Rotor, does it matter?

[zimmerDN]

I have to replace my front rotors because they are warped, even after turning them. I was wonder if the quality of the metal or manufacturing matters when it comes to rotors. Does it have an affect of life of the rotor when used properly? What about performance; does more expensive rotor provide better friction so it stops faster or cool faster?

I plan on getting Hawk HPS for the car. I don't need them to look pretty, just to perform well.

 

[unDummy]

Good rotors should be considered if in your budget.

I've used various store brand generic rotors without problems. But, I make the effort to take some rotor measurements. There is nothing worse then having to turn brand new rotors that were manufactured poorly.

If you don't plan on taking runout and thickness measurements, and really don't want to worry about turning brand new rotors, then get 'name brand'. These will also have better warranties.

 

[VaderSS]

I've bought the rotors at Autozone, the ones with a lifetime warranty. With my agressive driving style, they had many radial cracks after 60k. The stock rotors had no cracking at 80k. I replaced them under warranty when I gave it to my grandmother, and with her extremely conservative driving style, they still look fine, 40k later.

When I bought rotors for the, Impala, I went with AutoSpecialty plain rotors. Don't know if they have them in your application, but they are very popular on the Impala forum. Never heard of them cracking. Stay away from drilled rotors. Reducing mass is not a good thing for a rotor that is likely undersized to begin with.

 

[Tempest]

Quote:

---

they had many radial cracks after 60k

---

 

[mechtech2]

There is no way to tell. Some very cheap Chinese rotors are very high quality. Some name brand ones are only so-so. Get plain ones.
Stay away from dimpled, slotted, or drilled rotors - more noise, dust, pad wear, loss of machinability, more prone to cracking and warping, and has water reservoirs.

 

[MC5W20]

If you know what to look for the best place to buy rotors is a junkyard. When a vehicle gets old enough then it becomes harder to find oem rotors at the junk yard. If you have the tool to do the measurements then give junk yard a try, most part they will warranty for thirty days.

 

[wiswind]

Once you get those rotors on your vehicle....be anal retentive about the correct torque on the lug nuts.
It is SUPER important to maintain consistant torque from one lug nut to the next.....so tighten them in a "star" pattern.
If one lug nut is not as tight as the others, warpage is very likely to happen.
The only good solution to warpage.......new rotors.

 

[VaderSS]

I agree about torque. Get a cheap torque wrench.

 

[benjamming]

Not to discount proper lug nut installation, etc. in any way, but rotor warpage may not be the correct term. StopTech Warped Brake Disk Article

 

[The Critic]

Be sure to check for parallelism and runout. There should be no more than 0.003" of runout or else it's almost guaranteed (at least on Honda/Acura vehicles) that you'll have a pedal pulsation problem within 5k miles.

 

[zimmerDN]

Here is the thing. I found front rotors for my 04 mazda3 2.3 for about $130 online. Then my local Napa store is selling something else for &70. Makes me wonder if the price difference reflects quality (which usually does).

Its usually the other way around, prices are cheaper online. I haven't heard of neither brand and it isn't like there are reviews online to compare them.

 

[zimmerDN]

The cheaper rotors are made by United Brake Parts. Anyone heard of them before?

 

[benjamming]

Who makes the more expensive ones? Are they both the same construction and country of origin?

 

[zimmerDN]

Centric makes the more expensive ones. Anyone heard of them before?

 

[HondaMan]

Hey ZimmerDN,

Get some Zimmermans!!

 

[JTK]

Quote:

---

There is no way to tell. Some very cheap Chinese rotors are very high quality. Some name brand ones are only so-so. Get plain ones.

---

That's been my experience as well. For the last few years I've been buying Carquest or Napa house brand made in China rotors & drums. They've been excellent, where name brand parts I've purchased were horrible. Like wiswind says, the other important precaution is keeping the lug nut torque consistent.

Joel

 

[zimmerDN]

Well the cheaper ones were from Napa and I was told those rotors are made by United Brake Parts. Do you know if that's they house brand? I didn't sound like it to me when I was talking to the Napa guy on the phone as they didn't know much about them.

Hm... Centric or United Brake Parts???

 

[The Critic]

I believe UBP is one of the better brands that Napa sells.

Does it matter? Well, how long do you want them to last? Do you drive very aggressively? If drive relatively gently and are not expecting the pads/rotors to last more than 30-40k miles, then go with an inexpensive set of imported rotors. For instance, I can purchase a set of Aimco rotors for $15-$20/each for many cars.

 

[zimmerDN]

Anyone else have an opinion on the two rotors named? I am ready to go buy some now.

 

[carlprop]

You don't want to cheap out on brake parts. Also some parts stores will have different quality lines. I would go with the heavy duty one if there's a choice. Hard to know online what you're getting unless you're familiar with the brand.