lexus4x4

Well I have a '00 Lx470 and recently my braking has been "shakey" when i brake during high speeds. I'm assuming the rotors are warped.
My question for you guys is...should I go and try to have the shop resurfaced the rotors?
Or get new rotors? ( I was thinking for a suv this size toyota should have at least have bigger rotors or slotted)
If i was to get new rotors how hard is it to change? Any of you ever changed it? and when looking for new rotors can I use toyota lancruisers rotor ?


thanks,
john

dougjohn

I've never had long-term success with turned rotors not rewarping, so I wouldn't suggest having them turned if you want to solve the problem permanently.

I've heard good things about DBA rotors -- they're out of australia (you can get them at a number of places, but man-a-fre.com comes to mind as one). If you plan on doing serious off-road with the 470, don't get the drilled -- just get the slotted. If you don't plan on running your 470 through mudholes, drilled and slotted is probably your best bet. IF you're considering OEM rotors, then yes, Toyota Land Cruiser rotors for the same model year will work (in fact, they're the same part number -- you just save a bunch of $$$ by paying the toyota dealership rather than the lexus dealership).

bsjoiner

i was in your same situation a few months back and at the end of my research i decided to use the oem toyota rotors. They offer great life and wear properties and the stop the best as far as i have been told byothe lx owners. If your rotors are warping now then i would not suggest drilled or slotted becasue the are ot as strong as solid rotars and they may crack under high heat conditions.

lexus4x4

whats the percentage if i was to buy slotted or drilled rotors that it would crack or break? am i jsut better off with oem then? is it pretty simple to install the rotors?

thanks a lot

jpbadonk

Drilling rotors is not a good idea on a truck of this size (or any truck that I know of). Drilling your rotors will only REDUCE their effectiveness. The shaking/shimmying that you feel is due to rotor warpage. They likely warped because you got them too hot (this can be exacerbated by overtorquing the wheels). Drilled rotors have less mass, therefore less thermal capacity...less ability to absorb heat. So you moral here is that you'll warp drilled rotors even more quickly than you warped the set you have.

The same holds true for resurfacing. When they resurface the rotor, they simply put it on a lathe and smooth it out. The byproduct is a thinner rotor (slightly) that has less thermal capacity.

dougjohn

that's odd, since I thought the slots and the holes help with cooling.

Let me make sure something's straight, I never suggested that someone drill their own rototrs. I was suggesting the slotted and drilled rotors already available for purchase.

I personally have always used the OEM Toyota rotors because I have a pretty good source and the price is right for me.

lx470man

iTrader: (1)

i have a 2000 lx470 too. I got oem toyota rotors and pads for about 500 bucks front and rear.
I having them installed as i speak right now.

I went to exactmotorsports cause alot of people say they are good and alot of bay area owners go there. I was wondering for this particular car, is 420.00 for installing these with pads and fluid a reasonable price? cause i got a quote from john specifically saying he can do it for me for 210.00 then when i get there they say they made a mistake and prob. was just the price for the fronts only and now it was 420.00 , , but since there was a misunderstanding they gave it to me for 360.00

i think its still overpriced for installing rotors and pads and doing the fluid. what you guys think, also they were gonna charge me 420 in the beggining, but since i caught them they decided on 360.

man i am ticked off cause i went there assuming it was 210, so i was gonna get some other stuff done too but now this is 360 plus maybe the wheel bearing needs to be replaced it could run up to 500 bucks!!!!

PitBull

If you are replacing the rotors you have to do the wheel bearing (pack or replace), should not cost much at all since they are already in there with the rotor replacement. Example if they normally charge $150 to repack wheel bearing it should only cost with the rotor replacement around $50.

jpbadonk

The slotting and drilling are done to help with out-gassing, which really isn't a problem for a street vehicle. It used to be a problem with older brake pad technology, but these days, I wouldn't worry about it.

For a better explanation, see Brake Outgassing .

So its mostly just bling factor. Beware of any brake kit for a street car that has drilled rotors because it will effectively reduce braking efficiency. Slotting doesn't really hurt the rotor performance...so go for it.

As an aside, I have a car that came, from the factory (from 1978 through 1989), with drilled rotors. But they really weren't drilled...the holes were cast in the rotor. And the replacement rotors are...you guessed it...the same. They are butt expensive.

ShadyJC

iTrader: (2)

Anyone have any experience with ROTORA rotors? They offer aftermarket parts for primarily the import modding and drift scene (which is how I am familiar with the company) - I can get a set of slotted rotors (front and back) for about $360.