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Me and Felix have been discussing putting on 3rd gen (2010-2015) RX rear brake calipers onto a 2004-2009 RX recently using 08-13 Highlander rotors. Having confirmed the 2008-2013 Highlander rear calipers and rotors fit, when I saw some 3rd gen RX rear calipers on sale for cheap, I had to go out and pop off one of the calipers to confirm fitment. What you're seeing here is a spare 2004-2009 RX AWD rear knuckle I have lying around, with my 2014 F-Sport's rear caliper mounted to it. I measured the spacing about a year ago and they gave me the same measurement, but actually going out and confirming that the fitment was indeed perfect was convincing as could be. I purchased two (rear) calipers to try on my 2008 RX350 which still has the tiny stock brakes.
These calipers are very similar to the 2008-2013 Highlander ones with some subtle differences. First and foremost, they are EXTREMELY common compared to the exclusive 2008-2013 Highlander ones, these are used on the 2010-2015 RX350/450h, 2011-2020 Sienna and 2014-2019 Highlander! WAY more selection, and the amount of brake pads that are shared are even crazier! All the aforementioned the vehicles, plus the newer IS, GS, RC and Prius V! Parts are much easier to find and it's easier to find cheap examples in better shape due to their high volume and newer production years.
Pros:
- Lots of applications of calipers and pads makes finding calipers and more pads simple
- They're aluminum like the 08-13 Highlander calipers
- Pad surface has more swept area and width
Cons:
- The caliper's piston is 1mm smaller at 40mm vs 41mm of the 2008-2013 Highlander
- Since the caliper is made by Advics instead of Akebono, there is double the brake caliper hardware and it is a little more fussy
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You'll find out soon if they fit, the 2008-2013 Highlander and 2010-2015 RX have the exact same rotor diameter of 309mm and a thickness of 10mm. I bet they will! Stay tuned
I found that the Highlander pads are slightly longer, but not as wide as the RX pads, wheres the RX pads are slightly wider w/ a shorter length then the Highlander pads. You'll need the Highlander rotors & then the pad you'd use dictates what caliper to use. So the question is, Do you want to run a longer length pad that is shorter width wise or run a shorter length pad, but is wider?
I would probably prefer the Highlander setup still due to the larger piston and easier to assemble caliper. But I have to admit that these RX calipers are such a smoking deal and the pad selection is amazing, they are still being used on 2022+ models. Other than that they seem basically identical.
I like how the newer RX ones have more swept area, heating up more of the rotor probably is a nice touch.
I suggest use OEM specifications, design was made exactly for the model safe route.
Using the same rotors (08-13 Highlander) The pads you'd want to use whether the longer/narrower pads vs the shorter/wider pads dictate the calipers, as Toyota offered 2 different pad/caliper combo's using the same size rotor........
My fronts are here! They’re from a 2017 Sienna and they have almost brand new OEM pads + the shims! Extra bonus! Can’t wait to put them on and toss these crap brakes that are on their now.
It’s confirmed, 3rd gen RX350 rear calipers will work too.
As Pictured: 2nd gen Highlander rotor & caliper
As Pictured: 2nd gen Highlander rotor, 3rd gen RX caliper
Overall, the two setups are very similar. You can pick which one you want depending on pads, preferences, etc. However, it’s a fact that these calipers are about 5x easier to find than 2008-2013 Highlander ones. I still prefer the 2008-2013 Highlander ones for their more heavy-duty construction and simpler design, although these are really nice too.
Well boys and girls, vented rear rotors are happening on my '08 RX350.
Here's what you need:
- 47830-48110/47830-48111 (Rear Right caliper, Euro-spec from a 2010-2015 RX)
- 47850-48110/47830-48111 (Rear Let caliper, Euro-spec from a 2010-2015 RX)
- 2006-2014 IS350 310x18mm rear rotor
- 2010-2015 RX350 rear pads or any 1391 series rear pad (2014-2019 Highlander / 2011-2020 Sienna / 2014+ IS350)
- 2008-2013 Highlander / 2009-2015 Venza rear dust shield (OPTIONAL - or trim your original backing plates to accommodate the larger rotor)
These are the unicorn brake calipers for the rear of our cars, they use 100% of the same hardware as the regular 3rd gen RX rear calipers except for the fact that they are 8mm wider to accommodate that wider vented rotor. You don't need to worry about sourcing out tricky parts, and I'm betting you can rebuild the piston using the 38mm one from a 2001-2007 Highlander's rear brakes, or possibly some of the newer Camrys / ES350s.
Now for some pictures: (The dirtier caliper is the "Euro" one, you can tell how much wider the gap is to space out the pads for the vented rotors)
The calipers are mechanically in fantastic condition and I can't wait to put them on. You're adding about 2.5 lbs per corner worth of rotor but I believe it is 100% worth it, especially since these aluminum calipers are lighter than the cast iron stock ones. I may have mentioned it already, but the IS350 rotor fits the hub perfectly and allows you to run the factory parking brake and have a perfect factory fit as well. Wheel stud clearance remains at 21mm, the hub bore is still exposed by 8mm, and you can still easily adjust the parking brake! I call that a win! Pictures coming as soon as I clean these calipers up and get the RX running, then they'll go on. I also bought some Safebrake stainless lines based in Australia and these things are quality! Can't wait to try them out, they're even nicer looking than the Goodridge lines on my Highlander, and they maintain factory fit with their tabs.
And yes, you can put 3rd gen RX equivalent front and rear brakes and keep the stock line mounting!
Stay tuned! This should be a pretty cool upgrade when its said and done
The BIG setup! 2010-2015 RX front rotors & calipers. 2010-2015 RX Euro-spec rear calipers. 2006-2013 IS350 aftermarket Advics rotors. OEM Akebono 2010-2015 RX pads F&R. Safebrake SS brake lines!! The fronts, beefy dual pistons! OEM Advics rotors Stock vs “BBK” Stock vs rear “BBK” 288mm solid rotor vs 310mm 18mm thick vented rotor Nice! The rears, aluminum caliper that is wide enough to accommodate a wider rotor while using regular 3RX pads
I previously owned a toyota Solara SLE, as you all know, the RX is a crossover from the Camry platform.... So, i know that brake parts are "interchangeable"..... I have a big brake kit for the Camry/Solara/Avalon/ES300 (relocation brackets, and ES300 dual piston calipers) that I intended on using on my RX330.... this kit needs the 93-98 Supra TT 13.5" rotors to work.
Well, yesterday we pulled the brakes apart to replace the stock system with the kit.... and bumped into an interesting find... I didn't need the bracket/calipers...
Come to find out the stock RX rotor is 319mm in diameter, the Supra's rotor is 323mm in diameter, the main difference is that the Supra rotors are 30mm wide vs. the stock RX330 rotor which is 28mm wide. Meaning that the Supra rotors are a "direct fit".... Add to the fact that I now have Dot4 brake fluid, and stainless brake lines.... the brakes are MUCH better compared to stock, pedal feel is effortlessly progressive, and smooth, yet braking is a bit more aggressive.
The only con is that you will hear some slight grinding (I was expecting this with the kit anyway, and I know it will dissipate on its own)....
FYI- Being a retired Toyota Tech and Shop owner,
I thought I'd share some interesting facts about the early model Toyota's (Forerunner) and Lexus with Ceramic Brake pads.
The first couple of years that Toyota/Lexus used the Ceramic brake pads, the rotors were too thin and small to take the Heat caused by the very hard Ceramic pad, and as a result the rotors would warp quicker than Normal, even if the rotors were New and the rest of the braking system was Good.
Most of my customers that had this issue, weren't interested in a Performance upgrade, but rather a less costly way to prevent the Rotors from warping so quickly.
I found that if the Ceramic pads were Replaced with an Organic or Semi Metallic brake pad, the rotors wouldn't Warp.
The non Ceramic pads had some disadvantages as well-Brake Dust, some Squealing and some Brake Fade on hard braking.
But even with these disadvantages, many owners felt it was the lesser of 2 Evils.
Toyota and Lexus shared many of the same braking part numbers, but Lexus doesn't list the Non Ceramic pads, whereas Toyota does, and this is a less costly alternative to Rotor Warping, albeit not Perfect.
On the later model Toyota's and Lexus, this problem was fixed with larger and thicker Rotors and an improved Braking system.
Not a Reccomendation, Just an FYI
I called the local Lexus dealer a year or so ago and asked him what they're running on the oem pads for our cars and he said they are all semi-metallic now.
He said If I ordered genuine oem Lexus pads that's what I'll get, so I thought that was interesting.
Guess like you said, they got tired of "warped rims".
When I bought my car at 121k miles it supposedly had a "brake job" done and I could see the shiny new rotors but those brakes lasted only a few thousand miles until the day I had to ride on highway and hit my brakes hard- and that's all it took.
Bad vibration in the steering wheel and I knew when I got home I'd be pulling whatever they put on there and replacing everything with new rotors and semi-metallics.
PS- only went with oem pads cuz I didnt want to have to replace the rotors again the first time I need to hit the brakes hard.. and didn't know what other pads & rotors to trust but getting some ideas from thris thread.
Other than needing some 2.5mm washers (IS350 rotor surface sits outward by an extra 2.5mm, so the mounting bracket was too close to the face of the rotor), the vented rear brakes are wearing perfectly. Super silent, no issues and they feel perfect. Went for a 15 min drive in my HL and RX and compared the rear temps This is by no means a scientific test, I just wanted to see if vented rotors would stay cooler and it seems the results speak for themselves. Maybe one day I can get some on-board monitoring and post a vid of the differences for better results.
Temperature gun results (15 mins after drive, held at same distance and spot on each vehicle):
Highlander (Akebono ProACT)
Front left: 114 deg F
Front right: 129 deg F
Rear left: 110 deg F
Rear right: 119 deg F
RX (Akebono OEM)
Front left: 112 deg F
Front right: 110 deg F
Rear left: 84 deg F
Rear right: 83 deg F
The RX’s rear brakes were give or take around 25-30 degrees cooler than the Highlander’s after a regular drive. Pretty significant difference!
12-10-21, 07:27 PM
