New Akebono Rotors

[The Critic]

All,

This is a somewhat new "premium rotor" offering from Akebono. The rotors have a Zinc coating on the unswept areas, a "turned" directional finish and high-carbon construction on the Euro applications that specify it. These are made in china and are sold at very reasonable prices.

Untitled by The Critic, on Flickr
by The Critic, on Flickr

 

[WillsYoda]

I've never heard of Akebono rotors (their pads are good). Where do they sell these?

I wonder if these rotors would be better than the Centric 120s on a Japanese car.

 

[901Memphis]

Looks good, I would like to have some in my size.

 

[daves87rs]

Very interesting....

 

[Bgallagher]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Looks good, I would like to have some in my size.


+1 They are a great brand for pads. Be interested to see their initial/long term results using their pads/rotors

 

[nthach]

I'm curious as well - are the Akebono rotors "light weight" ones like Dura rotors are?

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

Brake rotors should be ground, not turned, to prevent brake pad threading.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: WillsYoda
I've never heard of Akebono rotors (their pads are good). Where do they sell these?

They are exclusive to Worldpac.
Originally Posted By: nthach
I'm curious as well - are the Akebono rotors "light weight" ones like Dura rotors are?

I have not done any side-by-side comparisons, but these appear to be reasonably well built.
Originally Posted By: HosteenJorje
Brake rotors should be ground, not turned, to prevent brake pad threading.

Possibly. A lot of this has to do with the quality of the surface finish.

 

[edyvw]

I hate their pads fro Euro cars. IMO, pure POS focused to prevent dusting, but performance wise are on par with appliance cars.
That being said, one should not doubt quality for most of the cars. Akebono is supplier of brake components to Mercedes in Formula 1.

 

[ejes]

Originally Posted By: WillsYoda


I wonder if these rotors would be better than the Centric 120s on a Japanese car.


Probably not. My experience has been "rotors are rotors" for the most part (hard to find any not made in China; all pretty much the same). I stick with basic rotors and spend what I save on higher quality pads and tires..

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: ejes
Originally Posted By: WillsYoda


I wonder if these rotors would be better than the Centric 120s on a Japanese car.


Probably not. My experience has been "rotors are rotors" for the most part (hard to find any not made in China; all pretty much the same).


I have found the opposite. Most rotors come with a runout guarantee... cheap rotors I've measured are usually right at the maximum guaranteed spec. So are expensive rotors, but a much smaller maximum spec.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: ejes
Originally Posted By: WillsYoda


I wonder if these rotors would be better than the Centric 120s on a Japanese car.


Probably not. My experience has been "rotors are rotors" for the most part (hard to find any not made in China; all pretty much the same). I stick with basic rotors and spend what I save on higher quality pads and tires..


Excellent advice. All you need is a couple of minutes to determine if a rotor is going to work well. Iron is iron. If the rotor is true and fits well it will likely be fine.

People here still confuse pad issues with rotor issues.

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: ejes
Originally Posted By: WillsYoda


I wonder if these rotors would be better than the Centric 120s on a Japanese car.


Probably not. My experience has been "rotors are rotors" for the most part (hard to find any not made in China; all pretty much the same). I stick with basic rotors and spend what I save on higher quality pads and tires..


Excellent advice. All you need is a couple of minutes to determine if a rotor is going to work well. Iron is iron. If the rotor is true and fits well it will likely be fine.


I've done that dance. Going back to the parts store for multiple exchanges gets old, real fast. But yes, if it happens to run true, a cheap rotor is a good enough rotor, you'll never notice the difference.

 

[ejes]

Originally Posted By: HangFire
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: ejes
Originally Posted By: WillsYoda


I wonder if these rotors would be better than the Centric 120s on a Japanese car.


Probably not. My experience has been "rotors are rotors" for the most part (hard to find any not made in China; all pretty much the same). I stick with basic rotors and spend what I save on higher quality pads and tires..


Excellent advice. All you need is a couple of minutes to determine if a rotor is going to work well. Iron is iron. If the rotor is true and fits well it will likely be fine.


I've done that dance. Going back to the parts store for multiple exchanges gets old, real fast. But yes, if it happens to run true, a cheap rotor is a good enough rotor, you'll never notice the difference.


I get what you are saying I think, Hangfire. I'm not suggesting that a rotor that is made by some company you've never heard of would be the one to buy. What I'm saying is that I go to Rock Auto and purchase the Bendix rotors for 40 bucks as opposed to a OEM Mopar/GM/Ford rotor for 100 and never know the difference. I think for the most part they are made in the same factories to the same specs. I've seen OEM rotors listed for 2x the price only to get them and they have a brand name like Bosch on them with a made in China stamp next to it.

 

[Hall]

Originally Posted By: HangFire
I have found the opposite. Most rotors come with a runout guarantee... cheap rotors I've measured are usually right at the maximum guaranteed spec. So are expensive rotors, but a much smaller maximum spec.

Those different rotors could have been made in the same factory too. The ones that meet spec "A" become "brand X", those that meet a different (lower) spec become "brand Y", "Z", and so on.

Along the same lines as what 'ejes' said above....

 

[HangFire]

Originally Posted By: ejes
I get what you are saying I think, Hangfire. I'm not suggesting that a rotor that is made by some company you've never heard of would be the one to buy. What I'm saying is that I go to Rock Auto and purchase the Bendix rotors for 40 bucks as opposed to a OEM Mopar/GM/Ford rotor for 100 and never know the difference. I think for the most part they are made in the same factories to the same specs. I've seen OEM rotors listed for 2x the price only to get them and they have a brand name like Bosch on them with a made in China stamp next to it.

Sure, OEM parts are usually overpriced, and quality (for US mfg's anyway) is usually middling. So buying a middle market rotor for half as much or less will probably get you the same quality.
Originally Posted By: hallstevenson
Originally Posted By: HangFire
I have found the opposite. Most rotors come with a runout guarantee... cheap rotors I've measured are usually right at the maximum guaranteed spec. So are expensive rotors, but a much smaller maximum spec.

Those different rotors could have been made in the same factory too. The ones that meet spec "A" become "brand X", those that meet a different (lower) spec become "brand Y", "Z", and so on.

Absolutely. They might even be sold as the same brand as models silver/gold/platinum, heavy-duty/pro/ultra, etc.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: HangFire
Originally Posted By: ejes
I get what you are saying I think, Hangfire. I'm not suggesting that a rotor that is made by some company you've never heard of would be the one to buy. What I'm saying is that I go to Rock Auto and purchase the Bendix rotors for 40 bucks as opposed to a OEM Mopar/GM/Ford rotor for 100 and never know the difference. I think for the most part they are made in the same factories to the same specs. I've seen OEM rotors listed for 2x the price only to get them and they have a brand name like Bosch on them with a made in China stamp next to it.

Sure, OEM parts are usually overpriced, and quality (for US mfg's anyway) is usually middling. So buying a middle market rotor for half as much or less will probably get you the same quality.


This is somewhat true. Most "premium" rotors are G3000 metal, have some type of "paint," made in china, and are generally machined very well. I have noticed that some brands have a nicer finish than others (non-directional or directional). With that said, on Toyota's I recommend/sell the Advics or OE rotors whenever possible since the pricing is usually within 20% of the aftermarket rotors and the finish is much nicer IMO. But for Honda/Nissan/Mazda, I don't see the value of spending $100-$120/rotor from the dealer.