I am upgrading my brakes on my 88 civic hb. I have Russel stainless lines, 15/16 91 ex master cylinder, and I will be using Carbotech pads. I know this has been asked before but what is the best rotor for hard street driving. I have searched but still not sure ? Thanks

Eric

 

brembo blank.

drilled/slotted = overrated and underperforming.

 

I provide heat/cold treated rotors that will stop shorter and will last longer than stock and untreated brembo. I can treat the brembo's if you perfer but the ones I use are of equal quality and US made.

Tom Blaney
execedge@warwick.net
http://www.raceshop.sbmsinc.com
845-258-4844


Modified by Tom Blaney at 2:51 PM 12/29/2005

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tom Blaney &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I provide heat/cold treated rotors that will stop shorter </TD></TR></TABLE>

You're kidding, right?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I provide heat/cold treated rotors that will stop shorter and will last longer than stock and untreated brembo.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Racing Brake?

 

Not at all, ask the guys who raced against me, and the 12 other customers who swear by the process

They comply with ITA rules and are based on a stock rotor. The heat and cold cycle is the key.

If you look on the website there is a picture of a set of rotors that I used for almost an entire season using Hawk Blues

Tom Blaney
execedge@warwick.net
http://www.raceshop.sbmsinc.com
845-258-4844

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tom Blaney &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Not at all, ask the guys who raced against me, and the 12 other customers who swear by the process</TD></TR></TABLE>

Ok, but do you have empirical data that these rotors stop the car faster?

RJ - has to ask anyways

 

Jesus people... We know what he meant..

Why does everyone here have to be a ***** and know-it-all all of the time.. ?

 

For that kind of money.... no

But if you can run 12 races or a couple of enduro's with hawk blues, set a few track records with a LEGAL ITA CAR, and still have your stock rotors looking like mine, than I guess your don't need them.

Tom Blaney
execedge@warwick.net
http://www.raceshop.sbmsinc.com
845-258-4844

 

If you have an 88, one of the best mods is to go to 90 or 91 Civic calipers and rotors. The pads will be the same, but the rotors are 2mm thicker. You will need the newer calipers and caliper brakets to go over the thicker rotors. Be carefull though, most aftermarket rotors only come in the thinner 88-89 rotor thickness and apply them to all 88-91 Civics. The OEM rotors come in thin (88-89) and thick (90-91) versions. This is one reason why using OEM's are a good idea, the bigger the heat sink, the better the rotor IMHO. Try weighing all the available rotors, you will be surprised what you find.

When it comes to rotors, you get EXACTLY what you pay for....as long as you dont fall for that cross-drilled/slotted/blinged crap (hey, why not have them cR0Me pL8t'd yo!).

 

Ok, point taken... not really trying to be a pain in the ***

But, at $135/set - you can buy a lot of cheapo autozone rotors (well, 5 sets) for that coin - do you think not having to worry about the rotors (and, working on the car less, not stripping those stupid rotor screws) is worth it? I think for an enduro it would be, since thats one less potential failure item. I'm all for less wrenching, thats why I run Motul and change it only as needed (flush in the winter and forget about it) because I hate bleeding brakes.

 

You are absoluty correct, and that is usually part of my discussions with a potential client. First upgrade to the later model caliper and rotor, then if affordable convert from drum to disc in the rear (with associated master and prop valve), use the treated rotors and I perfer hawk blues.

I firmly believe in the heat/cold treating process that I have tweeked over the years, and would never use cheap autozone (or comparable) rotors when my unit is locked into a 5 point harness. I know that I can outbreak a number of other competitors and part of the process is knowing that the gear is at it's maximum potential all the time.


Tom Blaney
execedge@warwick.net
http://www.raceshop.sbmsinc.com
845-258-4844

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">But, at $135/set - you can buy a lot of cheapo autozone rotors (well, 5 sets) for that coin - .</TD></TR></TABLE>

My *** is worth a LOT more to me than $135. This is why I use a $1000 helmet and a $1500 HANS device. Don't buy cheap brakes.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MightyMouseTech &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

My *** is worth a LOT more to me than $135. This is why I use a $1000 helmet and a $1500 HANS device. Don't buy cheap brakes.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I've never had a $13 rotor fail

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MightyMouseTech &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
My *** is worth a LOT ..... Don't buy cheap brakes.</TD></TR></TABLE>

A lot of Honda guys use Autozone rotors with outstanding results. I bought my 12th front set yesterday...paid a whopping $20 each . Think about it, a set of front rotors for less than a tank of gas...and I've never had a problem with them.

 

AutoZone, works for me.

 

A good set of rotors cost about 80 bucks, they will last longer than your cheap set, and I bet there are not too many Honda drivers who have outbroke me going into Turn 1 ....

It's not just about the money it's about being prepared to win. You can **** away a lot of money on "stuff" but it comes down to a few critical things, preperation, confidence in the car's ability to perform, and the drivers willingness to practice the craft.

I help open mined guys to solve two of the three issues.

Just a thought.

 

Several points...

1. I understand how treating a rotor can make it last longer, but actually stop quicker??? Nah, I'm not buying that. An iron surface is an iron surface. After a few hard stops, its a polished iron surface regardless of any sort of treatment.

2. I've used Brembos and the ones Andy sells at Cobalt. No issues, ever.
at $30 to $40 a pair, no way I'm spending $135 on a pair of rotors unless I'm doing a long enduro. Rotors are consumables, and should be approached as such.
Do these pimpy treated ones last 3 to 4 times longer? Are your brake pads lsting that long too? Are you machining them when you change pads?
I buy new ones, machine them once (when I change pads), then throw them away. I'm betting I'm spending good bit less money and no more time than I would with the expensive iron.


3. The original poster said this...
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by S2R Honda &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">what is the best rotor for hard street driving. </TD></TR></TABLE>
And nobody has called him an asshat yet.
Are you guys going soft?

4. Tom, when you say you can "outbreak" everybody, you are saying that you break your stuff better than everyone else. That, or you spread disease very efficiently.
I don't think thats what you want to say, especially given that NOT breaking is how you want to make your living. Try "outbrake."
Just being helpful. "Break" and "brake" are two vastly different things.

 

It must have been our new years resolution to be nicer on the interweb.

so i'll break it right now

"GTFU and dont come back"

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MightyMouseTech &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If you have an 88, one of the best mods is to go to 90 or 91 Civic calipers and rotors. The pads will be the same, but the rotors are 2mm thicker. You will need the newer calipers and caliper brakets to go over the thicker rotors. Be carefull though, most aftermarket rotors only come in the thinner 88-89 rotor thickness and apply them to all 88-91 Civics. The OEM rotors come in thin (88-89) and thick (90-91) versions. This is one reason why using OEM's are a good idea, the bigger the heat sink, the better the rotor IMHO. Try weighing all the available rotors, you will be surprised what you find.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Good information.

Unlike...

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">at $135/set - you can buy a lot of cheapo autozone rotors (well, 5 sets) for that coin</TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by .RJ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I've never had a $13 rotor fail</TD></TR></TABLE>

Autozone sells two different quality levels of their own brand rotors. For an '88 Civic DX hatch, they sell the Duralast front rotor, part number 3178, for $22 each, and it comes with a two-year warranty. They also sell the Valucraft front rotor, part number 3178B, for $15 each.

There are NO Autozone rotors for that car for $13 each.

Since there are two quality levels, you have a choice. The $15 Autozone rotor may be perfectly adequate for a daily driver, street driven car. The $22 may be better for a track car or one that is driven hard on the street. I sure wouldn't use the $15 one on the track, but hey, that's your decision.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tom Blaney &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">A good set of rotors cost about 80 bucks, they will last longer than your cheap set</TD></TR></TABLE>

I've used Duralast front rotors from Autozone on my Integra Type R ($25 each) in track events, and have found that they last at least as long (as many track miles) as the stock rotors, with the same usage. So I do not consider them cheap in anything other than price.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">2. I've used Brembos and the ones Andy sells at Cobalt. No issues, ever.
at $30 to $40 a pair</TD></TR></TABLE>

There are no front rotors for an '88 Civic hatch available from Cobalt, from Brembo or any other brand, according to Cobalt's website.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There are NO Autozone rotors for that car for $13 each.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well I've bought them for civics (92-95) and integras (94-01) at that price in the store. They dont fail, and I run them until they stress crack.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nsxtasy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

There are no front rotors for an '88 Civic hatch available from Cobalt, from Brembo or any other brand, according to Cobalt's website.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Are the 88s different than the 89 to 91?
I guess so, otherwise you're telling me the rotors I've been using for 3 years on my 91 and 89 cars dont actually fit. That would suck.
And I'm disappointed that Andy has been sending me rotors he doesn't actually have.

Now that I got that out of the way, I don't care if the 88 rotor is different. That was not my point. My point was about $30 rotors working just as well as $135 rotors in the greater overall scheme of things (again, unless you are doing **** like 13 hour enduros, in which case a longer lasting rotor justifies the cost).

 

Your entitled to your opinion, and I will let my clients finish rate and level of performance speak for itself. You will learn what the difference is once you start running up front, and learn what the real difference is.

Have fun

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tom Blaney &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You will learn what the difference is once you start running up front.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'll make sure to pay real close attention if I ever get up close to the front. I hope to learn alot up there someday.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Are the 88s different than the 89 to 91?
I guess so, otherwise you're telling me the rotors I've been using for 3 years on my 91 and 89 cars dont actually fit. That would suck.
And I'm disappointed that Andy has been sending me rotors he doesn't actually have.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I clearly noted in my post that <FONT SIZE="large">their website says that</FONT> they don't have rotors that fit. Sounds like they need to update their website, that's all - no need to go ballistic.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Catch 22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My point was about $30 rotors working just as well as $135 rotors in the greater overall scheme of things</TD></TR></TABLE>

Please specify whether you are talking about the price per rotor or the price per set (i.e. per pair). The $135 price previously cited was for a PAIR of rotors. Does Cobalt charge $30 per pair, or per rotor?

Given the weight of rotors, it's also worth mentioning the shipping cost. Autozone has free shipping for orders of $75 (or, you can buy them at your local store, and pay sales tax but not shipping). Other places, the shipping may be a significant part of the overall cost.