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These are the stock brakes I have ever used. Do we have aftermarket/retrofit options?
Got a new pair of front disks installed under warranty. And both warped within a weekend again.
This IS500 have brakes, I think were never designed for the engine power output of this car. You are done for if you ever have to brake in an emergency situation if you are speeding with this car.
Do we have any replacement options for these hockey pucks Lexus refers to as brakes? I am halfway considering selling this car and getting a used Corvette.
I've hit the brakes hard a few times at pretty high speeds and never warped the rotors. Sounds like your bolts aren't getting torqued evenly for them to warp that fast.
I told you to follow @typerod on insta and ask him.
Also your poor car, what are you doing to it.
I do not know if it my expectations are misplaced, but I thought this was supposed to be a sports car. A sports car are supposed to be sturdy when you are driving them fast. Not just boil over. Maybe I misunderstood what this car was. Dunno.
^^ TBH, i think you misunderstood the purpose of this car if you think it's a sports car. It is a IS 350 with more power. There is a reason why this car doesnt have the IS F moniker
As others said, this is not an outright sports car, but it is a sports sedan. Yesterday my IS500 had significant brake fade and smoking brakes after following a pickup truck and Honda Pilot that both refused to turn out 13 miles up a windy mountain road. That shouldn’t happen.
Definitely was never intended to be an IS-F, but at the least it should’ve been similar in capability to what was given to the journalists to review (which had transmission coolers and some even the ‘performance’ brake pads). Lexus created our collective expectations with those upgraded press cars, then after the reviews were in and initial orders placed, they saved ~$500 and sold a version that didn’t meet those expectations. Can’t really fault 18borat for his disappointment and understandable frustration.
I would try swapping pads and see if that helps. No idea how you're warping the rotors though. I wonder if they're confusing bad pad transfer for warping.
Maybe you’re braking too hard in the rain, a puddle or in cold weather? If that’s the case then, you’ll have to brake more carefully because the heat generated by your brake pads and then the sudden quick cooling effects of the water/snow/cold environment can definitely warp metal.
I have driven my IS 350 many times in a spirited fashion with no degradation in braking. It is a couple hundred pounds lighter than the IS 500, but the brake discs are also smaller (and not two-piece rotors, either). But I'm talking multiple heavy braking events back-to-back. Typically when I drive in the mountains the actual spirited driving time can be as much as 45 minutes. It's not track driving, but it's a bit of driving for sure, enough to where I'm smelling the brake pads after a while. My guess is either A) you're driving it pretty hard, friend! or B) there is actually something not-right with the brakes that needs fixed, such as the way they were installed or defects.
Agreed a brake upgrade is probably the best solution outside of further diagnosis of your current setup.
Yeah we will definitely need some aftermarket options if you want track/mountain brakes that will never fade.
Many sports cars still have the same issues. Even the C7Z fought overheating for many years. There was a class action lawsuit against GM over that one.
So there’s a thread on the ISF forum where there’s the comparison of the ISF vs the IS500. Here
My question is, what would need to be done to “upgrade” the IS500 to an “IS500F”?
Brembo or equivalent brakes? Been done.
A transmission or oil cooler? Does the ISF have those stock?
Vented fenders?
Suspension mods?
What makes an ISF different than the 500? Mechanically? And if those upgrades are made, would it be considered an F car?
I feel like some would say yes and some would say no, cause let’s face it. If you had an ISF you’d probably feel a little miffed that this new car came up and is being compared to your track car when it’s not officially blessed as an F car by the manufacturer.
A few of the posts in that thread talk about how the ISF is a stock track car but then mention mods that were done to make it better. Well, what’s stopping that same method on the IS500 to make it a “track car”?