Stillen Guy

Hey Guys, Don from STILLEN here. I've been letting the IS guys know about the great bargains we're working out here on AP Racing Brakes for Lexus cars. We also have them for the SC and the GS cars as well. Could be worth checking out, if you're interested in making your car stop very well at a good price. www.stillen.com, or 714.540.5566. Thanks! By the by...Ethan said I could post this, so please don't call me a spammer!!

jeffandi

Here's the deal, I would like to upgrade my brakes but don't have the clearance with my wheels for the 6 piston setup. Not to mention that $3k is a little steep for brakes. Is there some aplication similar in price and size to IS300 brake upgrade for the GS? I've seen suprastore.com selling and AP 4 piston setup for a GS.

Jeff

rominl

iTrader: (4)

hey don you got pm

Stillen Guy

Well, if you have 17" wheels, the AP 6-piston kit should work. You would definitley want to call in to make certain about this, but the 6-pistons usually don't have any problems with 17-inchers.
Also, about the 4-Piston set up from supras.com or whatever, be careful. In terms of Lexus cars, AP actually doesn't make a 4-Piston set up for the GS or SC, only for the IS. I would be willing to bet that these people took a 4-pot AP caliper, found a rotor (probably inferior) put them together, and is making it sound like a legit kit. I might be wrong, but this type of behavior goes on all the time, so be careful. STILLEN is the exclusive US Distributor for these brakes, therefore you're getting a legit kit with all the extras.
For $3,199 we are selling a true AP Racing Brake system for GS application, and it includes:

Red or Black 6-Piston AP Calipers
14-inch Cross-Drilled and Slotted AP Rotors
Pagid Pads
Goodridge Stainless Steel Lines
Motul 600 Fluid

You will be spending more, I'm certain, but you will not be disappointed. This kit is the real deal. Give our brake expert Mike Machado a call at 714.540.5566 x132 to find out about the wheel size, and to see if he might be able to cut off a few bucks for you.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

actually i am sure with teh 17" stock wheels there is NO way you can fit the 6 pistons setup on, the calipers are just too big. if you get aftermarket 17" wheels with the correct offset and big disk application you MIGHT be able to fit it in though. and yes, ap racing does not make ANY 4 pistons setup for the gs at all, i would deifnitely stay away from that.

hey ron, you sure the 3200 price is for the 14" rotors not 13"? that's a bit different from the info i have. and motul 600 fluid is included? now that's some good stuff. so i should be talking to mike instead of you? i have emailed him a while ago but no replies yet, maybe you can help on this one? like i said you got private message.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

oh and yes, stillen is the ONLY US distributor that has relationship with ap racing headquaters in the UK, and they have contact with all your local distributors.

Stillen Guy

Mike is a busy guy, and frequently I act as sort of a liason between him and the world. He's not un-nice, just really busy. He said that he was reasonably certain that the 6-pot would fit into the 17s, but you need to call him directly. 714.540.5566 x132.
Motul fluid isn't included, it's separate. But if you ask, he may be able to help out.
We are the AP exclusive, so you're getting the real kit, not a hack job. It's worth it in the long run.

Johnny Mo

My understanding was that the IS and GS brake setups are identical with the exception of some mounting hardware/bracket. That pretty much came from the guys at TRD. So why wouldn't the 4 pot AP's (for the IS) work for the GS too?

Stillen Guy

Johnny, as per your Q, I spoke with TRD as well and the tech there said the GS and IS are the same unit, except for the caliper. Ok, well, why are the calipers different? TRD didn't know.
So, I checked in with the brake department here at STILLEN. They showed me the knucles for the two cars, and they are different. They look identical, but they're not. If you hold the caliper brackets for each car back-to-back, the bolt holes are a tiny bit different. Thus, the knucles are different.
Couple that with the weight, cost and power of the GS over the IS, and it's a no brainer as to why AP did a 6-Pot for the GS, and a 4-Pot for the IS.
Does that help?

jeffandi

Still, on the Stillen website the price for the GS setup is TWICE that of the IS setup. I don't deny that it may be the best kit out there, but for me, it's overkill. Also, this kit was not designed for the GS400/300/430. It was designed for the SupraTT. It just happens that SupraTT brakes are bolt on replacements for the stock GS (if you have SupraTT fitment wheels. I don't). A 4 pot system with oversized rotors would still be a good upgrade over the stock 2 pot system.

Jeff

Stillen Guy

While yes, swapping the stock GS for the stock Supra isn't a bad idea, it's still a swap. The Supra brakes, for all intensive purposes, are GS brakes, or vice-versa.
Also, the Supra brakes are designed to ride on a wider track, so if you swap them directly be certain to have a new hat made so that your wheels don't get pushed out beyond the fenders. Another thing...yes, the AP Racing Brakes are the best, and at $3,199 they are pricey. But, being better than Brembo or any other system out there for that matter, at $3,199 they are comparibly priced. And you get the lines, and the pads.
Another thing to keep in mind about the GS brake cost over the IS...the initial cost to get into one of those cars is far different. It looks as though AP marketing figured that people who could buy the bigger car, could buy a bigger, better but pricier system, while IS people are demographically younger, and thus, don't have the money to statistically speaking for such an expensive set up. Just for comparison, the GS Brembo kit is $3,299 not including the lines and pads, while their IS system costs $2,595.

Stillen Guy

It just happens that SupraTT brakes are bolt on replacements for the stock GS

Jeff [/B][/QUOTE]

By the way, before I forget to mention it...excellent call on the swap!! I didn't know many people knew about the Supra/GS connection!
But remember, PLEASE...no matter what type of brakes you ultimately settle on, be certain that they PROPERLY bolt onto your chassis. Not just for anti-headache, but for safety as well.

rominl

iTrader: (4)

yes the supra tt brakes will fit on the gs since they both share the same bolt type, this is only for the front. however also keep in mind of the weight. the supra tt calipers are really heavy, and i beleive the brembo and ap racing calipers are both lighter (correct me). this should be taken into accounts as well.

Stillen Guy

well, actually, no. The GS/Supra share the same basic system, but it's the knuckles and caliper brackets that are different. The GS uses a slightly longer gap between the two bolts that hold the caliper bracket onto the knuckle, thus it's impossible without some pretty involved engineering to swap the systems easily. Also, and I reitterate, the Supra track is wider than the GS. Thus, if you do put the Supra brakes on the GS, you need not only new knuckles and brackets, but hats as well. Without doing the hats, the wheels will very possibly stick out from the fenders a bit, creating a slipshod look for the car.
As for the weight, yes, you will find that the Brembo is heavier than the AP, and that both systems are seriously outweighed by either the Supra or the GS brakes.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

Is it true that lighter brakes may improve the car's handling?