Rotors, Centric, Raybestos, Duralast?

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Fitz98

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I am ready to do the front brakes on my 98 Expedition 5.4L 4x4.
On another section of this forum, I was educated that pad choice is more important than rotors. With that said, I am looking to but LTS Hawk pads and want to compliment them with a decent rotor and am looking for feedback.
Does anyone have any experience with Centric, Raybestos or Duralast blank rotors in an SUV with towing application? These all seem to be in the same price range, which would be great for me, although, I would spend extra money for better rotors, if there is a significant difference in quality and braking performance
 
I have the centric anti rust coated ones and regular advance auto parts rotors made in china, 5 celicas, same setup, I can't tell a difference from one rotor to the other...I think pads matter more then rotors do.
 
I had terrible experiences with Ford OEM rotors (<50K on both sets) on my F150. I used Raybestos Advanced the last time and they were holding up rather well when I traded it. I would not hesitate to recommend them.
 
I checked RockAuto for your vehicle, and Centric has a bunch of different rotors, probably the same is true for the other brands. Unfortunately they do not list a guaranteed runout for each rotor. If the rotor comes flat and goes on flat (two big "ifs"), and it is properly broken-in, then I agree brand doesn't matter so much.

Centric does give some good information here on measuring runout and proper break-in: http://www.centricparts.com/files/technical guides/brake-rotor-installation-tips.pdf

I agree with their document except the part about factory rotor runout over .001" being rare. My dial indicator also disagrees as does the race shop that checks and turns my rotors for me. Here's a pic I dug up dialing-in a rotor on my Dakota. It took a couple of rotations on the lugs to minimize runout. If the e-coating looks uneven it's because that is Rustoleum BBQ paint. Unfortunately it all came off moments later when I hosed it down with brake-clean.

yvleSFd.jpg
 
I don't know if you have an Advance Auto Parts handy, but I've bought many of their house brand Wearever rotors (with the 30% off code), and have been satisfied with the performance of all of them.

All of them have still been on the vehicle, when I've sold the vehicles.
 
From those I would go with Centric. I like the unidirectional finish on them, and I've heard a lot of good things about them. I've recently used the uncoated ones on a Corolla and a BMW and the braking performance is very smooth.

Pads will make a bigger difference in actual braking performance but I think the rotor does affect how long the brakes last.
 
Centric is my go to brand noone seems to have heard of. They stand on their own name, not some parts store's.
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
I don't know if you have an Advance Auto Parts handy, but I've bought many of their house brand Wearever rotors (with the 30% off code), and have been satisfied with the performance of all of them.

All of them have still been on the vehicle, when I've sold the vehicles.


+1 AZ rotors I replace the OEM Ford rotors and they were definitely thinner material. That was at 80k ...im at 180K now and they are smooth as silk. IMO the magic is in the pads.
 
I've never really had a rotor that caused me an issue other than corrosion. Some caliper paint fixed them all. I did try Raybestos Advanced rotors once on my Grand Prix that had the non-wear sections coated with their "Black Fusion Coating" and they rusted completely in the first winter. My can of paint lasted 2-3 years with no rust after that. This spring I installed some Centric rotors on my wagon with their Black Electro coating. I won't know until next winter how they hold up to the winter salt. Hopefully better than the Raybestos ones. Braking has been good. I always use Wagner ThermoQuiet pads, have for the last 10-15 years with very good results. Quiet, little dust, good braking, long lasting.
 
Originally Posted By: 2015_PSD
I had terrible experiences with Ford OEM rotors (div>


I have had the same issues...nothing but problems with factory rotors, so I am looking to try something different, especially interested to see how different pads and proper break in will change things for me.
Do you suppose the difference between raybestos premium and advanced versions warrants the difference in cost. 25.00 vs 50.00. I feel 50.00 for a rotor is still a fair price, but don't want to spend extra money without good reason though.
I see a lot of centric supporters, so I am still considering that, but I see several of those supporters are small vehicle drivers. I would be interested to know if any are used on an SUV. My bigger concern, was that Rock Auto only warrants Centric for 90 days or 3,000 miles, Raybestos is 3 years (excluding warping), so the warranty is probably more for show than something that would be used...but just the fact that a company will only warrant a product for 90 days, leaves me looking for more reviews in an SUV application, before feeling comfortable to purchase Centrics. E-coating is not so important to me. I am in Florida, so don't see much exposure to road salts.
 
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Whatever is cheapest


And the best warranty. They are all Chinese junk and the pads will outlast your rotors.
 
I also like the Centric rotors. I've used the regular cheap ones, the premium ones with the black e-coating, and the StopTech cross-drilled ones. All of them have worked perfectly.
 
Originally Posted By: Fitz98
Do you suppose the difference between raybestos premium and advanced versions warrants the difference in cost. 25.00 vs 50.00.


Raybestos Professional rotors are warranted to be at .004" lateral runout or less. Advanced is .002" or less.

Centric's assertion that practically all modern rotors come in under .001" is bull. I found there cheaper grade rotors (on my truck) to be around .0035" while the Premiums on my car are close to .001". In both cases "good enough".

I haven't heard of Raybestos Premium, maybe you can provide a link.
 
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