Hello all, I have a 2013 Highlander 3.5 4WD. The vehicle has only 45,500 miles on it and I am now hearing the tell tale sound of low brake pads from the wear indicator scraping the rotor. I just got this vehicle a few months ago from a family member who installed ATV tires, running boards and a front brush bar.
The vehicle has already had the front brake pads replaced one time and this will be the second time. It seems like it is the original rotors. The back brake pads have yet to be changed.
I put the blame squarely on the brush bar and possibly the ATV tires (Falken Wildpeak AT). Can anyone comment if this could be it?
The former driver is a woman driving her kids around and to school. I am also a very moderate driver, so I do not think the vehicle has been driven improperly.
I attached a pic of an example of the kind of front brush bar that I have currently.
What do you all think?
Robert
Akebono pads are OEM (or sometimes better). Also check the condition of the rotors beforehand.
I doubt either of those are causing premature wear on the pads. Make sure you use high quality pads this go round and see how long they last. Good luck.
Previous owner driving her kids around and to/from school. Imagine a lot of stop/go driving there, so not surprised they were changed once before.
The brush guard and running boards will add a little bit more weight, shouldn't make that much of a difference. The AT tires will give you worse gas mileage than with stock tires.
Check the rotors to see if they're good and still usable. Scotty likes the Akebono pads. I'll be putting them on my pickup when the time comes.
@toyotagrl Thanks for the comment. I agree, I'll be ditching the AT tires asap when they wear out! In this vehicle any bit of extra MPG will be appreciated.
I was really shocked to see the small size of the rear brake pads on this one. For such a large vehicle it does not make sense to me to see such small pads. I felt like this can contribute to the front brake being over used.
When it's time, I will definitely be starting out fresh with new rotors all around since the current ones seem to be just a bit warped. I will go with either the Akebono or OEM pads, which I believe are likely also Akebono.
I would like to sell the front brush guard if I can find someone to take it!
Thanks for the reply. Will give it a go!