EBC Plain Rotors vs Centric Plain Rotors

[Scuderia]

So I need to do a full brake service (rotors, pads, fluid) on my car, and I chose Centric Premium plain rotors. But when I got them I saw that they were made in China. Nothing againts China, but I would preffer brakes made in the US/Europe/Japan. So I ordered some EBC Premium plain rotors. When I received the EBC rotors I compared them to the Centric out of curiosity, and found that the EBC are 2 lbs lighter(EBC 14.6 lbs, Centric 16.4 lbs), but they seem to have better cooling. The space between the plates (where the veins go) is wider on the EBC.

So now I don't know which rotors I should use. Other than being a daily driver, I use my '10 Civic Si, to head out to the mountains for some spirited driving (7/10ths driving). Need some feedback. What would you do?

Centric - more mass, made in China

EBC - better cooling, less un-sprung weight, made in the UK

Here are some pics. (Last pic is EBC, second to last is Centric)

 

[slacktide_bitog]

I was considering the EBC rotors, but they were all out of stock when I needed them. Run them and see what your experience is

That said, almost all rotors are Chinese, and the Centric Premium is very popular. And I've seen those pictures of the lightweight wide vane rotors that are supposedly not as good. The wider plates could mean they'll last longer. But I share your sentiment about Chinese products.

Fremax rotors are made in Brazil. Not a first-world country, but not China, either.

What pads did you buy?

 

[BigD1]

I have the Centric 125 High Carbon series on my Volvo with the painted hats, and it was cryo treated too which was surprising. The are working awesome. I bought a kit that had the rotors, and Centric semi-metallic brakes. My Volvo has some super braking now compared to what it was for years.

I guess it's your call, and usually you do get what you pay for. The EBC do look good. Not sure how that coating is going to hold up though. The painted hats on my Centric rotors are doing fine, but I do live down south, and I only saw salt on the roads twice this year.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

I've used Centric Premiums before and I think they're great. Would use again without hesitation.

But, given that the EBC ones are a little lighter, I'd give them a shot. I venture to say you might not notice a difference because they are both good quality.

 

[expat]

Out of interest, what was the price differance?

BTW. I have lived long enough to have learned: You don't always get what you pay for, at best, you HOPE you get what you pay for!

 

[rubberchicken]

I have used both Centric and EBC rotors, and have been happy with both. I am assuming you can return the one you do not want, so use whatever makes you happy. EBC has been around a long time and makes a good product. Unless you bought race-specific rotors, the service life is probably going to be comparable on both.

 

[thejaredhuang]

Both are fine, and the with the driving you describe neither will be the weakest point in the system. The pads will give up before the rotors warp or crack, and I don't think the pads will give up on a 7/10th mountain road.

I'd run whatever is the cheapest and return the other.

 

[bvance554]

The 'but its made in China' stuff is starting to sound pretty ignorant. Since when is 'made in Brazil' superior? It is ignorant because you can't toss an inferior blanket over everything made in China these days. The EBC's 'seem to have better cooing' because of the space between the fins? I have no doubt that if the Chinese rotors were lighter you would have deemed them inferior, but now your made in China bias has you confused.

 

[Black_Thunder]

I've used quite a few Rotors and pads from Centric with great results.


I don't have much experience with EBC except some of the pads for motorcycles but they seem to make quality products as well.

 

[Donald]

Brazil made a lot of the block castings for the older Cummins diesel that had a weak spot and some would crack looking coolant.

I think they make some of the current Ford Powerstroke engines, or maybe the block at least.

Dana in Ohio made the Toyota truck frames that rusted in half.

 

[DuckRyder]

Which are most similar to the factory rotors?

 

[Trav]

As has been pointed out the EBC has better cooling and more than likely uses a better grade iron, from the picture it seems to be a smoother casting but its hard to tell. Either way if both run true on the hub (check with dial indicator) I doubt there will be any noticeable difference.

 

[bvance554]

Originally Posted By: Trav
As has been pointed out the EBC has better cooling and more than likely uses a better grade iron, from the picture it seems to be a smoother casting but its hard to tell. Either way if both run true on the hub (check with dial indicator) I doubt there will be any noticeable difference.


'More than likely' based on what Trav? Gut feeling? Who pointed out it has better cooling? From the picture it seems to be a smoother casting? This place is so full of conjecture. Again if the made in China rotors were two pounds lighter everyone would be calling them cheap junk.

 

[GMBoy]

The rotor with the thicker steel and smaller cooling area is the better rotor. The wider cooling area is just there so they can make the rotor braking surface thinner yet the rotor overall will be the right size. I remember Raybestos had a write up comparing these cheaper rotors.

 

[Falcon_LS]

EBC uses British iron for their rotors. I've contacted them multiple times with all sorts of questions and their customer service has been nothing short of fantastic. I have their GD3 rotors on the Envoy and the Explorer. The Explorer initially had their Premium rotors, which were great. Only reason I removed them (I still have them) was to upgrade to slotted/dimpled. Along with their Ultimax2 pads, the rotors are the perfect combo. Braided lines made them even better.

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: bvance554
Originally Posted By: Trav
As has been pointed out the EBC has better cooling and more than likely uses a better grade iron, from the picture it seems to be a smoother casting but its hard to tell. Either way if both run true on the hub (check with dial indicator) I doubt there will be any noticeable difference.


'More than likely' based on what Trav? Gut feeling? Who pointed out it has better cooling? From the picture it seems to be a smoother casting? This place is so full of conjecture. Again if the made in China rotors were two pounds lighter everyone would be calling them cheap junk.


First of all the OP himself mentioned the EBC has better cooling and I happen to agree with that.
I said more than likely a better iron because of points made by EBC themselves, which if true would make it definitely a better iron.

Quote:
Finally the brake rotors themselves must be of a decent quality G3000 Grey iron or better and if possible made from virgin alloy ingot rather than reprocessed irons which are common in 99% of aftermarket brakes. Years ago rotor castings used for automobile brakes were annealed or atmosphere aged to allow the castings to settle after being made. No longer does this happen due to cost restraints on brakes particularly by car builders and so the duty of care falls upon the brake pad to work effectively but not to cause damage to the brake rotor by overheat.


Quote:
In automobile applications cooling of the components within the brakes is usually aided by the ducting of cool air which involves scoops in the front vehicles body work directing cool air as the car is driven onto the brake components. This can reduce overheating of the brakes by 30-40% and prevent caliper seal damage as well as rotor over heat and pad fade.


The Chinese brake rotors are known to be cheap recycled pig iron, EBC uses virgin iron with a properly hardened surface.

Quote:
All EBC Premium Brake Rotors or discs are cast to a material strength of 150 N/m2 with a tightly controlled surface hardness variation less than 20 HB and are precision CNC machined to a surface tolerance of less than 0.05 mm.


Not having any info on the Centric I have to say based on the available information that yes it is likely the EBC is using a better iron, not a gut feeling. With a higher quality alloy and proper heat treating you don't as thick a material to achieve the same life expectancy and performance from the part, the plus side to the thinner material is it transfers heat better to the cooling fins.

Notice I said..

Quote:
Either way if both run true on the hub (check with dial indicator) I doubt there will be any noticeable difference.


I don't see how you are interpreting that as some sort of a bash.

 

[bvance554]

No. Thermal mass. EBC saved two pounds of iron per rotor so you all can talk about how great the cooling fins look. You're making a lot of biased assumptions.

 

[Trav]

This is like Burger King, have it your way.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: bvance554
No. Thermal mass. EBC saved two pounds of iron per rotor so you all can talk about how great the cooling fins look. You're making a lot of biased assumptions.


We run heavy trucks all day here. Used to buy tons of brake parts. No more.

Pad selection is far more important. People here for years have worried about the rotor when the root cause of their issue was the pad. IMO the heavier rotor may be the better, but I need two minutes to measure to see which one I'll be using.

 

[Trav]

That's true Steve Trucks and SUV's have different braking requirements, the rotors are usually thicker and the pads a different compound, in fact some companies are making truck/SUV specific pads but the OP has a Honda Civic, a very light car.
My point in this thread which the poster took umbrage at is the statement it is more than likely the EBC is better iron and has cooling which I stand by. EBC is a highly respected company with a good reputation and IMO they have no reason to misrepresent their product either in the way its made or the materials its made from.

Nothing against Centric but they are Chinese produced who are generally known for using lets say not the highest quality raw materials especially in the lower price point products they produce. Without any information on the iron they are using I think its a reasonable and fair assumption they are made from recycled material.
When it comes to metal alloys thicker and heavier doesn't automatically mean better, we all know that when we buy tools but that fact seems to have little importance or even thought about when it comes to brake rotors.

A thicker and heavier cheap wrench is not as good as a high quality, properly forged and heat treated wrench that is thinner and lighter. A 60lb vise made with 30,000 psi iron is not as good as a vise of the same size weighing 50lb made from 60,000 psi iron castings.
The greater cooling fin area on the EBC transfers more heat away from the friction surfaces (notice they are also staggered for some reason), this reduction of friction surface temperature together with a hardened alloy not only reduces wear but lowers the temperature the caliper piston is subjected to.
The benefits IMO outweighs the slight reduction in braking surface thickness of which IMO has no benefit at all in this application.

These are Porsche rotors that cost almost $1900 a pair. Check out the thickness of the braking surface, I am not comparing the EBC to these just pointing out they are thin with a lot of cooling area between them.



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