TL;DR - It's finally time to replace my front brake pads on the left (driver) side, and I've been so happy with the Toyota OEM pads I've been running that I'm not even looking for other alternatives.
I'm not sure exactly how long it's been going on, but on my trip through the Inyo Mountains, I could hear the wear indicator of my driver side brake pads squealing away. Or at least, I could when the windows were down, so I made a point to keep them up.
Problem. Solved.
Really though, I'm glad those wear indicators are there. While I won't be replacing the pads immediately (that'll wait until I bring the Tacoma home next time), it's sure nice to know they are there and doing their job. Incessantly.
As far as replacing brake pads goes, I'm once again going with Toyota Tundra OEM Brake Pads - and the associated shims - because they have great stopping power, seem to last forever, and don't create a lot of dust.
I installed the Tundra brakes in 2017, and pad life has been as follows:
| When | Odometer | What |
|---|---|---|
| October 2017 | 78,088 | Installation |
| July 2019 | 125,364 | Driver caliper replacement (seizure); driver side pad replacement due to caliper. |
| November 2021 | 199,402 | Passenger pad replacement after 121,314 miles. |
| May 2024 | 267,865 | Driver pad replacement after 142,501 miles. |
That's pretty darn good, especially with the Tacoma weighing in at two-and-a-half tons!
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I don't care. much about dust so the last time I went with the Hawk Super Duty pads. I hear putting the Tundra brakes on the Tacoma really helps too.
The only reason I care about dust is that I noticed a lot of buildup on my original wheels. Likely, that had more to do with the 16 years that they were on the truck and never - or maybe once - rotated/washed than really dusty brake pads, but cleaning those wheels was a pain. Then, when I got the 4Runner wheels in that I've been running for the last 5 years, they were even dirtier, and I had to resort to sandblasting to clean them up for paint.
Now I'm washing the truck a lot more (and enjoying myself through water crossings), so that probably helps getting some of the dust off and I could consider different pads.
The Tundra Brakes have been great. While most think that the larger calipers are the key to that mod, it turns out that the primary benefit comes from the larger rotor size. That additional mass can absorb a lot more heat before warping. And, I suppose the larger pads for the Tundra wear slightly more slowly than the smaller Tacoma pads, when taken in the context of the same truck.
I am still on my original Tacoma front rotors (at 155k miles). Next time it will be time for new rotors and I will likely just go to the Tundra ones.