Suneet

I have a 94 LS with about 141K miles on it, still runs great, except I'm having a few problems with the brakes. Besides squealing like an intolerable amount, the car shakes when braking at freeway speeds. So I'm thinking that the rotors might be warped, but the car doesn't make the kind of straining noise that warped rotors make when coming to a full stop.. and I haven't noticed a significant decrease in braking, maybe thats because it happens slowly... but the brakes still work effectively. How should I go about fixing the problem? Could it just be uneven pad wear? Should I start with replacing the pads? It seems like the squeal comes from the front. Brake squeal is pretty common but this is a lot louder than I'm used to. It used to only squeal when braking slightly but now the noise occurs over a broader range. From what I read on this forum I hear its best to go with OEM lexus pads because after market ones will just warp my rotors even faster.... What about aftermarket rotors? I'll stay away from cross-drilled because it seems those will just warp faster as well.. Any help is appreciated!

spxChrome

OEM pads are less likley to squeal. I have yet to figure out what the shaking is. Mine does the exact same thing and I thought it was warpped rotors. I had the rotors replaced with brand new pads, All OEM. And it still does it. Not as bad as before but I still get some vibration when braking and slow speeds. So I think it maybe something else but nobody knows what. Let me know if you ever figure it out. I just learned to live with it.

Suneet

I'll try all that soon but the funny thing is this just started happening a while ago, I don't remember it being a long term problem. The tires are pretty new (that shouldn't affect anything), and the car was just recently realigned , so I can't think of anything that would "trigger" the problem.

oversteer

Did you replace the rear rotors too? I had the "shakes" and out of habit , replaced the front rotors and when that did not solve the problem, I replaced the rears and the problem was gone. Its hard to tell if the vibration is coming from the front or rear sometimes. Also, as an FYI, NAPA has front rotors for the 90 LS400 for $23.99 and they are the good US made rotors.

SRK

Stop briskly from higher speeds, like on the highway. If the vibration is felt in the seat cushion more than in the steering wheel, then the rear rotors are warped. If you feel a shake in the steering wheel, or in the front floorboards, then the front rotors are warped.
Stick with OEM on the pads and rotors.
Excessive toe-in or toe-out can also produce a vibration, but it will feel like front rotor vibration. If you had a good alignment, then rule that possibility out.

dj.ctwatt

Is it possible that there is a problem with the alignment?