Is 250 II brakes upgrade

[Lobex]

Hi,

I have a 2007 IS 250 II aut and I think that the original brakes are really not up to the job so I was thinking about upgrading them. Maybe put on the is350s 4 piston caliper and an original size drilled/slotted rotor because I would like to stay on the 17" tires. 

What do you think? Will the 350s caliper fit the original size rotor and a 17" wheel? Have any other suggestions?

Thanks..

[Texas]

Have you done any reading/searching on the US based Lexus Owners forum

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-2nd-gen-2006-2013-163/

More likely to have been done ( if poss) over there as the 350 is a rare beast over here!

paul m.

[Rebecca]

Personally I think the original brakes on the 250 are perfectly adequate. 

I own both an IS250 and an ISF. Obviously the ISF has bigger brakes but I find the brakes in the 250 as good as in my ISF.

[iwonder]

If you ever feel the brakes aren't that good, they probably have issues. When working correctly the is250 brakes are fine.

[Texas]

Here's a read on 350 brakes onto 250

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/suspension-and-brakes/405811-is350-brake-upgrade-on-is250.html

seems he got bits at a breakers! Like I said rare beast over here so chances of that here, hens teeth, unicorn poo, etc

paul m.

[is200 Newbie]

I find they are pretty good for stopping

Maybe you have issues with the calipers or need to change the choice of pads being used if it doesn't feel its stopping right?

[J Henderson]

Regarding the "IS350" upgrade. The same calipers and discs are fitted to the GS450h and various other GS models, plus cars such as IS200t also have them. So, they're actually more common in the UK than you think.

 

[peachy]

Why upgrade the brakes on the IS250? I just don't get it 😕

I've owned a variety of cars over the years including bmw, Mercedes, Audi, jaguar. 

I can say without doubt the brakes on the IS250 are probably the best I've ever experienced. 

[ColinBarber]

The IS250 brakes have enough power to lock up the wheels, producing more force than that isn't going to improve stopping power. So unless you are having fade issues with prolonged braking, have fitted substantially bigger tyres so the brakes can no longer overcome the forces to lock up the wheels then there really isn't a need to upgrade unless you are looking for better feel and/or better looks.

As stated above, the IS gets the same brakes fitted to higher powered and heavier vehicles so there is plenty of over capacity when fitted to the IS.

Maybe yours need servicing or have non-standard pads/discs?

[Lobex]

Don't get me wrong the brakes work perfectly in normal everyday driving. But when you are driving fast on a twisti road they overheat very quickly. That's why the upgrade..

[Rebecca]

1 hour ago, Lobex said:

Don't get me wrong the brakes work perfectly in normal everyday driving. But when you are driving fast on a twisti road they overheat very quickly. That's why the upgrade..

Do they? 

I never noticed this in my 250 f-sport and 75% of my driving takes place across the very twisty roads of the Brecon beacons/black mountains. 

I consider myself an enthusiastic driver and found the brakes of the 250 to be superb in any situation. 

Sure you can fit the larger brakes if you wish but you won't see any benefit with the upgrade. 

Of course they will look better on the vehicle I guess.

[scudney]

I find them more than adequate myself however seems as though he's managed to convince himself they need changing so he might as well change them and be happy 😊 

[TigerFish]

I’d say it was a good move. Regardless of the adequacy of the stock brakes, if you don’t have 100% confidence in them when they are pushed hard (I never did on any of my GS’s), then it is worth the work. Even if yours aren’t right in some way, fixing the stock ones, or going for a much better option, is a no brainier IMO. Especially as we all know, the sliding calipers are commonly “problematic” on most lexus models.

Unfortunately, I’ve no idea how easily they fit, but it sounds like it has been done before, and the other lexus models that have those calipers as stock, run 17’s as an option.


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[Texas]

If you get your skates on ( got until 9pm tonight) you could get some brembo pads for the front for less than £25 and the discs will be £54 to see if that makes a difference from EuroCar Parts using discount code " FLASH50 " at checkout.

50% off Brakes  til 9pm gotta be worth a look for anyone else who likes getting their hands dirty!

Or if you want Genuine Lexus parts that's gonna be £170 https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Genuine-Lexus-Front-Discs-Pads-IS250-IS220d-IS300h-43512-30310/182293784294?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

Not sure what you are running with at the moment but as the fronts do a massive amount of braking compared to the back I would start with some known good stuff before major alterations.

paul m.

[Linas.P]

On 1/7/2018 at 8:20 PM, Lobex said:

Hi,

I have a 2007 IS 250 II aut and I think that the original brakes are really not up to the job so I was thinking about upgrading them. Maybe put on the is350s 4 piston caliper and an original size drilled/slotted rotor because I would like to stay on the 17" tires. 

What do you think? Will the 350s caliper fit the original size rotor and a 17" wheel? Have any other suggestions?

Thanks..

IS350 calipers are one of typical IS250 upgrades. However, the front calipers won't clear 17" wheels - you have to go 18" if you want IS350 calipers. 

One way or another I highly recommend to do this, it is massive benefit from having IS350 brakes in terms of maintenance. IS250 calipers is really weak spot of the car, they are definitely undersized and wears excessively. I even hardly lock-up the wheels - I remember when I fitted new tires and had nice 500 miles run-in there was the point where it would not engage ABS, because wheels would not slip. Obviously, that heavily depends on conditions - yes on the wet road or with the worn tires IS250 calipers can lock-up wheels.

That all said, the biggest benefit of IS350 calipers is the maintenance, wear on IS250 is excessive - disks needs changing with almost every set of pads. As well undersized disk on IS250 are easily overheated, easy to warp and crack - especially if you fit some aftermarket drilled/grooved/slotted ones. And lets not start talking about all calipers sticking issues etc. - that is the sole pain point of mk IS250 (maybe expect of creaks from dash).

Whats more - you will be better of looking for GS350/300 mk2 calipers, they are identical to IS350 mk2 but being from older car are much cheaper.

[Lobex]

17 hours ago, Linas.P said:

IS350 calipers are one of typical IS250 upgrades. However, the front calipers won't clear 17" wheels - you have to go 18" if you want IS350 calipers. 

One way or another I highly recommend to do this, it is massive benefit from having IS350 brakes in terms of maintenance. IS250 calipers is really weak spot of the car, they are definitely undersized and wears excessively. I even hardly lock-up the wheels - I remember when I fitted new tires and had nice 500 miles run-in there was the point where it would not engage ABS, because wheels would not slip. Obviously, that heavily depends on conditions - yes on the wet road or with the worn tires IS250 calipers can lock-up wheels.

That all said, the biggest benefit of IS350 calipers is the maintenance, wear on IS250 is excessive - disks needs changing with almost every set of pads. As well undersized disk on IS250 are easily overheated, easy to warp and crack - especially if you fit some aftermarket drilled/grooved/slotted ones. And lets not start talking about all calipers sticking issues etc. - that is the sole pain point of mk IS250 (maybe expect of creaks from dash).

Whats more - you will be better of looking for GS350/300 mk2 calipers, they are identical to IS350 mk2 but being from older car are much cheaper.

Are you sure I have to go to 18' because I checked the factory wheel size and and the IS 350 also comes on 17' so I should be OK..

[Linas.P]

I am very surprised by that, I remember reading on US forum that it won't clear front caliper. Additionally, it seems that all US 350's had 18inch alloys from factory. However, if following car is anything to go by (JDM version):

https://www.beforward.jp/lexus/is/bf708762/id/836297/

..then indeed 17 inch clears IS350 brakes (it looks quite thigh there). Note that rear ones looks identical to IS250, so maybe you only need to get front's done.

[Lobex]

On 17. 1. 2018 at 12:06 AM, Rebecca said:

Do they? 

I never noticed this in my 250 f-sport and 75% of my driving takes place across the very twisty roads of the Brecon beacons/black mountains. 

I consider myself an enthusiastic driver and found the brakes of the 250 to be superb in any situation. 

Sure you can fit the larger brakes if you wish but you won't see any benefit with the upgrade. 

Of course they will look better on the vehicle I guess.

If you are talking about the 250 F sport you must know that it already comes with bigger brakes and an upgraded suspension as stock..

The other thing is that I when I raced rally cars I got used to braking in the middle of the corner with my left food which I still do today so the brakes really do a lot of work..

I don't know how the roads in Black mountains look like but the roads here in Slovenia are "sick" 😀

 

 

[Exdee]

The hub on the IS350 is different. Unless you are going to replace the hub too the stock 17" wheels won't clear. 

The clearance is fine as far as the diameter goes but offset is an issue. 17 wheels with a more aggressive offset will clear.

And I know all of this as I too found the brakes on the IS250 inadequate!

[Linas.P]

19 hours ago, Lobex said:

250 F sport you must know that it already comes with bigger brakes and an upgraded suspension as stock..

This is incorrect, IS250 F-Sport has identical brakes to the rest of the range. Specifically, in UK there seems to be only styling differences, half-alcantara seats and sound-amplifying intake, but mechanically the car is identical to the rest. EU and US models seems to have upgraded anti-roll bars, but as far as suspension and brakes goes they are still identical.

@Exdee - that was my understanding as well, but as posted above JDM car has stock 17 inch alloys over IS350 brakes... That is new to me as well... 

[Tango]

I did the IS350 disc and caliper upgrade to my IS250 SE-L way back in 2006-2007 and it was a vast improvement to the standard which I found to be a bit 'grabby' and suffered from high wear to the discs with excessive dust from the pads. My car was on 19' inch rims because as other people have confirmed, although the calipers are a direct swop, the 350 hub and 250 hub are a different size so the standard 17 inch wheel will not fit around the calipers. I used Hawk performance pads which generated a lot less dust than the Lexus pads.

When the IS250 was introduced in the USA there were many, many complaints about the excessive dust coming off the standard pads and consequently Lexus introduced a low dust pad for the IS250 which unfortunately was not made available in the UK. However, I was a frequent visitor to Texas in those days and purchased a set of standard discs and low dust pads which I still have in their original wrapping as I did the 350 upgrade before I put them on the car.

[Lobex]

On 20. 1. 2018 at 2:53 PM, Linas.P said:

This is incorrect, IS250 F-Sport has identical brakes to the rest of the range. Specifically, in UK there seems to be only styling differences, half-alcantara seats and sound-amplifying intake, but mechanically the car is identical to the rest. EU and US models seems to have upgraded anti-roll bars, but as far as suspension and brakes goes they are still identical.

@Exdee - that was my understanding as well, but as posted above JDM car has stock 17 inch alloys over IS350 brakes... That is new to me as well... 

Funny, cause I got this info about the F sport from a friend that works at a Lexus dealer here in Slovenia. But its also true that Lexus dealers in Slovenia don't know sh..t about the brand.  They still think Audi is the best car in the world.. Anyway thanks for all the info.. Regards,

Iztok 

[Lobex]

On 17. 1. 2018 at 9:33 AM, TigerFish said:

I’d say it was a good move. Regardless of the adequacy of the stock brakes, if you don’t have 100% confidence in them when they are pushed hard (I never did on any of my GS’s), then it is worth the work. Even if yours aren’t right in some way, fixing the stock ones, or going for a much better option, is a no brainier IMO. Especially as we all know, the sliding calipers are commonly “problematic” on most lexus models.

Unfortunately, I’ve no idea how easily they fit, but it sounds like it has been done before, and the other lexus models that have those calipers as stock, run 17’s as an option.


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Thanks 👍

[Lobex]

On 18. 1. 2018 at 8:18 PM, Linas.P said:

I am very surprised by that, I remember reading on US forum that it won't clear front caliper. Additionally, it seems that all US 350's had 18inch alloys from factory. However, if following car is anything to go by (JDM version):

https://www.beforward.jp/lexus/is/bf708762/id/836297/

..then indeed 17 inch clears IS350 brakes (it looks quite thigh there). Note that rear ones looks identical to IS250, so maybe you only need to get front's done.

How do you know they are 17s? I can't find any data..

[Linas.P]

Just because they are standard 17" for mk2 - my car used to have set of these wheels originally, there are no way to get it wrong. Pre-face lift cars had two options:

18":

17":

Again, it seems (apparently) 17" clears IS350 brakes - I personally would go for 18" regardless... just in case - it looks tight with 17".