Hey guys hope you all are safe amid this covid-19 craziness. I recently got myself a '16 GSF. It's my first sports car, and I honestly don't know too much about cars in terms of mechanics (here to learn). The car only has 22k on it and the previous owner drove it like it's a Prius.

Anyway, I have a couple of questions questions regarding the brakes and the tires

1. I kept hearing squeaking sound coming from the front brakes and did some research... seems like that's normal for F cars (RCF, ISF, GSF). How did you guys mitigate the squeaking sound (if any) and/or what pads did you replace with?
2. How do I know if I need to replace the pads (just by looking at it and not take anything apart)? I know that there is a brake sensor that will trigger the brake light to pop up on the dash if the pads are too thin and starts to scratch the rotor. I don't want that to happen and ruin the sensor so hoping for some tips...
3. What kind of tires do you guys recommend in sunny Cali. Looking for a good combo of performance and better durability. I won't track it, but will take it up to the mountains occasionally.
4. Where do you usually get tires from? I have done some brief research and seems like Tirerack is a good option (transparent and good price). Any other recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

Bonus question lol: anything else that I should know that might need to be replaced around this mileage ?

Thank you guys for your time!

 

Congrats on your GSF!

​​I live in Arizona and have been happy with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S. That's what came on mine. They performed well when I took the car to a high performance driving event. As for tire retailers, I haven't had any install or ordering issues with tire rack or discount tire in the past. I'd just go with local recommendations.

​​​​​​In another 3k miles you'll be due for your 25k maintenance. For me it was an oil change and the dealer recommended a throttle body adjustment. They also noticed my rear struts were leaking and despite having the car on lowering springs they replaced them under warranty (Lexus has awesome customer service).

 

Welcome to the community!

#3 - The Michelin that came with your vehicle are usually highly rated, however, tires are a product of compromise, no tire will perform perfectly in every condition, there will always be a sacrifice. If you are looking for less performance and more durability, the Michelin Sport A/S would be a bit more geared towards comfort and longevity. Continental also offers a few solid options.

#4 Although I may be a bit biased, I would recommend Discount Tire. Thank you ac253189 for your past business and the shout out.

We would love to earn your business. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions or if there is anything we can do to assist you.

 

1) There is a TSB out for a softer pads that don't squeak. They are OEM, stick with them if you don't want any noise and don't track your car.

2) When you take it in for service they can measure the brake pad life remaining, although they will probably recommend replacing them before you actually need to.

3) I would stick with Michelin Pilot Super Sports or Pilot Sport 4S.

4) Tirerack is great - better pricing than almost any local option and shipped to your door within a day or two.

Congrats on your new GSF!

 

I hesitate to call the GS F a sports car. A real sports car will leave it for dead in just about any competition (it's a little big and a lot heavy), but it is definitely a high performance sedan.

First bed the brakes to get a good transfer layer on the rotors. It is also possible the spring clip on one of the rear calipers is scraping the rotor (happened twice now), but that makes a fairly constant squeal.
Who told you those lies? The pad wear device does not damage the rotor in any way, and the light comes on with 2mm of pad left when the factory service manual says the pads are worn out at 1mm. Typical front wear is 20k miles, rear is 40k miles with OEM pads and rotors. These brakes are super easy to work on too.
If take it up to the mountains means driving in cold weather, you're better off with performance all season tires like the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S3+. It's what I run on the wife's car (GS F) and it works just fine with her daily driving and my occasionally spirited driving. I run these tires on my IS F in the winter as well. If you're OK with summer tires all year, the Michelin Pilot Sport 4S is a great choice especially if you don't want to track the car. They are track capable, but will wear pretty reasonably for a performance oriented tire in normal driving.
There is little advantage to ordering tires online these days. You can go to our site sponsor, Discount Tire, and order online for delivery at a local shop and get the same price Tire Rack would give you (IME), so pick your poison and shop to your heart's content.

Nothing typical to replace if you're just following the factory recommended maintenance (and there's no reason not to follow it).