I found out after some spirited driving that I need to upgrade my brake pads. They gave that feeling of turning into butter after some hard pulls and rapidly decreasing speed for corners etc. I think EBC's "Red stuff" is the performance street pad most people use that supposedly focuses on less noise and dust (mostly ceramic still). But due to the somewhat extreme nature of my car, I'm thinking the Yellow Stuff (street/track) pads might be better suited to my needs. Of course you have to take the bad with the good when it comes to noise/dust, but safety is obviously paramount. Anyone experienced pads like these or have suggestions? Embarrassingly I am currently running a set of Centric PosiQuiet Ceramic pads front and rear. Just regular replacement type pads. I am however running an LS400 front brake kit and an LS430 rear brake setup. All rotors are drilled/slotted. So at least they are all bigger and there is a lot of heat dissipation. Just need better pads at this point. I've never tried EBC or Hawk pads and they are the two names that come to mind. Any other brands I should consider or stay away from?

 

I can't comment on Yellow Stuff, but I ran EBC Red Stuff. No dust, no noise. No issues at autocross, but that is also very short runs with lower top speeds and ample cool down between laps. I don't know how they'd have held up on a road course.

I'm now running Project Mu NS-C in IS350 calipers up front and stock calipers in the rear. More dust, but still a quiet pad- no track pad squealing. I do have the full set of OEM Lexus shims in the front calipers, and some generic ones in the rear, to help with noise. Again, very satisfied with autocross and street performance but I have no track insights to offer.

 

Great info, thank you. I had not heard of the IS350 brakes on a GS300. It seems to be a better option than the LS460 swap because the IS350 lug bolt pattern is still 5x114.3 vs the 5x120 on the LS. And they are pretty much identical in rotor diameter. Any information you have on doing the swap? Is it just like slapping on the LS400 set?

 

I used the 350phi adaptor kit to allow the installation of 06+ IS/GS/RC350, F-Sport, or IS/GS/RC-F calipers and the appropriate rotors. The smallest 4-piston Advics setup uses a 334mm rotor, which is what I used in order to be able to run 18" wheels. The largest setup that uses that caliper mounting is the RC/GS-F 6-piston Brembo kit with 380mm rotors.

It is forbidden to link to their website because they are a member here but not a registered vendor, but all the information on compatibility is there.

My motivation for choosing the Advics 4-piston caliper over an LS400 swap or Supra TT swap was that it's 4-piston like the Supra but aluminum like the LS400. And I guessed that it would be easier to find inexpensive calipers from an IS or GS than an LS, as well as have more performance pad options.

One thing that could be considered a downside is that it requires an irreversible modification to the knuckle, by boring out one of the caliper bolt holes and tapping it. The size of the calipers also adds a layer of difficulty to finding wheels that fit.

 

Interesting, I'll look into this. This sort of thing is right up my alley when it comes to performance modifications. Big brake kits start at 330mm and go up from there. The LS400 rotors are only 315mm. Those IS350 ones are 234mm. The cost of an entry level bbk is in the $3,000+ range. I am running 18" wheels as well so something in this size would be nice.

 

I run the Yellow stuff pads on all 4 corners of my GS, I have done the LS400 brake swap. They are definitely alot of work to keep the dust off my rims, and they cost about $250 for the set, and they recommend running some high quality drilled or slotted rotors to ensure you won’t get any brake fade if you ever stop hard a few times in a row, i have Toyo R888R rubber on all 4 corners, and I get the ABS coming on anytime I stomp on the brake pedal, but I can stop really well for a 4000lb car

 

Nice! We have a similar setup. 305 R888R on the rear, LS400s up front. R1 Concepts Geomet drilled/slotted rotors front and rear. The LS430 set on the rear also changes the rears to vented rotors (MK4 Supra TT rotors) rather than the little non vented that come on the GS. Also running braided steel lines and Dot4 fluid. I think the Yellow Stuff pads will really make it a solid setup. It is a street only car so I’ll try to stop myself from another upgrade to the fronts. As cool as it is, probably not necessary for me. Just running street UHP tires up front, but at least they are 265s and ABS is working.

 

Are cars are similar except you have got a hell of a lot more horsepower than I do, I really need to get a whipple and a CD009. If you have spent the money for the BBK set up and your running 888’s then you should stay the course and get the Yellowstuff pads. If you get tired of the dust, you can always keep some ceramic pads around for street driving and swap em back out pretty quickly..

 

I think I will go with the yellows. Haven't found a better option, and plenty of people seem happy.
Update: So I went ahead and placed the order. Was able to get both sets for $210. I'm sure my braking will be up to snuff with these. I'll just have to accept the dust.