2006is350

Has anybody found cross drilled or slotted direct replacement rotors for the 350??

jsquared

i don't think anyone has any out at the moment. brembo, rotora, and stoptech all seem to have an estimated release timeframe of october/november. i, myself am waiting for some replacements and that is what i was told after calling the companies. they all seem to be in production stages, or at least very close to it. we just have to be patient, they'll be here soon enough. i think you can preorder some from stoptech... someone correct me if i'm wrong.

al503

I asked stoptech if they would be making their 2 piece aerorotors for the IS and the answer was a definite no. Don't have any info about a standard single piece rotor though.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Is this a bling thing? I can't imagine any other reason why you'd want to do this.

socalJD

Agree with lobuxracer.
All things being equal, drilling holes and slotting the rotor will decrease your stopping power.
If the rotors are larger to increase the surface area, then you might have better performance, but then the larger rotors may not clear your wheels . . .

al503

Beg to differ. It won't make any difference in stopping power. Stopping power on production vehicles is dictated by the tires, not whether the rotors are drilled/slotted.

Drilled/Slotted rotors are good for 3 things:
1. letting gases escape between the pad and rotor under extreme braking conditions (track days)
2. bling
3. if they're 2 piece rotors, they usually reduce unsprung and rotational weight which helps all around performance.

Ramon

My question about the drilled rotors is... Are they molded from scratch with the holes in them, or do they take a solid rotor and actually drill them? Because rotors that have been drilled tend to get heat cracks quite early.

Zephyr

iTrader: (1)

1. How many of you guys are really going to take your car to the track and heat up your rotors that bad?
2. Cross drilled has shorter life span and cracks and warps easier than blanks.
3. The weight they reduce, does it really matter when our cars are already pretty fat?

Blanks are easier, and cheaper.

Yes drilled and slotted do allow heat to dissipate faster, but seriously, not many of us are going to be driving on the track or even fast enough to need that.

Brembo drills them, but they are precision drilled in certain areas that do not change the structure strength of the rotor too much.. wereas some crappy ones you can buy on ebay are just "hey, this is a blank spot, let's drill here" and might be in an area that weakens the rotor.

al503

All valid points.
1. Not many. For the majority, it's for the bling.
2. Some do. Drilled rotors are standard on AMG's, Porsches, Ferrari, the M5/6, etc. They can be done without any compromises.
3. I say every little bit helps cause it all adds up. Unsprung rotational weight is the best kind of weight to shave because a 1lb change (up or down) yields more than a 1lb difference in performance.

socalJD

I think you missed my point. If you take the stock rotors off an IS (or similar sized aftermarket rotor) and drilled holes and/or slots, you reduce the surface area of the rotor and hence you reduce braking performance. Those AMGs, Ferraris, etc, etc, were all designed from day 1 with the drilled/slotted rotors, so obviously the braking performance has been carefully engineered with those rotors. I'm saying you just don't take stock blank rotors and drill holes/slots in them and expect better braking performance . . .

al503

Actually I didn't miss your point. My point is that you would have to have a SERIOUS reduction of the surface area (much more than proper slotting or drilling could ever amount to) to affect braking performance because of it. Put another way, take the IS and drill into it's rotors removing 10% of the surface area. Take it up to speed and slam on the brakes. I would guarantee you that the ABS would kick in (meaning the tires are losing their grip before the rotors are.) Let's drill another set of holes in the same rotor and do the same braking test. I would be willing to bet that the ABS would kick in again. Let's drill another set of holes, etc. At what point the decrease in surface allows you to stand on the brakes without the ABS kicking in, I don't know. I do know that it will definitely be more than the initial removal of rotor material.

Again, braking performance is limited by the traction of the tires unless you remove an obscene amount of rotor through drilling or slotting.
Agree. You can't do it *****, nilly.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

I didn't mean to start the classic drilled vs. slotted vs. stock rotor arguments. My comment was purely based on the exceptional brakes on the car already. Motor Trend magazine called the brakes on the MkIV Supra "the best we've tested in 30 years." This was in 1998. When I saw the size of the rotors and calipers on the IS, I was very impressed with how serious Lexus is about fade-proof stopping. So, the idea of "improving" the OEM brakes just seems like an exercise destined to make a really impressive brake system less capable, not more from a pure performance perspective. I fully realise the visual performance of the calipers leaves a lot to be desired, and the visual performance provided by the OEM discs isn't spectacular either. So, my comment only meant that I don't see how changing the brakes will do anything but improve the bling factor.

No one knows better than I do that the only thing you can do to stop faster (single event) is to put better tires on the car. I also know that big bling brake systems more often than not don't work well with OEM ABS and traction control systems unless the calipers have been designed to work on a specific car. Lastly, I also realize "Most performance mods need a watch and timed course to demonstrate actual improvement. Few deliver the advertised claims. Many are actually worse than stock." I've been doing this car/motorcycle thing for quite a few years now, and it's hard for me to be fooled by the marketing guys.

rt350

I have the Project Mu Forged calipers and upgraded brakes on my IS. Don't expect to put your stock wheels on, they won't fit.

t0e

iTrader: (1)

Hey I saw your car at LMS

Hope the supercharger works out for you.

15951

Don't cross drilled rotors chew up brake pads faster? The pads on the front of this thing already dust enough, and have a fairly short life compared to most OEM pads.