“Best” coated rotors?

Joined
Apr 17, 2012
Messages
3,551
Location
West Michigan
Well the wife’s F150 will probably be due for brakes sometime next year so I figure it’s prudent to start looking for sales/deals…. I have power stop z36 towing pads/rotors on two other F150s with good results and will probably go this route again unless I can find a better option.

Living in the salt belt I would like to find the most durable coated rotor available (within reason). Nothing ruins a meticulous brake job like rusting out cooling vanes 6 months later.

Looks like power stop makes their z36 zinc plated as well as an “evolution geomet” while raybestos has their element3. Can anybody weigh in if any of these are significantly better than the rest or is their another option I should consider?

I don’t want to derail the rotor discussion but any thoughts on the Z36 carbon/ceramic pads vs akebono “ultra premium” performance ceramic pads?
 
Last edited:
Powerstop Geomet coated rotors are awesome and seem to be the best ones so far :)

Raybestos Element3 are good too. The coating seems to be identical to the Geomet coating from Powerstop. But if you're already buying the Power Stop pads, you might as well just get their rotors too since they ship from the same warehouse.

Both are significantly better than the rest. The coating should last 3-4 years. DO NOT spray the rotors with any kind of brake cleaner or anything, or else you will weaken the coating and shorten the life of it!

The E-coating offered by Centric and Wagner lasts 1-2 years. Non-coated rotors rust overnight or sometimes even within hours!
 
I've used Raybestos E 3's on 3 different brake jobs here in the rust belt. They're holding up well. Excellent braking performance as well. My wife who doesn't notice such things even commented after I put the E3 pad and rotor set on her 2019 Pathfinder on how awesome the brakes are, even compared to when it was new.
 
Powerstop Geomet coated rotors are awesome and seem to be the best ones so far :)

Raybestos Element3 are good too. The coating seems to be identical to the Geomet coating from Powerstop. But if you're already buying the Power Stop pads, you might as well just get their rotors too since they ship from the same warehouse.

Both are significantly better than the rest. The coating should last 3-4 years. DO NOT spray the rotors with any kind of brake cleaner or anything, or else you will weaken the coating and shorten the life of it!

The E-coating offered by Centric and Wagner lasts 1-2 years. Non-coated rotors rust overnight or sometimes even within hours!


Well these trucks seem to get well over 60k out of rotors for my use, so thats more than 3-4 years typically. My z36-wearing 2011 has the zinc plated powerstop rotors which look good but not great after two winters.
 
Well these trucks seem to get well over 60k out of rotors for my use, so thats more than 3-4 years typically. My z36-wearing 2011 has the zinc plated powerstop rotors which look good but not great after two winters.

Even when the coating starts to wear off, they will still come off with no problem, and they will not be frozen to the wheel or the hub. The wheels and the rotors will still slide off with ease :)

The Geomet coating is the best you'll find outside OEM from the dealer.
 
I've had Geomet (which is water-based coating), and Electrostatic coatings.

The Geomet coatings, don't last that long, in Mid-Atlantic winters. Usually, I see rust on the hats after about 1 winter season. The Centric E-coat is much more durable (2-3 winters before I see rust on the hat)

Also, with Geomet coatings, breaking in pads to the rotor is largely dependent on the type of pad. Abrasive pads will easily grind away the coating. Adherent pads, the Geomet coating will interfere with the bedding process, as there is not enough abrasives in the pad formulation to wear away the fully coated braking surface, so you should remove the coating from the braking surface before installation, but don't go too crazy spraying brake cleaner onto the rotor, as you'll be affected the coating integrity elsewhere.

At least Centric recognizes this, with the GCX lineup of rotors, as they recommend the fully coated on abrasive pads (like their semi-metallic offerings), and they have partially coated rotors, that looks like overspray on the braking surface, for adherent pads (like their ceramic pads).

320_fd73.jpg
 
Seems like there are three different terms that people often use interchangeably. Coated, plated and painted. Not too sure which is what or better, but to me, coated means the entire rotor is dipped in some anti-corrosion bath, plated means something similar but adds an electric charge as in chrome plating, so it lasts much longer. Painted is in between and only the non-contact areas are covered. Some paint is better than others and I've found the AC Delco rotors stay nice looking pretty long.

acdelco-professional-brake-rotors.jpg
 
Nothing but OE to compare to but I’ve put Raybestos Element EHT pads and their coated rotors on 3 F150’s(two for friends, one is my truck) and they’ve been great as far as performance and the coating is holding up well here in the Midwest.

Maybe give them a try and see how they compare to the Powerstop you’ve used in the past 🤷‍♂️
 
I've had Geomet (which is water-based coating), and Electrostatic coatings.

The Geomet coatings, don't last that long, in Mid-Atlantic winters. Usually, I see rust on the hats after about 1 winter season. The Centric E-coat is much more durable (2-3 winters before I see rust on the hat)

Also, with Geomet coatings, breaking in pads to the rotor is largely dependent on the type of pad. Abrasive pads will easily grind away the coating. Adherent pads, the Geomet coating will interfere with the bedding process, as there is not enough abrasives in the pad formulation to wear away the fully coated braking surface, so you should remove the coating from the braking surface before installation, but don't go too crazy spraying brake cleaner onto the rotor, as you'll be affected the coating integrity elsewhere.

At least Centric recognizes this, with the GCX lineup of rotors, as they recommend the fully coated on abrasive pads (like their semi-metallic offerings), and they have partially coated rotors, that looks like overspray on the braking surface, for adherent pads (like their ceramic pads).

320_fd73.jpg

I had no problem with Akebono ceramic pads (adherent) and Powerstop Geomet coated rotors. They swept the rotors fine with no problem. Powerstop's own pads should also be compatible with their own rotors. What kind of pads did you use? :unsure:

Also, look at the other pictures Cerntric provides for the GCX. Those Centric GCX rotors, whether fully or partially coated, aren't coated on the inside hat :sneaky:

If you don't like Geomet for whatever reason, you're better off with the black E-coated rotors like Centric or Wagner. Have you used Wagner's coated rotors? They seem to be the same coating, except Wagner doesn't require the cleaning that is needed with Centric.

My Centrics are going on 10 years, no rust. No salty roads though and no offroading.

You're just bragging that you don't have to deal with the salt :D
 
I’ve had best experiences with raybestos rotors. I’ve tried the premium units from AZ and had an odd runout issue that wasn’t noticeable at the pedal but was very noticeable when the heat shield bent in just far enough to rub the “high spot” on the rotor. They also seem to put a nominal amount of metal in them.

as far as coatings, I’ve not noticed much of a difference, here in the south, between manufacturer coatings, and well, carefully applied high-temp spray paint. Hate to say that, but they both seem to age about the same.

cheap $30 rotors become ballast weights to make furniture heavy around here.
 
If I understand the mechanics, the coating wears off on first use, so only the non-contact area with the pads is applicable - right?

Just to throw in a curve on the discussion, cryo-treated rotors! After initial scientism, did some research and the advantages are real. Have now experienced these and they have proven effective in significantly extending wear life (as in 2 - 3 or more times) on rotor wear. These were fitted on a number of higher performance vehicles and multiple track days.
 
If I understand the mechanics, the coating wears off on first use, so only the non-contact area with the pads is applicable - right?
correct

Just to throw in a curve on the discussion, cryo-treated rotors! After initial scientism, did some research and the advantages are real. Have now experienced these and they have proven effective in significantly extending wear life (as in 2 - 3 or more times) on rotor wear. These were fitted on a number of higher performance vehicles and multiple track days.

Centric sells cryo-treated rotors with the same E-coating they use on their regular rotors.
 
If I understand the mechanics, the coating wears off on first use, so only the non-contact area with the pads is applicable - right?

Just to throw in a curve on the discussion, cryo-treated rotors! After initial scientism, did some research and the advantages are real. Have now experienced these and they have proven effective in significantly extending wear life (as in 2 - 3 or more times) on rotor wear. These were fitted on a number of higher performance vehicles and multiple track days.


My goal is to maximize corrosion resistance (all else equal). Rotors have to be decent to start with but I’m not sacrificing corrosion resistance for a track grade disc.
 
I have tried the Power Stop coated rotors in the Power Stop brake kit that I purchase from Rock Auto for the 2008 Subaru. So far, these have been the most corrosion resistant rotors that I have tried on this car. I have not yet tried the Raybestos coated rotors though.

I can report that a pair of un-coated rotors that I tried on the Subaru rear brakes barely made it two years before they were ready for the trash heap. At the time I needed rotors, no coated rear rotors were available. I buy brake kits pretty far ahead of time nowadays.

New Hampshire road salt is pretty destructive stuff!
 
Back
Top