To provide some context: I bought my IS-F around the end of May 2015. I had been wanting one forever and finally found one in USB with only 29k miles on it, so I pulled the trigger despite knowing nothing about the vehicles history. So far, I have not run into any serious issues--Thank God--but I am now at about 42k+ miles and it is definitely time for new tires and brakes.

The rear tires were replaced by the dealership where I bought the car and they still have plenty of tread, but I would wager that the fronts are the same tires that came with the car back in 2008... they are bald as a baby and have heavy dry rotting in the main grooves (I probably should've replaced them right away, but better late than wait til a blow-out, i suppose). I would just get new fronts, but I would greatly prefer to get new rubber on all 4 corners (I really Hate bridgestones, anyway).

This winter, my brakes had been squeeling like CRAZY any time im deccelerating from about 35 down to a stop. The only exceptions to this, seem to be right after I wash my car, or when its over 60* outside. Ive been reading through the other threads and I realize that this is a common problem with the F, but It is really detracting from my love for this vehicle. It is bad enough on some mornings that it actually hurts my ears.

I took it to a shop yesterday to have them estimate my remaining brake life. They said it looks like I have about a month of life left on them. Not quite sure how they came up with that time frame, considering they dont know how I drive the car... and I didn't get to speak with the mechanic to actually find out what the measurements were. So, I had them write up a quote for new tires and new brakes. They said the only tires they could get for my car were bridgestones and that they would cost 1700 dollars for all 4... which seems crazy, but not as crazy as the rest of the quote. They also said that with a car like this, I cant just replace the brake pads, but have to replace the pads AND the rotors at the same time? I had not read that or heard that from anyone else who has brembo brakes, but I am no expert. The lexus rotors are apparently 394 for the front and 514 for the rear, and the pads are 379 for the front and 229 for the rear... The total came out to 3,851 with a brake flush/refill (dont know if my car has ever had one and I would rather be safe than sorry). I knew that the cost of ownership for a luxury performance sedan would be more than average, but I was hoping that the IS-F wouldn't be as expensive as maintaining an M3 or an S4 or something... I certainly wasn't expecting to pay 4 grand for tires and brakes.

question 1: I have always had michelin tires on previous vehicles--and i love them--but i have heard some rave reviews about the continental dws06 tires. Anyone else have these? I would love to hear some opinions about them. I feel like its between those and the michelin pilot A/S 3.

question 2: I know nothing about brakes. Should I really replace the rotors and pads together? and what aftermarket pads/rotors are the best options for reducing squeel/dust/cost, while still being able to perform and not wearing down in too short of a time span?

Sorry for the essay, but any help you guys can give me would be so greatly appreciated... especially if I do only have 1 month left on my brakes. I know there are other threads covering these topics, but I really wanted to hear up to date info without having to scour the internet for a week.

Thanks, guys! (and gals?)

 

Without measurements, there's no way to identify whether or not your rotors you need to be replaced. There is a minimum thickness they must meet and of the total thickness there's only about 2mm of usable thickness so rotors generally wear rather slowly.

$1700 for 4 new tires is asinine, find another tire shop or order your tires from TireRack.com is my advice.

New OEM Lexus rotors (repackaged Brembos, painted rotor hats) should be no more than $150 per rotor. New front pads will vary depending on brand and construction, but generally $200-400 and rears would be similar. A four corner brake job should run in the neighborhood of $1K in parts. There are plenty of alternatives to bring the cost down further, but I thought the OEM rotor cost was fairly reasonable vs. a Chinese casting.

 

1. It's unlikely that you need rotors already. I have 80k and 10 track days on my originals and they are still within spec. Check eBay for Brembo ISF rotors, significant savings over dealer/shop pricing.

2. There is a plethora of tire options available in the OEM sizes. I ran the AS3, PSS, and currently on AD08R. All three are fantastic tires and available in OEM or the standard up sized 245/35 275/30 that most of us run.

3. If you can change the oil in your car you can change the pads and rotors on your F. There are a number of DIY's available on CL, just type into the search and you'll find everything you could ever ask for!

 

Thanks ZaxF! I, in fact, do change my own oil (all 10 mindblowing quarts of it); but since i know nothing about brakes, I just assumed it was beyond my comprehension/ability level.

If I can do it myself, that will save me a lot of hassle and unnecessary expenditure, but how easy is it to bleed/flush/re-fill my brake system? I know my car was supposed to have that done at 30k miles, and I doubt that the previous owner or dealer did it.

Also, do you have any aftermarket brake pad recommendations? I havent taken my car to the track, and I daily drive it to work (only about 20 miles and I usually drive like a grandma). There is a drag strip down the road and I have been meaning to test my quarter mile time, but I doubt I will make a habit of it.

How many miles did the AS3 last you? I had heard that most people werent squeezing more than 20k miles out of theirs, before the wires were showing on the inside edges of the fronts.

Also, do you recommend moving up to 245/35 and 275/30? what are the pros and cons of that set up? I assume I would gain a little grip on take off, but also gain a bit of ride noise and lose some mpg?

 

Newparts.com 2 front rotors and 2 rear rotors all brembo exactly the same as dealership which they play middle man and front and rear textar brake pads all for $570 or little under bought mines a month ago and have no problems and these are my second pair of rotors from them and free shipping

 

I have the Conti DWS06 in 245/35 & 275/30 - which I had installed about a month ago and absolutely love them. Surprisingly quiet and VERY sticky. I came from stock potenzas, and like these 100 times better. I ordered from Tire Rack and got them installed at Costco. All in , I cost was

 

If you purchase tires through tirerack.com as mentioned above you should be able to get the tires including shipping and install for a total of $1,000 (various good options - Bridgestone and Continental, among others.)

For the brakes, even if you don't install them yourself you should be able to get 4 rotors and 4 pads for about $1,200 with install running you another $200 - $300 at a quality independent shop.

Although not cheap, it should be doable around $2,500 for pads, rotors, and tires installed.

Check out some of these links for OEM brakes and rotors:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231833476237?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231836916545?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

 

just a heads up that ebay and amazon are sometimes up to 30% cheaper than the dealership. I do a TON of track work so I have learned to buy online.

 

Since the Lexus brakes are Brembos, it makes it easier to do a brake job than a regular car. People think because it is a Lexus or a Brembo brake that usually costs $$, that a brake job would be complex or complicated. It is actually the opposite, it is easier. If you can change your oil and change a tire, then you already have the skills to a brake job. Just read up and go slow. An excellent video on changing pads and rotors on the ISF:
For the pads, OEM pads are excellent for the street, but they produce a lot of brake dust. Stoptech is a good aftermarket pad also, but also produce a lot of brake dust. If you can't stand the accumulation of brake dust(OEM and Stoptech), than you might want to think of getting a set of Project Mu pads. They are good daily pads and produce the least amount of brake dust. But they are pricey. ~$375 for both front and back.

 

Thanks so much for all of the information, guys. I feel a lot better about this already.

I still need a little bit of clarification on a few things, though:

If I replace the pads, but not the rotors, do the rotors have to be "turned" or whatever that means? and also I have read somewhere that "bedding" the pads properly is important... don't know what that means either.

If I went with the Project Mu aftermarket pad, which version would be ideal for my car? It looks like there are a lot of different types on their website, such as BESTOP or K-Street or Type-NS. What have other people been satisfied/impressed with? and do I need to get the anti-squeel pad shims, to make it worthwhile?

And finally, what are the real pros vs. cons of moving up to 245/35 and 275/30 on tires? Will there be a significant, noticeable performance difference? and what does it improve more... cornering or acceleration? How much of a drop in mpg should I expect? and are there any other compromises/sacrifices?

Sorry for continuously asking the same silly **** over and over again, I just want to make the best informed decisions possible when it comes to this car.

 

I'll run through these questions.

As far as the rotors, don't ever turn drilled rotors. If they are thick enough to be in spec (and arnt cracked) then your good to go. As far as bedding, it's a process of essentially marrying the rotor to the pads creating a surface that is conducive to the pad biting more effectively. (if you Google bedding process there will be many walk through on how to do it. It's actually pretty fun..)

As far as pads, your driving style/requirements sound like you need the street pad ns400. Extremely popular pad. There are quite a few vendors who sell them on here and can answered any questions.

Tire wise. Pros to a wider set up... They look sexy, more meat on the road always looks better than riding on prius tires. Larger contact patch so all other things being equal you should have more grip. I have been running this set up for a year and love it. Negatives.. More expensive than skinnier tires.. Also having a larger contact patch creates more friction which may ever so slightly decrease mileage.. But if say is negligible.. Our cars arnt hybrids in the first place. Overall if you get some ns400 pads and that size tire set up.. You will be in good shape my friend!

 

U have to warm them up first but if u get rotors too u gotta do like 0 to like30 mph to warm them up for brake to touch the rotors evenly but don't come to a complete stop do like 3 0-30 then last 0 to 60 then after that u should be fine but remeber not to do complete stops because again u have to get them warm up to break them in properly

 

You guys are amazing and your wealth of knowledge is something I greatly appreciate.

Thanks, SO MUCH, to everyone who contributed. You have eased my mind, as well as the strain on my wallet.

 

Hey man, that's what we are here for! A group of guys who love the "F" and love helping others. This forum is one of the reasons i bought my car.

Never hesitate to ask.

 

I used the AS3 for only 1000 miles before I decided to sell the wheels they were on, they're just parked in the garage right now waiting for a new home or my AD08R to wear out. I loved them, and was surprised at the amount of grip they had even when it was cold.

I use project mu ns400 pads for daily use, and the dust level and noise levels are very low. For the track I use carbotech xp12/10 combo.

Project Mu also recently released a new compound that a few of the guys are running daily/track with good feedback. PM SpeedFreaks USA, they are some extremely knowledgeable brake guys with very good pricing.