the brackets might be different

no need to even talk about track. at the lexus driving event last year, 15 mins into the event, the brakes on the is350 i drove started to fade already. not too impressed

and my gs400 and sc430, just from long drives of like 45 to 60 mins, i see fade already.

 

I haven't had the opportunity to take it out yet. My next track day is 9/9. I have heard Rominl complain about brake fade though. So again, it should be good insurance and it'll be nice eye-candy as well.

I didn't know about the S2000 crowd. If it was just one isolated incident, I would think that it might be a bleeding issue but if more than a few are complaining... Coming from a G/Z background, Stoptech BBK's for them have been great. I expect the same when I get mine.

 

If these were OEM brake pads, then it really isn't relevant. Good street pads will suck on the track, and good track pads will suck on the street.

 

Not only that, but if you fit some ducting to blow into the hat center, you can dramatically improve fade resistance, even under the conditions you describe above. The guys who track their Supras do this and run stock brakes with Hawk, Carbotech, or Porterfield track pads with good results. Supras are pretty close to the IS weight (mine weighs 3415 lbs with a 1/4 tank of fuel.)

 

Wondering what's behind those faux ducts next to the fog lights ...

 

There is actually what appears to be a duct in the front of the wheel well. Don't know if it's for air or not but there's something there.

 

The ducts ARE directed at the brakes and they aren't faux. I'm waiting for some more mileage on the drivetrain before heading to the track. My boss and I plan on a track trip after he gets enough miles on his Carrera 4 too. I drove that bad boy the other day and it drives really nice. Six speed manual is something I miss... Visibility out of the C4 in all directions is much better than the IS as well. 20 more hp, 500lbs less weight, bigger tires, better suspension and brakes will make it a tough one to keep up with on the track. Should be a blast though.

 

This could be an opportunity for IS250 owners to upgrade to 350 brakes(if the brackets fit)

I

 

i think they were referring to the duct where the fog lights are. it's covered by a piece of plastic. i think behind the plastic cover is more plastic hahah.

 

Wow!! For $5600 I could buy a whole other car. I'm pretty happy with the brakes on the 350.

 

OK, so I've been digging through TIS. A couple of things are obvious. The front suspension pieces are common to all RWD platforms. This means the mounting points for the 250 brakes in front are the same as the mounting points for the 350 brakes. So, if you have the proper disc and caliper, it appears to be a bolt-on swap. The rear appears to be the same, but I have not dug quite as deep so I'm not absolutely sure. AFA the 250/350 front swap, I'd bet a paycheck on it.

Also, if there is any ducting, it isn't blowing into the hats. For brake ducting to be effective you need a tube delivering air to the center of the hat. There is NONE on the 250 or 350, so whatever effect you guys might have been expecting won't be nearly what you'd hoped for. If you really want to track this car, you'd be smart to put a nice fat duct from the front of the car to the center of the hat. JMHO.

Last but not least, the OEM ADVICS calipers are some of the very best made. They're a monoblock design with all four cylinders bored from the back, and plugs installed to complete the cylinders on the rear of the caliper. There is no separate mount for it, attachment is directly to the suspension upright with threads in the caliper and holes in the uprights. You will be VERY hard pressed to improve on this caliper from a pure performance perspective. Sure you can bling it up all you want, but this is one stout design with relatively light weight. I will not be investigating any BBK. I seriously doubt it will provide any improvement over stock, even on a track day if the right pads are in them, and especially if the necessary ducts are in place as well.

 

Thanks lobuxracer!

BTW, you didn't happen to see what would be involved with replacing the front lug studs, did you?

 

Wow, this looks exactly like the discussion over the Endless BBK, where I basically argued many of the same points. The cliff notes edition was that I thought the stockers would perform fine (maybe with the addition of better pads), and that $8000+ for Endless brakes was a waste, but whatever people want to spend their money on.

As far as lugs, that's easy, people strip them all of the time, so it has to be relatively easy for the techs to replace them. - Remove caliper, remove rotor, remove cotter pin, remove lock nut from CV, unbolt hub from back and remove, replace lug, reinstall in reverse order - use a new cotter pin.

-Brian

 

I'm not trying to hyjack the thread, but most of my previous cars required removing the whole knuckle to have it disassembled with a hydraulic press to access the back of the hub where the lugs are pressed through.

 

Maybe our terminology is different, but when I think knuckle I think steering knuckle? Hub is the piece where the studs go through? I thought I gave a pretty accurate description of removal, no "knuckle" needs to come off.

In any case, you seem to know what you are doing without needing the instructions so why ask? Basically, start taking pieces off until the piece with the studs comes off, replace studs, then put it back on the vehicle.

I did this to my last vehicle using a mallet and a vise.

-Brian