For what's it worth, here's my two cents. I have a bone stock 2k 4Runner 4x4 Millenium Silver Limited w/auto tranny, 46,000 miles, purchased new in July 2000. I do most of the maintenance myself. The only times it's seen the dealer was for the first oil change at 1k, which was free, and problems with the throttle body (hesitation when taking off from a rolling stop, hereby known as a California Stop, and grinding noises with the power front seats. At 40k, I installed braided steel brake lines and Performance Friction carbon metallic front pads. I bought the brake lines from www.aor4x4.com, and the pads from Autozone. The guys at aor4x4 were super nice, and they shipped the lines out right away. All they asked was if my front calipers had banjo fittings (They're female). Before I ordered the brake lines, I e-mailed Earls to see if they had them (I live in Los Angeles, and Earls is located nearby). They told me that I would have to bring my old lines in so they could fabricate a set. I did that years ago with my 260Z.

Anyways, I installed the braided steel lines along with the Performance Friction carbon metallic front brake pads. Braking power and brake pedal feel is much improved over stock (With the stock setup, I felt the brakes fade a few times when braking hard going down a steep hill and slowing down in the diamond lane), except the brake dust is killing me.

I hope this helps.