stevecockrill

Just like it sounds. I'd like to hear your opinions (those grounded in fact, not in fantasy or hearsay) and/or experiences. I'm looking at stock sized ones right now. The car is/will be used for street/autoX with the possibility of some lapping, but that's not in the picture for the moment. I've got Axxis Ultimates front and rear on the way from Andie at Cobalt.

I had cross drilled Brembos (stock sized) on my old car, and with Axxis Metal masters they were really nice. I had no problems with cracking at all.

So what do you guys recommend? Blanks? Slotted? Drilled? Both? Dimpled? Does the brand make a huge difference? I mean, APC doesn't make rotors (do they? )......

TIA!

Steve

P.S. Car is a 93 del Sol Si (4 wheel disc) w/99 Civic Si front brakes (10.3" rotor)

vtecvoodoo

I`ve used Powerslot quite a few times w/ no problemos. Can`t say they made a difference, but the price was right and they didn`t crack or warp prematurely.

Ryan

shawnhayes

Brembo blanks are the best bet for reasonably stock vehicles. Roadracing cars put the most stress on rotors, and the roadracing drivers who drive Hondas mostly recommend OEM or Brembo blanks (outside of the discussion in the paragraph below). Slotting and crossdrilling only help braking significantly if the pads outgas. Very few pads gas these days. Additionally, they remove mass from the rotor. This steals material that can absorb heat, and on top of that, removes frictional material, and some cheap jobs weaken the rotor and cause cracks.

For top performance braking applications, a two piece rotor with an aluminum hat is what is best. Stoptech makes some that fit stock wheels, Wilwood uses them in their upgrades, as does Brembo, and Baer. The conductivity of aluminum is much greater than steel, and the rotor hat does not have to be subjected to the clamping force of the pad or the intense heat, and aluminum hats cool better. Unfortunately, these aren't cheap at all. Serious cash. Fastbrakes.com sells the Stoptech aerorotor, and you can price them yourself. But, they are the best.

Shawn



[Modified by shawnhayes, 6:11 PM 9/10/2002]

stevecockrill

Ok, thanks for the responses. I figured that machining the rotor would weaken it for "heavy duty use". I guess most likely I'll maintain the stock sized rotors unless fade becomes a serious issue. I take it even a fastbrakes type rotor-only size upgrade (to 11" or so) is unnecessary on the street? Just the rotor, not the caliper.....

Is there a difference (quality, durability, etc) between the various "autozone" brands - the prices range pretty widely from under $25 to over $75. Is there a reason for this?

Thanks

Steve

B_CRUZ!

most of the ITR track ****** use Autozone rotors for it is a wear item and its cheap too. They usually replace them after a track day. If its good enough for them, it is more than good enough for me.

Gong Show

I also think they come with a three month warrenty too... thats good enough for me too. I think you can get them for the price between 19-24bucks... Or else I would go with Brembo blanks.
those two rotors get the from me

shawnhayes

Well, brake upgrades can definately be worth it. 10-20 feet of braking during a panic stop on the street can be the difference between death and walking away without a scratch. But, you have to be careful. If you upgrade the front, you must upgrade the rear. You must maintain the balance. Screw the balance, and you may actually INCREASE braking distance. (SCC upgraded front rotors with AEM's big front disc on their 99 Si and the braking distances went up - when they then upgraded rears, the braking distances went down).

Yes. Resistance to warping. The so-called "ITR track ******" use and replace cheapo brake rotors on the weekend because they are no good for several years use. The cheap ones will warp over time. The really heavy duty rotors that cost more will resist warping on street conditions (unfortunately, street stops have a greater chance of warping a disc than do track conditions - on the track you never intend to brake to a complete stop - you brake to slow down - on the street you may brake HARD and then stop with the nice hot pad welded to the discs for several seconds - prime condition for heat warpage). The unfortunate problem is it's difficult to tell a good expensive rotor from a cheap one without knowing the manufacturer. They could sell you crap at an expensive price, and maybe you wouldn't know better.

This is why OEM and brembo blanks are preferred. Known manufacturer with known track record.

One last note on "warpage". A lot of brake "shudder" that brake shops sell replacement rotors for is not warped rotors. This is uneven pad transfer, which may be due to bad pads or improper bedding. Improperly bedded pads will give some brake shudder that might be able to be fixed with several serial 60-30 mph stops that heat the rotor properly. Of course, some of it is actual warpage, but do you think they are going to tell you the difference? Oh no. (and unfortunately, a lot of the people they hire will never know the difference either).

Just my $0.02.

Shawn

jaysonx

To add, which pads you use can actually have more of an impact over which rotor size you have. Different pads have different operating temperatures. If you are experienceing excessive fade, go with a better pad before slapping bigger rotors on.

sweet

iTrader: (5)

yeah and speaking of better pads: does anyone use the EBC Green pads with their AEM rotors??

i'm currently using that setup and sometimes i feel a pulsating through the pedal as if the rotor is warped but sometimes not. i've only had them for a few months, broke them in properly and they were new when i installed them.

any recommendations for a better matched pad for the AEM Teg rotors?
i thought the Green Stuf pads would be good for the street, which is where i normally drive my car, but maybe they aren't matched with the rotors.

later

kgrcr1

Steve, check out fastbrakes.com. Brian Hasty over at fastbrakes.com is real helpful and knows his stuff. I have his big brake kits on both the front and rear of my 93 eg9. The front rotors are slotted Brembos and the rear rotors are solid. The car stops bitchin'. I paid about $500 for both kits and pads shipped to my door. No regrets.

stevecockrill

I already e-mailed Brian. The only problem is since I upgraded to 99 Civic Si front brakes, there's no kit that includes bigger rotors without getting the Wilwood calipers, which I can't justify that expense at this time, especially since I just bought new Axxis Ultimates.......

Steve

owen_the_soyboy

oem styleeeeee.
autozone rotors in fact works just fine.
save your money for other mods, dont waste it on powerslots/powerblah blah blah rotors.
ask me how I know

shawnhayes

Ask Brian about the old fashioned Type R upgrade with the Accord Wagon calipers. This gives you the 11 inch rotor from the Prelude VTEC (same as ITR except with 4 lug pattern). This used to be his specialty. I'll bet he'll still do it. (or do you mean there's no upgrade without a caliper upgrade? That, I guess, is true)

Shawn

bps2799

Axxis Ultimates or Porterfield R4S. I think the Ultimates may be better (still deciding) and certainly cheaper.

I'll never buy EBC again.

Doctor CorteZ

[QUOTE]Just like it sounds. I'd like to hear your opinions[QUOTE]

wear item - replace with whatever is cheap

brembo and autozone same **** , no diff.