[FBTO]

WOW, had a great day out at Mosport up here in Canada. It was a nice sunny day...got in about 200km of track time! 2 tanks of gas! Left some rubber....and it appears that I left a lot of brakes too!

Question...when I was driving home and approaching the off ramp...I was coming down from a good speed...and applied the brakes a bit firmly...and all I could feel was heavy vibrations in the steering wheel. Under slow breaking, everything seems fine...

Will it work it self out after normal use? Have I F'd my rotors? Could I have not cooled them down enough after my 6 session? I assume my pads should still be good?

Any thoughts?

 

[oarngemig]

Sounds like to warped your rotors, bro. Reminder, rule of thumb: When winding down your lapping, do a couple of laps at low speed slow enough for you not to apply on the brakes, befor going into the pits. This will allow the brakes to cool down slowly.

 

[Bulls23337]

I agree. Sounds like your rotors are warped.

 

[FBTO]

Can grinding fix it? Should I get Lexus to do it or can any brake shop do it?

 

[Flipside909]

If they're badly warped, turning them will not solve the issue unfortunately. It's worth a try.

 

[oarngemig]

Wouldn't warranty cover them? If yes, you will want to insist that they change the rotors.

 

[FBTO]

Wouldn't warranty cover them? If yes, you will want to insist that they change the rotors.

Warranty? Really?

 

[trackaddict]

it could be the uneven film deposits of pad materials on rotors.
It happened to me once at VIR. While still there, I hammered the brakes on the straights hard, and that helped to get rid of the problem. But I would not do that on highways for safety reason. Get it checked for peace of mind my friend. It's common for trackers.

 

[Bulls23337]

Warranty? Really?

I would say warranty would not cover it because brakes are a wearable item. Same as shocks and tires. Also, parts messed up by abuse, racing, or extremely hard driving are also not covered.

 

[FBTO]

A slight correction...I am feeling the vibration on the brake pedal, not the steering.

 

[jaslapp1]

the warranty better cover it thats a malfunction of the part. don't tell them you were at the track they may not like that but just say they warpped from every day use. I know my dealer would replace it no questions asked.

 

[FChampOH]

It is really, REALLY tough to warp 14" front rotors with everyday use. If your going to track the car you might as well plan on replacing front brake pads and possibly rotors at least once a season if your at the track 2-3 times a year. Same kind of routine maintenance you would perform on ANY car used at the track. Also plan on bleeding the brake system to remove air bubbles.

 

[phootdr]

I agree with Jaslapp. Don't mention the track. The dealership will replace them under warranty and will make out just fine. Just stick to the everyday driving bit. If they put up a fuss, "explain" to them that you expect them to take care of this under warranty, or you will go have the car serviced permanently at another Lexus dealership. It is not like you are asking them to do a freebie, they will get paid for the work...trust me. They will not want to take the chance that you are going to walk, and you will be satisfied. One caveat...you must be prepared to walk if they balk. I am sure another Lexus dealership will be happy to accommodate your needs, especially if they know that they will start service the car on a regular basis.

I can already anticipate Andy and Doug's response to my advice, but in all actuality...maybe there was an inherent problem with your braking system, who can say. I think we can all safely agree that if you mention the track, you will lose any leverage you have. This is probably not going to be an inexpensive repair job.

 

[Molson]

Have the rotors changed colour? That is are they a hinge of greenish/purple (hard to describe the colour) or have swirl paterns of colour? I had a set of rotors destroyed from pushing one of my previous cars really hard. They change colour from the heat (if excessively heated that is) and it was obvious I drove the crap out of them.

If they have discoloured I would guess IMO that the dealer may pick up on it. If there is no visually obvious problems I would guess your dealer may replace... it is worth a try to say the least?

Sorry I missed out... work days are a little hectic these days. Keep us posted on any other events you might do as I am totally interested!

 

[doublexl]

A slight correction...I am feeling the vibration on the brake pedal, not the steering.

that changes everything.....

 

[FBTO]

Well, I have an appointment on Monday...will see what the dealer has to say.

 

[oarngemig]

We also had a track day here last Friday, I was playing around with a GTR, man that thing flies on exit. The grip of that car is incredible. On top of it it had HKS exhausts (possibly titanium) I swear it sounds like TUBI exhausts. It sounded great! Enough for me to go hmmm....

Back to the F at the track, at the track here there is a sweeping left slightly going up and you take that on a high revving third. As soon as you see the straight from a crest you up shift to 4th, redline, then to 5th but way before red line, you have a deep right hander where you have to downshift all the way to 2nd. In that hard brake, I noticed the right rear wheel bounce. Has anyone experienced the same?

 

[FBTO]

Update. I LOVE LEXUS!!!!

Just picked up car from the dealer today. My rotors were toast. And since I was there, I did my oil change early.







ALL UNDER WARRANTY!!! Cost me zero! Nothing!

 

[FBTO]

Oh, and I still have like 90% pads.

 

[billandbill]

So does that mean you're coming to mosport tomorrow?