Lexus IS350 - Centric Slotted Front Brake Rotors - Install and Review

Centric is now offering slotted (but not cross drilled) rotors for the IS350.

Centric rotors are made in China from cast steel.

The part number on the box 126.441386 is for the front left rotor.

The rotors on the IS350 are direction, requiring different right and left rotors.
Why is Centric not offering cross drilled rotors? Because they are concerned about catastrophic rotor failure. Vented rotors contain fins or veins in the center of the rotor. Take a close look at the picture on the right. You can see the fins. The fins in rotors for the IS350 are very close together, and improper cross drilling will hit them, thereby reducing the structural integrity of the rotor. Under extreme circumstances, drilling through the fins will lead to catastrophic cracking and brake failure. Beware of some eBay sellers that are offering cross drilled rotors. Look closely at their photographs and you can tell that the cross drilling is going through the rotor fins. If you purchase cross drilled rotors, verify that a the cross drilling was CAD verified to avoid the fins.
Here is Centric's product for the IS350

Stock Rotor - Notice the directional fins. The directional fins match the tire's rotation.

This rotor is shown with wear after approx. 13k miles
Two bolts hold the caliper to the hub - remove from the back
Remove the cotter pin from the retaining rod. Then slide the retaining rod out to release the pads. See next photo.
 
 

Completed!

Since the front wheels were off the car, I took the opportunity to clean the inside of the wheel and apply a polymer sealant (high-tech wax). I'm hoping this will decrease the build up of brake dust.
Notice the slots run contrary to the angle of the rotor fins.
Review of Centric rotors and PosiQuite pads after 12,000 miles

The test vehicle (2006 IS350) used this setup for just over 12,000 miles. Overall, the setup worked as promised- low brake dust, minimal noise, and good stopping power. I cannot verify with measured results whether braking distance was reduced. A heuristic analysis based on very aggressive stopping maneuvers indicates this setup works at least as well as the factory setup.

Wear after 12,000 miles - less than expected! After 14,000 miles, the factory pads showed just a little more wear. I'll get around to posting measurements in the future. This tells me that the PosiQuite Pads are not the best choice for performance-minded IS owners.

Cons - After several thousand miles of normal commuting, a day of extreme use was in order. After one day of very hard punishment, the front brakes developed a mild chirping when the brakes were cool. The chirping was not bad, but an overly picky owner might not like it. If you had the factory pads replaced under the TSB program for extreme dust, you probably would complain about the mild chirping the test vehicle experienced.

 

Visit Brake Parts Warehouse for Centric rotors for your IS350.*

*Brake Parts Warehouse and Centric are not affiliated with LexusTech.org. Centric was willing to produce a set of slotted rotors for LexusTech.org. Centric wiill be offering these rotors through its distributors, including Brake Parts Warehouse.

 

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