1. Home
  2. General Toyota Forum
  3. Brake Pad Question On Lexus LS430

Brake Pad Question On Lexus LS430

I recently had my 2004 Lexus LS430 (19,000 miles, 18 months old) to the dealer for warranty work. While the car was there, I asked them to check the brake pad wear. They told me that I have 5/32nds left on all 4 and that was about half way. After I left, I started thinking about it and have a few questions:

  1. DOES 5/32nds left really mean I've only worn half the pads? How many
32nds does a new pad have?

  1. I live in Pittsburgh. LOTS AND LOTS of hills all day. And to be totally honest, my driving "could be better". In other words, I hit the brakes pretty hard perhaps more than a better driver would (I am trying to be nice to myself in public). My 2004 LS430 now has 19,000 miles on the odometer and these are the original pads. I have NEVER EVER gotten more than 15,000 miles from front pads on other make cars, although the rears usually last to about

40,000. My Mercedes' cars were even much worse...about 11,000 from front pads. Of course the Mercedes dealers would "snob rationalize" that way by pointing out that those cars have "soft" pads, implying that I should love changing pads as the price for whatever "soft" pads are supposed to do above and beyond what the rest of the world's brakes do. (I never saw any braking difference.) So this brings to mind a subquestion:

Does the Lexus use some sort of different braking system where, instead of the front brake pads wearing quicker than the rear as is usually the case, the load is distributed more evenly? If so, that would expiain my situation where the fronts are lasting longer and the rears maybe shorter. But also if so, wouldn't OTHER manufacturers be quick to catch onto this and it not be some hidden Lexus thing?

Any insight here would be helpful. Also, when I do change the pads, is there a reason (other than convenience, confidence, etc) to use the dealer, or can a decent independent handle the job. Frankly a good friend owns a Meineke Muffler franchise and he swears it's not different than a high end Toyota and he does Lexus brake pads all the time (although I suspect older Lexi where the people avoid the dealer). While I would probably not normally take my 18 month old $60,000 to ANY franchise that is geared to older, "lower end" cars, I trust this guy and I would be buying him, not Meineke.

I look forward to what you folks here know and think about this.

Reply to
D.D. Palmer
Loading thread data ...

OEM pad thickness varies from 8 to 12/32" On almost any pad, replacement is recommend at 2/32" remaining.

At the most basic level, brake linings, wheither pads or shoes, transform kinetic energy to heat energy thorugh friction. Soft pads will create more friction than harder pads with a given amount of pressure and so are more effective. The drawback to soft pads is more rapid wear and more brake dust on the wheels. Soft pads also tend to be quieter and less prone to brake squeal.

Our 2003 Sequoia has electronic brake force distribution to help stop the vehicle more quickly and efficiently. I have not studied the system, but the logical way to accomplish this is for the vehicle to sense deceleration and apply more braking to the wheels as necessary. When you brake, the weight of the vehicle is transferred to the front wheels and in conventional braking systems, the reduced weight on the rear wheels could cause the wheel wells to lock up, which would cause skids. Solutions to this condition are load-sensing proportioning valves, which limit the flow of brake fluid to the rear wheels under heavy braking, proportioning valves which always limit the flow of fluid to the rear, and of course, anti-lock brakes. Electronic brake force distribution systems get around the reduced stopping power to the rear brakes without causing skids. Of course, if the rear brakes are used more, they will wear more quickly but at the same time take some of the work load away from the front brakes.

I can't imagine that a 2004 LS 430 would not have a similar system.

I always recommend OEM brake parts to avoid incompatibility between pads and rotors. Also, the fit on OEM pads tend to be much better than on aftermarket pads. Changing brake pads is not rocket science and if you want your friend to do the work, I'd recommend that you have him buy genuine Lexus pads and have him install them, or buy the pads yourself and take them to him for installation.

Reply to
Ray O

Ray, excellent information! Thank you! OK, so I buy the pads myself. What about the rotors? Do people still "turn" them, or am I hearing that cheap, "just as good" aftermarket rotors from China have made turning obsolete? At

19,000 HARD PITTSBURGH MILES, the need for SOMETHING (new/turned) is 50/50.
Reply to
D.D. Palmer

D.D.,

You're welcome!

If the rotors are in good condition, i.e., not warped, rusted, scored, etc., then it is not necessary to turn them. As long as the rotors remain in good condition and are not below the minimum useable thickness, then there is no need to turn or replace them. I can usually get 2 or 3 pad replacements before having to replace rotors, unless we wait too long and let the rotors get scored.

I am not a fan of aftermarket rotors, especially on such an expensive car, and even more so if you live in a hilly area and experience rapid wear due to lots of use and always recommend OEM pads, rotors, drums, and shoes.

The exception to my rule about aftermarket pads and rotors is if you are going with competition style brakes which you probably would not be happy with because of their short life.

Reply to
Ray O

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.