aly250

My brakes are starting to squeal slightly and theres a later response when i apply the brakes....I was thinking about getting performance pads or something to improve stopping power with the stock brake system ( i have an 09 is250 ).

Bigrahizzl

iTrader: (8)

Ebc redshuff is good

suicidesam

oem brakes are your best bet buddy...it's just a 250

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Different pads won't, and can't, stop the car any shorter. The brakes don't stop the car, the tires do. The OEM low-dust pads will stop the car exactly as quickly as any other pads for the car.

Read here if you want a better understanding of why upgrading your brakes on a street car doesn't change stopping distance no matter what the less honest guys selling brake parts tell you:


http://www.scirocco.org/faq/brakes/p...n/pfpage1.html

RRocket

Not entirely true. Repeated heavy braking on the street can tax the stock pads and rotors.

Back to back testing with OEM pads vs Hawk pads on our IS300 using Vbox for data collection showed ~5 feet difference at normal temps..and it got worse as temps went up from repeated braking. Not a huge difference with normal driving...but could make a difference for harder street driving.

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Entirely true, because nobody does 10 100mph stops back to back to back on the street unless they're fleeing from police pursuit.

In normal real life driving use on the street the OEM brakes won't fade.


Again, nobody does repeated stops from speed back to back to back to back on the street. This is why honest brake vendors like Stoptech and Brembo admit that brake upgrades don't change stopping distance in street use right on their websites.

This is why brake upgrades make no difference in legal street driving but can make a significant one at the track.

Even then the difference is never shorter braking distance. It's maintaining the original distance for more stops.

binhster

Using different brake compounds in my experience can affect the pedal feel in both a negative/positive way. The pads that came with my used Mazda3 S Hatch purchase took significant pedal effort to slow the vehicle down. Obviously, I could lock them up after plowing the pedal; however, it did not instill confidence in any way. I swapped that combo out front to rear for Centric Premium Rotors and Stoptech Street Performance pads. The significant increase in pedal sensitivity from the stock setup was drastic. I only had to push half as hard to get the same braking leverage with the upgrade as the old ones. The Stoptech street performance pads also had a linear feel too in both cold/hot weather.

I also have an '05 TL that I installed custom RL 4-Piston front calipers on along with Racing Brake 350Z 12.6" rotors/EBC Yellowstuff Pads. The Yellowstuff pads even when cold have overall much greater friction coefficients than the stock ceramics. Once I installed Racingbrake ET500 pads in the rear, the pedal sensitivity felt even better. When I go back to my hometown and drive my parent's TL with stock pads on, it feels completely different.

I will agree that stopping distances are predominantly reduced by tires only, but I will wouldn't just say that OEM pads are the only pads that someone should consider. The dusty IS250 pads are actually very performance oriented brakes, so in this case, they'd make a great replacement. For other vehicle brands, I'd definitely choose something like Stoptech Street Performance pads. I'm actually considering the swap out to Stoptech pads to replace my OEM 350 pads since the Mazda with Stoptech pads had much better pedal feel.

RRocket

Yes, in normal driving all are about equal. I depends how hard you drive your cars. I could easily fade the brakes on my Supra with a few blasts through the gears.

Bit IF all you're ever going to do is the speed limit (which I'm sure that's only what you do, eh?) then stock pads are fine. For that matter, a car with 100HP is all you need if you're just doing "normal" street driving at the speed limit..no need for an IS350....

quick123

iTrader: (2)

Guys, please don't get Kurtz started on aftermarket brakes...search older threads and you will see this discussed at length with a ton of technical data supporting the idea that Kurtz will defend to the death...lol

Kurtz

iTrader: (1)

Even from well above the legal speed limit the OEM brakes will stop the car exactly as well, and as short, as the fanciest upgrade kit Brembo sells. The brakes exhibit no fade even with a full stop from a 3-digit speed. (guess how I know?)


Because the brakes don't stop the car, the tires do.



Brake upgrades can certainly change the feel of the system in street use... and if that's important to you by all means spend money adjusting the feel the way you like it. Personally I find the "feel" of the low dust pads much superior to the high dust ones, as they allow a much greater range of pedal force to be applied, thus allowing a much broader amount of control over braking force.... rather than the ON/OFF feel of the high-dust OEMs.

Just don't fool yourself into thinking they're stopping the car any better than the stock parts did.



I'll again contend nobody is fading the brakes on a bone stock 2IS on the street unless they're filming the chase scene from the next Bourne film though.

(or driving down off the side of a mountain without understanding that's the one time S mode is actually useful I suppose)