Jump to content


Ceramic Brakes


wolfmoon

Recommended Posts

I recently went to a Sears Auto care and was told that I absolutley had to have ceramic brakes on my es300. They also happen the most expensive type. Is she milking me b/c I own a lexus or giving me good advice? Also, she said that my rear rotors need replacing. My car has 134000 mi. and I have not noticed any brake noises. Is it likely that my rotors are damaged?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Andrew

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No you don't need to use the most expensive brake pads on your car. You can use a cheaper alternative, but everything is a trade off. The cheaper ones don't last as long. The more expensive ones generally are so hard that they tend to make noise, and require a harder push on the pedal, but they do last longer. I suggest that you use the same pads that are presently on your car. You already know how they work (pedal pressure needed to stop in all circumstances) and how long

they will last, according to your driving style. Unless you are unhappy with their performance, why change?. As to your rear pads, they usually last twice as long as front pads, because your front brakes do 60% of the stopping of your vehicle, and the rears only 40%. Yes, you can wait till you hear the rear pad warning fingers scream that they need to be changed, but you've already had it suggested that they may be close to that point, and how long was it that you last replaced

them? With a 134 000 miles on the car, they have already been changed once, or they should have been. One more thing. Your ES 300 is really a high end Toyota Camry. I went to my Toyota dealer for the pads on my wife's ES 300 (Toyota is in my home town, Lexus dealer is 75 miles away), and they said I could use the same ones as the Camry. Put them on myself, they fit and work perfectly with the same pedal feel and stopping power, and I'll bet they were cheaper than at the Lexus dealership. Just my backyard mechanic's two cents worth.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Although you don't have to use them, they are recommended. I put ceramics on myself and the feel is the same as the originals (because they were also ceramic). I have minimal brake dust and NO sqeaking noise whatsover. My brother in law on the other hand went for mettalics, saved a few bucks, but can live with the noise. As wolfmoon said, its a tradeoff where the ceramics provide a certain pedal feel. Just remeber though, although metallics may last longer, if they are not wearing down as fast, that means your rotors are more like to wear down faster. ( I think they aslo produce more brake dust as well).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership