Which set of front rotors should I go with here?

So I was able to budget out my money from this paycheck and im just going to go ahead and buy a new pair of rotors and brake pads. Decided to go with raybestos since that seemed to be the most recommended brand across different sites I asked for advice. My only problem now is, between these 2 pairs. Im a bit confused why the one that has the painted hat and edges is cheaper (by ~$10). Why would the nicer pair be cheaper? Or am I missing something here? Anyways just thought I’d double check before placing my order.

also i read on the mega thread that forum users get a discount on Rockauto. Is there a special code for that or do I just put “tundras.com” in the “how did you hear about us” section?

 

https://www.tundras.com/posts/3904568/

 

Put the number code that @shifty` linked in the how did you hear about us box then click anywhere outside the box and it should accept it.

 

I still think this configuration is better and or definitely cheaper


It says 04 Tundra that was just to verify it would be 13WL parts.

 

I’ll be able to tell if my calipers are sticking when I use my compression tool right? Because they will be frozen and won’t move… also, is there a break in period for using these ceramic brakes on our trucks?

Last but not least, can anyone break down how to readjust the rear brakes for my truck, I looked at the mega thread, but it seems intimidating, and leaves me a bit confused, I need things explained to me like im a 5 year old when it comes to car repairs. Im not sure if they even need to be adjusted, but the fact my front rotors are warped after 2 years has me wondering if the rears are doing their job. ( I put the car in reverse and slammed on the parking brake a few times but that didn’t seem to have any effect on anything, and on a side note, as I slammed on the parking brake it wouldn’t bring the truck to a complete stop either, i figure maybe my parking brake isn’t engaging as it should, but thats a different problem for a different day)

 

The most obvious was to see if caliper pistons are sticking is pad wear. I’ve noticed these pads tend to wear a little unevenly, but if a pad look like a doorstop, or one side is twice as thick as the other, it’s a problem (really dirty pad pins can cause this too)

Even if sticking, the pistons will go back into their bores with a tool; they just don’t retract well when brake pressure is released.

 

This is from Powerstop, but applicable to any new pads/rotor replacement:

https://www.powerstop.com/pa/Important Break-In Procedure.pdf

Faye has a great video for this...even though it's for a Tacoma it's more or less the same for our Tundras:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-yN4LFlC6g&ab_channel=FayeHadley

Afterward, use the FSM procedure to adjust the parking brake

 

Well this is news, it looks like the tundras rear braking system is completely different (drum brakes) than a sequoias (normal caliper and rotor, basically just like the front)

im guessing this means for me that there is no way to adjust my rear brakes (or maybe no “need” to do so?)

However, I have a feeling my parking brake isn’t working as strong as it should but for right now thats the least of my worries since I never use it and have bigger problems to worry about

anybody have any insight into this?

 

Oops, my bad...I didn't notice that you're Sequoia. Yes, there is no way to adjust the rear disc brakes. I'll google around and find you the right stuff. Stand by...

 

Yeah you don't need to do any rear brake adjustment on a sequoia as far as I know. Maybe it still has an LSPV but I'm not sure.

Your parking brake is totally separate from the disk brake operation, it's actually a drum brake setup that is behind the rear rotors.

 

I hate to call you out on this shifty’ because you’ve always been a big help, but on all the research I’ve done, you’re the only person telling me to assemble the brake pad with wear indicator like this. Everything else Ive researched is saying to have it as my original photo is.

here look, even the FSM says so

 

So is there any way to make my rear brakes do a little more work? Im wondering if they aren’t doing their fair share because of how my fronts warped after only 2 years.

Also, is there any way to adjust my parking brake on a 02 sequoia? I think there’s a star wheel inside the rear rotor to adjust it but idk anything about that other than it needs to be done to remove the rotor on the backs. When I press my parking brake down I get around 13 total clicks. (The other day I put the truck in reverse on a flat surface and let it go backwards, i then slammed the parking brake and it would never bring the truck to a complete stop) yet, when I have it in drive on the same flat surface and slam the Parking brake on it does bring the truck to a stop.

sorry if im all over the place, It’s just that I rely so heavily on my truck, it’s literally my life line. If I don’t have this truck it’ll possibly destroy my future (full time broke college student with a part time job doing my best to make it out on the other side alive with a degree)

 

Your parking brake isn’t designed to stop your truck while in motion. It’s designed to hold it in place while stopped. If parked on a steep grade it might not hold, that’s why you turn the wheels to curb.

 

Ditto...the parking brake (or dare I say Emergency Brake) is not intended to stop the vehicle at speed (that said, however, my parking brake saved my ass when my brake line burst).

The video below is more or less what you need. (I know, I know...4th Gen 4Runner, but Toyota hasn't fundamentally changed the design in a decade or more, and it's used across all models with rear discs).

PS. The very same FSM you cite above should also have a section concerning the parking brake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ut3Wwj4Xp5Y&ab_channel=4WDTrek

 

Did you click on the link I provided? Here it is again: https://www.tundras.com/threads/rotors.150589/#post-3765748

Where do you think I got those pictures? Direct from the FSM. FRONT brake pads. Squealer goes to the outer pad, as shown here. Is the FSM section you're looking at FRONT or REAR? It was my understanding you're working on the FRONT, correct? Because that looks like a REAR caliper in your FSM picture. The title of this thread is FRONT ROTORS, so I'm giving you the correct info for FRONT brakes.

EDIT: But I do want to encourage the callouts. I do get shit wrong sometimes, so kudos for pointing it out. It's always better to ask the question, and I have a ton more respect for you being willing to bring it up, regardless who is right or wrong. Asking questions is a sign you've got a light on upstairs.

Oh, and to add on this edit: Notice the position of the caliper on the rotor between front and rear is different. Generally speaking, the squealer will always go on the edge of the pad that gets grabbed first. Where the caliper is clocked on the rotor dictates which edge will lead, and which pad will get grabbed first.

​

 

Then why would they be totally separate and redundant systems? One is hydraulic and the other is cable. If there's a broken hydraulic line and you lose brake pressure, that parking/emergency brake will certainly slow the vehicle enough to get it to the side of the road.

 

Not sure if you’ve noticed, it’s no longer an emergency brake, like when you could pull the lever and do slides. It’s now called a parking brake. Designed to hold vehicle while stopped. I can easily drive away with my parking brake engaged. I get an alert on dash which is cool. I just posted what I think is the correct purpose of the “parking brake” it’s no longer an “emergency brake “. My newer vehicles have an e parking brake. Can’t even manually engage/disengage.
But, whatever.

 

I am doing the fronts, and sorry the picture i linked was me rushing. This is the photo I meant to link you.

And I just want to say thanks for taking the criticism with stride, because I truely do trust and respect you and everything you say. If I don’t ask these questions and continued on with the repair it’d be one of those things that would keep me up at night lol. You are a treasure trove of good information.

im sure im the one missing something here, or reading it wrong. These FSMs are written more so for mechanics and not the common person who just wrenching in their driveway. A lot of stuff on the FSM goes right over my head simply because I need it in laymen terms


EDIT: god im such an idiot sometimes. Yeah Im completely wrong, thats the same exact picture, I just sourced it from a different __cpLocation so it had me thinking otherwise. My apologize … sometimes I just need to slowwww down a bit

 

This is a picture of my rear differential, it looks like I don’t have LSPV, correct? From my research it says it should be something attached to the rear differential and this looks pretty blank to me. (Unless the sequoia has it hooked up somewhere different. But I looked all over the rear braking system and couldn’t find anything out of the ordinary)

sorry, I just have to ask to be certain. It’s always good to get a second pair of eyes on something.

 

Look at the header of the FSM section you're in, does it say 'rear brakes' or 'front brakes'?

Here's why I ask.

You see the handle of the breaker bar they're showing? If you look at the thumb of the hand, that looks like it's showing the rear diff in the background, making me think it's dealing with the rear brake, like ... note my arrow here (and see more text after the arrow)

​

Stop for a sec and think about our vehicles. The calipers should be in these positions (more text after the picture again):

​

Why is this important?

All four wheels spin the same direction, but the caliper is in a different position.
If you have the caliper to the forward position (as it is up front), you want the squealer to be on the outer pad, facing up, because that's the leading edge.
If you have the caliper to the rearward position (as it is in the rear), you want the squealer to be on the inner pad, facing down.
EDIT: You always want the squealer to be on the leading edge, i.e. the pad and position that will contact the rotor first, because that's the side that will wear the fastest. If you put it elsewhere, you may get the squeal too late.

Does that make sense? The position of the caliper on the wheel dictates where the screamer needs to be. The orientation of how you had the pads is correct for the REAR calipers. The way I corrected them is correct for the FRONT calipers.

We're technically BOTH correct. I think you're just confused about which position to use, where, and why.

This is why I've mentioned a couple of times: CHECK WHICH SECTION OF THE FSM YOU'RE IN.

The picture you're posting is from the REAR BRAKES. The caliper is clocked in a different position in the rear. Clearly, you see above the FSM page I shared from the FRONT brakes, which is what you're working on, right? Here is the section you're looking at, which is for the REAR brakes.

(again, if you look at the thread I keep linking, we had this exact conversation in the last 5-10 replied of that thread)

​

 

Look at my post I edited it.

I apologize for making you run around in circles with me like this, i get caught up and trying to do everything perfect and not screw up my car that sometimes I can’t see the force through the trees. I mean no harm, you’re a great dude for putting up with my shit Lol

 

You have rear discs and an SUV. You shouldn't have an LSPV. LSPV is for trucks, where different loads in the bed would require different braking properties. As you load up the bed of the truck with more stuff, the armature of the LSPV will cause a brake fluid passage to open more, allowing more brake fluid pressure to activate the rear brakes faster/stronger.

Typically speaking, with passenger vehicles/light duty vehicles you only find proportioning valves (PVs) on vehicles that have disc + drum brake combo. If all-discs, you don't necessarily need to change the proportion of fluid reaching the drums, which activate differently than discs.

Like ... disc brakes may only require (these are bullshit numbers) 20psi of hydraulic pressure to activate. Drums may require 10psi of hydraulic pressure to activate. In which case, you need to use a proportioning valve to restrict the amount of pressure the rear drums get, so they don't lock up totally before the discs even start to engage.

Make sense?

Some non-truck vehicles that may have disc/drum combo, like a cheaper/older car for example, may have a standard PV, because you can't add a stupidly large amount of weight into a car like you can a truck, so there's no point. We have LSPV in our trucks with a bed, LS = "Load Sensing".

Archaic tech to reasonably solve a real problem with vehicles that haul things in their beds.

 

I think it's good information to be out there. This may confuse the shit out of someone else later, and having it broken down in very basic terms (hopefully) helps.

 

1st gen sequoia owner here. My guess why the rotors wore out early is they weren't very good. I've had the same rotors on mine through a set of bad calipers and two sets of brake pads (75k miles). And I have the smaller WE calipers. Part store brands are so awful it's scary.

I just did the brakes and rotors on my 01 tundra and used powerstop coated rotors and dynamic friction pads. Been happy with them on the Sequoia and Tundra.

 

First I want to say sorry if there are some confusing words throughout my posts, I sometimes use voice to text and it doesn't always get it right

Second, I think this just about sums up everything that I needed as far as information goes for this upcoming repair. I wanted to take a moment to thank you shifty' and everybody else that has contributed to this post, I don't take this lightly that you people take time out of your day to help a person like me who is a beginner and a little apprehensive about repair jobs. Repairing a car can be scary especially in America where we rely so heavily on our transportation. (This is especially true for living in a big city like mine). This is good knowledge to have and I will always be grateful for everything I have learned from people like you and will be able to one day possibly pass on that knowledge to the next person. This is knowledge that I will carry on to the rest of my life.

So seriously THANK YOU, because the fact of the matter is, even if we're behind a screen, it's sometimes easy to forget that we are real people with a real life and real problems. You're genuinely helping me get through college and come out on the other side alive (still have a long way to go) and I simply can't afford to take my car to the shop for every little thing that pops up.

So thank you thank you thank you. Your making my life a little easier to deal with right now

 

If it helps here's photos of the FRONT 13WL caliper loaded. Note squeeler on the outer pad facing upward per FSM @shifty` noted.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/rotors.150589/page-2#post-3771422

 

We all were beginners at the start. You’re on a good path. The things I’ve screwed up or worse is sad to ponder. 75% is try hard, knowledge will come with experience. I’m still learning. Just awesome to someone bust out with the try. Keep it up

 

Hate to revive a “closed” thread but I do have 2 last questions.

1- where do I apply the brake lube?
2- I noticed on my set up when I was rotating tires a few months ago I had two retainer clips (top & bottom) but every picture I see there’s only a retainer clip on the top. The set I ordered only comes with 2 retainer clips, one for each side. Does having an extra one on the bottom help give me and added layer of protection or should I remove?


Lastly, thought I’d ask this while im here, may start a new thread for it. But several months ago I kept hearing a single clunk coming from my left tire every time I would apply the brakes. Changed my lower ball joints and my shock/strut assembly and the clunk went away completely. Well the other day there was a chain reaction of cars slamming on there brakes and I had to slam on mine really really hard, and I heard that same exact “clunk” again coming from the same exact spot ( only a single “clunk” coming from the left) can anyone point me in the right direction here?

 

Look at the FSM schematic for the lube points.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/rotors.150589/#post-3765748

The spring clips go on the top for the front calipers per the FSM schamtic and in the photo posted as it is the leading edge.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/rotors.150589/page-2#post-3771422

Some people run them top and bottom.