Rotors + Pads ...

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Ndx

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Hi Guys,

So 20K Km agoo I bought Brand new rotors ... And now after those 20K im getting vibration at high speed braking 80-100Kmh...

So rotors are wrapped ....

Time to get new ones ... This time I'm thinking about spending more money ...

Any good brands ? Should I get slotted or drilled ?

What about brake Pads I had HAWKS HPS - I don't like them to much Cold braking is not really good ....

What about GreenStuff brakes etc ?

Car 2004 Mazda 3 2.3L

Is Cryogenic Rotors good choice ?
 
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I don't know much about racing and high speed brakes. However, whenever I find my rotors are warped they can typically be reground so that it solves the problem.

After almost 5 years of having my car, and about 125,000 miles since purchasing it, I have only had one new set of pads put on and the origional rotors reground twice. One of the rear drums was replaced, but other than that everything is stock.
I don't drive much faster than 75mph on highways, so I dont see much high speed braking.

Are race brakes a one time use thing? Much like rebuilding an engine every race, you replace the brakes?
 
Whats funny :) That I Don't really race at all my car is stock ... I dunno why I wrapped them so fast ...

I don't brake really from High Speeds to ....
 
I know you can warp them by really slamming on the brakes during some sort of emergency. Lots of heat and stress on them causes warpage. I imagine the same is in racing.

I have been able to feel when I warped them. Just after emergency braking, like dodging another car on the highway that brakes suddenly due to a wreck in front of it, soon after you feel the steering wheel wobble in your hands when you brake.
 
Sometimes it's not the rotors being warped... it's just uneven deposit of brake pad material on the rotor surface. It happens. If you come to an abrupt stop and then keep your foot on the brakes (if you have an automatic tranny) waiting at a red light, this can also affect rotor surface.

Unevenly torqued lugbolts/lugnuts can also have a negative effect on rotors.

If the rotors have plenty of thickness left, you could have them resurfaced. Sometimes it helps. Sometimes it doesn't.

As for pads, I had EBC GreenStuff on my A4 - they were OK, but not great. Not too good when cold, and wore out rather fast. The only benefit was less brake dust than OEM.
 
the rears wear before the fronts on the Mazda 3's. actually we keep twice as many rear pads compared to fronts, and we only stock rear rotors since fronts are so rarely worn.
 
Rotor problems to me are mostly uneven deposits and initial casting quality. The first one can be reground and the 2nd one is a waste of money to reuse.

Pad choices are trade offs between bite, temperature, noise, and dust. I want the initial bite, and I've found none better than Axxis (PBR) Ultimate. Overall braking power I like Hawk HPS (better) and Performance Friction Carbon Metallic (slightly less) too.
 
I like plain rotors much more than slotted or drilled.
Better all around, and cost a lot less.
I am not talking about the internal venting - this is good!
Cheap Chinese rotors are on my car now. Forget cutting old ones.
We can't trust name brands or price anymore.
I like Hawk HPS, but am now using Autozone Duralast Ceramics, which are rated a bit better and work great cold or hot.
Also a guarrantee and 1/2 the price!
 
A guy on this forum explained to me that warping can be caused when you force the brakes to operate in a wide temp range quickly. Like driving through a slush puddle and hitting the brakes hard. Or having them real hot from frequent full stops and then pulling in to a puddle (pot hole) or a snow bank.
Made sense to me.
 
Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Rotor problems to me are mostly uneven deposits and initial casting quality. The first one can be reground and the 2nd one is a waste of money to reuse.


Exactly. Brake rotors dont "warp". What happens is some have more run out than others and that gets exaggerated as they wear and have pad bedded into them. I used to turn rotors all day and I can tell you plenty of new rotors off the shelf that were the "economy" brand would have looked warped when mounted on the machine straight out of the package. It pays to pay just a little more for a sturdy and beefy blank rotor.
 
20k km is too early to replace rotors unless they're really damaged/warped. I am currently using Brembo rotors on both vehicles with PBR Ceramics on the Civic and Centric's Posi Quiet Extended wear pads on the 4runner. I paid around $150 for each vehicle (front rotors and pads) and did the brake job by myself.

Make sure to do proper bedding (brake-in) after installation.
 
You might consider indexing your rotors for the least run-out with a run-out gauge. Brembo says you should have less than .10mm run-out; any higher, they say, and you should reposition the rotor on the hub.
 
FWIW, I just put a pair of Centric premium front rotors on the Tribute. Seem very well made/finished at around $50. ea.

Sometimes warping can be caused by very hard braking to a extended dead stop. This is esp. true with the thin rotors on high-performance motorcycles. The rotors get very hot, and the part of the rotor under the pads cools much slower than the rest. Good idea to creep very slowly after such a stop to allow the rotors to cool more evenly.
 
Get good quality plain rotors - brembo, raybestos advanced technology, napa premium, etc.

Id go with Bendix CT-3 pads or CQ if you can.
 
My present Chinese cheap rotors were a full pound each more than the expensive ones. That was a nice plus!

Rotors can warp from internal rusting [vents if you have them], bad pads, severe heat, bad mounting torque, or debris on the mating surface.
 
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
My present Chinese cheap rotors were a full pound each more than the expensive ones. That was a nice plus!

Rotors can warp from internal rusting [vents if you have them], bad pads, severe heat, bad mounting torque, or debris on the mating surface.



I wonder how many rotors warp from improper mounting torque? I use a torque wrench now on all my wheels. Seems worthwhile to recheck after a few days after replacing new rotors, too.
 
A clean mounting surface on the faces of the hub and rotor is essential - critical - necessary.
If an old rotor is reused, it often has wobble problems because of this.
 
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