By Trucks are some of the most commonly modified vehicles on the road today. Some of the most popular modifications include lift kits, cold air intakes, bigger tires, free-flowing exhausts. However, many owners overlook the most important part of having all of that weight, power, and size: how fast they can stop. Upgrading a vehicle’s brake system can be complicated, but new brake pads and rotors are a great place to start. Whether you’ve got a soft brake pedal and squeaking, squealing brakes in need of a replacement or just want to be able to stop harder, better, and safer, a brake rotor and pad upgrade is a great idea and a simple do-it-yourself job.
This kit from Max Brakes includes performance rotors and brake pads for GS470 chassis Toyota 4Runners (2003-2009). Whether you have a base v6 model or a higher trim level with the 4.7-liter V8, your 4runner needs to stop, and at over 4300 lbs, it needs all the help it can get!
Tools Necessary
- Breaker Bar ½”
- Ratchet
- 3” Extension
- 12mm, 17mm, 19mm, 21mm sockets
- Needle nose pliers
- C-Clamp Torque Wrench
Installation Guide
Step 1: Use a floor jack and jackstands to lift the front wheels of the vehicle off the ground. Use your breaker bar or an airgun to loosen the 21mm lugnuts before lifting the tires fully into the air. Once the tires are no longer touching the ground, continue to remove the lugnuts so you can remove the wheel.
Step 2: With the wheel off, use needle nose pliers to remove the cotter pins on the back of the brake caliper. Then, you can press the guide pins and slide them out.
Step 3: Remove the hold-down spring, allowing the brake pads to slide out.
Step 4: Remove the 12mm bolt for the brake line retainer bracket.
Step 5: Use a 17mm socket to loosen and remove the two bolts on the back of the caliper assembly. To ensure that no pressure is put on brake fluid in the brake line, we recommend using a bungee cord to hang the loose caliper from the suspension tower.
Step 6: With the brake caliper out of the way, the brake rotor can slide off and be replaced with a brand new rotor.
Step 7: Re-insert the old brake pads into the caliper, and use a C-clamp to compress the caliper piston. This commonly overlooked step makes brake pad replacement much easier, as the new pads are much thicker than the old pads.
Step 8: Put a little bit of threadlocker on the caliper bolts, and reinstall the caliper onto the hub using a 17mm socket. We recommend starting with the top, which will make it easier to line up the bottom threads on the caliper. Use a torque wrench to tighten these bolts to 70 ft/lbs.
Step 9: Re-install the 12mm bolt for the brake line bracket.
Step 10: Lightly grease the BACK of the new pads, and insert them into the caliper. Reattach the hold-down spring, and slide the guide pins and cotter pins back into place. Make sure that the guide pin goes through both the holes in the caliper AND through the hold-down spring.
Step 11: Repeat steps 2-10 for the other side of the car. Lower the car and tighten the lugnuts before setting it all the way back down onto the ground.
Step 12: Use a jack and jackstands to lift the rear of the vehicle off the ground. Use your breaker bar or an airgun to loosen the 21mm lugnuts before lifting the tires fully into the air. Once the tires are no longer touching the ground, continue to remove the lugnuts so you can remove the wheel.
Step 13: Remove the rear caliper with two 17mm bolts on its back. Set the caliper in a supported location in the rear of the vehicle. This way it doesn’t hang and apply pressure to the rear brake line.
Step 14: Remove the caliper support bracket bolts with a 19mm socket, and remove the bracket from the hub. This will allow you to remove the old rotor, and put the new one on.
Step 15: Pull your old brake pads out of the caliper bracket, and install the new ones. Put the caliper support bracket back in place over the rotor, and slide the two 19mm bolts back on. Torque these to 70 ft/lbs.
Step 16: Just like the front, use a C-clamp and your old brake pads to compress the piston back into the caliper.
Step 17: Slide the caliper back on over the support bracket, and reinstall its two 17mm bolts. Torque these to 35 ft/lbs.
Step 18: Reinstall the wheel, and repeat steps 13-17 on the other side of on the other side of the vehicle. Lower the car and tighten the lugnuts before setting it all the way back down onto the ground.
Congratulations!
You have just finished a front and rear brake pad and rotor upgrade on your 4th gen Toyota 4runner. Don’t forget to perform a proper break-in process! Test drive the vehicle and do a few firm practice stops in a safe area. The new brakes may squeal just a bit, but they will bed themselves after a few warming and cooling cycles.
