Opinions Wanted On This Pad/rotor Combo

Hey...good to be back. Just goes to show how reliable my Alero is...nothing to ask about until now.

My '01 w/25K miles is starting to bug me with the front warp vibration. Although, since a recent move with a longer commute and harder & higher speed braking, the vibration is much improved...go figure!

After reading various posts here and elsewhere, I've come to the following conclusions:

- ceramics don't offer longevity of other compounds
- "decent" semi-metallic pads work just fine
- carbon metallic work very well, last long, but are very heavy dusters

With this in mind, I've decided to go with the Brembo standard replacement rotors and the PFC Carbon Metallic pads for the fronts. The rears are still good, but I'll go with that set-up when needed.

My goals for the brake change are to eliminate vibration, reduce braking distance, get long life from parts, and get similar dust to what came OEM on '01's.

Comments?

[Stanl3yX]

Hey I'm looking for the same advice. im looking for Cross/Drilled rotors but not sure if i should get semi-metallic pads, keep the stock, or go with ceramic pads....

[doubleN0alero]

either or would be fine....ceramic might work a little better

[slowandlow]

i have akebono pads with powerslot rotors

i got the brembo oem rotors, and they seemed a little more substantial than the stocks. not bigger really, but a little heavier. Maybe im just crazy. Well anyways, i got some ceramic pads, and after they were broken in, these things work great!

[PrImEtImE]

I've got the brembo rotors also but with sem-metallic pads. Not put on yet but they look very good.

what about the no name brands on ebay??? is powerslot the way to go? it just seams like to have them cross drilled would be better.... or am i wrong?

i forgot who had a good run in with ebay rotors but i know it was r1concepts was the seller name i believe, it may have been aftermath but im not sure........i bought a complete set and they were junk, came from canada, noisy, warped fast, just crap.......but ive heard the r1 rotors worked good, i forget what kinda pads he was using, maybe he will post on this........

[14alero]

i GOT MINE FROM IROTORS.COM THEY ARE GOOD AND INEXPENSIVE

Thanks for the suggestions...but does anyone have direct experience with the PFC carbon metallics? I'm looking for the less dust benefits of ceramics with the longevity and low noise, less warp factor of semi-metallics.

Also, I'm not going with cross-drilled rotors because of the potential for stress cracking around the holes. Even slotted, IMHO, are overkill for a slightly modified vehicle and not worth the premium in cost.

Sure, those rotors look cool...but so did wings at first.

[Rubered00]

Okay i know that there is some deal with getting cross-drilled rotors that it is better to have them drilled a certain way but i cant remember what way that actually is. Can anyone help me out?

[Fast Eddie]

The holes should be cast into the rotor, not drilled. and even that is not really needed. mfuller had baer cross drilled and they cracked after just a couple of days on the track. Vented is plenty for most any application. My friend I bought my other rotors from had them on his ASA car and they are not slotted or cross drilled and they lasted an entire season of ASA racing. 180mph-60-180 repeat all afternoon, no problems what so ever with fade or wear.

well it would be nice to know what is the best set for our cars. I bought some cross drilled and slotted rotors from nopi along with some green stuff pads. I will never do that again!

[Alero2k4]

Personally I got the Napa lifetime rotors and the lifetime Ceramix pads. They would be just fine for anything but maybe the track... and if I ever wear them out, I don't have to pay for new ones!

[Fast Eddie]

Originally posted by burg03@Feb 21 2006, 11:19 AM
well it would be nice to know what is the best set for our cars. I bought some cross drilled and slotted rotors from nopi along with some green stuff pads. I will never do that again!

Quoted post

Realistically the best set of rotors for our cars, and just about all cars, is a good set of vented solid rotors. any puncture (holes, slots, etc) have several faults. First they shorten the life of the pads by causing extra cutting edges that wear the pads prematurly. Next the removal of material from the surface of the rotor removes surface area from the rotor. This reduces the effective surface area and thus the contact area of the pad and increases the stopping distance. The holes in rotors also contribute to stress fractures in the rotor with heat cycles. (racers who changed rotors after every event used to do this. Do you wonder why they changed rotors after every event?)

Most people think that if they have a great racing brakes that they will be awesome on the street. This is actually very wrong. In racing situations the brakes go through normal heating and cooling cycles. Jam on the brakes into the corner and mash the gas comming out until you get into the next corner, allowing the brakes to cool. This is a very simple example but you get the idea. Now take the street with its very abnormal braking and heat cycles. Stop at the light (heat up), green light pull forward two cars (riding the brakes? more heat), brake (heat again) repeat for ten minutes (lotsa heat) then 60 mph for 20 minutes (cool down). And back at stop and go for a few minutes (heat right back up). you get the idea. These irregular heat cycles are what will bring out the worst in any brake setup.

I've run the brembo OE vented rotors for 40K+ miles now with some semi-metalic pads and I drive nearly 40 miles in town, every day, and have been to chicago twice (mucho stop and go traffic there) with nada problems. The lifetime setup is definitely the way to go if you plan to own the car for a while. That is just my experience/opinion/conjuncture I'm sure someone more knowledgable could be more insightful.

[AftermathAlero]

Originally posted by bigd6983@Jan 13 2006, 04:35 PM
i forgot who had a good run in with ebay rotors but i know it was r1concepts was the seller name i believe, it may have been aftermath but im not sure........i bought a complete set and they were junk, came from canada, noisy, warped fast, just crap.......but ive heard the r1 rotors worked good, i forget what kinda pads he was using, maybe he will post on this........

Quoted post

ya i got R1 rotors (drilled and slotted) off ebay. Along with like 5 other people i'd recommended them to. no problem. But they all came in from CALI. Not canada(that should of alerted you right there!). So yours I dunno what they were on ebay. I'm running Cermanic pads from o reilly's. Stops on a dime. No brake dust on rims. Of course slotted and drilled rotors are a bit noiser. They shouldn't have warped. So the sell you got yours off ebay ripped you off. Hell they work fine for my heavy ass 20's i'm at 25k miles (highway miles mostly) with them. No problems. Pads still look like new. Daily driver.

[Menace]

I got cross drilled and slotted from ebay and they were shipped from cali also and I put them on sat. They work great with my bendix ceramic brake pads.

Originally posted by AftermathAlero+Feb 22 2006, 09:37 AM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AftermathAlero @ Feb 22 2006, 09:37 AM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-bigd6983@Jan 13 2006, 04:35 PM
i forgot who had a good run in with ebay rotors but i know it was r1concepts was the seller name i believe, it may have been aftermath but im not sure........i bought a complete set and they were junk, came from canada, noisy, warped fast, just crap.......but ive heard the r1 rotors worked good, i forget what kinda pads he was using, maybe he will post on this........

Quoted post

ya i got R1 rotors (drilled and slotted) off ebay. Along with like 5 other people i'd recommended them to. no problem. But they all came in from CALI. Not canada(that should of alerted you right there!). So yours I dunno what they were on ebay. I'm running Cermanic pads from o reilly's. Stops on a dime. No brake dust on rims. Of course slotted and drilled rotors are a bit noiser. They shouldn't have warped. So the sell you got yours off ebay ripped you off. Hell they work fine for my heavy ass 20's i'm at 25k miles (highway miles mostly) with them. No problems. Pads still look like new. Daily driver.

Quoted post

[/b][/quote]


I ordered R1 concepts drilled/slotted rotors last friday morning. How long did it take for you to get yours?

[Menace]

3-6 business days usually

I figured that, im just anxious.
I ordered some of the last few mods for my car and am now just waiting for them to come in.