AmbyBomb

Yes but you seem to be unique in your ability to destroy rotors.

18borat

I have a 21 C63s which has steel brakes as well and that does not have any issue for the last 2 years I have been driving it. That has 30000km mileage as well compared to my IS500's 18000km. So I do not think my driving is the problem.

Both the cars have similar whp. So they should be matched by similar brakes performance from the manufacturer.

AmbyBomb

That's nice man, but you're still the only person who has reported warping his rotors multiple times.

18borat

Might be a flawed cooling design as well. The brake intake ducts at the front might be throwing rain water directly onto rotors when driving fast in the rain after a hard instance of braking. Raping cooling of the brakes can contribute to minor warps. When the dealership installed my second front set, the brake pedal pulsations went away for a few weeks, then showed right back up after a few weeks of usage.

arentz07

I've driven the crap out of my IS 350, which has worse brakes than the 500, and have had no fading or warping. Though I also don't hit triple-digit speeds (MPH) because I like having my driver's license and not dying to a random deer.

And by driven the crap out of, I mean multiple trips up to the mountains, sometimes in continuous downhill sections, accelerating up through 3rd gear and back down to 2nd before the next corner, rinse and repeat, while chasing my friends in their 500s, modified IS/GS models, and IS Fs. I smell the brakes after.

But I also have over 150 less horsepower and close to 200 pounds less weight to carry. What would be nice is if other IS 500 owners who have tracked the car or otherwise pushed it to the limits could chime in with their impressions of the brakes.

Grecian5

Thank you for this. Anyone who claims their driving is "warping" cast steel are mistaken.

Try a new pad compound.

18borat

I could not tell you why then. But I am not driving this car anywhere as hard as 470hp cars are usually driven. I drive my other car significantly harder.

The dealerships did not swap out the brake pads though. That is still the original set. I do not know if it is a pad issue. And Lexus's brilliant customer service stops them from replacing something as cheap as pads.

Mercedes changed all four of my rotors and pads in the first few weeks of me getting the car just because I complained about minor sqealing noises at low speed without me asking a second time. I love the IS500 for what it is, but Lexus's customer service is probably one of the most horrible I have ever experienced. I told them so many times, why dont you change the pads as well to eliminate any possibilites. Nope.

Moonman89

Looks like R1 Concepts has products listed for the IS500 (Rotors & Pads options). I have heard of R1 before a lot of RCF & GSF owners purchase their stuff.



https://www.r1concepts.com/detail_ca...ors+Front+++++

wthrman2

^^ I am always worried to install aftermarket pads and have a crap load of brake dust. That is one thing I like about our OEM brakes, they are relatively free of dust. The question though, is the brake feel a problem with the rotors/pads or simply the way they are calibrated and would swapping automatically produce a different result?

BenCA

I've taken my 500 to Thunderhill, Laguna Seca, and Buttonwillow and haven't had issues with pulsation from rotor runout on the stock rotors (they stayed under 3 thousandths). The stock pads are incapable of more than 2 laps at any of these tracks and wore incredibly fast. The first track day wore the front pads away completely with moderate to severe brake fade as they were wearing (I wasn't able to theshold brake coming into every corner in order to keep them cool, and did cool down laps within each session). EBC Yellow pads can make it through 1.5 or 2 track days, and I probably wore 4mm away over 3 track days before replacing them. They sometimes need one cool down lap per session.

How sensitive are you to pulsation? I've definitely noticed very slight pulsation when coming to a stop under 20 mph with light braking that isn't noticable to me at 100 mph under heavy braking. I figure this might be due to uneven wear at the edges of the pads more than anything else (the rotors were starting to cup by 1-2mm or so when I replaced them), or otherwise just the difference between 3 and 0 thousandths.

Also comparing the IS350 to IS500 front brakes, there is so little difference in rotor or especially caliper from what I can tell. Similar 4 piston design, same size brake pad backer (they are actually interchangeable in a pinch), and maybe half an inch of extra pad contact width along the radius of the rotor entirely due to pad material shaping. The rotors are slightly larger so they may stay a little cooler.

arentz07

Great info. I just did a pretty spirited mountain run in my IS 500 with some higher-speed sections, and I definitely smelled brakes, but I didn't feel anything. It wasn't a very long stretch of road. But I'll be curious how they hold up over the long term.

(I have traded my IS 350 for a 500 since I wrote that post. )

AmbyBomb

It'll be nice when we get some manufacturers making pads for the car, like Project Mu.

Kappa500

@18borat So, did you get the used Corvette or still driving the IS500? 🤔

TipsyTonio

If you have $8,000 (not including shipping) burning a hole in your pocket you have two options:

1. Send it to me, or
2. Buy the TOMs Brembo Kit: TOMS Racing Brembo x TOMS Brake Kit - Front 6POT 380mm | Brake Kits for Lexus IS 3 Late | TOP END Motorsports

Realistically I see no way anyone can justify this when the RCF and GSF brake calipers are also Brembos and are like 1/16th the price.

IS500SM

Did NOT expect that pricing!? Jeezus, $8K for just the fronts....