2015 lt 4wd brake upgrade

[bigred2015]

My current brakes are at about 15% all around so I'll need new ones fairly soon. There is an overwhelming amount of options and I don't know what would be best. I very rarely tow and don't track. I've been looking on rockauto and carID but there are just so many damn options help is needed. I want something better than stock but nothing too crazy. Prefer to buy as a whole kit as opposed to buying everything separately. Budget for a full kit front and rear is $300 or so. 2015 lt 4wd also this will be my first time replacing brakes, anything I should be aware of? Not sure if i need to replace the brake fluid so if I do that will make it more complicated.

 

[Bigburb3500]

My current brakes are at about 15% all around so I'll need new ones fairly soon. There is an overwhelming amount of options and I don't know what would be best. I very rarely tow and don't track. I've been looking on rockauto and carID but there are just so many damn options help is needed. I want something better than stock but nothing too crazy. Prefer to buy as a whole kit as opposed to buying everything separately. Budget for a full kit front and rear is $300 or so. 2015 lt 4wd also this will be my first time replacing brakes, anything I should be aware of? Not sure if i need to replace the brake fluid so if I do that will make it more complicated.

Are you doing full brake kit (rotors, calibers, and pads) or are you just looking for rotors and pads? Aka: General maintenance?

 

[Marky Dissod]

My current brakes are at about 15% all around so I'll need new ones fairly soon.
There is an overwhelming amount of options and I don't know what would be best.
I very rarely tow and don't track. I've been looking on rockauto and carID but there are just so many damn options help is needed.
I want something better than stock but nothing too crazy. Prefer to buy as a whole kit as opposed to buying everything separately.

Budget for a full kit front and rear is $300 or so.
2015 lt 4wd also this will be my first time replacing brakes, anything I should be aware of?
Not sure if i need to replace the brake fluid, so if I do that will make it more complicated.

You already have 4piston calipers. If you want to upgrade to 6piston calipers (and even larger rotors) you'll need 20" wheels.

If you get rid of your old calipers, you'll likely need new brake fluid. DOT4 is superior to DOT3. Avoid DOT5 at all costs.

Ceramic pads if you want quiet and low dust, carbon-metallic pads if you want more assertive braking and can tolerate more dust and a little squeal.

Can't go wrong by lying to parts guy and saying it's a 2015 Tahoe PPV, but those parts may be more pricey.

Stainless steel brake lines are underrated, they're not cheap but they're worth the investment, your foot will notice the difference immediately.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

I gotta be honest with you. If you don't feel/notice any deficiency in your current brakes, and if you don't regularly tow, then I think that your current setup is good. Just change the rotors and pads, along with whatever else comes with your pad kit (rubber grommets, etc.), and be sure to FULLY clean and grease the caliper's moving parts and surfaces with the supplied brake grease.

For me, I recently installed PowerStop rotors and pads, and I am very happy with them.

 

[bigred2015]

Are you doing full brake kit (rotors, calibers, and pads) or are you just looking for rotors and pads? Aka: General maintenance?

rotors and pads the calipers look fine

 

[bigred2015]

You already have 4piston calipers. If you want to upgrade to 6piston calipers (and even larger rotors) you'll need 20" wheels.

If you get rid of your old calipers, you'll likely need new brake fluid. DOT4 is superior to DOT3. Avoid DOT5 at all costs.

Ceramic pads if you want quiet and low dust, carbon-metallic pads if you want more assertive braking and can tolerate more dust and a little squeal.

Can't go wrong by lying to parts guy and saying it's a 2015 Tahoe PPV, but those parts may be more pricey.

Stainless steel brake lines are underrated, they're not cheap but they're worth the investment, your foot will notice the difference immediately.

i have 20" wheels but don't think i need to upgrade to 6 piston, looking at plain rotors, and will probably get ceramic pads

 

[Bigburb3500]

rotors and pads the calipers look fine

Got it. Brakes are “easy” when it’s just pads/rotors. I wouldn’t give it much thought on the rotor unless you are trying to truly improve the truck. Autozone/generic are just fine - someone else might disagree but if the truck isn’t doing anything extreme I don’t see a reason to be extreme.

Brake fluid… check the reservoir and the fluid color. If you aren’t noticing anything crazy in the brake feel it’s likely “fine.” I just redid the fluid on my 99 Land Cruiser after 200k miles. Again, someone will likely disagree and say that’s too long… if you have the time and knowledge (or enough YouTube courage) go ahead and go the fluid. It’s good to have fresh fluid in the system.

 

[bigred2015]

Got it. Brakes are “easy” when it’s just pads/rotors. I wouldn’t give it much thought on the rotor unless you are trying to truly improve the truck. Autozone/generic are just fine - someone else might disagree but if the truck isn’t doing anything extreme I don’t see a reason to be extreme.

Brake fluid… check the reservoir and the fluid color. If you aren’t noticing anything crazy in the brake feel it’s likely “fine.” I just redid the fluid on my 99 Land Cruiser after 200k miles. Again, someone will likely disagree and say that’s too long… if you have the time and knowledge (or enough YouTube courage) go ahead and go the fluid. It’s good to have fresh fluid in the system.

so I could get cheap rotors and more premium pads? I prefer to buy the pads and rotors as a package but if it makes sense to get cheaper rotor and nicer pads then ill just buy everything individually as ill probably save money. I know for sure I don't need drilled/slotted rotors as I don't track it. I very rarely tow and when i do its normally only a few thousand lbs nothing crazy.

 

[Bigburb3500]

so I could get cheap rotors and more premium pads? I prefer to buy the pads and rotors as a package but if it makes sense to get cheaper rotor and nicer pads then ill just buy everything individually as ill probably save money. I know for sure I don't need drilled/slotted rotors as I don't track it. I very rarely tow and when i do its normally only a few thousand lbs nothing crazy.

Someone else can chime in on pads but on when I did my LC late last yr and my wife’s hybrid Lexus earlier this yr I just used whatever from the parts store. To your point, neither are hot rods or being used in an extreme way so pick what makes sense. Standard pads work well for 95% of people. Marky also gave a good breakdown of the different types of pads and I think all of them are considered “generic.”

 

[Marky Dissod]

Marky also gave a good breakdown of the different types of pads and I think all of them are considered 'generic'.

Tend to prefer Bendix Fleet MetLok or Wagner HD. Have tried ceramic pads, they're good for normal people using normal brakes normally,
but will go back to paying extra for 'police pursuit' spec; I prefer more initial bite and more potential panic stopping power, even if it costs and dusts more.

EDIT: sometimes it does NOT cost more, if you shop around for deals; police pursuit spec (carbon-) metallic brake pads ALWAYS dust more.

 

[bigred2015]

Tend to prefer Bendix Fleet MetLok or Wagner HD. Have tried ceramic pads, they're good for normal people suing normal brakes normally,
but will go back to paying extra for 'police pursuit' spec; I prefer more initial bite and more potential panic stopping power, even if it costs and dusts more.

do you have specific pads and rotors you recommend? Overwhelmed with options!

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Whatever you purchase, make SURE that you properly break them in, or 'set' them, or 'bed' them, properly the first time that you go out with them. Otherwise, they will never perform up to the level that they should.

 

[Marky Dissod]

Pads: Bendix Fleet MetLok . . . Wagner Heavy Duty or Severe Duty . . . Bosch Severe Duty (avoid their standard base krabp ceramic schidt)
You pick from those
Rotors: Bendix SDR5582 rotor regardless of pad.
What @Joseph Garcia said about breaking in - braking in? - pads & rotors is true.

Most but not all metallic pads break in as follows:
1. At normal highway speed for wusses, hit (not shove, HIT) brakes harder than normal but nowhere near panicky
Do NOT let vehicle come to stop if possible (no need to go under 5MpH), get back up to normal highway speed or slightly faster, cool brakes for at least 1min
2. At slightly over wussy highway speed, hit 'em again as above, don't quite stop if you can, get back up to speed faster this time, cool 'em again for 2min
3. Idea is to get up to a speed faster than what you'd normally do, hit 'em at that speed, don't quite stop, get back up to speed, cool 'em again for up to 5min

In about 20min including cool-off time, your brakes are pretty much broken in. Yes, I break them in at over 90MpH, but that last part might take up to a week
because of how long it'd take for me to get that lucky.

There are other break in procedures ... I've broken in ceramic pads by pretending I was Mercedes-Benz' rain sensing brake enhancement,
which VERY lightly rides the pads BARELY against the rotors whenever the throttle is lifted to 0% TPS to keep pads & rotors dry.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

The break in procedure that I use is very similar, but performed at lower speeds, and it will achieve the same objective: To evenly deposit the pad material onto the rotors, creating a consistent friction layer that enhances stopping power.

Perform five initial aggressive stops from 40 mph to 10 mph without complete stops in between, followed by five aggressive stops from 35 mph to 5 mph (expect to smell some resin as the brakes get hot). Finally, allow the brakes to cool by driving at moderate speeds without stopping.

 

[555hp]

You already have 4piston calipers. If you want to upgrade to 6piston calipers (and even larger rotors) you'll need 20" wheels.

If you get rid of your old calipers, you'll likely need new brake fluid. DOT4 is superior to DOT3. Avoid DOT5 at all costs.

Ceramic pads if you want quiet and low dust, carbon-metallic pads if you want more assertive braking and can tolerate more dust and a little squeal.

Can't go wrong by lying to parts guy and saying it's a 2015 Tahoe PPV, but those parts may be more pricey.

Stainless steel brake lines are underrated, they're not cheap but they're worth the investment, your foot will notice the difference immediately.

NO TO DOT 5, but DOT 5.1 is worth upgrading to (Bosch). While it's worth upgrading to SS hoses, it's not the night to day difference everyone promotes (just did that on my Suburban). At this age, it's worth flushing the brake fluid and replacing the hoses.