I read in the recent Toyota 4wd magazine an article about swapping out the factory rotors with Tundra rotors. From the sound of it, a lot of people have issues with warping from the factory ones. A little disappointing to hear that Toyota would put something out that is so prone to failure.

I fall into that category, and every time I hit the brakes I get that shake and wiggle from the front end.
Is this really a common problem - you guys having these issues?

Before I run with the idea of throwing Tundra rotors on there, I want to hear from you and if you've made the swap and how effective it was. And whether you ran into any problems along the way. I know there's a little trimming involved to make it fit, but looks like a piece of cake.

Or - if you decided to use rotors from anything besides a Tundra to cure this problem. Post up if you got experience with this.

I am in the same boat. 2001 4Runner DD bought new in Dec 2000. ~ 160K miles on the original rotors/pads. Going to change them out when it gets cooler. If I can get the Tundra calipers/rotors cheap, I'm doing that, otherwise it's new OEM rotors.

The solution is a straight axle swap. :D

If you want info on the Tundra rotor swap, there is lots of info on Yotatech.

Don't use factory rotors. They warp like no tomorrow. Go with PowerSlot's and Hawk pads.

I have the same problem on my 96 runner.

but its caused by the brakes on the rear axle not working hard enough, and I cant find anything wrong, Im about decided that there is some problem in the master cylinder and want to replace it and the rubber flex line going to the rear axle and maybe the wheel cyls too.
, but read that you have to have some fancy computer to cycle the ABS pump to bleed the lines.

Zat true?


I can pull the ABS fuse and on a gravel parking lot, downhill, and stomp the brakes and the fronts ill lock but the rears will not.

I have new shoes and have them adjusted properly.

I have the same problem on my 96 runner.

but its caused by the brakes on the rear axle not working hard enough, and I cant find anything wrong, Im about decided that there is some problem in the master cylinder and want to replace it and the rubber flex line going to the rear axle and maybe the wheel cyls too.
, but read that you have to have some fancy computer to cycle the ABS pump to bleed the lines.

Zat true?


I can pull the ABS fuse and on a gravel parking lot, downhill, and stomp the brakes and the fronts ill lock but the rears will not.

I have new shoes and have them adjusted properly.

If your rear axle seals are leaking (or ever leaked) then your rear drums are useless and put all the stress on the front brakes. I smoked my front pads on a long downhill grade because of this. Fixing the seals and replacing all the hardware in the rear made a huge difference.

Anyways, I did the tundra upgrade on mine. There are two sets of calipers to choose from, both use the same rotors but different pads. There are 199mm calipers and 231mm calipers. I am very happy with the 199s but I had to shave them a bit to fit my rims. 3 years of driving on them and no wobbles. If your rotors and pads are shot then just make the move to the tundra setup, its worth the money.

But like EricB said, yotatech or ttora is the place to research this swap. If you need help shoot me a PM.

The solution is a straight axle swap. :D

If you want info on the Tundra rotor swap, there is lots of info on Yotatech.

Not yet, Erik. For now it's the "street car" for my wife. When we get another one, I'll start work on this rig. When that time comes I'll be reading your buildup and will likely have questions for you. Your rig is about my all time favorite I've ever seen in person.:smokin:


For now, I'll have to decide whether it's cheaper to replace the factory ones a couple of times until then or just go Tundra. Depends on price in the long run. If a new set of stocks will hold up for a couple years, that's the way I'll likely go.

FWIW, a lot of the guys on the T100 forum like the Brembo rotors instead of OEM. I'm running them and have no complaints, but I didn't really have probs with the OEM's either. 5spd instead of auto probably helps.

And seriously, Yotatech would be the place to look for 3rd gen info like this. I've spent a lot of time over there in the past looking for info on my runners that didn't pertain to major offroad mods. There is ton of info there on the more basic stuff.

Get if fixed. dont put it off.

Mine shook so bad it cracked one of the front wheels where the spokes meet the outer rim.

FWIW, a lot of the guys on the T100 forum like the Brembo rotors instead of OEM. I'm running them and have no complaints, but I didn't really have probs with the OEM's either. 5spd instead of auto probably helps.

And seriously, Yotatech would be the place to look for 3rd gen info like this. I've spent a lot of time over there in the past looking for info on my runners that didn't pertain to major offroad mods. There is ton of info there on the more basic stuff.

The OEM Tundra rotors warp pretty easiliy as well. Pretty common issue. Mine were turned flat <3K miles ago - warped in <500 miles.

Just installed PowerSlots and Hawks... AWESOME combination for the DC! Braking is almost too touchy right now. :D :D

Eric's right - YotaTech has all the info.

Maybe this is a toyota rotor issue too?

I just helped a friend with a brake job on a 99 taco, brakes had 80k on them, front rotors were .030 under new. xcab, 31's, but has towed small trailers quite a bit over the mountains (small enough to not have trailer brakes). And one of the rear drums has been in oil for 20k now.

So what's the deal?

Our tacoma also ran 42's on the stock tacoma fronts, and early front disks on the rear. Still years later, no one has touched the brakes, and no issue. Not seeing road miles, but plenty of trails, and blazing dirt roads.

Maybe this is a toyota rotor issue too?

I just helped a friend with a brake job on a 99 taco, brakes had 80k on them, front rotors were .030 under new. xcab, 31's, but has towed small trailers quite a bit over the mountains (small enough to not have trailer brakes). And one of the rear drums has been in oil for 20k now.

So what's the deal?

Our tacoma also ran 42's on the stock tacoma fronts, and early front disks on the rear. Still years later, no one has touched the brakes, and no issue. Not seeing road miles, but plenty of trails, and blazing dirt roads.

i PMed you about this kinda stuff...

Maybe this is a toyota rotor issue too?

I just helped a friend with a brake job on a 99 taco, brakes had 80k on them, front rotors were .030 under new. xcab, 31's, but has towed small trailers quite a bit over the mountains (small enough to not have trailer brakes). And one of the rear drums has been in oil for 20k now.

So what's the deal?

Our tacoma also ran 42's on the stock tacoma fronts, and early front disks on the rear. Still years later, no one has touched the brakes, and no issue. Not seeing road miles, but plenty of trails, and blazing dirt roads.

No idea here. But it's been a common problem on the 4Runners and Tundras. Not sure why those get the most attention. I LOVE the PowerSlot/Hawk combination. Phenominal improvement over factory.

No idea here. But it's been a common problem on the 4Runners and Tundras. Not sure why those get the most attention. I LOVE the PowerSlot/Hawk combination. Phenominal improvement over factory.


Where;d you get the rotors & pads? & price?

The folks at yotatech are almost helpful, takes forever to get a response when you ask a question,, Ask a Q on PBB and you get almost instant response.

Maybe they all have jobs........

Where;d you get the rotors & pads? & price?

The folks at yotatech are almost helpful, takes forever to get a response when you ask a question,, Ask a Q on PBB and you get almost instant response.

Maybe they all have jobs........

I've purchased the last two sets at www.buybrakes.com.

Which kind of Hawk pads did you get?

I see 6 different ones available.

You know, if this issue is that common, maybe Toyota should run a recall on it? I know nothing about how that goes down. Pretty disappointing to hear more and more people talking about the same problem. Until then, we are spending money curing an issue that should have been covered in engineering and QA at the Toyota house.

Which kind of Hawk pads did you get?

I see 6 different ones available.

IIRC, I got the LTS pads. But I threw the box away already. I'll have to dig up my receipt to validate....

Friggen love this combo. Night and day difference. Night and day.

EDIT: The pads I purchased are: HAW-HB490F-665 Hawk Performance HPS Disc Brake Pads
They're getting seated now - getting even better.

i don't know if the tacomas have a LSPV, but on my T100, i modified the LSPV to make it into an adjustable proportioning valve. this helped quite a bit. afterwords, i could definitely tell that the rear brakes were not being used to their potential. after looking over the toyota brake system, while the tundra swap might be nice, it's kind of a bandaid fix. the rear brakes seem to be the real issue. there are plenty of vehicles bigger than toyotas with smaller front brakes. my land rover discovery has front brakes similar to the old 4 cyl. brakes. 4 piston caliper, but with non-vented rotor. it has rear discs though, and although the brakes are nothing of legend, they aren't warping the rotors. it weighs in at over 4000 lbs.

IIRC, I got the LTS pads. But I threw the box away already. I'll have to dig up my receipt to validate....

Friggen love this combo. Night and day difference. Night and day.

EDIT: The pads I purchased are: HAW-HB490F-665 Hawk Performance HPS Disc Brake Pads
They're getting seated now - getting even better.
I need to replace the brakes on the girlfriends 99 runner.
Are you still liking the new brakes?

Finally did the Power Slots and Hawks brake upgrade on the now wifes 99 4runner. It was worth every penny. The braking is now 200% better. Hopefully the rotors will last and not warp.

I need to replace mine as well and I'm looking at the Powerslots and Hawk Pads too. Anyone have any comparison between the Brembo slotted rotors and the powerslots? Price is about the same.

I need to replace the brakes on the girlfriends 99 runner.
Are you still liking the new brakes?

Sorry - Missed this. I run this combo on all of my vehicles...

Finally did the Power Slots and Hawks brake upgrade on the now wifes 99 4runner. It was worth every penny. The braking is now 200% better. Hopefully the rotors will last and not warp.

Does your wife know about your girlfriend? :flipoff2:

After my SAS, I "lost" the brakes comming down from the mountains, a road that's a true test to your brakes. I had it in 2nd gear the whole time, and would hit the brakes, slow down, then let off to allow them to cool off. The hill is so steep though, I was only able to let off for a second or two...

At the bottom, I nearly flew threw the intersetion because the FJ brakes on the mini truck front end just couldn't keep up with the heat. Even my stock Tacoma brakes would have issues stopping at the bottom of the hill.

Once Brian released the Tacoma brake kit for he mini truck axles, I mounted that bracket, with Tundra rotors and S13WE calipers. Later that year, went down that samehill after a camping trip, all loaded down, and the brakes never faded. Never warped. I can actually stop the truck down when the boat is behind it...

Definately well worth it. I was able to snag a set of loaded calipers, and powerslot rotors (all used) for 150 on craigslist.