Good store brand rotors?

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Zako2

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I need to pick up a set of new rear rotors for a Ford Five Hundred today. All stores in my area have compatible rotors (NAPA, AZ, Oreilly, OReilly, Pep Boys). It seems like all of them are priced the same, at about $50 each. The AAP Wearever look attractive because I can get $30 off on a set of two with the online code. Are these decent rotors?
 
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I buy brakes from Napa and I buy the most expensive . Remember, what is the cost of safety, brakes are cheap, how much is a life?
 
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
I buy the cheapest rotors I can find and I get the same life as the expensive ones. Don't be fooled by scare tactics


True. Plus, the cheap rotors and expensive rotors are all made in the same plant and in CHINA. We don't make many rotors in the USA anymore.
 
Originally Posted By: CourierDriver
I buy brakes from Napa and I buy the most expensive . Remember, what is the cost of safety, brakes are cheap, how much is a life?


I agree with the 2nd part but in terms of car parts expensive doesn't always equal quality. Plenty of us here posted pictures of the higher end stuff and the lower end stuff. Sometimes there is no difference other then box.

I go with the cheapest option, normally its AAP with coupon or Centric C-Tek from amazon/rockauto. In the past 3 years i've picked up about 5-6 sets of rotors and none had issues. Those rotors in my eyes are 100% throw away, will never consider cutting them.
 
I would stay away from the generic white box cheap rotors sold at auto stores if your center hubs show through your wheel.They rust badly.
Heck,I'd stay away from them even if they didn't.
 
I've been very happy with the few pairs of Advance Wearever rotors I've bought. Perfect fit, nice machine work, and the hats had some mild anti-corrosion coating on them. The NAPA rotors I bought seemed cheap and that hats rusted immediately.

Yes, they were made in China but so is just about everything else these days.
 
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
I buy the cheapest rotors I can find and I get the same life as the expensive ones. Don't be fooled by scare tactics


True. Plus, the cheap rotors and expensive rotors are all made in the same plant and in CHINA. We don't make many rotors in the USA anymore.


4-5 years ago, I found that out the hard way. I needed a new rotor for my Dodge Dakota and I went shopping to all the local FLAPS around. I went in and simply asked for a replacement rotor that was American made. Most of them even let me go in the back of the store to let me see that all of them had the "Made in Mexico" or "Made in China" stickers on the hundreds of rotors that they had in inventory. I finally went to a mom-and-pop store that was minus the mom. In other words, it was run by a single guy behind the counter and nobody else. He found a rotor deep in inventory and brought it out and blew off all the dust. By looking at the label, it was about 8 years old and wasn't even the same manufacturer that he currently carried. There actually was lot of dust on it but it had the "Made in Canada" label on it. That was good enough for me and I bought it.
When I replaced the opposite side a few months later, I bought the cheapest one that was made in China. As far as braking ability, I couldn't tell the difference between either one.
 
Originally Posted By: Kruse
As far as braking ability, I couldn't tell the difference between either one.

I don't think a Chinese-made rotor's ability to stop a car properly is the question, it's more of a manufacturing quality and 'buy American' issue.
 
On heavier cars, the cheap rotors can sometimes be a bad idea due to the fact they have insufficient vane spacing/thickness. For a 2800lb Civic there's not a big difference, but on a 4000lb Audi that can easily do 120mph, it is significant.
 
What about a 2800 lb Civic that can easily do 120? Lol. I just bought front and back "Pronto" rotors for my Odyssey. We'll see how they do. The stock rotors aren't awesome to begin with. But I guess we have gotten 80k miles out of them so I shouldn't complain...
 
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
What about a 2800 lb Civic that can easily do 120? Lol. I just bought front and back "Pronto" rotors for my Odyssey. We'll see how they do. The stock rotors aren't awesome to begin with. But I guess we have gotten 80k miles out of them so I shouldn't complain...


My point was more that smaller and lighter cars probably won't be generating as much heat from their brakes as a sports sedan.
 
I use the AAP brand rotors on all my vehicles. Never had a problem. I even use them when I do side work for friends and family. I've not found a rotor any cheaper than at AAP using the online discount codes.
 
Obligatory cheap Chinese rotor warning:

rotor_warning.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Obligatory cheap Chinese rotor warning:

rotor_warning.jpg



what difference would it make? turning rotors these days versus the price of new rotors is just a waste of time/effort/money.
 
Originally Posted By: Bottom_Feeder
Originally Posted By: Kruse
As far as braking ability, I couldn't tell the difference between either one.

I don't think a Chinese-made rotor's ability to stop a car properly is the question, it's more of a manufacturing quality and 'buy American' issue.


I don't know what non-Chinese options the OP will even have, so the "buy American" issue might be moot. The Motocraft rotors will very likely be Chinese. The genuine Ford rotors may not be, but they'll be pricey from the dealer.

I know of a couple other brands that source non-Chinese rotors, but they specialize in imported cars.

Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
Obligatory cheap Chinese rotor warning:

rotor_warning.jpg



I've seen you post this multiple times, but it includes no information about which brands are "cheap." It also doesn't seem to take into account that nearly all rotors are now made in China. So, without more info it's not too helpful.

To the OP -
I have the AAP rotors on the back of my Sonata. They seem to be working fine. I went with Raybestos pro on the front. I wish I would have spend more to get the Raybestos Advance Tech rotors with the painted hat, or at least painted the hat and vanes myself. Rust is what killed my OE rotors.

Also check Rock Auto and Amazon. Generally, Amazon will be cheaper on rotors after you consider the shipping cost. I bought my Raybestos rotor from Amazon for $27 shipped.

If you're determined to buy locally, then AAP will be your cheapest option. All your local choices will be Chinese, I'm 99% sure. Napa, Carquest, AAP, O'Reilly, Autozone - They'll all be Chinese rotors and very possibly produced by the same companies.
 
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Originally Posted By: cptbarkey

what difference would it make? turning rotors these days versus the price of new rotors is just a waste of time/effort/money.


Bigger heat sink, rotors run cooler. Heat may be an issue if the car is driven hard.
 
NAPA carries Raybestos Advanced Technology rotors that have rust resistant paint on the hats and veins. They do not make them for my Mazda so I ended up getting Centric's off of Amazon that have the coating.
 
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