New Brakes from brakeperformance.com

[unwiredadventures]

I was about to buy slotted rotors from Man-A-Fre but they were out of stock at the time.

I wanted slotted rotors since I drive up and down a long and very steep hill several times a month. I opted against the cross-drilled because of clogging potential cracking.

I did some web searching and found BrakePerformance.com. They don't stock them, they build them to order. They shipped about 4 days after I ordered and since they are not far from my home they arrived the next day after shipping.

They worked out perfectly:


I used 100 series pads for replacements.

They've been on the truck for only a few weeks now. They are a huge improvement over the previous warped disks. I'm very satisfied with the braking power.

This was my first experience with cone washers. I finally had a use for my brass hammer. Here they are after a dozen or so hits with a brass hammer:


This was the first time since High School auto shop that I re-packed bearings. The passenger side appeared as if it had been a very very long time since re-packing. There was no unusual wear and all the bearings were in good shape.

Here are the brakes before the install, thin with noisy wear indicators:


I did the rear brakes as well:

[SteveS]

I was about to buy slotted rotors ...I did some web searching and found BrakePerformance.com

This was my first experience with cone washers.....

Thanks for the heads-up about a local supplier. Keep us posted if you have problems or if all is still good at 40-50K

I’ve had real good luck using a very small amount of ‘Anti-Seize Lubricant/paste’ on the cone washers. Has not created any problems and makes disassembly much easier.

[cruiserlarry]

Thanks for the heads-up about a local supplier. Keep us posted if you have problems or if all is still good at 40-50K

Good luck...I still remember my FZJ80s eating up even performance rotors, no matter what, after 30 - 35K if I was lucky...

I’ve had real good luck using a very small amount of ‘Anti-Seize Lubricant/paste’ on the cone washers. Has not created any problems and makes disassembly much easier.

Anti-seize worked well for me, too. That and a brass punch and brass hammer....

[SteveS]

Good luck...I still remember my FZJ80s eating up even performance rotors, no matter what, after 30 - 35K if I was lucky...

Is that because of a operator or design issue(s)? I’ve never heard of a production vehicles with that short of a brake life cycles, even when used in a severe environment.

Here at work we use standard production vehicles and brake life is short for miles. Our department trucks travels about 4-8 miles per day, but the brakes will be applied about 20-25 times a day. Transmissions, door handles, ignition switches, steering components and starters take a beating too. Of course at about 2k to 3k miles per year, they take a while to need a brake job.

[cruiserlarry]

Is that because of a operator or design issue(s)? I’ve never heard of a production vehicles with that short of a brake life cycles, even when used in a severe environment.

I've owned 2 FZJ80s, for a total of about 400,000 miles, and personally serviced dozens more - and while I'm sure operator issues can contribute , the results have been fairly consistent.

The usual lifespan for FZJ80 front brake pads is between 12-18,00 miles, with rotors usually requiring replacement every 2-3 pad changes. There are several contributing factors; the vehicle is very heavy (mine was over 6,000 lbs), it's a full-time 4wd system, and most spend a large percentage of time in stop and go driving. The brake system is designed to work in severe environments, so that usually involves compounds that wear faster as well. And the heat generated by heavy weight, worn pads, full-time 4wd, and stop and go driving takes its toll - the rotors tend to warp before they are actually worn out, so resurfacing takes more material off than usual to true the rotors.

So, IMO, FZJ80 = frequent stock rotor changes. I had Brembo slot rotors for me, and that improved things greatly. Then I started using DBA rotors and pads, and that was better still. Now, with my FJ Cruiser, the brakes are proportionally larger, so those issues are gone...

[SteveS]

The usual lifespan for FZJ80 front brake pads is between 12-18,00 miles, with rotors usually requiring replacement every 2-3 pad changes. ...

Wow that is interesting, thanks for the reply, I would have thought Toyota would have had bad back-lash from people who got them new.

Most of the big land cruisers I see on the trail seem to be loaded good and heavy looking, I’m sure this brake thing must be a money hassle.

[cruiserlarry]

Wow that is interesting, thanks for the reply, I would have thought Toyota would have had bad back-lash from people who got them new.

Most of the big land cruisers I see on the trail seem to be loaded good and heavy looking, I’m sure this brake thing must be a money hassle.

Oh. Toyota heard about it. Keep in mind Toyota tends to be very good regarding warranty / customer satisfaction, so while under warranty people got handled. Also remember the 80 series was a very low production vehicle, so there were never enough of them around to create a major stink, publicity-wise, for Toyota. And yes, brakes can be an expensive part of the maintenance budget; but the 80s were so low maintenance otherwise that most people don't complain...