JFNash

I'm disappointed in Lexus brake system. When you need it the most, it won't work for you as it is supposed to. It just sucks.

I'm replacing the OEM brake pads to Axiis ceramic pads. Do I need to replace the rotors as well?

Would you recommend slotted rotors that supposedly dissipate heat?

Thanks.

Audriuss

if u put ceramic pads on regular discs, those pads will tear disc very fast..

p.s. complain to dealer if it breaks not as expected...having ceramic brakes on LS will make braking sound much louder...

melymel96

ceramic pads = squealing.....i had them on my GS400...i hate them.

alsilverbullet

What exactly are you experiencing with your brakes? Mine seem to work flawlessly on my 460. At least I have not had any issues.

Nospinzone

I'm disappointed in Lexus brake system. When you need it the most, it won't work for you as it is supposed to. It just sucks.

Could you be more specific. It doesn't sound like the pads are the problem. You have to do some pretty hard and pretty frequent braking (as in racing) to realize the full value of ceramic pads.

Of course, one value is a lot less, and easier to clean, brake dust.

josephdoc

Ceramic pads are prolly the lastest standard for any daily drive purpose vehicles, and it should perform better in any way when comparing with the traditional kind (semi-metalic). It should reduce (to none) the noise and less brake dust according to its standard AFAIK.

I guess you had bad luck with your previous brake service, or maybe the service brake performed without resurface the discs. Tire Rack has a few highend ceramic pads and I recommend pads by Akebono.

from my 2cents,

josephdoc

Almost forgot I need to stay with the original topic.

You prolly don't need to replace it yet but take it to any local repair facility and have them to check out if it holds at minimum thickness after resurfacing.

Slotted or drilled rotors? It is not a performance vehicle so I don't recommend it unless you just want to get better look with the "upgrade"

In general, slotted rotor performs better than the drilled ones because slotted ones have more gripping surface than the drilled ones. Use o/e rotors for its quality, or you can use highend ones like Brembo if you have extra love and money for your car.

I am sure the fleabay has some fancy looking ones but who knows how good they are...

JFNash

Thanks Audriuss for the heads-up. I was wondering what would happen if I didn't replace the original discs.

Thanks for the info. I guess it's not the dealer's problem; it's just me that I'm not satisfied with Lexus' brakes the way they are. A friend of mine, who owns a LS460L and himself complains about the brakes, tried mine and told me that mine is braking a bit better than his but still not as firm as they should be (mine is short wheelbase US specs, and his is long wheelbase Saudi specs). About the braking sound being louder with the ceramic pads, I read that the ceramic pads are quieter than the regular ones. Well, will give it a shot and see what happens.

What caused the squealing? Was it because of the ceramic material itself or something else in the braking system? The reason I'm asking is that I read that ceramic pads are quieter than the semi-metallic ones. Plus, they provide firmer braking (this is my biggest reason to switch to ceramic) and less dusty (not really a big concern for me as I get my car cleaned every day).

Well, I had 4 emergency cases where I had to stop as quick as possible; 3 times I was about to rear-end the car in front of me (they had no brake lights, sudden stops) and one time I was about to hit a kid jumped in front of my car from nowhere crossing the street. Thankfully nothing bad happened in those four occasions, but I don't want to repeat any of those experiences. In the four times I felt that the car just didn't want to stop. I need a firmer stop, and comparing what I experienced with my LS with what I've seen in other brands (specifically Cadillac & BMW) I believe that Lexus could do much better.

Joesph, what you're saying about the ceramic pads matches what I concluded from my brief research on the net. I'd come across Tire Rack's website before I posted my question, but come on $4K+ for regular-use brake system?!

Thanks for the info. But what do you think of what Audriuss said? I'm leaning towards changing the original discs but not sure what to replace them with.

Audriuss

Better the brakes, louder they get...

melymel96

On my GS400 I had more brake dust with my ceramic then my semi-metallic. The noise came from the buildup of the dust. Everytime I got my car washed it went away then came back after about a day of driving.

joedaddy1

iTrader: (1)

ceramic brakes usually have a less bite/performance than semi-metallic pads..

their pros are that they dust less, last longer, and are usually more quiet..

melymel96, your squealing might have been due to lack of lube in the shims and the brackets...

if you want better braking performance, I recommend better/sticker/summer tires over oem tires and harsher pads.. those AXXIS might not do the job if they are ceramics.. i would recommend finding semi-metallics..... I would try out the tires first.

Johnny

I agree Joe, the most significant improvement one can make in a car from OEM level, is the tires...