I was just curious how many of you use Autozone rotors for track days. My friend and I used them for the first time for an HPDE. Mine held up fine on my Civic Ex, but my friend warped his on his Type R in 3 laps at Sebring. Anyone else have problems with Autozone rotors?

 

I ran them for the last 4 races* of the year (2 enduros, 1@1.5 hours, 1@2.0 hours)plus 2 drivers @ a track day & solo I - I don't recall any detrimental effects.

* actually, more like the track day mentioned, 4 qualifying sessions, 4 practice sessions, 1 testing day @ RA, 2 enduros, the equivalent of one sprint race.

Edit: however, they might have been NAPA rotors


[Modified by phat-S, 12:22 PM 1/7/2003]

 

I use $30 Raybestos rotors from Kragen. I throw them away after 2 race weekends. Cheap brake pads seems to cause warping. In my HPDE days I used quality track/street pads like the R4S.

 

No problems here. $14.99 in Oregon - no tax. Expecting to go through 2-3 sets next season...

 

no problems,,, ran them all season. Just replaced them when they had their fill of abuse... Lasted longer than my Brembo Blanks did.

 

I used them for the first time at Limerock Park, I had absolutely no problems whatsover, they are fantastic, same as stock. I used Ferodo DS3000 pads, got those rotors nice and hot, sparks flying, didn't even come close to "warping". Your friend didn't warp his autozone rotors man, he cooked his crappy brake pads, they gassed, and it felt like rotor warpage. Have him swap some new quality pads in there, and he'll see how the rotors miraculously straightened themselves out again.

 

my car is an H1 Honda Civic hatch with Accord wagon front conversion. I run the Pep Boys Ceramic enhanced Nascar select pads and Autozone Brembo rotors (Prelude VTEC redrilled). I get about one whole season (2000 track/race miles )on a set of rotors, before they finally crack thru. In that time, I will go through about 3 sets of pads. Good thing that the rotors and pads are good for life

I don't have any issues with warping the rotors. It always stops straight and smooth. The rotors will show many tiny stress cracks, but that is OK. at the end, they finally crack all the way through and it is time to change them out.

good luck

 

from one pair of autozone rotors....i have received 2 pairs free.....autozone owns....and that is why i buy from autozone...

 

Actually, I think my friend used that exact pad, but I am not positive. I have a feeling he just got a bad set, however, I don't think he will be using Autozone anymore.


[Modified by 96 SOHC VTEC, 9:36 PM 1/7/2003]

 

how much do they run a piece?

 

Spare me young grasshopper!

I had a local mechanic that races Honda's drive my car after i told him of the shuddering and he said the rotors were warped for sure. Couldn't be anything else. We took the brakes apart and examined everything. I used BRAND NEW Ferodo DS3000 pads which were AWESOME after i threw on the Brembo blanks that i had (spare set). It surely wasn't crappy pads buddy.

I had the Autozone rotors turned as soon as i got back from the track at our shop and sure enough you could see where it was warped. I must of got a bad set. I bedded in the pads as always according to Andie Lin's specifications. Everything went smoothly until i got on the track and got HORRIBLE shuddering from any speed when hitting the brakes. Such luck comes with racing/doing HPDE's. I am over it and will buy Autozone rotors again in the future

mike

 

How did you manage that? Is it like their free replacements deal on pads? I've been using Brembro blanks, but this might make it worth changing. I think it's silly how much cheaper rotors are vs. pads for my car!

 

rotors are usually less than 30 from autozone...they use to have lifetime replacement but now it is only 90 days....but i can kill a set of rotors in less than that daily driving with hawk blues....i wore off over 80% of the rotor....bout 2 mm left when i returned them to autozone...said.....i think my calipers are sticking....THEY REPLACED THE ROTORS....hahhaha

 

Well, this was my next question, did you bed them in properly. But since you say you did, I am now shocked that the rotors performed so poorly, and I never thought of the possibility of a bed set, but I suppose that sort of thing can and does happen. Oh, but wait...did you bed the rotors in? I bedded my rotors in on the street with Porterfield R4S pads for a full week, and then switched to the Ferodo pads and proceeded to bed the Ferodo's in on the recently bedded rotors. I might expect rotor warpage on virgin rotors with pads like the Ferodo. So did you bed the rotors first?

 

http://www.reddotmotorsports.com/~ja...20nads_JPG.htm
nuff said

-spenc

 

That is a good point. I didn't bed the rotors in with my Axxis Ultimates. I did it with the Ferodo's right off the bat. I THOUGHT i heated them up enough on the street to show any signs of warping under hard braking but it didn't show up until i got on the track. I wonder if it makes a big difference with bedding in new rotors with a less aggressive pad.....

mike

 

what you're trying to do when you are "bedding" in rotors or pads is to create a smooth transfer layer between the pad and rotor. If you don't heat the pads up enough during the initial bedding then you will get an uneven transfer layer and brake shudder. So, if the Ferodo's didn't get hot enough when you were bedding them on the street then the rotors really didn't have a proper layer of pad material on them when you went out to the track. Personally, I try to get the pads hot enough that they start to fade out and then drive around slowly to let them cool... after that, you're set!

 

I bet that is what happened. I didn't get them hot enough on the street. There really aren't too many places to go as fast as i would like and stomp on the brakes without being dangerous to other drivers in the viscinity. I guess i need to find a better back road and get em' really hot. I mean i did the usual 50-10mph stops with light pedal pressure 5-7 times and then 5-7 times of heavy pedal pressure. Anyone have any other ways they break in their Ferodo pads?

mike

 

Haven't used the Ferodo's but in order to break in some Panther's and some P+'s that I had I did probably 5-7 "warm up" stops (60mph down to 30mph) and then about 6-8 80mph down to 10mph full pressure stops (abs cycling or right at the edge of abs). This got them good and hot allowing them to gas out and create a good transfer layer on the rotor

 

damn that is some serious bedding in. i actually followed the Axxis bedding in procedure for the Ferodo pads. I am just going to have to get them hotter as you stated next time during the bedding in process. thanks

 

Mike, before Limerock, I bedded my Ferodos in exactly as Xian described, on a major highway late at night, i went in the slow lane and did it on Rt. 95 in Jersey. First I was nice and gentle. Then I got progressively harder and harder, i.e. 60-10, and then I did a few ABS or threshold braking stops until they were squealing like stuck pigs, noticed some minor fade. Basically, I took my sweet time letting the pads and rotors get nice and hot. Then I parked it for about 2 hours, they cooled to ambient temp and I was fine at the track, after repeated 120-60 mph hard braking. The break-in procedure for the Ultimates is different than that for the DS3000.

 

no problem

yep... higher temp pads have to get hotter in order to bed in correctly. btw, I still wish I had the time to make it to the last event at Sebring... oh well

 

Not sure if it makes a difference or not. But the last set of Brembo blanks I ran were bedded in with Hawk HP+'s. I then ran a set of Hawk Blues at an HPDE weekend. I hosed the front rotors (warped with lots of deposits). I know Blues are notorious for rotor wear but I wasn't expecting it after one HPDE (granted it was a 3 day event at two different tracks). Oh well, I mic'd em and there's plenty of metal left. I'll just have them turned. I'm switching to the Ferodo DS3000 and I may try the Autozone rotors since so many have had good luck with them.

 

anyone who pays more than $30 for ANY kind of rotor is not very bright


rotors=wear item





[Modified by B18CXr, 2:53 PM 1/8/2003]

 

****, what isn't? My whole CRX = wear item

-travis, who hates to spend $2,000 on wear items, but would look silly running around the track holding a steering wheel...