Need help with brake rotor choice

[Andy M.]

Hey Guys and Gals,

I would like your input on the purchase of new brake rotors. I don't know why I didn't think of this before. Here is the scoop. For those of you who don't already know I own a 2001 Chevy Impala LS. These cars are noted for issues with the brake rotors warping all of the time. I have read so much on these issues it is ridiculous. So now I turn to you, the car crazy people that we are, with the vast amount of knowledge there is on this forum, not just in maintaining finishes on vehicles but everything in between. This would be my forth set of rotors, which aren't cheap, and I would like some input on brands that maybe you yourself have used and have had luck with.
So far to this date I have installed aftermarket from the local auto store, a brand new set from GM, and a set of upgraded police issue rotors which are on there now. They were fine until I cut them the first time and then they warped in no time at all. I am thinking about going with Baer Brakes or Brembo or something of that nature but your input is appreciated as it is simply to expensive to keep buying rotors time after time. I just want something that will last and perform as they should.

Thanks in advance
Andy
101impala

[SD DIESEL]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

Power slot rotors with Hawk pads are the best combo I have found.
My super duty tows 16,000 so its got to stop.

[Andy M.]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

What about the Baer Decela rotors? Anyone tried them? I'm not going for looks or the priveledge of saying I have these rotors or those rotors, I just want the performance I am paying for. I have looked at the Hawk pads though.

Andy

[PorscheGuy997]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

Here are a few things worth mentioning:

Apparently, Autozone carries rotors with a lifetime warranty against warpage. If they do warp (or wear thin), they replace them without a hassle.

Drilled rotors differ greatly in quality. Some manufacturers just drill holes in plain solid rotors. While this technically makes them drilled, they are very prone to cracking around the holes. The high end drilled rotors have the holes cast, so they are much stronger.

We replaced the rotors and pads on the older Sable a few years ago using Wagner rotors and Wagner Ceramic pads. Even though they are generic from O'reilly, they handle great - I feel they're better than the factory. I'd definately look at Wagner brake components.


In my Sable, I'd like to upgrade to slotted ATE rotors and Hawk pads in the next few months, but I'd like to get some opinions first.

[Paul S]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

Andy
How many miles are on your car ? Four set of rotors seem a bit much. I see that they seem to warp after cutting them down which means eight sets of pads ? Never seen this much trouble on a street application , only on race cars in extreme conditions.When having them turned , how much are you having the tech remove ? Stainless Steel Brake Corp (SSBC) makes an excellent rotor that is drilled , slotted and vented with claims of a 200 degree heat reduction.Also guaranteed not to warp. Wilwood and Brembo also produce this type of rotor. EBC and Hawk are fine for replacement pads.

[Nappers]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

I've always used Raybestos rotors and brakes. I use the upper scale rotors from Schmucks/Kragen/Checker (http://www.partsamerica.com) and have had great luck with them, even with a teenager driving. Used them on my Ex-wife's Kia Sephia which burned brakes and rotors horribly. I finally used the upper scale raybestos and no more problem, (at least 5+years ago).

I use the Quiet Stop ceramic brakes from the Raybestos and have great luck with them so far.

I normally don't use Schucks for that stuff but found that the upper scale rotors work good, they are nice and heavy(about twice as much as cheapo rotors). I also remember a set I put on our Taurus that warped brakes bad, they worked fine.

You also may want to make sure the brakes in the rear are doing their job! I assume disk brakes in the back? They could be worn and putting all the braking on the front???

[Andy M.]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

Andy
How many miles are on your car ? Four set of rotors seem a bit much. I see that they seem to warp after cutting them down which means eight sets of pads ? Never seen this much trouble on a street application , only on race cars in extreme conditions.When having them turned , how much are you having the tech remove ? Stainless Steel Brake Corp (SSBC) makes an excellent rotor that is drilled , slotted and vented with claims of a 200 degree heat reduction.Also guaranteed not to warp. Wilwood and Brembo also produce this type of rotor. EBC and Hawk are fine for replacement pads.

Currently on the Impala 109,000. It is a daily driver and I drive 26 miles each way to and from work. This has been reduced greatly from my 42 mile each day, each way commute, but is still a problem with city driving. The only reason I have them cut is because of the warping, not because of neglect at all. I replace pads regularly. My machanic is GM certified and a close friend of the family and normally does the work on the side for me. It just seems that no matter what I do as far as far as cost goes, (the police issue rotors were expensive) they all do the same thing. I will admit I drive hard but not that hard. Let's just say I drive! Thanks for all the input so far, I appreciate it.

Andy

[Andy M.]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

bump

[Jeepster04]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

I do not have any experience with brembo or baer brakes but Ive heard nothing but good things about them.

Im curious why you are getting the rotors cut down at all. Usually thats only needed if the rotors are already warped and youre wanting to try and reuse them. When you get rotors cut down, it removes material which means it cannot hold as much heat. This is why they are warping soon after getting them cut.

Sometimes people get rotors cut before putting on a new set of pads which is a good idea, unless you know they are going to warp if you cut them.

I, myself, will be getting napa rotors and napa ceramic pads when the time comes. A lot of people on the Jeep forums use that combo and have no complaints.

With that, my rotors warped when I had 12,000 miles on my Jeep. I had them lightly cut and theyve been fine since. The jeep now has 33,000 and Ive towed anything from boats to box trailers with no issues what so ever.

Do you think its possible that driving habits are causing some problems?

[03mach1]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

I had warping issues with my red mustang, but those were Ford brakes. My new Mach 1 has Brembos, They are not drilled or slotted but they are great brakes. Brembo has great rotors. Check out brembo. By having slotted or drilled rotors does have a effect of cooling them faster.

[roushstage2]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

What pads are you using?

[Sal329]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

I vote for Brembo or Power Slotted rotors. I would stay away from Drilled rotors but that is my opinion

http://www.autoanything.com/brakes/61A2722A0A0.aspx

or

http://www.autoanything.com/brakes/61A2870A0A0.aspx

For pads the Hawk and EPC are both good pads

http://www.autoanything.com/brakes/20A50531A1.aspx

Or as stated above you can get Autozone pads and rotors, I would get the better ones they sell. If you do not mind changing the brakes yourself the lifetime warranty really can't be beat. Good luck let us know how it turns out

[Andy M.]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

What pads are you using?

Right now I am using autozone pads.

[roushstage2]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

I am running a cheaper pad (CSK) on my truck right now, and for some reason after installing them, the pads heated up extremely bad for the first week or two. So now my expensive hub/rotor assembly on both sides are warped because I used a cheaper pad that caused massive heat build up. Never happened to me before...

Just a thought.

[Wolf-Strong]

Re: Need help with brake rotor choice

Brembo blanks with some good pads. OE are generally preferred, though there are some other fine brands. The important thing is to pick the pads that are best fitted to your driving habits. If this is just a daily driver, than you are best to go with OE pads or QUALITY ceramic pads.

The reason your rotors are warping are due to overheating issues. You will often see this if you take a car with factory brakes (even AMG and ///M cars) and put them on a track. The brakes are built for the street, so when they are put to heavy use, they will overheat the rotors, warping them. As mentioned earlier, cutting rotors down reduces the heat capacity of the rotor, causing them to warp even faster which is most likely your problem. Make sure though that you get FINNED ROTORS!

If this is a known problem on your car, it would be caused by the factory putting brakes that are too small for the size of car. The ONLY reasonable solution to this would be to upgrade to bigger brakes otherwise you will start getting into racing pads/rotors which will squeak and spark to no end and may not even work well on the street due to not enough heat being built up (believe it or not)

As far as slotted or drilled rotors go, you have to understand why they do this. Slotted rotors are suppose to allow out gassing from when the pad brakes down to pass through easier, allowing more contact area for the rotor to pad. Drilled is suppose to do generally the same thing except allow more airflow throughout the rotor. The problem though is that finned rotors already allow maximum airflow in between the two contact plates, so drilled actually don't help that, and when it comes to the 'out gassing problem', there actually is no problem since the amount of 'out gassing' is virtually none. Just look at F1 brakes; completely flat. This is to utilize maximum surface area that would normally be lost by drilling or slotting a rotor. About all you gain from them is a bit of bling factor.