Acceptable Brake Disc Wear

[lilmountain]

Hi all,

Just bought a 1997 GS300 mk1 on Monday, my first Lexus and I'm loving it! When I bought it I knew it would need the brake pads changing and possibly the discs. It's just had an MOT with no advisories but the pads are very low so I will change them. The question, however, is how much tolerance/wear is allowed on the discs. The fronts are worn by about 1-2mm possibly. Roughly how many mm of lip is accepted? I didn't want to put new mintex pads on which wear to the shape of the lip and then replace the discs in a few months time. My neighbour suggested (assuming the wear is acceptable) that I grind the lip off in line with the rest of the disc, very carefully so that they don't wear the new pads unevenly.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Sunny

[TigerFish]

As far as I know, standard thickness is 32mm, minimum thickness is 30mm (excluding the lip on the edge).

[lilmountain]

As far as I know, standard thickness is 32mm, minimum thickness is 30mm (excluding the lip on the edge).

Cheers for that tiger, oh gs300 mk1 guru. Looks like they need changing then. There's a lot of offers on eBay of OE discs with mintex pads. Given the huge difference in price can I get away with this or are Mintex discs really that much better?

Thanks,

Sunny

[TigerFish]

I've used aftermarket "cheap" ones on mine before with no problems at all. I've found the calipers and slide pins to be the major cause of headaches on the brakes. If they sieze up to any major extent, your discs are toast regardless of price/brand. The current grooved and dimpled discs on mine have lasted well so far.

[lilmountain]

I've used aftermarket "cheap" ones on mine before with no problems at all. I've found the calipers and slide pins to be the major cause of headaches on the brakes. If they sieze up to any major extent, your discs are toast regardless of price/brand. The current grooved and dimpled discs on mine have lasted well so far.

Sorry for all the questions but I was looking at standard smooth discs. I'm no boy racer so will they be adequate or do you really notice the difference once you start getting grooved/dimpled ones? I've seen claims about shorter stopping distances, releasing pent up gases etc. Thanks again.

[flossie127]

im no boy race either but like tigerfish said, aftermarket brake disc can do good to your vehicle as long as it fits right to your car. a lot can be seen in eBay and in different car parts sites...

[tonyricha]

Hi, I last year fitted eBay discs and pads to my sportcross but they have already warped so I tried Lexus parts direct who turned out to be cheaper and free delivery, £150 inc VAT for 2 original front discs and pad set, well worth a try because we know they will last.

Tony

[Swindon Andy]

Some major tyre shops will regrind the discs on the car. Might be worth a go if it's just lipped. The minimum thickness is usually stamped on the discs themselves. The tyre shop should have this info too.