Brembo lands Lexus IS-F brake deal
click above image for high-res pics of the Lexus IS-F
When the Lexus IS-F debuted at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show, it was wearing a set of black painted calipers branded with the Lexus name. When the car officially goes on sale in the second quarter of 2008, it will be wearing a set of gold painted Brembos. Toyota has officially cut a deal with big name brake manufacturer Brembo to supply the stopping power for its high-performance IS-F sedan. It's the first time Toyota and Brembo have partnered, which makes sense considering the only car from Toyota that could go fast enough to require big-name braking power was probably the last generation Supra.
Of course, having your car wear Brembos isn't just about achieving excellent stopping distances, it's also about getting the Brembo name on your calipers, which carries a lot of weight with performance-minded consumers. With this deal, Toyota will be infusing the Lexus IS-F with some instanst cachet right out of the gate, though there are plenty of other areas in which the car will need to perform well to earn its stripes.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
dafletch 2:33PM (4/13/2007)
I don't like the way this car looks at all.
The exhaust tips look like something off a late 70's trans am. The headlights look like they are straight off a camry. The side (pretend) scoop has the thickest body gaps I've ever seen on a concept/show car. The scoops are generally disgusting.
Just my opinion. I saw this car in real life in detroit and, obviously, was not impressed
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Bob-o 2:35PM (4/13/2007)
Its all a big sham anyways. Brembo contracted Sumitomo to manufacture the calipers on the 350z/G35. Yeah, they are 4-piston, giant brakes, but they're not *real* Brembos persay.
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akns 2:37PM (4/13/2007)
The IS-F looks decent for a first try for Lexus. It's certainly not going to set any sales records or blow the competition away. But in a couple of generations, it may be another segment that Toyota ends up dominating.
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Lucas 2:55PM (4/13/2007)
I like it!
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djSyndrome 2:59PM (4/13/2007)
Until this car gets a third pedal, it's never going to come close to the sales (or performance) of the M3.
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Matt 3:00PM (4/13/2007)
Every brembo-equipped vehicle I've owned including my recently purchased 07 JGC SRT-8 squeaks to the high-heavens. Sure, the brake dust makes the wheels look power coated after 5 miles, and 120 feet is great to bring the Jeep to a halt from 60, but will Lexus buyers tolerate squealing brakes and dirty wheels?
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Derek.Kreindler 3:49PM (4/13/2007)
Untill Lexus contracts someone to make a manual transmission, this car is worthless.
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purecoda 3:18PM (4/13/2007)
Never had a problem with squeeks in my Evo but it is so true about the brake dust. That **** was everywhere!
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Peter 3:16PM (4/13/2007)
Mercedes owners tolerate brake dust covered wheels, Matt. They've used high-friction, dusty pads for quite some time.
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bgdc 3:32PM (4/13/2007)
Good brakes on a car with a sloppy suspension, bad tranny, no room, horrible chassis should = very useful.
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synergeist 3:56PM (4/13/2007)
Toyota has to have a name-brand braking system, it's not like that the rest of the car is worth mentioning.
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gus 4:02PM (4/13/2007)
#9 bgdc -
I didn't know you can test drive the IS-F on your local Lexus dealer already! :D
And for those with squeak on your BREMBO brakes, YOU ARE NOT DRIVING AND BRAKING HARD ENOUGH.
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Castle 4:12PM (4/13/2007)
>>Until this car gets a third pedal, it's never going to come close to the sales (or performance) of the M3.
Performance-wise these SMT-style trannies should actually be faster since the shift quicker then a human possibly could; but of course not nearly as fun.
Likely the Lexus is amining at the Mercedes-Benz AMGs that don't offer a MT either.
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Don 4:30PM (4/13/2007)
Gold? Ugh.
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Derek Kreindler 4:54PM (4/13/2007)
It's not even an SMT it's a regular torque converter auto...how can these companies expect to be taken seriously, especially in light of the new M3. If you want something softer, the Audi S4/RS4 are far more elegant and stir the soul in a way that the IS-F doesn't, with the hungry V8 soundtrack, AWD and proper 3-pedal transmission.
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bgdc 4:38PM (4/13/2007)
Gus, I've driven the IS350. The car's a joke. No amount of suspension work is going to change it from a banal blvd cruiser into a street machine.
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gus 5:02PM (4/13/2007)
bgdc -
I am not saying the IS-F is not a joke, I just mean - Have you driven it yet?
I just find it funny people come to a conclusion before they have even driven it.
I agree with you on the IS350 though, it's a joke. But I would not make any assumption until I have driven the IS-F
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MikeW 5:56PM (4/13/2007)
The M3 is more track toy now, then real world car. It is very much a opposite side of the RS4 coin.
The RS4 1st-35mph@7000, 2nd-65@7900, 3rd-95@7900, 4th-130@8000, 5th-160@8000, 6th-185@7900
The new M3 1st-35@7200, 2nd-65@7800, 3rd-105@8400, 4th-140@8450, 5th-160@8350, 6th-190@8400
If the IS-F gets the same axle ratio as the LS460,
1st-35@6500, 2nd-65@6900, 3rd-95@6900, 4th-120@6900, 5th-145@7000, 6th-179@7000, 7th-174@5600, 8th-164@4400
That 8 speed automatic makes it much more liveable, especially if you do any highway driving.
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Mike 6:24PM (4/13/2007)
akns: "But in a couple of generations, it may be another segment that Toyota ends up dominating."
People said the same about the T100. Now, three generations in, Toyota is STILL behind the pack...even the Ram, which is really, really sad.
Keep telling yourself that though...
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paul34 6:34PM (4/13/2007)
Yea, any automatic like this is going to need big brakes since they don't have the advantage of engine braking.
/burn
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