better brake feel/bite SUV edition

so here's a bit of a twist from the usual braking questions. i have a 2010 xterra off road which is coming up to 60k miles, which seems as good a time as any to look into changing/ upgrading from the stock pads.

i've always felt that the brake feel in this truck has been a bit bipolar, as it seems like the amount of pedal travel and pressure required to acheive a given velocity change rate varies all over, with seemingly no way to make it behave consitently. it seems that the oem pads need a lot more heat in them to have the bite than they should, and the heat seems to quickly dissipate and send the pads back to the "mushy" zone.

yesterday i was in a bit of a hurry, so when i turned onto a road where i had about 1/8th of a mile of straight road before i had to turn off, i punched it, and ran up to about 60 or 70 and then braked hard before the turn off. what i noticed after that was that the brakes felt like they have never felt before, like braking that is expected from a proper 4 wheel disc setup.

this however quickly faded as the pads cooled down again within 5-10 minutes, so the next time i used the brakes, they were not nearly as responsive as before.

so, other than running around dragging on the brakes to keep them hot, what is the best option for replacing these pads with something that will have good bite, but don't have to be abused in order to get them to grab?

I've got a set of Hawks on my Bronco and I really like how that thing stops, but I couldn't tell you how they compare to anything.

yeah i actually had a set of duralast gold on my old f150 that would bite like these with minimal heat, i could actually feel them heating up and grabbing harder when i was pulling up to the first stop sign down the road, after that they were perfect. i guess i'm looking for suggestions and personal experiences on the various options. i tow a bit with this truck too so it is a little hair raising when the brakes work great one stop and then go mushy the next. the pedal is never "low" or sinking, so i know the MC is good.

I put Akebono ceramics on my F-150, and I'm happy with it. With 60k on your brakes, it's probably about time for a brake job anyway. New rotors and ceramic pads ought to make a big difference.

Another Akebono ceramic user here. I can make my kid's eyes bug out without going into ABS apply.

Do you know who the OE supplier is? It looks like it was Akebono but I can't be certain.

I really like Satisfied Gran Sport pads and have been fairly happy with Centric 105's. http://www.satisfiedbrakes.com/motorsports/products/gs6.html

GS6D1094

GS6D1100

105.10940

105.11000

Third Akebono user here, I really like them for a DD.

Hawk LTS on the truck. Disc/Drum setup on it with 13" frt rotors. GREAT feel, great bite and work work well even hot (wife riding the brakes down 10k' mountains). I just pulled them and cleaned the calipers/relubed yesterday and they look almost new still. Cleaned the glaze off the pad surface/rotor and re-bedded them in. Good to go for another 15k miles.

Hawk LTS on the 4-runner - 4 wheel discs - big difference in bite and feel over stock.

this is exactly what i was hoping for, i'll check out the akebono, Hawk and Satisfieds. any preferred supplier aside from tire rack or rockauto?

Do some research and see if 4Runner front 4-pots will bolt up.

Our 4Runner brakes, with stock pads, have superior feel, stopping power, and fad resistance even compared to my WRX (with 4-pots and Hawk HP+) and my 2300lb e30 (with 325i brakes and Hawk HPS).

Otherwise, ss lines, better pads, better fluid.

^ I was afraid I'd have to go with better lines etc on ours. Thankfully good pads and a fresh set of rotors did the trick.