Club Lexus Forum Thread of the Week: IS350 (Brake) Upgrade on IS250

Forum member shares details of his caliper and rotor upgrade, and the community responds with equally interesting upgrades.

“Finally did the IS350 caliper and rotor upgrade on my car,” says Club Lexus forum member sinister2c in a cool, comprehensive forum thread that he started in our forums. “Was getting tired of seeing those baby brakes behind the 20,” he adds before listing off the coast and time that he out into his Lexus brake upgrade.

“…Everything was straight-forward and bolt-on install,” adds sinister2c. “Did it myself in about 4 hours, much of which was painting the rear calipers and cleaning stuff. Hardest part was bending the rear dust shields so they didn’t rub the rotor, and bending and cutting a small piece on the front shield to fit. …Also added silver Lexus decals. Iphone Pix suck.”

OK, we kind of agree about Iphone pix sucking, but you can still how cool those Lexus decals really are. Check out sinister2c‘s shot below.

Throughout the four-hour project, this Lexus diehard wasn’t going to let any unforeseeable dilemma deter him.

“Only thing I didn’t like was that they had two different coatings but once installed and burned off…they are the same,” said sinister2c about the Rock Auto centric rotors he ordered for the brake upgrade project.

Fortunately, sinister2c documented the process of upgrading his brakes and the end result is certainly impressive. In fact, we weren’t the only ones wowed by his work.

“Very nicely done!” wrote Club Lexus forum member montgb. “It’s great to see the step-by-step process, and the final result looks impressive!”

“Those calipers look hot,” commented homerjay42. “I want to go out and paint mine now. Looks like I have a small project coming.”

The thread conversation flows into more specifics about tackling a similar project, and sinister2c also provides follow-up details about how his Lexus rides since the brake upgrade.

“I just bought IS350 calipers and I’m wondering if the IS250 brake pads will fit?” asks forum member 671IS250. And sinister2c is quick to respond with the disappointing news: “no………..”

Another Club Lexus forum member shared a shot of his brake project, and it looks great, too.

“Just installed mine & luv it alot,” wrote Leowaxx, who shared the shot below.

The thread is a goldmine of great information, tips, recommendations and suggestions from fellow Lexus owners and enthusiasts. And within that thread, we found another gem located about midway down the first page of the thread, where forum member XSV has shared photos and details of his Lexus brake upgrade project.

“Finally did my upgrade,” wrote XSV. “Purchased a used set of 2006 IS 350 front and rear calipers from a local junk yard. Prepped, powder coated, and rebuilt them. Spent more time and effort than I wanted to. Pretty satisfied with the end result.”

To read the full thread and to join in the conversation, head over to the Club Lexus forums. Sign up for free here!

David Ciminelli

Los Angeles-based journalist David Ciminelli has covered everything from high-profile Lexus and Toyota reveals to reality TV show competitions focusing on custom automotive mods. He considers the "Droptops & Dirt" event in Malibu, “Luftgekühlt” and Sunset GT among his favorite automotive events to cover.

He has also interviewed artists like Megadeth and Jennifer Lopez, handled red carpet interviews at the MTV VMAs, and covered rock icons Rush getting a star on Hollywood Boulevard for media including The Hollywood Reporter, Daily Variety, Out Magazine, IN Los Angeles and more. His byline has also appeared in Billboard, Ad Week, Backstage and Art Voice.

Currently, David contributes to over a dozen automotive websites, including Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Club Lexus, Rennlist, Chevrolet Forum, Corvette Forum, Team Speed and Harley-Davidson Forums.