their GX and only a few had. But I was like hey it’s going to cost about the same to replace all 4 rotors might as well do it right.

I have ZERO regrets and I have not had them touched sense they were put on, best $$ I ever spent which was not much. So with that if you rarely if ever have to do anything with your breaks stick to blanks I’m sure they are fine. If you feel like you are spending a lot of time and money on your breaks upgrade them to the drilled/slotted rotors I can’t speak for other manufactures but the Power Stop kit has been 100% solid.

Tim

new2012jee

thanks for the update. I installed my fronts this weekend, and the pulsating to a stop is completely gone. It also does have a lot more bite, I had to make an abrupt stop this morning (Unfortunately) as I feel they aren't fully broken in, but Wow, they bit and stopped that big truck fast. I didn't notice any issues after though, i just hated the fact I had to brake that way so soon.

techrep

I did EBC Uiltamax sport rotors front and back with Hawk LTS pads all the way around...great combo ...no noise...and very little dust...awesome stopping power and best of all smooth as silk breaking...

mstrsltr

Wondering if anyone cares to update this thread and maybe answer a question or two:

1.) I plan on towing a travel trailer (max 3,500lb) and will see some twisty mountain roads. Any recommendations for non-OEM upgrades? I'm looking to do rotors, pads, and maybe brake lines.

2.) Braided brake lines? How much of a difference do these really make? I know they are supposed to help avoid brake fade as they don't expand (as much) with the heating up of brake fluid. If I'm gonna be hauling a 4,500lb loaded trailer with a 5,000lb truck down a twisty mountain road, and braided brake lines are going to add even just 20% improved brake performance over regular lines, then the cost is a no-brainer.

3.) Slotted vs Blank... I know some say that slotted rotors are more susceptible to warping. Any GX owners have this actually happen to them? And how many places actually even turn blank rotors anymore? It seems like every time I've gotten my brakes changed in the last several years, I'm always told that no one turns them anymore.

4.) Brake Dust? The kit I'm looking at (EBC Stage 5 w/ Yellow Stuff pads) acknowledges that their high stopping power results in a lot of brake dust. Aside from the aesthetic negatives of having brake dust all over your wheels and maybe brake noise, are there any performance drawbacks to a pad/rotor combo that generates a lot of dust?

Thanks!

kwiggit

I was hoping to see someone reply to your post but never did. What setup did you end up with and are you happy? I too will be towing a trailer but it weighs about 5,000 lbs.
If anyone else has any suggestions for the best setup for towing 5k lbs in the rocky mountains, I'd love to hear.