noobie question....is the cracks covered under warranty? i've got about 5000 miles and noticed a little crack here and there.

 

No, cracking is normal for drilled discs.

 

Whats the cheapest place to buy the OEM front pads? There is a site called raceshopper.com that sells Ferodo ds2500 pads for ($220 set) and some Ceramic ones for ($119 set) I'd like to stick with OEM pads, but not if they are going to cost several hundred dollars and wear out every 17k miles. I currently have 15.5k on the odometer and by what I can see the pads are nearing the end.

 

One more question. The dealership says that the front pads are full ceramic and cost $540. Are they really ceramic? If so I'm surprised at how much dust comes off them.

 

I am at 16k miles and am going to go with the ferodo's...they are a bit more aggressive than the stockers and should dust less...
Peter

 

That's complete hogwash. They're neither ceramic nor $540. MSRP is $368.73 for front pads. Rears are $223.16. With Internet retailers I've seen them as low as $313.42 and $189.69. Our sponsors may have them even cheaper.

 

^^ But they are definitely "High Friction" & High Dusty Pads...

Just like the "Performance Pads" found standard on the '06-'08 IS350..

F Pads have an expected life of 20k miles
F Rotors have an expected life of 50k miles

As a side note I killed my IS350 performance pads in about 18k miles and 14 months.
I blame LA Traffic for that.......

 

I have talked to the people at Ferodo, and received the following responses:

"Hi Lou,

Thanks for the interest!

(front) FERODO DS2500 BRAKE PADS $220/set
We do not yet carry any rear pads for this vehicle.

For ordering, or for more information, you can reach me directly at: 800-733-8380.

Best Regards,
Edwin Robinson.

http://www.RaceShopper.com
1-800-733-8380"

AND

"We also have FRONT ceramic pads for street use available immediately.
They are $119/set
Please mention the referring customer when you order - this way we will be sure that they receive their referral credit.

Best Regards,
Edwin Robinson.
http://www.raceshopper.com "

I have used Ferodo in the past with outstanding results. Also, a member on another forum installed these pads, and his comments were:

"I fitted the pads Sunday. Great news, its easier than a pad slap on low end cars. Low end brake systems, (read) most require removal of caliper to fit pads. ISF just slip out of top after pin removal. Its actually less labor. The whole job took an hour in the garage. Of course I did clean & lube all pins & movin hardware. The pistons 6 per caliper I was able to push back with my fingers evenly till they bottom in the bore. The calipers are embossed brembo in very small LOGO on the top of the caliper. The finish is first rate. Moving along, the ferodos work nicely, after bed in intial bite is similar to stock but as I increase pressure the bite seems a bit more aggresive which I like. As for track time with these I will see in spring. The price was right & the job is easy if you know cars & brakes. Its nice to see that any work can be done at a home shop. especially if the dealer quote is 700$ Cheers & Happy New Year to all. Hope to see some of us at the track in 09"

So, the news seems to be good with Ferodo.

Lou

 

I feel like the costs for some of these maintenance items is rather pricey. Do these costs ripple and associate the rest of this market sector like the AMG's? Obviously not BMW with the whole 50k mile free maintenance. But can somebody fill me in here. Seems like an awful lot of dough for just brakes.

 

Try pricing the brakes on an STI. Same manufacturer, same money.

FWIW, I used Ferodo pads exclusively when I raced bikes and loved them. I'd be plenty happy to run them on my F.

 

Hawk performance is supposed to be coming out with some pads for the F soon from what I heard last thus giving us more options. You should try out the Ferodo's as I've heard really good things about them and will use them on mine once the time comes

 

Yeah I figured as much. Amazing what people will tell you from behind the counter with a straight face.

 

If I were to purchase the Ferodo pads and ask the Lexus dealer to change them when doing my routine brake crap, will they give me an trouble you think?

 

Totally depends on your relationship with the service manager. Some will. Some won't. The pads are ridiculously easy to change, you don't even have to remove the caliper - just slide out the pins, push the pistons back, stuff in the new pads, insert the pins and the anti-rattle clip, and you're done. It couldn't be much easier.

BTW, the Brembo part number for the front brake is M6.30/34/38. The Brembo part number for the rear brake is M36. It's no surprise to me there are already pads since this caliper is not a unique design, just an evolution in Brembo's catalog of options.

I'd really like to know which aluminum hat discs fit the F. It's a whole lot more cost effective to put aluminum hat discs with replaceable iron on the car. You can also get proper discs without the fashion holes in them.

 

Hey Lobuxracer, what did you race? I currently race a Honda RS125.