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Rotors that don't suck?

9K views 42 replies 20 participants last post by  john Montanaro 
#1 ·
I've had Powerstop cross drilled and slotted. Warped within a year.

I've now had 2 full sets of of R-1 concepts (cross drilled/slotted) and the front's are warped in in record time. Nine months! This is with their brand of ceramic pads to boot. The back are in good shape, but still.

Brakes were bled and the break in procedures were followed. I have no hanging/frozen calipers. I'm just stumped. I've owned six Dodge vehicles over the years (this being #7) and I've never had a car eat rotors like this before.

Thoughts?
 
#3 ·
NAPA Performance Rotors FTW!
I second that. Ive had napa United Parts rotors on my car going on 6 years now. No warp, never have needed to be turned. They are just the regular ones, but still.
 
#5 ·
Had R1 ecolines rotors for 4 1\2 years on front, and rear. And the current set of 300m PHP R1 rotors going on 2 years with no issues on the front.

Not to mention both sets saw autocross and very spirited driving.

I don't know why your have warped like that have unless it was bad run or something else is going on.
 
#6 · (Edited)
My guess is that the rotors aren't the problem - that the problem is pads with "gummy" binders that unevenly film the rotors mimicking warped rotors. I used to have problems with what I thought were warped rotors. No matter what I tried, the brakes still pulsed. When I finaly realized that the pads were the cause and attacked *them* instead of the rotors, my braking problems disappeared (the break-thru for me came when an engineer at Frozen Rotors talked me into quitting using ceramic pads).
 
#8 ·
Those would be the NAPA Premium Rotors instead of the Performance Rotors that I pictured. I had a pair of NAPA Premiums on the 2002 R/T which worked fine for over two years.
 
#12 ·
I have never liked Centric. I worked at a shop that loved to sell them to customers. They all sucked. For one, not one was even close to being true to shape or centered. Majority of them had to be re-cut out of the box before being bolted on the car or they would shake and/or pulse. Quite a few came back around 1,000 miles with center ribs splitting. They were okay or bad, but too much chance of bad IMHO.
 
#13 ·
Same problem.....

I have endless trouble with front only

Factory rotors, warped first couple years

Power slot rotors lasted longer, warped, and hawk ceramic pads gave no stopping power unless they were HOT- very bad!

Now have Raybestos rotors and pads, tons of dust, and squeak like he'll! But no warp yet.

But that's over 10 years and 100 000 miles, and my only major recurring problem with this car.
 
#40 ·
I have endless trouble with front only

Factory rotors, warped first couple years

Power slot rotors lasted longer, warped, and hawk ceramic pads gave no stopping power unless they were HOT- very bad!

Now have Raybestos rotors and pads, tons of dust, and squeak like he'll! But no warp yet.

But that's over 10 years and 100 000 miles, and my only major recurring problem with this car.
2017 update, 240 000 km same rotors still on car, still good. Looking for a recommendation on a low dust brake pad for front that won't chew the rotors.
 
#15 · (Edited)
ceramic pads are better but work alot hotter causing your warping...
For a given stop (i..e, energy dissipated), the same amount of heat is generated. From what you're saying, ceramics (if you can generalize) don't conduct the heat away from/out of the rotor as well as other materials. That's an argument not to use ceramics in my book.
 
#16 ·
It's been hard for me to find a decent set of rotors/pads in Canada.

I've always gone with Wagner premium gear (PHP) and since they outsourced the crap to china ive not been lucky, only a year on the rotors and pads, and they shudder like crazy. The w clips have melted on the passenger side and the brake noise/dust is unbearable.

I want to get into buffalo and buy some quality made parts from the USA, seems like NAPA is the way to go (they are supremely expensive in Canada).
 
#17 ·
Ive had the R1 rotors all the way around for probably 4 years, no problems at all
 
#25 ·
Alright guys, going to revive this one. Best relatively current brake thread I found.

So I've used ceramic in the past, and it seems that may be part of my issue. I'm ready to give a different material a fair shake, so what do you guys think? Which pads have been serving you well?

It sounds like the Napa/Raybestos or Bendix are the way to go. I'll shop around for those.

I have at least one rotor that is totally trashed. I'm on the last leg of not fearing for my safety (because at least two look fine). The rear drivers rotor has finger groove gouges through them.
 
#26 ·
...So I've used ceramic in the past, and it seems that may be part of my issue.
Bingo.

I'm ready to give a different material a fair shake, so what do you guys think? Which pads have been serving you well?...
You can never go wrong with Hawk HPS. Semi-metallic in general is good.

If low dusting/clean wheels is a high priority for you, then my recommendations might not be right for you.
 
#32 ·
I'm thinking by hand torquing you get even torgue on all the lugs with less chances of getting a rotor to warp.
 
#33 · (Edited)
I don't see that being a issue with our cars. The way the rotors are, you'll damage a wheel before you cause any issue with the rotor. The studs will stretch and/or break if you way over tighten them. You can crack aluminum rims and bend steel rims. But I don't see how your rotor is going to warp. The mating flange isn't that thin.

With that said, corrosion on the hub flange and the wheels mating surface can warp rotors. If your hubs are flaking away when you change your rotors, you should replace them. If you have any buildup on the back of your aluminum rims, you need to clean them off. A soft wire wheel or a sanding disc takes care of it quickly.

Can't tell you how many people I've seen beat their wheels back on and act like its normal. They are the ones with cars that always vibrate, shake, and shimmy.

Maybe they like to think someone left a dildo under their seat.

Edit: it is important to torque your nuts correctly. You wouldn't want to have a wheel fall off. I go light with an impact, lower enough for tires to touch ground, and use a proper torque wrench and tightening sequence. Unlike you and me, your car doesn't want to bust a nut
 
#34 ·
If the torque is uneven and far enough off you will have issues with vibration.
 
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