flipside909

Upgrading pads/rotors = more chances for brake squeal and reduced brake pad life (due to agressive compound).

picus

I think you're better off just mitigating the brake dust via wheel waxes/dust repellants. My car has brake dust issues too, but since I started using a dust repellant after washes the amount of dust has gone down significantly. Here is a picture I took after a 600 mile trip after using Poorboys Wheel Sealant (there are many brands, P21S has a great wheel gel, Michellin has a product called "brake dust repelleant" available at any pep boys etc...you can actually buy their kit for $19.99 that comes with the repellant, a cleaner, and a tire dressing)



It looks like a lot, but anyone with a pre '05 G35 knows that's about 1/10th what you would normally see after a 600 mile trip. Without the wheel wax I was getting that much dust after 15 minute trips to the grocery store. Cleaning that amount is actually pretty easy. A couple squirts of any non-acidic wheel cleaner, let it sit for 30 second, spray with water and they look good as new.

Cheers.

TheRupp

How bad is this going to be on chrome..? I'm sorta planning to put the chrome version of the GS430 wheels on mine when I get it. The GS430 puts out a lot of brake dust as well, but I think that's because I ride them a little too hard (accidentally, anyway), kudos to the brake-by-wire system. We don't have this problem on the GS300.

Xanadu350

I have used this for the past 5 years, it will be your new best friend. Works quickly and removes all traces of brake dust!!!

BLAQ ICE

Good call on the P21 For all who have major brake dust, make sure you try to clean it daily. 60 degree temps or better will bake that dust on your rims and the longer you wait the harder it will be to clean off. No big deal that the IS does this, just protect and maintenance your investment. It is hard work owning a car of this magnitude.

TheRupp

I have to say, I think it's pretty funny when people don't wash off the brake dust on the front wheels. I've seen a couple of instances (X5 comes to mind here) where the front wheel color is somewhere between graphite and black, and the rears are painted silver

picus

Yes! There are two BMW's in my parking garage that look like they have graphite front wheels. They're the 18 spoke (I think its 18) wheels too, so a real hassle to clean.

lexuslover

chrome makes it less noticeable for sure. when i had the stock 18" graphites on the GS, the brake dust looked really bad. now with the oem 18's in chrome, it's much better. but i am going to look into those repellants - i didn't know there was such a thing for brake dust problems

TimboIS

It has nothing to do with the brake-by-wire system. The GS430/IS350 use "high friction pads and rotors, which may experience higher than normal wear". The GS300/IS250 use different pads and rotors.

flipside909

Exactly!

Maximus350

Just when I thought I would get away from this problem (ala BMW 330I), I get sucked right back in!!! Arghh!! Time to put on the wheel wax asap!

Xanadu350

It was so bad on my BMW that after the first 3 yrs I had to change the factory rims and get 4 spoke rims that were easier to clean. The factory rims were really bad at holding the brake dust too many little spokes on top of larger spokes design. Once I changed the rims to a 4 spoke design it not only looked sportier but w/ the P21 it took me 1/2 time time to clean them, best move I made.

Moral of story, if you own a car that emits heavy brake dust, get spoke rims that look cool and will be easier to clean at each car wash, the rims that usually come from the dealer are heavily spoked and will be a devil to keep clean.

BlueIS05

Interesting. i wonder why Lexus decided to fo with high friction pads since both the previous gen GS and IS have such awesome brakes. Believe me, they have saved me many times! Another plus is that on my IS, brake dust is minimal - especially compared with my friends who have E46s.

TimboIS

300+hp, you want better braking? Simple physics. Greater radius, larger diameter discs require more gripping ability at the perimeter. IS350 uses vented discs all the way around, not just solid discs, so you need to do something besides adding more pressure. Also of note, the surface area of the 350 pads is larger than that of the 250.

flipside909

You probably haven't noticed but the New IS has 13.1" rotors in the front and 4 piston caliper brakes standard for the 350. It's not high friction, it's better stopping power with beefier brakes. The brakes on the New IS350 are phenomenal...compared to the previous generation JCE10 which were already great.