dtaylor

GX470, 144k on the clock. Brakes are getting thin. Bought it with 60k on the clock, supposed to have had brakes put on during "Certified Used" process. No reason to believe they stiffed me on the new brakes thing, but I need brakes now.

My question for the group is this; Does it make any sense to spend more to upgrade to aftermarket "high performance" brake parts such as calipers / bigger or drilled rotors?

I don't mind the extra cost, and if it gets me better braking, I'm all for it. If anyone here has done it and regrets it, I would like to know.

Thank you in advance. You boys are always helpful.

Tdoll

if you can afford performance brakes, by all means, do it. Just upgrading rotors and pads to performance versions can net you up to a 30% gain in stopping distance. Not to mention that performance rotors and pads will last longer under normal driving conditions. This is usually one of the first mods I do to a vehicle. I put stop tech rotors and pads on my GX. One stop click... all inclusive brake package. Very cost effective and much better than OEM or OEM replacements.

dtaylor

Makes sense. Cost? Vender? Brand?

Tdoll

Stop Tech is the brand. But there are other brands. I went with stop tech because it fit my budget and I have used their pad/rotors before. EBC makes good stuff, but you will have to search to find the deal for you.

kdburtch

thanks for the idea

Tdoll

you are very welcome

dtaylor

What all parts did you replace? I'm thinking rotors, pads, shoes, calipers...

Tdoll

The kit I bought had front and rear Rotors with matching Pads. Unless you have a real need/desire to replace the calipers, I would not do it. Waste of $ unless you are upgrading to a larger caliper. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! lol

NTH

Which pad package do you recommend? I see that they have kits with Centric pads then another kit with Posi Quiet pads.

Tdoll

I would recommend you considering what type of driving you do and what you would expect from your brakes and buy accordingly. I made my purchased based on what I wanted... better braking, longer life and less dust and noise. I have never bought this brake package before, and I do not have enough miles on this package to give a proper evaluation, but so far, so good. I have good pedal feel, no noticeable increase in brake dust and they seem to be quiet and they stop very well. Especially compared to my worn out pads.
The kit I bought was
Power Stop K2422-36Front & Rear Z36 Truck and Tow Brake Kit by Power Stop. I think it was around $315, but I would shop around and see what is available.
Also... Hawk and EBC make really good brakes and I am sure there are other manufactures that are as good or better, so be sure to shop around. Google is your friend!!
Good Luck and I hope this helps.

NTH

Tdoll- thank you for the feedback. I’ll probably need brakes by next summer so I’ll have plenty of time to research.

Tdoll

You are very welcome!

broken9er

upgrading those is a task in itself, keeping up with the replacement in future gets pricey

Tdoll

Not sure what you are referring to, upgrading rotors and pads is no more work than regular rotors and pads. The cost if you do it your self is a little higher, but the payoff is much better braking and they will last longer than “regular” rotors and pads under comparable conditions. Now if you are referring to bigger calipers and all that, yeah that is way pricey, but there are price effective solutions, like going to a newer model year instead of buying an out right big brake kit.
And as far as replacements... performance pads are not that expensive and again, they will last longer, so the cost is really not a huge deal.