Best brand type Disc rotors Opinions please.......

[Laminar Lou]

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I picked up some Chinese cheapos at Advance Auto a few months back for my Expedition,I was really surprised at the machining it was comparable to top shelf products,both rotors were identical with the digital caliper.So far they are performing excellent.

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I am glad you had good experience with them. However, I just read an article yesterday in Automotive News that stated that there is a current price war going on in China and auto parts quality is suffering big time. I am not sure how that will translate to imported Chinese parts, but I would just be on the lookout in the future (it sounds like you are paying attention thought!)

I don't want to start a bunch of rumors, but Automotive News is pretty well respected in the industry.

 

[Axe Man]

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I picked up some Chinese cheapos at Advance Auto a few months back for my Expedition,I was really surprised at the machining it was comparable to top shelf products,both rotors were identical with the digital caliper.So far they are performing excellent.

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I put the same Wearever Chinese rotors on my wife's 2003 Taurus wagon 10K miles ago. I was also impressed with the machining and overall finish. And so far no issues and the car sees alot of stop and go driving.

 

[oilboy123]

Sounds like the Chinese are making some inroads???

I bought some Chinese rotors for my Dads old Buick from JC Whitney a few years back and I thought the machining looked pretty good, nice 45 degree cross hash pattern.

I think I sold them before I ever put them on at a garage sale before he got rid of the car............ no chance to try them out.
He is a good test subject, much harder on brakes then I ever thought of being.

 

[ChrisW]

I've had great luck with autozone valuecraft or duralast rotors, they are often cast in china but the castings have been great so far sometimes better than the brembos i've used in the past.

 

[wiswind]

Autozone's branding is ValueCraft is their less expensive line, and Duralast is their premium line.

 

[CrAlt]

Ive always had good luck with raybestos stuff...

 

[PandaBear]

Haven't tried the chinese rotor (duralast) myself but people on Taurus sites are saying that they are the best cheap rotors out there. Brembo is always good, but you are paying for it ($40+ each). As for pad, I tried the Performance Friction Carbon Metalic and it is super great. Just the right grab, low/no dust, low/no noise, and cheap.

For better initial bite and friction I would go with Axxis/PBR Ultimate, super dusty but super strong. When my friend was driving my car, if I didn't warn him about the pad, he would slam the car stop just by tapping the brake.

 

[VK56VD]

Brembo rotors from tirerack.com get very good reviews. Bendix rotors are probably #@$%! as well. You can also get Ford rotors from the dealer and won't go wrongg as you've got 10k miles out of your originals. Make sure not get te slotted or cross drilled rotors as they would be useless for your application.

 

[VK56VD]

I meant 100k out of the originals. I also don't know what is up with the #@$%!. I mean tto say that Bendix are good.

As far as pads Bendix, Akebono, or OEM are all fine. I also hear good things about the Hawk HPS pads.

 

[PandaBear]

Akebono and Nissin are OEM of many Japanese cars, but they are usually more expensive than the equivalent or bettery quality aftermaket.

I do not like the Hawk HPS (still using it, too late to change), they are weak compare to the Axxis Ultimate that I am used to. IMO you can get better pad for the same price.

 

[Ross]

I have used 4 sets of the Raybestos Rayamond (made in china) rotors on verious cars. I have been impressed with them. No warping on my caravan, unlike the PG plus ones did.

 

[ChrisW]

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Akebono and Nissin are OEM of many Japanese cars, but they are usually more expensive than the equivalent or bettery quality aftermaket.

I do not like the Hawk HPS (still using it, too late to change), they are weak compare to the Axxis Ultimate that I am used to. IMO you can get better pad for the same price.

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I think initial bite on the HPS is lacking, right now I'm using performance fritction carbon metallics, about the same as the HPS, but a little more bite when warmed up. The HPS were nice to modulate when warmed up as well. I've heard that Carbotech AX6 (used to be called panther+) or Cobalt Friction GT Sports are loads better than Hawk HPS. Of course, until proper bedding, I had lack luster braking regardless; I had to bed-in the PFC Carbons twice to achieve satisfactory braking, my initial bed-in was a couple 60mph stops then I did some 80mph stops.

 

[charbaby]

Ross,
I've never heard of Raybestos Rayamond, only the PG's that are sold at a variety of auto parts stores in my area. Can you elaborate a bit more. In the mean time, I'll try their web site.

 

[Winston]

I have heard good things about the Chinese rotors from various auto forums.

 

[road_rascal]

Checker Auto (www dot partsamerica dot com) has two different sets of Raybestos rotors for sale- PG Plus (I'm assuming Premium Grade new from Canada) and Raymold (made in China from recycled metal). I have used the PG Plus on my Windstar and Taurus and they warped in 30K. I won't use them again. I'm currently using Autozone Duralast Gold on the Taurus, and once the replacement PG rotors are shot on the van, I'm getting something different.

 

[charbaby]

Is Rayamond or Raymold, (what ever they're called), an economy brand or a premium brand of rotor from Raybestos or are they a brand by themselves?

 

[road_rascal]

Economy brand from Raybestos, which when I just looked it up online the prices have changed, and the difference is only a measly $2.00 ($83.99 instead of $85.99 for the PG Plus for my '01 Windstar- not much of a bargain).

 

[fatjack]

I got those autozone duralast rotors and pads. Still working great I highly recommend them and very inexpensive with a long warranty. You can't go wrong with these

 

[Volvohead]

It really depends on the vehicle. Some vehicles are relatively easy on rotors; others eat up a rotor over just a couple pad changes. Rotor wear is also affected by pad material choice. It seems to have gotten worse with the more modern vehicles. Thirty-five years ago, rotors were so fat and substantial that they really were "lifetime" parts and only needed to be occasionally turned.

But among the more expensive after market brands, Brembos are a decent choice. They've held up well on GenII Chrysler LH vehicles, which are known for early warping. A premium grade Raybestos or Bendix is ok, too. If you've got a little more scratch, look to a German disk like ATE or Zimmermann. Still won't reduce the rate of wear, but these last two seem to resist warpage the best as they wear down.

I don't use economy grade Chinese rotors if I can avoid it. The last set I encountered was way off right out of the box. We had to take a lot off of them to get them straight. Perhaps the higher priced ones are better or they aren't as much of a problem on some vehicles.

But as has been said, the pad choice is more important than the rotor where stopping is concerned.

 

[RedDart]

If you want to avoid Chinese rotors I recommend that you buy them locally instead of through the Internet so you can see the box in advance and pass on the imported stuff (if that is your preference). I bought some PBR rotors for the rear of my Impala because I knew that Corvettes use PBR rotors. However, the rotors I received were made in China and started rusting right away when I drove through a rainstorm. I have Brembo OEM replacement rotors on the front and they seem to be of good quality but they too have rusted over time. The OEM rotors resisted rust much better than the aftermarket rotors I have used. BTW, the Brembo rotor boxes did not state where they were made so who know where they were made. These days it is hard to know where your parts are coming from and if the parts are really quality parts.