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rotor recommendation?

1K views 25 replies 14 participants last post by  Big3 
#1 ·
I have a 94 Concorde 3.5. I've gone through a few sets of front rotors as many others have too I'm sure. Anyone have any recommendation on rotors that will last longer than a few years? Lots of city driving, but I only get about 35K out of them. Is it worth it to get rotors from the dealer? Carquest? Get performance rotors to dissipate more heat?
Thanks.
 
#3 ·
If the price point for OE rotors are about the same as a quality premium aftermarket rotor, than it may be worth getting the OE. But if you get a quality premium aftermarket rotor, than you should be fine. If you go to Carquest, get the premium line rotors (not their midgrade or their value line stuff).

There is more to rotor wear than just the rotors used. You say you do a lot of city driving so your rotors won't last as long as someone who does mostly hiway driving. The type of brake pad you use also effects rotor life. An aggressive pad will wear the rotor down quicker than a non-aggressive pad. But of course the trade off is stopping power. Your driving habits also effect rotor wear.

I do mostly city driving and have a heavy foot so my rotors don't usually last long. Of course I always get new rotors and never turn them. If I had them turned instead of getting new ones, the rotors would last me one or two more brake jobs.

Oddly enough, the only rotors I had any issues with were the OE rotors that came with the car (I bought the car brand new). I've used UBP and Bendix (obviously) rotors with no issues.
 
#4 ·
phoffer said:
I have a 94 Concorde 3.5. I've gone through a few sets of front rotors as many others have too I'm sure. Anyone have any recommendation on rotors that will last longer than a few years? Lots of city driving, but I only get about 35K out of them. Is it worth it to get rotors from the dealer? Carquest? Get performance rotors to dissipate more heat?
Thanks.

you should be thankful to get 35K out of them thats quite a bit.
 
G
#5 ·
How long are rotors supposed to last? I got my 93 3.5L Concorde 55000 miles ago.
I tried replacing the rotors 3 times already (every time I do a brake job) but they just won't come off.. So I leave them there.
I thought that rotors are supposed be like lifetime thing... lol.
 
#9 ·
I have 128k miles on my '96 and I just did my front pads this summer. I've had the car since 87k and still on the same rotors... I rotate my own tires and torque the lug nuts properly, plus if a shop ever does tire work I go home and retorque right away to prevent any warping (shops always hammer them down uneven with an air wrench). Why do your rotors wear out so quickly??? Other than replacing them from warping, are you just wearing all the material off them? I am running standard semi-metallics like oem and my rotors have lasted great.
 
#10 ·
JE.Electronics said:
How long are rotors supposed to last? I got my 93 3.5L Concorde 55000 miles ago.
I tried replacing the rotors 3 times already (every time I do a brake job) but they just won't come off.. So I leave them there.
I thought that rotors are supposed be like lifetime thing... lol.
if you are going to replace them just bang the **** out em with a hammer
 
#11 ·
JE.Electronics said:
How long are rotors supposed to last? I got my 93 3.5L Concorde 55000 miles ago.
I tried replacing the rotors 3 times already (every time I do a brake job) but they just won't come off.. So I leave them there.
I thought that rotors are supposed be like lifetime thing... lol.
I'm at 194K on originals. Been turned twice, need it again (warped), but probably not enough metal left.
 
#12 ·
To remove a rusted on rotor, spray a lot of break free around the hub and let it soak over nite. I had this problem and after letting it soak, and about 5 minutes of tapping with a heavy hammer, they finally came loose. be sure to scrub the mating surface on the hub with a wire brush and some brake cleaner to remove ALL signs of rust. Any rust will cause the rotors to not meet flush and cause a few thousandths of an inch runout - translating to premature brake pad wear and vibration felt thru the steering wheel and brake pedal. Raybestos rotors thru www.rockauto.com are only $38 each (front) and $35 for the rear. Wagner's are $43 and $39 each. At 100k miles when I needed a brake job I also just bought loaded calipers since the seals were probably on the verge of going bad. Make sure to get a caliper with a metal piston and not that cheap plastic 'phenolic' piston. Prices on the calipers range from $40 to about $80 depending on what type of pads you get. Raybestos PG Plus are fine for me. With city driving, expect to get only about 30k miles on a set of rotors.
 
#13 ·
If you must use a hammer to remove rotors, do not get too aggressive with it. If you bang the **** out of it. The next time you drive the car, you will say "now what ??" "I just fixed the brakes now the wheel bearings are getting noisy."
 
#15 ·
When I remove a stuck rotor or drum I just play a little heat around the studs and center hub. Have even used just a regular propane torch. Does not take much and they just pop off. Don't even have to over heat them and worry about the bearing.
 
#16 ·
dodgerunner said:
When I remove a stuck rotor or drum I just play a little heat around the studs and center hub. Have even used just a regular propane torch. Does not take much and they just pop off. Don't even have to over heat them and worry about the bearing.
I would be worried about using any heat like this. It doesn't take much heat to make the wheel bearing grease start to break down, and once it starts you're bearing's life is limited.
 
#17 ·
The last two set of rotors I've had have been bendix with semi metallic pads. They don't warp, but get pits in them on both sides (I'm assuming because the metal is wearing thin?). I just put on ceramic pads and I want to replace the rotors too.
Someone mentioned making sure the calipers have metal pistons. Will those make the rotors last longer because they will help sink some of the heat as well, or is it not enough to make a difference?
Maybe I'll try some Wagner rotors. Anybody tried severe duty (ventilated) rotors on their car?
Thanks.
 
#18 ·
Rotors...a long-time sore spot with me. We bought the '95 ES w/34K on it, the rotors were warped but I knew this was likely going into hunting for one of these cars. Dallas, TX is hard on brakes.

I had 'em turned, they rewarped a few thousand miles later...I had 'em returned. We moved to the mountains of CO. They warped almost immediately, as you might expect. I put on a pair of cross-drilled discs...can't remembe who made them, but they weren't inexpensive. Within six months, not only were they warped, but they'd started cracking at the ventilation holes. I gave up on these, as I'm not about to risk a rotor cracking when, if you miss a curve, you're taking a guaranteed deadly trip down the side of a mountain.

I then found Shuck's, a.k.a. Checker and another store name, have 'lifetime guaranteed' rotors. They were inexpensive, they were on hand, so I went with it, asking the guy, "um, when these are too thin to turn in about a year, after they've warped a couple of times and been turned, you'll replace 'em, right?" He said, "sure will". Good deal.

Well, that was like 50K+ miles back, and there was a time, about four months in, when my wife drove the car like it was an F1 machine in the mountains, and I couldn't believe it, no warping. The brakes even felt better. I'd not replaced the pads at the same time as the rotors, I don't think, though they weren't OEM. The pads are nothing special, just decent OTC parts from the NAPA.

There was a period of time I intentionally was driving hard, lotsa late-braking in seriouslly twisty Colorado front-range roads, seeing if I could warp 'em, never happened. Honestly, I'm still amazed.
 
#21 ·
you dont beat on the wheel studs if you want to remove the rotor. Of course if you beat on the wheel studs these are pressed into the hub and could cause some damage. What I meant on the previous post was if your going to replace the rotor you can bang the rotor right on the braking surface because it doesnt matter, this will give you a good torque against the hub and should pop the rotor right off.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Hey guys, just use a decent sized rubber mallet if you wish to take them off without damaging them. If you don't care about saving them use a regular hammer. Bang and spin, bang and spin. I usually throw on some ear muffs and safety glasses if I'm using a regular hammer because of the noise and the possibility of flying metal chunks. Also, make sure you spray the brake parts down really good with brake cleaner prior to banging because if you don't, as soon as you start banging all that wonderful brake dust will start to circulate around your work area and into your lungs. :gun6:
 
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