brakes....
Pole Position
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 2,673
Likes: 408
From: Colorado
Agree with Lou^^^There are plenty of options out there that IMO and many others on this forum have come to the conclusion that there are better aftermarket solutions for brake pads for the F...........
Pole Position
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 252
Likes: 23
From: NC
Buy the Brembo rotor replacements on ebay. I picked up a set of Hawk HPS 5.0 pads. The HPS 5.0 pads stop well, have no noise, and are low dust. The job is easy enough to do yourself if you are mechanically inclined. So the rotors and pads purchased online are WAY cheaper than OEM.
Driver
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 195
Likes: 2
From: TX
I'm on my fourth or fifth set of pads / rotors.
Had oem for 3 times. Then tried the textar. Now on to winmax W2.
Cannot yet comment on the W2 because I just put them on new rotors. They were squeeling like crazy before since I had textar old rotors.
I was not happy with textar ones.
Had oem for 3 times. Then tried the textar. Now on to winmax W2.
Cannot yet comment on the W2 because I just put them on new rotors. They were squeeling like crazy before since I had textar old rotors.
I was not happy with textar ones.
If you're not used to paying this much for brake related parts then there are other less expensive options that are better than OEM for street use. If it were my money and I wanted a good, very inexpensive street pad I would go with Stoptech Streets. You will sacrifice on dust and initial bite but they have a fair amount of midrange torque, good heat tolerance and are gentle on rotors.
This isn't aimed at the OP or anyone specifically, just a small rant since I feel strongly about these things on higher end vehicles. I know this can be very subjective but I've never believed in cutting costs on the brake pads. In short they are the single most important part of the brake system and change how you perceive your car's braking performance. For street pads in luxury performance vehicles (IS-F) there is also a concern with dust and noise and how much performance a pad will sacrifice to achieve low dust and noise, or vice versa. As with most things in life, more often than not you get what you pay for. Even from a financial standpoint there is realistically little difference between a very cheap pad and something of quality. Lets say stoptech street vs Project Mu NS400 since both are popular options that sit far apart on the street pad price spectrum. At face value the NS400 are nearly double the price but in all honesty whats a $200 price difference amortized over the life of the pads? Depending on how often and aggressively you drive it will typically work out to being less than an extra tank of gas a year or so. But for that you also get a better product that dusts a lot less and shouldn't ever make any noise through out it's life. You have to live with brake pads every time you drive your car and use the brakes so isn't it worth it to pay for the product that is exactly what you want? Just my .02
-Matt M.
This isn't aimed at the OP or anyone specifically, just a small rant since I feel strongly about these things on higher end vehicles. I know this can be very subjective but I've never believed in cutting costs on the brake pads. In short they are the single most important part of the brake system and change how you perceive your car's braking performance. For street pads in luxury performance vehicles (IS-F) there is also a concern with dust and noise and how much performance a pad will sacrifice to achieve low dust and noise, or vice versa. As with most things in life, more often than not you get what you pay for. Even from a financial standpoint there is realistically little difference between a very cheap pad and something of quality. Lets say stoptech street vs Project Mu NS400 since both are popular options that sit far apart on the street pad price spectrum. At face value the NS400 are nearly double the price but in all honesty whats a $200 price difference amortized over the life of the pads? Depending on how often and aggressively you drive it will typically work out to being less than an extra tank of gas a year or so. But for that you also get a better product that dusts a lot less and shouldn't ever make any noise through out it's life. You have to live with brake pads every time you drive your car and use the brakes so isn't it worth it to pay for the product that is exactly what you want? Just my .02
-Matt M.
Last edited by SpeedFreaksUSA; Jun 6, 2016 at 04:12 PM.
^^^^Well said. I guess that's what I was trying to infer by my posts above
And I might add, why put inferior (price conscious) pads on a vehicle with such a strong set of calipers and such a well designed brake system. I know I can overdrive my F into a corner and the brakes won't let me down. I also know I can stop, repeatedly, in a shorter distance than 90% of the other cars out there. I can count on my calipers, pads, rotors, lines, and fluid. Brakes and tires are our lifeline to the street. Scrimping money on such important components is just not worth it.
Lou
And I might add, why put inferior (price conscious) pads on a vehicle with such a strong set of calipers and such a well designed brake system. I know I can overdrive my F into a corner and the brakes won't let me down. I also know I can stop, repeatedly, in a shorter distance than 90% of the other cars out there. I can count on my calipers, pads, rotors, lines, and fluid. Brakes and tires are our lifeline to the street. Scrimping money on such important components is just not worth it.Lou
Pit Crew
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 175
Likes: 0
From: CA
I just changed my front pads two weeks ago... after a lot of thought I elected for the Project Mu NS400. So far so good! Hardest part of the whole job is getting the car on jack stands. I didn't personally mind spending $200 on pads considering what Lexus initially quoted me for the full factory pad install ($700).
