Brake Rotor Life?

[lambition]

How long have you used front rotors on IS250?

I have IS250 at 65,000 miles and got this car used at about 50,000 miles

Front rotors on this car have lip on router edge about 0.5 to 1 mm thick from surface of rotor. Because I never seen such a lip in any of cars I had before, I thought it was how rotors were designed.

Now, its pads are almost worn out. While ordering pads, I looked at some of the rotors and non-of them had lips on outer edge.

Is this lip from normal wear? If so, what is life expectancy from OEM rotors?

I wish I can measure thickness of rotor to check if it is still thick enough, but I do not have a micrometer.

Should I take rotors to shop and have it machined to remove lips? Or is it going to be ok to just chang pads?

[Steve]

i think its about 50k they need replacing.

Its normal for them to lip.. and they may have not lipped on other cars due to the different pads.. but they will all wear down eventually.

Might be worth upgrading to slotted or drilled rotors with upgraded pads to stop black dust.

[lenore]

If they are that worn at 65k then the rotors originals are poor or the pads are very aggressive. I know on my RX's the rotors looked great, even at 100k....Maybe the IS rotors are just doing a tremendous amount of work. You have two options, if the stopping is smooth you could just throw another set of pads on and then on the next change do pads and rotors...Or you could see if this is a common issue on the IS and opt for a better rotor and pad.

[lambition]

Thanks for replies.

Breaking is smooth and stopping very well. I believe factory pads are semi-metalic considering amount of dusts it creats. Right?

I will be replacing with Akebono Ceramic pads. Hope it is as good as semi-metalic pads on breaking power.

[lenore]

Look On tirerack.com they have ratings on different types of Akebono Pads. I have used them with Brembo Rotors and was very satisfied....good luck

[1990LS400]

I'm remembering a recall or "service campaign" on the IS250/350 brakes that included the 2008 model year. Anybody else?

You need to find the minimum thickness specifications for your rotors -- better get it from an OEM service manual or online Lexus Techinfo rather than rely on a car forum since it may depend on whether you have a RWD or AWD car. Some have said that the minimum thickness is always stamped near the middle of every rotor but I've never noticed it. The "lip" on the rotor is perfectly normal and is polished off when rotors are resurfaced.

The minimum acceptable brake pad thickness on most Toyota and Lexus models is only 1mm. Many dealers and repair shops will try to get you to do a brake job far, far before it is really needed. 1mm is really tiny and almost looks scary but you might as well let your pads wear down the minimum and get your money's worth out of them.

Always resurface rotors if you are going to reuse them -- not good to "cheap out" unless you like vibrations when you slam on the brakes.

[lambition]

Has anyone tried Napa Ultra Premium Rotors?

I'm considering just replacing rotor with new one.

I was going to work on breaks this Saturday.

Dealer parts are too expensive. I see some good rotors like Centric and Raybestos, but have to order on-line and will take about a week to get it.

Napa is only local place I can find rotor with some sort of rust protection.

It says "Onyx Guard Protectant Prevents Rust & Corrosion On The Rotor's Hat & Vanes" Don't know if that is just simple paint, or something equivalant to dealer part.

Any ideas?

[lambition]

Ok. I just did break job.

Used Napa Ultra Premium Rotors (880494) and Akebono Pro-Act Ceramic Pads (ACT1178).

Napa rotor had rust preventative paint on it, but missed few spots at outer rim edges. Paint is some sort of polimer based, so it does not come off with break cleaner. Which is good thing.

Inside vent was pretty rough compared to stock rotor, but since it is forged, understandable. Hope it is well balanced.

I have no tool to measure runout, but did not have any vibration during break in.

Original rotor was rusted and fused to hub. It took me a while to get them off. Tried hammer, but did not work. Put some WD-40 and tried again, still did not work. Went through my left over bolts bin and luckly, I found 1 bolt that will fit on rotor. It was left over from office chair :D.

I measured thickness of rotor with vernier caliper by placing 2 small nuts as spacer.

Original rotor only had 25.6mm left. Rotor did not have any minimum thickness stamped on it, but from what I have fround on google search its minium is 25mm. So, it was right thing to change rotor. Original thickness of the rotor was 28mm. (Lip was measured 28mm).

New Napa rotor had minimum thicnkess of 26mm stamped on it. I could not measure thickness of new rotor because I could not find my vernier caliper at the time. (It was hidden inside one of my drawers. :( )

[reyoasian]

About 100,000km should be fine (whatever miles that it)

Pads is about half of that, so about 50,000km (and whatever miles that is as well)

Usually I change rotors every other pad change

[lambition]

About 100,000km should be fine (whatever miles that it)

Pads is about half of that, so about 50,000km (and whatever miles that is as well)

Usually I change rotors every other pad change

That would be 62137 miles. So, I guess it is normal for IS250 rotors to wear so much.

My Highlander has 163,000 miles (262,323 km) and still has original rotor. I was surprised to see IS250 rotor to wear out so fast. Must be semi-metalic pads causing it.

Now i have ceramic pads on it, it will probably last longer. Won't break as good as semi-metalic, but don't need to be for daily driving.

[Spinnetti]

How long have you used front rotors on IS250?

I have IS250 at 65,000 miles and got this car used at about 50,000 miles

Front rotors on this car have lip on router edge about 0.5 to 1 mm thick from surface of rotor. Because I never seen such a lip in any of cars I had before, I thought it was how rotors were designed.

Now, its pads are almost worn out. While ordering pads, I looked at some of the rotors and non-of them had lips on outer edge.

Is this lip from normal wear? If so, what is life expectancy from OEM rotors?

I wish I can measure thickness of rotor to check if it is still thick enough, but I do not have a micrometer.

Should I take rotors to shop and have it machined to remove lips? Or is it going to be ok to just chang pads?

Lip is from wear. Get cheap calipers from Harbor Freight to measure them, but its probably time. Depends on driving style and many other factors, but 60k might be normal for you/your car. I tend to get 100k+ on my street car, but only 60k or so on the SUV. Chinese ebay rotors work just fine and are dirt cheap. May as well just replace them with the pads.

[UCF3]

Between .5 and 1.0 thickness is where I would start looking for good cheap pads and rotors. The lip sounds like the pads weren't seated completely flat or an angle.

The rotors and pads I added to the GS are mostly metalic but they rust like crazy. Yes they were cheap at $425 for rotors and pads all around.

[lambition]

Lip is from wear. Get cheap calipers from Harbor Freight to measure them, but its probably time. Depends on driving style and many other factors, but 60k might be normal for you/your car. I tend to get 100k+ on my street car, but only 60k or so on the SUV. Chinese ebay rotors work just fine and are dirt cheap. May as well just replace them with the pads.

I already have replaced both rotors and pads over weekend. I had caliper, but not micrometer. So, I used 2 nuts as spacer to measure. Only had 25.6mm left.

Original rotor said "MIN TH 25MM LEXUS 26MM OTHERS" inside vents.

My highlander still has original rotor with 165,000 miles on it. Never had such a deep lip. It was warped a little, so will be replacing on next break job.

Between .5 and 1.0 thickness is where I would start looking for good cheap pads and rotors. The lip sounds like the pads weren't seated completely flat or an angle.

The rotors and pads I added to the GS are mostly metalic but they rust like crazy. Yes they were cheap at $425 for rotors and pads all around.

Lip was on both outside and inside of rotor, so I don't think it was installed incorrectly. Edge of pads where rounded, which probably means when pads were replaced last time, rotor was not turned.

I was looking for not cheapest, but good enough quality ones. Most did not have any rust protective coating. Ended up getting Napa Ultra Premium, which I believe actually is Raybestos Advanced Technology. Only first digit is different on part number.

[UCF3]

Between .5 and 1.0 thickness is where I would start looking for good cheap pads and rotors. The lip sounds like the pads weren't seated completely flat or an angle.

The rotors and pads I added to the GS are mostly metalic but they rust like crazy. Yes they were cheap at $425 for rotors and pads all around.

Lip was on both outside and inside of rotor, so I don't think it was installed incorrectly. Edge of pads where rounded, which probably means when pads were replaced last time, rotor was not turned.

I was looking for not cheapest, but good enough quality ones. Most did not have any rust protective coating. Ended up getting Napa Ultra Premium, which I believe actually is Raybestos Advanced Technology. Only first digit is different on part number.

Good choice.

[jjdees]

I have an '08 ES350 with 96000 on it. The rotors are original and so are the pads. The last time it was serviced (92K miles) I was told that the pads still have 50% left. Unbelievable! Never experienced this before.

[1990LS400]

I have an '08 ES350 with 96000 on it. The rotors are original and so are the pads. The last time it was serviced (92K miles) I was told that the pads still have 50% left. Unbelievable! Never experienced this before.

Maybe your original "high-friction" brake pads were replaced at some point by your Lexus dealer with the "Alternate Front Brake Pads" under either the 2008 or 2009 TSIB covering the matter on thie 2006-2008 IS350. Work performed under TSIB's is often performed without informing an owner and information about the work coded on the work order, if listed at all, in a way that a customer cannot understand.

[UCF3]

I agree. The pads were probably replaced under the tsb and the rotors must have been resurfaced.

Original rotors and pads lasting upto 96k. That would be unbelievable.

[lexusteve]

Has anyone tried Napa Ultra Premium Rotors?

I'm considering just replacing rotor with new one.

I was going to work on breaks this Saturday.

Dealer parts are too expensive. I see some good rotors like Centric and Raybestos, but have to order on-line and will take about a week to get it.

Napa is only local place I can find rotor with some sort of rust protection.

It says "Onyx Guard Protectant Prevents Rust & Corrosion On The Rotor's Hat & Vanes" Don't know if that is just simple paint, or something equivalant to dealer part.

Any ideas?

I have used the NAPA UP rotors on several vehicles including my Tahoe and 2008 Corvette. Never a problem. I also install ceramic pads to cut down on the dust. Very satisfied with both.

[LEX-SV]

Has anyone tried Napa Ultra Premium Rotors?

I'm considering just replacing rotor with new one.

I was going to work on breaks this Saturday.

Dealer parts are too expensive. I see some good rotors like Centric and Raybestos, but have to order on-line and will take about a week to get it.

Napa is only local place I can find rotor with some sort of rust protection.

It says "Onyx Guard Protectant Prevents Rust & Corrosion On The Rotor's Hat & Vanes" Don't know if that is just simple paint, or something equivalant to dealer part.

Any ideas?

I have used the NAPA UP rotors on several vehicles including my Tahoe and 2008 Corvette. Never a problem. I also install ceramic pads to cut down on the dust. Very satisfied with both.

How about your IS250? (miles on brake pads and rotors, if they have ever been replaced)

[lexusteve]

My 2008 IS with 52K miles on the clock has the org. rotors. The factory pads were replaced around 30K miles. For normal street use go with ceramic pads. They are quiet and throw off very little visible dust.

[LEX-SV]

My 2008 IS with 52K miles on the clock has the org. rotors. The factory pads were replaced around 30K miles. For normal street use go with ceramic pads. They are quiet and throw off very little visible dust.

So were your factory pads worn to the point of needing replacement at 30K miles?

[lexusteve]

My guess would be no. The dealer did it, probably for safety inspection reasons.

[LEX-SV]

My guess would be no. The dealer did it, probably for safety inspection reasons.

I see. My front pads were replaced at 30K with the low dust version (per TSB) at no cost to me.

[tex2670]

How long have you used front rotors on IS250?

I have IS250 at 65,000 miles and got this car used at about 50,000 miles

Front rotors on this car have lip on router edge about 0.5 to 1 mm thick from surface of rotor. Because I never seen such a lip in any of cars I had before, I thought it was how rotors were designed.

Now, its pads are almost worn out. While ordering pads, I looked at some of the rotors and non-of them had lips on outer edge.

Is this lip from normal wear? If so, what is life expectancy from OEM rotors?

I wish I can measure thickness of rotor to check if it is still thick enough, but I do not have a micrometer.

Should I take rotors to shop and have it machined to remove lips? Or is it going to be ok to just chang pads?

Mine were shot at about 47,000 mi