brakes for Sequoia

Toyota made some crappy brakes for the Sequoia. My wife drives an 2002 SR5 model and the rotors seem to get "warped" every 2-3 years. I know there's no such thing as warped rotors (see StopTech's explanation: here), but they definitely shudder after a while. Obviously, the Sequoia is a beast of a vehicle but we're not driving it like we're on a track. It's a daily driver that hauls the family and kids around. Anyway, I'm looking for a slotted set of front rotors and decent pads that are a step up from factory replacements. I figure the slotted rotors might help combat the heat they get from trying to slow that big elephant down. Like anything cost is a factor. So I stumbled upon this set of rotors and pads from PowerStop on ebay. I've heard of and purchased PowerSlot rotors in the past and they seemed like good products, but I don't believe I heard of PowerStop. Anyone have any experience with this company's products?

Nothing to add, but interested in the responses. My wife drives a 2006 Sequoia and I need to address the brakes on it too.

I test drove a sequoia of the same vintage a few years back and the brakes seemed woefully inadequate given the size and weight of the vehicle. With that being said, good pads, rotors, and fresh fluid (along with proper bleeding) can go a long way.

My friend has an 03 Ram quad cab with powerslot rotors that he was pleased with. Powerslot has been around forever. Recently I've been impressed with Centric rotors, but I'm not sure if they sell a slotted version for your application.

Let us know how it goes!

Try downshifting to slow rather than just pushing the brake pedal. You can save a LOT of wear and tear.

That said, slotted rotors are taking mass away from the rotors, which reduces their ability to be a heat sink. Spend your money on good pads and fresh fluid.

I have a 2002 Sequoia.... I've been meaning to do this upgrade with the larger calipers from the later models, but since I installed some Quiet tech pads ... it seems to stop a bit better. bigger calipers

I have a 99 4runner and it has the same problem. The cure for my problem is to put on the braking system from a Tundra. Maybe you could check into a Land Cruiser setup.

On my 4runner, I went with Brembo rotors and Wagner brakes. They have been fine ever since. But I mean to tell you, before the repair those things could shake like a banshee when hot.

My Cherokee shakes pretty good when they're hot, too...

I went to Akebono pads on the Trooper, they have been great. No fade, no dust. Downside is they ain't cheap. I'd stay away from drilled/slotted rotors for the whole thermal mass reason. Tire Rack has them.

That Sequoia is a beast. It is HEAVY. 'Normal' driving is going to be hard on brakes, unfortunately.

Just to add something pithy...rotors must be installed with a torque wrench. if you trust someone else to do your brakes sometimes they use just an impact gun to tighten them on. instant warpage. properly installed with a torque wrench rotors will last and may never "warp".

thanks to everyone for the responses!

In reply to gunner: great point. I'll have to make sure I use my torque wrench in the future.

In reply to DaveEstey: downshifting in a Sequoia with a column shift & 4-speed tranny is not really what I had in mind....not to mention, my pregnant wife will not be attempting that. but thanks anyway. I used to downshift a lot in my manual tranny Civic, but figured I was putting more strain on clutch, mounts, etc and brakes are a lot easier to change.

Just to recap, I have used PowerSlot rotors before, but never PowerStop. Anyone use PowerStop rotors and pads?? see initial post for link.

From another thread on here:

Cryogenic Rotors

It might be worth a try.

Curmudgeon wrote: I went to Akebono pads on the Trooper, they have been great. No fade, no dust. Downside is they ain't cheap. I'd stay away from drilled/slotted rotors for the whole thermal mass reason. Tire Rack has them. That Sequoia is a beast. It is HEAVY. 'Normal' driving is going to be hard on brakes, unfortunately.

Thanks for the tip on Akebono. I'll try those. Another, related question. How does one tell if the rotors need to be replaced or resurfaced or are fine?

Curmudgeon wrote: I went to Akebono pads on the Trooper, they have been great. No fade, no dust. Downside is they ain't cheap. I'd stay away from drilled/slotted rotors for the whole thermal mass reason. Tire Rack has them. That Sequoia is a beast. It is HEAVY. 'Normal' driving is going to be hard on brakes, unfortunately.

I went with those for the front of my 9-5 after a post from Pigeon (RIP) on here and they have been great.

dyintorace wrote:

Curmudgeon wrote: I went to Akebono pads on the Trooper, they have been great. No fade, no dust. Downside is they ain't cheap. I'd stay away from drilled/slotted rotors for the whole thermal mass reason. Tire Rack has them. That Sequoia is a beast. It is HEAVY. 'Normal' driving is going to be hard on brakes, unfortunately.

Thanks for the tip on Akebono. I'll try those. Another, related question. How does one tell if the rotors need to be replaced or resurfaced or are fine?

If the front brakes don't vibrate and the rotors are within thickness tolerances, I'd reuse them. If they vibrate but aren't blue, I'd go over them with a 'whizz wheel' (120 grit disc) to knock the glaze and small high spots off and reuse them. Those small grooves that a lot of them develop are not a problem, the Trooper has had the same rotors with small grooves for ~185K miles and are just fine. Like this:

If they are blue, brown or black that's from heat and I'd replace them. Cracks, that means they REALLY got hot, hell no they are gone NOW.

My Saturn warps front brake rotors every 5-7K miles. Turns out it's bad front bearings and/or hubs. Fantastic. Has your Sequoia done this since new? Might need to check the bearings.

In reply to Twin_Cam: No, I have not replaced the bearings; they don't seem to make noise. The entire hub/knuckle assemblies were replaced by the dealership under a factory recall, so I assume the bearings were replaced about 90K miles ago. Currently have 152K.

Still haven't seen any input from anyone on PowerStop products (not PowerSlot). ...does no one have any experience with PowerStop??

In reply to Rusted_Busted_Spit: thanks for the link....took a look at a link someone posted: frozenrotors.com

interested in the Performance Friction pads (have good luck with them in the past on civics). still wondering if PowerStop rotors are worth anything.

I'd focus on good pads before going all bling on the rotor.

EBC, Hawk, Porterfield, etc. Not the faux "upgrade" stuff you find at Advance and the like.

In reply to foxtrapper: but if I have "warped" rotors now, I would think I need to get some decent rotors to combat the shuddering problem I have now. I do agree that I need some good pads. However, the theory that rotors don't warp but instead accumulate build-up material from pads would make sense to spend the $ on good pads. Either way, I'll try to re-bed in the pads and hopefully "cure" the warped rotors as suggested earlier...

I'm not arguing against getting good rotors. Just far from sold on the wonders of holes and slots and such for a street vehicle.

In reply to foxtrapper: I see what you mean. Generally, the theory is not enough heat is generated during normal street use to make holes and slots necessary. I'm not keen on drilled holes since it's more susceptible to cracks.

Just wish I knew the root of the rotor warping problem so I could combat it with the correct quality products.