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Tacoma 4WD brake rotors

It may be the way I drive but I tend to go through (glaze, I suspect) front brake rotors quickly. I've found that the OEM Toyota rotors tend to last the longest before needing to be replaced or resurfaced - approzimately 20-24 months. I don't wear grooves or anything ust brakign power dimishes significantly. I use the Performance Friction semi-metallic pads from Autozone exclusively.

Sometimes it's tempting to buy the Autozone rotors as they're only $20, comapred to about $75 (cheapest dealer price I can ever find) but they last only 10-12 months.

I'm happy with the braking performance after new rotors and pads are on but was wondering about slotted and/or drilled rotors. Does anyone have any expereince with reasonably proced ones? Are they higher quality metal (comparable to OEM)? What are your opinions and experiences?

Thanks for ALL input.

Reply to
cmoschip
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"DRILLED VS SLOTTED ROTORS

"For many years most racing rotors were drilled. There were two reasons - the holes gave the "fireband" boundary layer of gasses and particulate matter someplace to go and the edges of the holes gave the pad a better "bite".

"Unfortunately the drilled holes also reduced the thermal capacity of the discs and served as very effective "stress raisers" significantly decreasing disc life. Improvements in friction materials have pretty much made the drilled rotor a thing of the past in racing. Most racing rotors currently feature a series of tangential slots or channels that serve the same purpose without the attendant disadvantages."

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More brake info:
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All rotors are cast iron, but there is a difference in types and alloys of cast iron, as well as differences in the shape of internal cooling slots, etc. I have SP Performance slotted rotors, and they're working well. Performance Friction makes top quality rotors, I don't know if they have any for your truck, but they told me that they've seen no advantages with cryogenically treated rotors.

Are your rear brakes doing their full job? Are the correctly adjusted, and in good repair? If your truck has a rear brake proportioning valve, you might try adjusting that to get more rear braking.

Ken

Reply to
Ken Shelton

Thanks for the links, Ken. Yep, the rears are doing their job - the truck has been raised (replacement custom leaf springs) and I raised the valve arm much higher than it should be - to the point that they definitely lock before the front with an empty bed.

Mind if I ask how much you paid for your slotted rotors? And where they were purchased?

Reply to
cmoschip

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