[Johnxyz]

I have used Napa Adaptive Pads and Napa rotors on my Sienna. I am very impressed with these. By far the best pads I've used on a vehicle. They are readily available. Front and rear pads together were $140 total, Rotors were $20 piece.
My wife is the primary driver of our van and she is the slam and jam type of driver. Slam the accelerator and the and jam the brakes to stop. Any pad that can stand up to her daily abuse has my respect. These pads have been on our van for awhile. I had been going through bake pads quickly on this van as you can imagine but these aren't showing any wear yet. Stopping power is very good.

 

[MailManX]

Hey, where's the promised 2 month update?!

Just found this thread as our 2011 Sienna Limited AWD with about 85K miles has what feels like warped rotors as well. And yes, we have to go down a good hill or two every time we go anywhere as well.

Just wondering if anyone came up with parts that were an improvement over stock?

Thanks!
Levi

Sorry about that! Let's call this a 6-month report (rounded up since there are about three weeks to go). In that time, my wife has driven the 2012 XLE 18,000 miles. They were hard miles - ALL LOCAL. Not a single road trip during that time. Local, to us, usually means going up and down a long, very steep grade about three times a day with plenty of surface-street stop and go after that. Our van always has at least 4 people in it - often more. I just drove the van this morning since my wife is sick and I offered to take the kids to school. I am very happy to report that the brakes now feel better than they did in the first month of installation. They have the perfect amount of pedal feel and stopping power. Going down on long, steep grade was not intimidating at all. Not a hint of shudder. The brakes are totally quiet. There is a fair amount of brake dust on the wheels, but no more than with the stock pads.

Since 40,000 miles seems to be the magic number for most people, I will try very hard not to forget to post back here again. If mine start shuddering before that, I will try to come back and report that, too. Till then, I look forward to a continuation of the pleasant driving (and stopping) experience I had this morning.

 

[uinta]

Thanks for starting this thread MailmanX,

thought I would chime in here as well, I have a 2010 LE FWD with the commonly described braking shudder, that is progressively getting worse. The pads and rotors have about 20k mi on them. IMO, terrible that they are toast after only 20K mi. I am not sure what brand or make of either, as the dealer I bought the van from replaced rotors and pads. I am betting it they used the cheapest parts avail.

I have searched high and low trying to find the best bang for my buck even if it costs a little more. I'd rather not penny pinch on brakes and rotors, especially with this sienna that has undersized brakes with a tendancy for problems.

Anyhow, just ordered EBC ultimax slotted rotors Part #: USR7223 from autoanything.com for $157 shipped for the pair, and
Akebono ACT906A ProACT Ultra-Premium Ceramic Brake Pad Set, FROM AMAZON WAREHOUSE DEAL FOR $33 (PACKAGING MAY BE DAMAGED) I AM HOPING THIS ROTOR AND PAD SET WILL PROVIDE INCREASED BRAKING PERFORMANCE, AND MUCH BETTER LONGEVITY. (both the pads and the rotors have tons of great reviews )

I AM GOING TO REPLACE THE REAR PADS WITH
Akebono ACT995 ProACT Ultra-Premium Ceramic Rear Brake PADS, but have't yet decided which rotors to put on the rear, as EBC apparently does not make those.

I should have the parts and be able to complete the work in a couple of weeks. I'll come back and post the results, and my opinion on if the premium price for the EBC ultimax slotted rotors were worth it for this application.

As a side note, also just replaced my tires with general altimax r43 235/60/17. I have bought michelin for decades, but decided to give these highly rated, $50 less per tire a try. I've had them on for about 2 months now and am very happy with them.

 

[uinta]

I bought some EBC Ultimax slotted rotors and Akebono ultra premium ceramic pads last week for the front of my 2010 sienna LE. My van came down with the dreaded brake shudder / vibration about 15k mi after the front pads and rotors were replaced--and we live in a mostly flat area.

I expect from the reviews of the EBC ultimax slotted rotors, that I will have improved stopping distance and do away with short rotor and pad life. I found the rotors online for $153 shipped. I should have them installed in a couple of weeks, and I'll post the results then, with updates later down the road.

 

[MailManX]

It's really a shame that Toyota designed this heavy vehicle with rotors that are too small. Maybe Toyota could talk to VW about developing some software that fools the brakes into not shuddering!

 

[livesmith]

I ended up getting the Powerstop Z23 kits with drilled/slotted rotors and pads. Around $185 for the front and $170 for the rear both from JCWhitney with whatever discount they had at the time.

The fronts are on now and seem to be good. Haven't replaced the rears yet.

 

[poushag]

I agree with the rest that say the Sienna brakes must have a design flaw! My household vehicles have always had DIY brake jobs. We have driven BMW and VW products for many years (probably 30, collectively) and NEVER had brake vibration. With this first (perhaps only) Sienna, it has been chronic. And not starting when the rotors were thin either. This last time, I miked the runout and all 4 were within spec (2.5 mils). But the shape that made it so bad was that it stayed within 1/2 mil for 80% of the rotation and the other 2 mils was in that last 20%. So I learned that the runout specs should interpreted as X mils PER REVOLUTION.

All the brake specialists seem to be saying that the vibration problems originate with excessive runout at install, improper break-in, pad imprinting, etc. EBC Brakes says this vibration starting 3 to 6kmi after rotor replacement happens to 1/7 of all vehicles. Since all disc brakes use cast-iron rotors, and their manufacture is a mature technology, it makes sense to me to just use the cheapest ones (with a warranty, of course). I get the lowest cost per mile and lowest loss when the inevitable vibration problems occur.

My last set of Sienna front rotors were $64 (shipped) in July 2015. 7000 miles later, they are still braking smoothly. I didn't make any big changes. I lectured the wife on avoiding unnecessary braking and I became more vigilant about having the lug nuts torqued to spec. If things continue to go well, then I'm going to keep doing the lowest-price option.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[97itr217]

Anyone has experience with MaxBrakes? I'm pricing rotor+pad for my 2008. They are located right here in Canada which is a bonus to me. US$190 for all 4 corner (rotor+pad) seems good to me. Problem is: is it too good?

 

[steveho]

Update: I replaced all 4 corners with the above for $458.65. No surprises in the switcheroo. Did the burn in process as described by Centric.
The braking is extremely smooth and the pedal feel is better. The feel is more linear, as in I have more control over how much pressure is applied, and hence more control of stopping power. It feels like there is more travel needed to get the same stopping power, allowing for finer finesse. I really like them so far.
It's only been a month so I can't say on a long term basis by any means.

 

[Gearman]

You have gotten a lot of good advice and options already but there is something you might want to consider. As someone pointed out in an earlier post I also think Sienna's OEM rotors are a bit undersized for the weight of the vehicle. Typically heavy duty Rotors are thicker and as such will absorb more heat. But another benefit is most of them can be re-machined or "trued" provided they are not cut or scored too deeply. This rebalances them, removes surface hot spots, and best of all costs allot less then new. You can shop around at local auto parts stores that offer this service. I have found you can even negotiate some times.The last set cost me $8.00 USD Each Rotor. I have two sets for my vehicle. The set that is on and a spare ready to be put on. Once I change them begin the process of shopping around f they are still enough material there to be within spec.So I am ready for the next time Appox. 40K Miles.

Hope this helps.

 

[richlona]

Have you ever tried to demo the concept of down shifting to your wife with her as the passenger so that she can see and feel the minimum amount of use of the brakes by placing the the transmission into the next lowest gear. Have you ever explained to her how dangerous over heated brakes can be and how they lose braking efficiency when they become very hot. If she has any concern for her children who are on board she would learn the concept. I sure would hate to be the vehicle in front of her going down hill. Thank god she doesn't drive an 18 wheeler. It's people like your wife that makes it a danger for the rest of us who drive the roads. Hope she believes in the concept of seat belts. Sorry to be so rough but your wife needs a rude awakening. Good luck.

 

[Indoyota]

Have you ever tried to demo the concept of down shifting to your wife with her as the passenger so that she can see and feel the minimum amount of use of the brakes by placing the the transmission into the next lowest gear. Have you ever explained to her how dangerous over heated brakes can be and how they lose braking efficiency when they become very hot. If she has any concern for her children who are on board she would learn the concept. I sure would hate to be the vehicle in front of her going down hill. Thank god she doesn't drive an 18 wheeler. It's people like your wife that makes it a danger for the rest of us who drive the roads. Hope she believes in the concept of seat belts. Sorry to be so rough but your wife needs a rude awakening. Good luck.

Sure, let's burn up the transmission by downshifting it to force the van to slow down. Now you got a $4k hole in your pocket instead of a $500 hole. Brakes are designed for stopping the vehicle. It takes a lot of mass and braking power to get to the point where brakes are no longer working. It would be better to be taught how to brake then taught to use the transmission as a technique to to slow the vehicle. Eg, don't ride the brakes, very short and smooth presses against the brake pedal, slow the vehicle down to be below the speed limit. Plenty of other techniques than getting the transmission worked up.

 

[rfar34687]

Hey guys I wanted to share this with you cause maybe it'll be helpful to someone. I recently bought a 2013 Sienna used with 23k miles on it, and although the car looks and drives like new, I noticed the pulsating brake pedal and the rough braking, so I started shopping around for new Discs and pads, and came across some Bosch Quietcast Disc brakes for my car on Amazon.com, and they were being offered at a very good price of no more than $50 something a piece, fronts and rears. I pulled the trigger and also looked for the Akebono Ultra premium ceramic pads which I know from past experience they're not just pretty good at braking, but also leave virtually no residue on the rims. So I installed the new Bosch rotors and new Akebonos pads, and the car now brakes a lot better than with the OEM discs and pads, I have zero pulsation and very clean wheels. The whole job costed me a Lil short of $300, but I did the replacement myself, which to be honest it's fairly easy to do, and do it properly, cleaning calipers, hardware, greasing hardware and pins etc.
This is the amazon part number for the Front rotors: Bosch 50011479 QuietCast Premium Disc Brake Rotor.
And for the rears: Bosch 50011501 QuietCast Premium Disc.
Pads Front: Akebono ACT1324 ProACT Ultra-Premium Ceramic Brake Pad Set
Pads Rear: ProACT ACT1391 Akebono ProACT Ultra Premium Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Kit.

 

[FreshSienna]

Hey guys I wanted to share this with you cause maybe it'll be helpful to someone. I recently bought a 2013 Sienna used with 23k miles on it, and although the car looks and drives like new, I noticed the pulsating brake pedal and the rough braking, so I started shopping around for new Discs and pads, and came across some Bosch Quietcast Disc brakes for my car on Amazon.com, and they were being offered at a very good price of no more than $50 something a piece, fronts and rears. I pulled the trigger and also looked for the Akebono Ultra premium ceramic pads which I know from past experience they're not just pretty good at braking, but also leave virtually no residue on the rims. So I installed the new Bosch rotors and new Akebonos pads, and the car now brakes a lot better than with the OEM discs and pads, I have zero pulsation and very clean wheels. The whole job costed me a Lil short of $300, but I did the replacement myself, which to be honest it's fairly easy to do, and do it properly, cleaning calipers, hardware, greasing hardware and pins etc.
This is the amazon part number for the Front rotors: Bosch 50011479 QuietCast Premium Disc Brake Rotor.
And for the rears: Bosch 50011501 QuietCast Premium Disc.
Pads Front: Akebono ACT1324 ProACT Ultra-Premium Ceramic Brake Pad Set
Pads Rear: ProACT ACT1391 Akebono ProACT Ultra Premium Ceramic Disc Brake Pad Kit.

you should see if you are able to use the TSB first...

 

[victor23]

Sure, let's burn up the transmission by downshifting it to force the van to slow down. Now you got a $4k hole in your pocket instead of a $500 hole. Brakes are designed for stopping the vehicle. It takes a lot of mass and braking power to get to the point where brakes are no longer working. It would be better to be taught how to brake then taught to use the transmission as a technique to to slow the vehicle. Eg, don't ride the brakes, very short and smooth presses against the brake pedal, slow the vehicle down to be below the speed limit. Plenty of other techniques than getting the transmission worked up.

Are you serious? Engine braking, especially when going downhill, was a very basic driving skill for generations; it is an absolutely must-do. And if you ever have a transmission problem, it would be not because of the engine braking. Well, given that it is performed smoothly enough, not violently, but this is obvious.

 

[docman]

i ended up getting the Premier cross drilled rotors from R1Concepts and their Posi Quiet ceramic pads. absolutely no complaints and stellar performance for the past 2 years, 30k+ miles. looks good too

http://www.r1concepts.com/detail/pr...ail/productdetails/Cross-Drilled-And-Slotted-Rotors/PDS/2012/Toyota/Sienna/LE:/

 

[deepblue3]

Are you serious? Engine braking, especially when going downhill, was a very basic driving skill for generations; it is an absolutely must-do. And if you ever have a transmission problem, it would be not because of the engine braking. Well, given that it is performed smoothly enough, not violently, but this is obvious.

I agree with this as well. The amount of torque the transmission is exerted upon by engine braking is similar or smaller than the amount of torque exerted by normal acceleration. It's not going to do anything different from normal acceleration.

 

[MailManX]

Happy Valentine weekend everyone! I never dreamed that a thread I started nearly a year ago would still be generating this much interest! But that's good! I'm happy to see everyone sharing their experiences with various brake products.

I, too, am an advocate of engine braking. It is the right thing to do on long grades. My wife has used engine braking appropriately for the past few years, but it took a fair amount of convincing from me to get her to that point. When we first moved to the top of this hill 13 years ago, she would ride the brakes all the way down the hill. It's a long, steep hill - over a mile long, 15% grade with a 50mph speed limit and a stop sign at the bottom. It can really heat up a set of brakes! When I showed my wife how easy and effective it is to downshift, she complained that it sounded as if the engine was too loud and overworked. Even after I showed her that the tach was only a 4,000rpm and the engine had a 6,500rpm redline, she still complained that the engine sounded stressed. I am an engineer and I explained that this was so far within the design envelope of the engine capabilities as to be totally inconsequential. It took a few months of living here for her to finally give in, but she did and now downshifts regularly. That should make a huge difference in the life of our brake pads and rotors.

We now have 26,000 miles on this set and they are great. Still a ways to go to hit that magic 40,000 mile mark where they may show their true colors.

 

[acitydweller]

Great read indeed MailManX. Appreciate all the input. With modern cars sold with automatics, much of the traditional driving skills have all but fade to black so the concerns around downshifting and the lack of knowledge by the new generation of drivers is to be expected.

As much as I love the look of slotted rotors, blanks always seemed more practical to me, moreso for a family van. our stock pads and rotors i think lasted 45k before they were changed, which really is remarkable if you think about it. Our bmw's and even mini cooper didnt last even half before the pads were gone and the rotors shortly at the next service.

When i have time in the warmer months, i would service the brakes by removing the pads to clear up the collected brake dust and relube the spacers and parts just as maintenance. I know no body does this but it does refresh the brakes slightly in my mind

My rear brakes/rotors are going to be due for a change out which prompted me to search here and stuble upon this thread. Any tips or tricks to be aware of when attempting to remove the rear rotor?

 

[VanCave]

Didn't meant to hijack this thread, but doesn't Toyota cover rotor replacement on their 2-year warranty, or maybe the dealer on their 5-year warranty if ever you purchased one from them?