Brake Differences

[Rob]

had a ltd edition is200 yesterday while mine was in for a service and noticed straight away that the brakes are a lot shaper then on mine, ie you hardly need to press the pedal before the brakes start to work, on mine u have to press about ( and am guessing now) approx 1/2 way before u get the same effect.

has anyone else noticed this? seem to remember a post ages ago but cant find it.

[javadude]

I notice the same when I get a courtesy car. I'm guessing its the electronic brake assist on the 2001+ models

[Rob]

ah! that might explain it then

[Kazi]

May have fresher pads and disc to. BA was added on the 51 plates upwards. Lucky for me I have it. :P

[Rob]

i have new pads/discs so thats not it. must be the BA then

[Monster-Mat]

yep, the brake assist..race car has it...but its coming off

[paul mach1]

had a ltd edition is200 yesterday while mine was in for a service and noticed straight away that the brakes are a lot shaper then on mine, ie you hardly need to press the pedal before the brakes start to work, on mine u have to press about ( and am guessing now) approx 1/2 way  before u get the same effect.

has anyone else noticed this?  seem to remember a post ages ago but cant find it.

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I put a thread on a few weeks ago about this very problem.I have a 2000 IS SE,and the brake pedal is soft. I do a bit of vehicle supplies for TV, and have just had a brand new IS, courtesy of Lexus,and the brakes were ***** hot on that one. My mate, who has a shop supplying performance parts, is currently sourcing some braided brake hoses for me to see if that improves overall feel. I'll put a thread on to let you know results.

[bondms]

seem to remember a post ages ago but cant find it.

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Is this the original post you are thinking of?

Is200 Brakes, soft pedal

[Rob]

i doubt that by just adding stainless lines it wil solve the prob, there is quite a lot of travel there, mine has been bled a few times, tbh i think its just the way they are.

[paul mach1]

i doubt that by just adding stainless lines it wil solve the prob, there is quite a lot of travel there, mine has been bled a few times, tbh i think its just the way they are.

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Same here, I've tried two master cylinders aswell. The thing with the rubber brake hoses is they wear with age and tend to expand which can cause excess pedal travel. The braided hoses eliminate this problem.I've fitted loads to motorcycles and a few to cars, and they definitely make a difference, although I can't honestly say if it will completely cure the soft pedal, any improvement is worthwhile,is it not? I don't think they are that expensive either, like I say, I'll let you know when I get them, at least it won't cost YOU any money if it turns out there is no improvement.

[Rob]

i have a set of stainless lines fitted already, didnt make any difference

[paul mach1]

i have a set of stainless lines fitted already, didnt make any difference

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Suprised it didn't make any difference at all, but, such is life. It's a strange one this pedal travel. The basic physics of brakes is that the fluid can't be compressed, therefore any fluid movement in the master cylinder should result in the same movement in the caliper pistons, as long as no air is present. The only thing I can think is either the pads are coming off too far, which would mean you would have to use more of the pedal travel just to get the pads to contact the discs or there is something out of sync with the master cylinder. I know some cars have an adjuster on the end of the rod coming out of the servo which adjusts the distance the piston in the master cylinder moves back. The only problem is that you have to be careful as if you adjust it too far you can stop the return of fluid and the brakes will lock up and be unable to pull off. I can't believe that it is just the way they are, there has to be a reason and a cure, someone must know

[GALLA_4]

I have a 2001 IS200. Does this mean I have Electronic Brake Assist?

[Gavin G]

I have a 2001 IS200. Does this mean I have Electronic Brake Assist?

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Depends on if your car is early or late 2001. Think the brake assist came the same time as the curtain airbags in late 2001?