collin1104

Hello everybody. I bought the 2011 Lexus ES 350 and for some reason at speeds over 50 miles per hour , when I press the brake the car and the steering wheel shakes like crazy. I did the balancing and it is not that. Somebody told me it is the brakes. Is there any brand or do you know which ones are better for my car ? I tried to find the original ones even from toyota but I can't.
Thank you very much. Your advice is appreciated !

chuyrobles

It's most likely a warped rotor, but can also be bad wheel bearing, bad tie rod, bad lower ball joint, lower control arm bushings, and/or binding brake caliper.

If it happened suddenly, it's likely not the brake rotor. Did you hit a curb, or something?

I've had good experience with Raybesto's rotors. And bad experience with MaxBrakes, a Canadian outfit.

ESh

Those rotors need to be machined

davidwnv

This seems to be a common issue with these cars. My wife has a 2004 RX330, and we just bought a 2007 ES350. I recently replaced front rotors and pads all around on both cars to correct the situation you described. For the RX, I bought Raybestos rotors. For the ES, I bought Centric rotors. I used Akebono ProACT Ultra Premium ceramic pads. I bought all of the parts through Amazon, paid approx $160 for two front rotors and pads for all 4 wheels. The performance on both cars is as expected, good stopping power, no shimmy on braking, and very little dusting. It's a pretty easy job, if you've ever worked on disc brakes before. It takes longer to remove and replace the wheel/tire assembly on the rears than it does to replace the pads. The fronts take a little longer because you have to remove the caliper and the caliper bracket to replace the rotors. The whole job takes an hour to an hour and a half for all four.

RookieLEX

Just get oem rotors and pads. They are about $65 (part# 43512-33140)per rotor and $40 (part# 04465-33471)for front pads.

collin1104

Thank you but those parts do NOT fit the 2011 Lexus ES350. That is what Amazon says.

RookieLEX

Go order from Lexuspartsnow.com or partznet.com

I'm pretty sure 2007-2012 uses the same part numbers. Can someone confirm this?

collin1104

why is this difference in price between $38 here and $99 at the lexus dealer if they are the same parts ?

Clutchless

The dealer has a lot more overhead and a more limited local customer base.
Be careful and verify before buying from Amazon. I would not blindly trust their application guides as I have read too many comments about incorrect parts being sent that were supposed to fit.
Lexuspartsnow I have used and their site will direct you to the correct part. So will http://irontoadcom.siteprotect.net/ another OEM discount dealer apparently associated with a real dealer.

chuyrobles

When buying auto parts on Amazon or RockAuto, I always confirm the provided part #'s with the product's websites. Just Google "Xxxxxx online catalog".

Here is Raybestos: http://www.raybestosbrakes.com/magno...20Heavy%20Duty
and Centric: It appears they've removed the online catalog. They only have one for StopTech, their performance line:
https://stoptech.centriccatalog.com/...id=ANR&uid=ANR

Blue Moose Engineering

This is a great question and a really interesting topic.

This was very surprising for me to learn, but rotors do not warp like people think they do. The rotor material is very hard and very thick and is engineered to maintain its shape.

What actually happens is that soft pad material becomes unevenly deposited on the rotor surface during heavy breaking incidents. Therefore, it is very possible that a braking system can go from fine to bad very quickly. If you slammed on the brakes on the highway or on an off ramp and they got very hot, you could create this uneven deposition of pad material and all of a sudden you have "warped rotors". This is also a big problem for two-footers because the constant slight application of the brake causes heat build up that can lead to this kind of wear and pad deposition.

Here is a decent resource on this phenomenon. There are many more to be found with a simple google search: http://www.stoptech.com/technical-su...nd-other-myths

Turning rotors down and replacing new pads will typically fix this but I have found it much easier and generally more economical to just buy new rotors. They may be a bit more expensive than having your rotors turned, but you avoid the common logistical problem of having your car out of commission for some time and traveling to and from the shop with your rotors in another car. If a shop will be doing all the work for you then this isn't a decision you have to make on your own.

Most repair shops don't turn rotors anymore either, but it's really a matter of cost so every situation is different.

Chuyrobles is right, and it certainly could be a front steering or suspension part, or some other part of the rotating assembly. Make sure to check everything for the proper root cause before you start replacing parts.

ntu3012014

You can try 6/6.5th (2006-2012) camry's. My 2007 ES350 uses camry's brake pads without any issue (save money).