oSUPRAo

I have a 1998 SC300 and I'm wondering if a LS400/TT brake upgrade is really necessary? This is a daily driver but I want it to handle being driven hard and I might go to the track occasionally. If I do upgrade I plan on going with the LS400 front calipers and rotors, which costs $750 at the local dealership. Is it really worth the $750+? How much better are we talking than just getting stainless lines, new pads, and Brembo blank rotors on the stock SC300 setup?

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

1998 SC300's were the first year to get the same brakes as all 1992-2000 SC400's and NA MKIV Supras. They are a step up from the 1992-1997 SC300 brakes. The LS400 calipers or TT calipers are still superior though.

If your requirements are driving the car hard and occasionally tracking it then I would have to say yes, get yourself at least LS400 front calipers. I daily drive my SC and while it hasn't been to a track it sees its fair share of mountain road driving. It gets driven in a docile way and it gets driven hard. The upgraded brakes are essential to slowing down the mass of the vehicle once you get it moving in an aggressive manner. I do feel it comes down to a safety concern if the car is treated like a GT/sportscar.

I spent $900 on brand new Supra MKIV TT front bake calipers several years ago... but if I were to do it over now I would buy them used and recondition them. I bought my rear TT calipers used and installed those as is. They have been perfectly fine. Would I say it was worth the $900 to me for the front TT calipers alone...? Emphatically YES... however I would still find them used if I had it to do over again. Same parts just with more miles on them. A factory caliper rebuild kit would cure any issues later.

It's not worth $750 to buy those LS400 calipers new from a dealer but it is definitely worth it to buy them. At the very least don't buy them from just any Lexus dealer-- go to one that does online discounts. There are a few good ones that do.

More to the point, buy a set of LS400 calipers from the SC300/400 classifieds section. Or from Supraforums. Rotors and maybe some bolts and other specific mounting hardware that goes with the swap you'll need to get new.

If you want to know if an LS400 or TT front caliper upgrade is really worth it in general or that dramatic of a difference from stock... without hesitation the answer is YES. They really are that good. They should have come on these cars as standard equipment or at least as a factory option. They completely change the braking confidence of the vehicle. They have much higher fade resistance than the stock system when used with some good aftermarket pads like the Hawk HPS and you'll never worry about warping rotors.

You can still overwork LS400 calipers or Supra TT calipers on a racetrack if you drive the living hell out of your car flat out lap after lap but I guarantee you would have to work very hard to do that in any other situation. Both caliper designs are very, very, very good.

Goodridge SS lines, Hawk HPS pads (or whatever you like), and Brembo blank or Centric blank rotors will be an improvement over stock but given your intended use I would still advise upgrading to the LS400 calipers in the front. But buy them used. NO need to spend $750 on the calipers alone at a dealer that is charging you MSRP.

oSUPRAo

Thanks, I appreciate the reply. I guess I am getting raped if I buy them new. There is just something nice about having brand new ones. Also, I see that there are at least a couple of aftermarket replacement LS400 calipers. Should I only buy oem Lexus calipers or are the replacement brands okay? How can I tell if I am even buying oem calipers? Last but not least, are StopTech SS lines okay?

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

No, buy OEM calipers whether you get them new or used. I believe places like Autozone just sell remanufactured original calipers they had traded in as old stock during vehicle repairs. StopTech is a very good company that is well known for making their own big brake caliper systems in addition to simple stainless steel lines. Those will be fine to use.

CatManD3W

iTrader: (18)

LS400 Calipers make a huge difference.........and IMO should be first upgrade to do on car.....pair them with TT rears and you got an all around awesome setup...

Purchase remanufactured calipers from any auto parts store......i.e Advance Auto/Autozone.....

When you go tell them you want 95 ls400 front calipers....but be sure to look in box to confirm...


Id first look on classifieds section......generally you'll find a pair pop up

oSUPRAo

Unfortunately I have a relatively small income because I'm in college. I would love to get LS400 front calipers at the very least, but then I also need new wheels apparently because the OEM 5 spokes wont clear them. Then instead of just $400-500 I'm looking at another grand on a set of wheels and another $600-$800 on a set of tires. I would like to get bigger wheels at some point anyways, but I'd rather not drop almost $2,500 in one shot. I would appreciate any suggestions...

CatManD3W

iTrader: (18)

Look into getting OEM wheels from another car that will fit....for example 350z wheels

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

^^ Yes, 350Z wheels or a set of OEM Supra Twin Turbo wheels. They're designed for those brakes and durable as can be.

A good set of aftermarket wheels in the right offset and bolt pattern will work well but buying a set new will be pricey. You want something where you can run at least a 255mm rear tire out back.

Blkexcoupe

iTrader: (8)

Any of the 18" wheels from the newer IS350 and GS would be perfect for clearing the LS brakes. They usually come with 225/40/18 and 255/40/18 tires for a decent price.

RXRodger

iTrader: (2)

This is bad advice in my experience. I bought Advance Auto reman calipers for less than $60/ea on a 20% off deal for the race car SC and have hammered on them for 2 seasons by far harder than anything you will ever see street driving and they have performed fine. Just don't get stuck on everything OEM. There is a place for that, like knock sensors, temp sensors, rear main seals, etc but there is quite a bit of stuff you can buy from the parts houses and online like RockAuto, 1A Auto, Amazon, etc that work very well and save you lots and lots of money. And stainless steel lines? I have been racing and track driving for years and have yet to see a real benefit to that, other than they look nice. Performance from them? Not even noticeable on a stock track car, or even a bit of a hopped up one like my 500hp BMW track beast. But, to each their own.

Duck05

While not "free", re-manufactured/refurbished LS400 calipers are available:





These can then be painted to your tastes...




Your bigger investment could be the wheels you need to clear these larger calipers....

oSUPRAo

I guess I could skip the ss lines and save myself a couple hundred. They do look nice though, lol, and I figured the lines are probably original and due for replacing anyways. Would I be better off just getting some oem rubber ones?

KahnBB6

iTrader: (5)

I have a set of Goodridge stainless steel brake lines in my car but admittedly I am convinced the big difference I notice is the brake calipers and larger rotors themselves and not the stainless lines. I don't think it hurts to have them installed but if your rubber lines work as is with the original braking system them you should be fine to wait on stainless lines.

^^ I second Duck05's suggestion of getting your LS400 brake calipers from A1 Cardone. I forgot about them being another option.

^^ I know Advance Auto is good also. You mean you have not had good experience with Autozone remans vs Advance? If that's the prevailing wisdom of where to buy remans these days then I stand corrected.

oSUPRAo, I have to agree with RXRodger here... I did say I don't regret buying my TT calipers new in the past and since they were done once and moved on from and I still don't regret it... but since that time I have learned it wasn't necessary to buy them brand new from a dealer to obtain a good set of calipers. Finding a set for sale on the forums or just going with the reman source recommendations Duck05 and RXRodger recommended sound like the best bets.

And I agree with the notion in general: not every single part need be OEM. Sensors, most gaskets, yes. Other parts... not always.

CatManD3W

iTrader: (18)

Kahn,

RXRodger is saying there is no need to buy new....and he stated that he has reman caliper from advance/autozone on his race car that he has used for 2 seaasons without any issues and the calipers see more use than a typical street car would..

I have the same calipers as Duck and RXRodger....

Just go to auto parts store and ask for the calipers everyone has mentioned.....its really a simple process

Ali SC3

iTrader: (10)

Kahn said get oem whether it be new or used and then mentioned the autozone are remanufactured original ones... which are still oem.
Rxrodger said the same thing Kahn did but called it bad advice for some reason which was confusing.

As far as I know there aren't aftermarket ls400 calipers, they are all OEM whether they are new, used or rebuilt.

you will be surprised how hardy they are, really there are only a couple things to inspect replace on a rebuild.
I got a set from a junkyard for like $100, they were not seized so I cleaned them up and painted them and threw them on the car with the stock lines and got some cross drilled and slotted rotors and pads for maybe another $100. Its been 3 years and lots of aggressive braking and the car stops amazing, no shimmies nothing. you will need larger wheels and consider replacing the spare tire with a larger wheel as well.
You don't have to break the bank to do this upgrade and even used ls400 calipers are going to be much better than brand new 98 sc300 brakes, its not even close.

also the real problem with the stock brakes is the second time you have to brake hard, as in going 80 you brake aggressively once, then get up to speed within a few minutes and try it again... you will see how much less bite you have the second time around. the ls400 brakes I can consistently lock up time and time again, it does fade but it takes a whole lot longer.

also alot of people don't realize there is a big difference between ls400 vs supra tt calipers, that is the weight. seriously get them next to each other and lift the ls400 and then lift the supra tt caliper. the supra TT caliper is a beast compared to the ls400 ones cause they are iron versus the ls400 aluminum. For a street car that sees occasional aggressive driving or very light track usage hands down go with ls400 brakes.. there is no point to go with the supra units. Now if you are tracking you car alot or doing lots of agressive braking, go with the TT calipers because they dissipate heat a little better and are a little more resistant to brake fade which is why they put those on the supra.. cause if you look at the rest of the mk4 they tried to shave weight everywhere like the aluminum hood and valvecovers etc... but the engineers understood the difference between a sports car stopping well "repeatedly" versus a luxury sedan that needs to stop well "a couple of times". That being said is the difference huge or something most people will notice... probably not unless you are tracking it and you would probably slap a 6 piston kit on at that point anyways.

This concludes my brake rant, carry on