aznking

what about ECB guys? do they make brake for our F?

ExclusivIS

iTrader: (9)

You mean EBC? Yeah I think so...

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

Did you install just Fronts?? or Rears as well??

Thanks
Joe Z

lx470man

iTrader: (1)

well i guess we havent found that magical pad that has less brake dust with no squeal yet.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

OK, time to sort out something...

I put the Carbotech Bobcat fronts and rears on my car a little while back. The fronts are perfect and the dust reduction is very obvious. They feel like stock in all ways but don't dust like the stock Jurid pads.

The rears have been problematic. I put them on, bedded them, and they still squeaked at very low speeds. It was particularly embarrassing having the valet at the Ritz in Key Biscayne drive up with the rear brakes sounding like a bad school bus. So when I got home I swapped back to the OEM Jurid pads. Squeaking stopped. I'm still in this configuration.

A couple of days after I did the swap back, I had time to investigate the Bobcat rears. Unfortunately, they were not manufactured correctly, and the top of the pad material was beyond the outer edge of the disc by about 2mm. I took pictures of this and the OEM pads with measurements (I'll post these later) and sent them to Carbotech. Mike called me and arranged to have the pads shipped back to Carbotech for repair. They are at Carbotech (or are arriving soon) now getting fixed based on the photos and measurements I provided to them.

So anyone with Bobcat pads in the rear should check and see if they have the same problem I did. Carbotech has been great in resolving my problem, and I understand every company has good days and bad days, so I'm not upset about it at all, I'm glad they're addressing it and getting me sorted out.

I didn't want to post about this right away because I wanted to have the fixed pads in the car so I could take before and after pictures and show the necessary measurements just in case someone else bought Bobcat rears and wanted to be sure they got pads that fit right. I also didn't want to jump on a forum and have people misunderstand the problem or say bad things about Carbotech because this happened. Sure it would have been great if this hadn't happened at all, but I work in an industry where things can and do go wrong. In my mind what separates the good from the bad is how the company responds to solving the problem. Carbotech has been great, and I'm confident the pads I get from them (soon) will be perfect.

Anyone who has Carbotech rears right now and has not installed them should come back to this thread after I post the photos with measurements so you can see if your pads will need to be returned and modified. If you have Carbotech rears installed and they're squeaking, you'll need to validate you have the same problem I did and contact Carbotech to get your pads modified.

Lastly, I'll be posting a DIY for the rear brake pads to complement caymandive's great thread on the fronts. Changing brake pads has NEVER been simpler than the rears on the IS-F.

T-Rex06

iTrader: (12)

I purchased a set of Carbotech 1521 from a manufacturer's approved vendor. I'm going to hold off on the rear pads installation for now.

Terrance

jkeifer3

No, haven't replaced the rears. As soon as Carbotech gets the rears sorted out (per later posts in this thread) I'll get a set.

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

^^ Well I'm planning on doing the Fronts & Rears at the same time...

Just gonna wait till the rears are sorted... or get the Fronts in 1st, if I run out of pad.. LoL

Which happened easily for me in my IS350, under 18K


Joe Z

Joe Z

iTrader: (10)

We should do a double install.....

JUGRNOT

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for the info lobuxracer. I was just getting ready to call Carbotech as I have front and rears on my car. I'll go home tonight and check the rears for the problem you mentioned and report back.

Thanks, Jeff

N54MPower

iTrader: (3)

Yes we have, I have them on my car and they are made by Project Mu. Here is my initial review #21

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...mu-pads-2.html

I just drove 140 miles round trip including stop and go traffic on the 101 in Hollywood. Looked at the wheels when I got home and smiled at the lack of brake dust on the wheels.

In the two weeks since these pads have been on the car I have not had to wash my wheels at all, apart from my normal wash every week. Even then there was minimal dust. With the OEM pads I would spray the wheels before cleaning them and my driveway would be black from the brake dust on the front wheels.

No squeaking, no fitment issues and a whole lot less dust and they offer both front and rear pads for the IS F.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Here's the Jurid OEM pad installed on one side:



Here's what the OEM pad measured from top to bottom:



Here's the Bobcat 1521 pad as manufactured by Carbotech last spring - notice the pad above the disc's edge:



Here's the Bobcat 1521 pad measured from top to bottom:



Here's a shot of the XP10 track pad with measurement - it worked fine on the track, but it is still clear from the groove at the top it's a little too big:



Close up of the Bobcat 1521 showing the groove:



Close up of the XP10 showing the groove - it's obvious this one is closer to right but still just a little off:



All three pads in a row - OEM - Bobcat 1521 - XP10



Again, Mike at Carbotech is working with me to resolve this and they've been great about everything. I am certain the pads they return to me will be better than their first effort. Their front pads do not squeak, have no discernible dust, and stop just like OEM. I am confident the fixed rears will bring the same performance to the back of the car. These pads are also half the cost of their competitors. I call it a total win, and I'm certain if you were to order pads from Carbotech today, they would be right straight from the box.

JUGRNOT

iTrader: (4)

Well I pulled the rear Carbotech Bobcat pads that were squeaking. As you can see in the pictures I had the same result as Lobuxracer.









I drove the car around the block with the stock pads on the back and the Bobcat pads on the front. It was definitely quieter but I'm still hearing low speed squeaking that I didn't have with all stock pads.

I'm going to pull the front Bobcat pads off this weekend to see if they too are bigger than stock and causing the noise. I've got a message in to Mike Jr. at Carbotech (Lobuxracer I assume you meant Mike Jr. that was working with you).

Very frustrating.

Thanks, Jeff

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Yes, Mike Jr. will take care of you. I sent an email with pics to him, and he sent me a shipping label to get the pads back to them. My fronts are fine and work perfectly with no squeaking at all. I'll be surprised if your fronts have the same issue.

HyperMKIV

iTrader: (1)

hmm...i have a set of rears waiting to go on too...
wonder if i should send those back...