Brake pads

Joef2661

Member
Took my truck in for an oil change and had a vehicle inspection done as well. found out I need new brake pads because I'm about at 3 mm. my question is what kind of brake pads should I get and should I just do it myself. I'm pretty good with my hands and mechanical but I've never changed a pair of pads before.
 
Pads on disc brakes are a breeze! Before my taco I had a wrx, had very very good luck and improved braking feel and performance with stop tech cross drilled rotors and pads.
Do your research first, there are probably tons of resources on YouTube for changing brakes on a taco, plus every time I buy a car I pick up a Chiltons manual for that car. Always good to have on hand.
 
I like the mid grade duralast from autozone. They offer lifetime pads. You buy them once and when they wear down you bring them in for a free replacement.

Something else you may want to look into is your rotors and drums. They can wear funny with the old pads. Unfortunately you’ll have to take them in to get “turned”. It’s where they grind off and resurface them so they completely straight and flat. So if you have access to a second vehicle they’re generally $5 each. I’d say if everything already feels smooth when you’re braking and you feel the surface of the rotor with your hand and it all feels smooth, then you could probably get them turned every other brake pad change.

Doing drums can be a bit of a challenge though. You’ll need a pair of bolts to screw into the drum to get it off. I’m sure YouTube will show you. One other thing I’d invest in is a torque wrench. I don’t like using German torque (gudentite) on my brakes; too risky for me. Get one that goes from 0-100 foot pounds and you can do most anything that will need to be done with your truck. Other than that, get the pads, shims, brake cleaner, grease, sockets, safety glasses, rubber gloves, and a sixer and you’ll be all set.
 
And, why would you not change your own oil? Takes less time and is easier than changing brake pads, you can either save money or get better oil.
 
I bought exact fit hawk vector 27 drilled rotors & pads. One of the best investments that I’ve done. Have saved me from crashing many times. Was jokingly told they would stop a train & I think that was true. I towed an overloaded u-haul ,with a overfilled truck bed from Dayton; Oh., to Memphis & couldn’t hardly stop safely. That’s the reason I put them on. I then while moving & towed overloaded uhauls to Tx; like I said : no problem stopping at all. As a matter of fact they stopped me from crashing several times
 
I bought exact fit hawk vector 27 drilled rotors & pads. One of the best investments that I’ve done. Have saved me from crashing many times. Was jokingly told they would stop a train & I think that was true. I towed an overloaded u-haul ,with a overfilled truck bed from Dayton; Oh., to Memphis & couldn’t hardly stop safely. That’s the reason I put them on. I then while moving & towed overloaded uhauls to Tx; like I said : no problem stopping at all. As a matter of fact they stopped me from crashing several times
 
I just bought some Akebono ceramic pads supposed to be some of the best on the market at a reasonable price
Took my truck in for an oil change and had a vehicle inspection done as well. found out I need new brake pads because I'm about at 3 mm. my question is what kind of brake pads should I get and should I just do it myself. I'm pretty good with my hands and mechanical but I've never changed a pair of pads before.
 
I put OEM pads in, and they are dirty girls. Wheel covers have extra grey dust on them. They will last 45K, but the dust is frustrating.
 
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