Best Brake Rotor Manufacturer

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That's you opinion but that does not make it correct. Every company that makes parts for OE usually have an aftermarket line engineered and manufactured to a lower price point.
A friend of mine spent thousands for OE Brembo when his Diablo needed brakes, those are in no way similar other than the name as yours even though both are made in Italy.

Brembo aftermarket are nothing special, its a low mid range product at best and the price reflects this. Some of that price is for the name on the box.
 
Originally Posted by Trav


Brembo aftermarket are nothing special, its a low mid range product at best and the price reflects this. Some of that price is for the name on the box.


THIS ^. And that applies to almost every brand. The top end stuff can be very, very good, and the rest kind of gets pulled along by the name. Think Brembo brakes, Michelin tires, German cars ...
 
Originally Posted by geeman789

Originally Posted by Trav


Brembo aftermarket are nothing special, its a low mid range product at best and the price reflects this. Some of that price is for the name on the box.


THIS ^. And that applies to almost every brand. The top end stuff can be very, very good, and the rest kind of gets pulled along by the name. Think Brembo brakes, Michelin tires, German cars ...





I was following you until you got to German cars. Aftermarket German cars? I don't even know what that means. Unless you mean the low end car lines that Mercedes/BMW/Audi have.
 
I didn't quite catch that either. The only thing I can think of is the sometimes horrific aftermarket parts quality they sell for German cars.
 
I have tried several brands but have had excellent results with Bendix Fleet Metlok pads a rotors when I can find them. If I can't, I generally use Raybestos or Centric.
 
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Two very divisive opinions being argued:

If I understand the argument, some are saying that aftermarket Brembos are nothing special and are similar to other name brand middle-of-the-road offerings (i.e., Centric). These same people are saying that mfg. have excellent O.E. lines and good aftermarket lines within the same brand name. Painting with a broad brush, this camp contends that the aftermarket part "tends" to have lesser quality than the O.E. part.

edyvw concedes that Brembo makes two lines (O.E. and aftermarket) and that regardless of COO, the Brembo aftermarkets are still premium rotors and much better than the middle grade Centric, Wagners, Raybestos, etc..


In the end, do we have any facts beyond anecdotal that prove that the Brembos, Textars, EBC, are really better than the coated Autozone DuraGold coated rotors that also claim higher carbon, better rust resistance, etc.????? https://www.autozone.com/landing/page.jsp?name=duralast-gold-rotors
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Originally Posted by Trav
That's you opinion but that does not make it correct. Every company that makes parts for OE usually have an aftermarket line engineered and manufactured to a lower price point.
A friend of mine spent thousands for OE Brembo when his Diablo needed brakes, those are in no way similar other than the name as yours even though both are made in Italy.

Brembo aftermarket are nothing special, its a low mid range product at best and the price reflects this. Some of that price is for the name on the box.

OE parts can be very different in quality. Toyota brakes for example are pure garbage, no matter what vehicle it is. I have Land Cruiser Prado diesel in Europe, and that thing went through so many OE rotors that equals to weight of a car (I seriously do not want to know how cheap aftermarket rotors for Toyoat perform). Finally I bought EBC Ultimax rotors and pads and so far good.
I am not arguing that somehow with Brembo aftermarket rotor for KIA Rio, suddenly car will stop 20ft better. What I am arguing is that it will serve better than many other products. When I had BMW, I was perfectly fine getting ATE, Textar, Zimmerman or Brembo or EBC rotors. However, what I will not do get things like Wagner, Bosch etc. those products that are flooding AutoZone etc.
 
I don't know why this is an argument? Brembo makes some of the absolute BEST brake components money can buy. Their middle of the road OE & upgrade kits are fantastic!

To think this extends to aftermarket replacement rotors that are sold at a competitive price point to Centric rotors is silly in my opinion. I had to machine out the Run-out on all 4 of the Brembo replacements on my Avalon. Not that I didn't expect that for the price!
 
IMO Brembo made a mistake trying to compete with the bottom of the barrel using their own name, I think they would have been better creating another brand they has "by Brembo" like Snap on has Blue point.
As we see with Craftsman when they started competing with dollar store tools using their decent brand name, the brand failed, the ladder is a long climb up but a quick fall down.
 
... I was following you until you got to German cars ...Unless you mean the low end car lines that Mercedes/BMW/Audi have.


Look at an Audi RS7 ... drive it ( WOW ), price it ( gasp ) . Then do the same for a base AUDI A3 FWD ... but to some people, they are all AUDI's. Mercedes and BMW also have spectacular top end products, and absolutely mediocre bottom end stuff.
 
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Originally Posted by geeman789






... I was following you until you got to German cars ...Unless you mean the low end car lines that Mercedes/BMW/Audi have.


Look at an Audi RS7 ... drive it ( WOW ), price it ( gasp ) . Then do the same for a base AUDI A3 FWD ... but to some people, they are all AUDI's. Mercedes and BMW also have spectacular top end products, and absolutely mediocre bottom end stuff.



Really? Do tell us how Audi A3 is in same league as Toyota Corolla, Ford Focus, and other mediocre stuff? And how do you compare price (gasp) of Audi RS7 and Audi A3 and expect same product? I am really interested in that explanation.
 
Originally Posted by geeman789






... I was following you until you got to German cars ...Unless you mean the low end car lines that Mercedes/BMW/Audi have.


Look at an Audi RS7 ... drive it ( WOW ), price it ( gasp ) . Then do the same for a base AUDI A3 FWD ... but to some people, they are all AUDI's. Mercedes and BMW also have spectacular top end products, and absolutely mediocre bottom end stuff.




The problem is due to American auto manufacturers producing different classes of vehicles under different brands and the two shall never cross and when it happens it is usually catastrophic eg Cadillac Cimmeron. Companies like BMW, Mercedes, Citroen, Audi, etc have always made a full range of cars, no one expected a 2CV to be anything like a DS or CX or a MB A class to be a S class, A BMW 315 to be a 750I, etc.

Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Hyundai had to adopt the US mentality to sell their more upscale cars in NA by creating brands that do not exist in many cases in other countries.
Infinity, Genesis, Acura do not exist in Europe, no need, people accept that companies can build a whole range of product from entry level to supercar.
 
Originally Posted by edyvw
Originally Posted by Trav
That's you opinion but that does not make it correct. Every company that makes parts for OE usually have an aftermarket line engineered and manufactured to a lower price point.
A friend of mine spent thousands for OE Brembo when his Diablo needed brakes, those are in no way similar other than the name as yours even though both are made in Italy.

Brembo aftermarket are nothing special, its a low mid range product at best and the price reflects this. Some of that price is for the name on the box.

OE parts can be very different in quality. Toyota brakes for example are pure garbage, no matter what vehicle it is. I have Land Cruiser Prado diesel in Europe, and that thing went through so many OE rotors that equals to weight of a car (I seriously do not want to know how cheap aftermarket rotors for Toyoat perform). Finally I bought EBC Ultimax rotors and pads and so far good.
I am not arguing that somehow with Brembo aftermarket rotor for KIA Rio, suddenly car will stop 20ft better. What I am arguing is that it will serve better than many other products. When I had BMW, I was perfectly fine getting ATE, Textar, Zimmerman or Brembo or EBC rotors. However, what I will not do get things like Wagner, Bosch etc. those products that are flooding AutoZone etc.


So, those were not Brembo rotors after all... EBC Ultimax have been good on all vehicles I had them installed. On top of that Land Cruiser Prado Diesel is a garbage for people who cannot fit into the tiny G-Wagen and cannot afford the real Land Cruiser. How's that for an argument?
 
Thanks for the advice all. Yes indeed I understand these Brembo brakes would not be the same as those found on an elite car. That said I would think they'd make at least a middling rotor if they are putting their name on it - hence the interest and question.

EBC is definitely at the top of my list at the moment. As someone pointed out, though a humble Kia Rio, I do drive it in a spirited way as it has a fine power to weight ratio for smaller city streets, and would like something better than the cheapest, weakest, rustiest types out there at minimal cost.
 
Originally Posted by edyvw
OE parts can be very different in quality. Toyota brakes for example are pure garbage, no matter what vehicle it is.


How you do spew.
 
Originally Posted by Y_K
Originally Posted by edyvw
Originally Posted by Trav
That's you opinion but that does not make it correct. Every company that makes parts for OE usually have an aftermarket line engineered and manufactured to a lower price point.
A friend of mine spent thousands for OE Brembo when his Diablo needed brakes, those are in no way similar other than the name as yours even though both are made in Italy.

Brembo aftermarket are nothing special, its a low mid range product at best and the price reflects this. Some of that price is for the name on the box.

OE parts can be very different in quality. Toyota brakes for example are pure garbage, no matter what vehicle it is. I have Land Cruiser Prado diesel in Europe, and that thing went through so many OE rotors that equals to weight of a car (I seriously do not want to know how cheap aftermarket rotors for Toyoat perform). Finally I bought EBC Ultimax rotors and pads and so far good.
I am not arguing that somehow with Brembo aftermarket rotor for KIA Rio, suddenly car will stop 20ft better. What I am arguing is that it will serve better than many other products. When I had BMW, I was perfectly fine getting ATE, Textar, Zimmerman or Brembo or EBC rotors. However, what I will not do get things like Wagner, Bosch etc. those products that are flooding AutoZone etc.


So, those were not Brembo rotors after all... EBC Ultimax have been good on all vehicles I had them installed. On top of that Land Cruiser Prado Diesel is a garbage for people who cannot fit into the tiny G-Wagen and cannot afford the real Land Cruiser. How's that for an argument?

What? And since when G is tiny? Why would I get LC200? I need to get to mountain house (which it does, in muddy road), and LC200 is not any better when it comes to anything. LOL, G is tiny.
I have Brembo rotors on VW, had it on BMW. Not sure you are actually fallowing topic.
 
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Originally Posted by HangFire
Originally Posted by edyvw
OE parts can be very different in quality. Toyota brakes for example are pure garbage, no matter what vehicle it is.


How you do spew.

It is, pure, absolute garbage. My 1996 Opel Vectra that weighed some 3200lbs had bigger rear brake pads than 2015, 4600lbs Sienna.
 
Brembo makes high end brake systems, I personally prefer Wildwood or Akebono but Brembo has made some excellent products for both cars they come as stock equipment on and for aftermarket retrofit systems too. Their basic aftermarket pads and rotors for OEM hardware are just good, kinda overpriced. and like other brands seem to vary in quality depending on your vehicle application. Also some of Centric's high end products are very good rotors. I have their 125 Premium high carbon cryo treated rotors on my G37x with base brakes right now and have for the past 20k miles and 20 months in the Pac Northwest and Florida, on a car kept mostly outside. The hats look almost new and the rotors have 80% life remaining maybe more. I would take them over the Brembo aftermarkets I purchased for my old Outback 3.0 (curse you Subaru) any day. The cryo rotors ran cold, resist corrosion and work very well with the Akebono Street Performance pads (GG rated) or the Raybestos Fleet/LE GG rated Aramaid Ceramics.
 
Originally Posted by edyvw
Originally Posted by clinebarger
Brembo replacement rotors are Chinese & not any better than Centric. They try to hide the country of origin. I bought Brembo rotors for my Avalon & only then did I find out the COO.

OEM rotors are probably your best bet....Unless you were unhappy with those?

Brembo makes rotors in numerous countries (including USA).
For European cars, they come from Italy. Chinese will be of same quality and are DEFINIATELY better than Toyota ones (or KIA ones). It is actually not any kind of an achievement to make rotor better than Toyota one, and those are not make in China.


Somehow this person (in the link) got made in Italy rotors with made in China stickers slapped onto the Brembo box.
http://forums.tdiclub.com/showthread.php?t=248318
 
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