95bat

Great info, I wasn't even following this thread very closely!

It looks like this could be the option I was wanting. I don't want wheel spacers or excessive cutting of pieces. I just want a bolt-on replacement for front calipers. It looks like this might be the ticket Thanks to everyone for trying it out!

It would be awesome if we could get some nicer rotor options. So far there isn't much out there.

95bat

Does anyone have an answer for this?

My brakes are pissing me off and this is the final info I need to do the swap.

808c2s

Yes it does. Even the spare tire rim clears it.

95bat

Thanks! Makes me wonder why it wasn't factory using existing parts.

And if the 2013 GS350 F Sport has the same rotors, why aren't they offering those parts for ours cars?

808c2s

I suspect because it's not an F, we got GS350 FSport calipers and rotors, IIRC instead.

daily35

I know this thread is about the ISF calipers, but in case you were gonna go with the RCF/GSF calipers, another thread stated that the Enkei wheels won't clear those IIRC.

Most likely due to the IS500 not being a fully fledged F model and to keep production & maintenance down in an unfortunately dying market for sedans.

95bat

I forgot our rotors are 2 piece aluminum and the F Sport rotors I was looking at were 1 piece steel. Womp womp 😫 Our OEM rotors are $300 a piece.
Yeah I really wanted to do the GS F brakes, but I dont want to use wheel spacers.

Srd555

Hey,
I just thought I would put this here for people looking through this thread.

PS. What is everybody doing with their stock IS500 calipers??

SlowlaneAZ

Is this both front pads?

Srd555

Yes sir, they are both the front pads.

daily35

I think previous gen IS owners were using GS350 F Sport rotors by StopTech instead of OEM which I'm planning to do too.

You could keep them on the side or sell them to someone who's looking to do the GS/RC brake upgrade. I was actually thinking about it before this thread.

Say,
Do the ISF brake pads not have a notch for a brake pad sensor? If not, will that trigger any messages on the dash?

95bat

Wow!! I was just complaining to my wife about this and this picture helped her (and me) see just how big of a difference there is.

If I get this swap all lined out I'm going to keep the stock calipers in case I get a new car one day. I'll throw them in the truck and the dealer can swap then back if they feel like it lol

Srd555

I had this same question, and this is what I found while searching the ISF forum.

The calipers for the ISF are off the shelf Brembos and as such they can use the same pads from other cars that use this caliper.
Examples
2018- 2020 WRX STI
2014-2017 Maserati GranTurismo (4.7, 4691, V, 8)
2005+ Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG ,CLK55 AMG
There's more but you get the idea.

I know for a fact that the pad for the CLK needs the cutout because it has the electronic brake sensors but the ISF (and IS500) doesn't use that type of sensor, so it doesn't need it.

If you look at post #60 above you will see the cutout (right between the two arrows) in the EBC Redstuff pads that I had on, those pads listed the SLK/CLK on its "where used chart" hence the cutout. They fit (for the most part) and worked fine, but because of the over hang mentioned in the post I took them off.

The pad pictured in post #68 (Comparison pic) is the Power stop Z26 I got from rock auto, to replace the EBC for now, and it only listed the WRX and ISF. If you look at the bottom left of the ISF pad you will see the mechanical wear indicator (the little metal piece), this is what the original ISF and IS500 uses.

Srd555

I hated my stock IS500 pads. Not only did it loose friction quickly as they got hot, but more importantly it left pad deposits on the rotor making it feel like they were warped. I was constantly getting pulsing in the steering wheel when it hit the brake at highway speeds. My brakes also groaned at low speed like in stop and go traffic.

I had started looking into changing the pads to better ones, but found that pickings were slim. I looked at the pads available for the ISF and OMG, they are off the chain. The fact that the pads are bigger mean just installing any ISF cheap pad should be more braking power off the bat.

When I installed the ISF caliper, I had the EBC Reds on for about 80 miles and they were VERY strong. I found myself stopping short a few times unintentionally with just light pressure on the pedal.

I have had the Power Stop Z26 pads on now for about 100 miles, they are not as immediate as the EBCs were, but they are stronger and smother than the original IS500 pads. The Z26's are very linear, a little pressure on the pedal is a little braking, more pressure is more braking, stand on it and you STOP with a slight ABS intervention. In comparison the EBC had more friction at every pedal pressure and when I stood on it there was ALOT of ABS intervention so it has stronger braking force.
Which one is better is subjective but both are much better that the IS500 brakes hands down.

PS. I did not cut nor did I resurface the IS500 rotors, I just installed the ISF calipers and pads and bedded them. The pulsing I had with the stock pads disappeared and braking is very smooth now, that is further proof that it was pad deposits that had caused the issue with the stock setup.

95bat

Thank you so much for all this info!!!

I might try what you've done and keep my rotors. I thought my brakes were fine, even hit them in moderate triple digit speeds a few times (in Mexico on a track of course) and they held up great. But over time I've developed deposits too, but my brakes don't feel warped they feel rough. Like I'm braking with pads that have chunks missing or something. It's the weirdest feeling brake I've ever had and the only car that has ever done it. My wife can even feel it in the passenger seat!

Yesterday I did a few stops from 60/65 down to about 20 to get them hot and then drove a couple miles as they cooled. It helped a bit, but I still feel it. I might have to try a caliper/pad swap on my original rotors and see what happens.

I guess I'm hard on brakes, the only car that had perfect brakes the entire time I owned it was the C7 and those were big 6 piston brakes so maybe that's what I need on all my cars lol.