Keep in mind that if you trip the sensor you will have to buy new sensors for around $75 per wheel (unless you buy stock pads, which has them included). Or you can maybe just not use the wear sensor at all?

It appears I still had some usable rotor left in the front since mine checked at around 1.273". But I frown on resurfacing rotors on cars I drive hard. I prefer to replace them if they have noticeable wear. I consider .035" deep grooves on each side of the rotor to be considerable wear. I thought they felt closer to .050", but still...

Edit: I guess I should also point out that in my case if I only had 1mm of pad left then I would have also been making metal to metal contact between the pad backing and the high points of the rotors since 1mm is .039" and that's about how deep those grooves are. But I'm guessing that by the time I wore my pads down to 1mm the grooves would have also been deeper. So going to 1mm of pad in my case would have been a bad idea.

 

 

Yes you can, by my experience. Didn't change rotors at my first brake pad replacement (approximately 24k, only had to replace front pads), changed the rotors though on second pad replacement both front and rear. No issues.

 

Why do you want to change the pads when they're barely 50% used?

Changed front pads when the sensors indicated the pads were worn at about 22k miles. There was 2x the minimum thickness on the pads when this happened. Rotors were still in fine shape, so new pads went in with new sensors - new pads, used rotors, no turning (ever - if rotors are so gouged they need to be turned, it's time to replace them instead), and everything worked perfectly until...

Changed front and rear brakes at 47k miles. Rotors both front and rear had very little slot depth left. If the slots are gone, the rotors are below minimum thickness. Rear rotors and rear pads wear out at about the same time if you are running OEM rotors and pads.

Beware the anti-rattle springs. One of my rear pieces decided to shift after installation and was rubbing on the outer diameter of the rear rotor. Very annoying noise ensued. Easily fixed by repositioning the anti-rattle spring, but I really wasn't expecting this to happen.

Also, when replacing the rear rotors, be sure to disengage the parking brake and back off the parking brake shoes before trying to remove the rotor or you will damage the shoe retainers in the parking brake. This also means you need to adjust the parking brake shoes properly after installing the new rotors in the rear.

 

 

Your service advisor is trying to have you pal, time to find a new trustworthy dealership or Indy. You probably have the original semi-metallic pads, reason for the squeaky sound. There is a TSB for that and you can have them replaced for free if you don't like the squeaky brake pads. I personally don't mind squeaky high performance brakes as I know am getting better stopping power. I actually upgraded to a more squeaky pad Lol. The sheer stopping power of my upgraded Racing Brake pad compound (XT960) brings a huge smile to my face. Everyone has their tolerance, mine is very high.

The more aggressive brake compound inspires more confidence and makes the RCF much more manageable considering its' weight.

 

Any pad capable of locking the wheel will have zero difference in stopping distance. High friction pads feel better, but they don't actually stop any better. Where they shine is on repeated stops without fading. But for single stops, the pad compound makes no difference at all to stopping distance. Tire traction/road conditions make all the difference in stopping power.

 

 

It's been 2k miles since I changed these brakes. No ABS issues at all from changing the brake fluid without using Techstream.

As for the MX72 pads... I notice little difference over the stock pads in regards to braking power. But if anything they feel slightly better. I've been having a lot of fun in the Ozark mountains. There is virtually no dust compared to the stock pads and I haven't heard a single squeal yet.

As for wear on MX72 pads... I can't comment yet. But I don't know how they can be wearing faster when there is much less dust. Unless it just doesn't stick to things like the stock pads.

 

Pads don't change braking power. They ONLY change feel. There is no pad made that will stop you any faster than a pad capable of locking the wheel.

 

I'm aware. But can you lock your wheels at 90+ mph on the stock setup? I did the other day and I don't think my stock pads would have done it.

But that might also be the dot 4 fluid I put in...

 

I think the key is not to look at a single stop, but multiple braking events. My coworkers asked me why the RC F has these massive 6 pot calipers in the front, and my opinion is that it is for repeated braking over and over (like in a race). Once the brakes get hot, the pads and the clamping force matter. I would agree that when they are cool, any pad that can lock up the rotor is the same.

 

A couple of questions.

Are we saying at full lock you are achieving the shortest braking distance possible?

Why would lexus disclose that the alternative brake pads issued under TSB will reduce braking performance? Disclosure was not only for track situations but also street driving.


Mingo,
I haven't tracked with this brake setup yet (I actually have the XT970 along with the RB 2pc rotors) but they do get great reviews in the GTR, corvette and porsche forums by those who have tracked them.

You should talk to Warren the owner of Racing Brake and pick his brain. He is a very accessible gentleman.

 

Yes, but the force you need to apply is dramatically greater. If you are talking overcoming ABS, then for sure, you'll have to slam very hard and very fast with a lower friction compound, but it will perform the same as a high friction compound in the vast majority of street driving scenarios.

Your fluid choice has zero bearing on anything other than heat management. Some fluids boil at lower temperatures. There are a few fluids that slightly change feel - Brembo LCF is a good example as it has low compressibility compared to other fluids, but again, that's only pedal travel, not actual braking power.

Anything short of changing tires only changes the feel of the brakes, not the stopping distance in a single stop.

 

This is exactly correct. Bigger rotors hold more heat. Bigger rotors with more swept pad area will need less clamping force to achieve the same level of friction. Bigger rotors and larger swept area means repeated stops from high speeds won't lead to fade as quickly as smaller brakes and smaller swept area.