FAQ: Brake Rotors and Pads

WOW! those look good! I like your calipers, Where did you get them and what kind are they?

It is taking a little while to deposit a pad layer on the rotor. you can clearly see it starting after 2 days of normal city driving.

Mine look similar. I don't think bed-in is crucial for the rotor, but one good heat-up cycle for the pads is a good idea, imo.

I've had good results with multiple pairs Brake Performance brand rotors. They're selling at an even lower price now than when I bought them 2 years ago (no tax or shipping to OH), plus they offered an additional $5 off during checkout. $235 total for all 4 rotors.

The reason I'm buying new discs: the pads I used over the past few years (HP+/DTC-30/EBC BlueStuff compounds) are abrasive, and tend to slowly wear down the disc surfaces. Rear rotors are still good, but I can see the slots are getting shallow and will need replacing in spring. More than 40k miles so far, and no warping or cracking. Very happy with these for the price (cost ~1/4 cent/mile)

The front rotors wear a bit faster. Got about 25k miles out of the current set, which are ready to change very soon. Still happy with a cost of ~1/2 cent/mile. Keep in mind these numbers factor in an often aggressive 75 mile daily commute, an Autocross day, and 110 miles of high speed road course laps.

Front pads are pretty new, rear pads will get replaced after a very long life.

For the first time I have have a brake pad/rotor combo I feel comfortable using for as long as I own this car. This combo results in superior braking performance in any weather, for all applications, with almost no noise, and a very low amount of brake dust. The combo requires the F-Body front brake mod:

Brake Performance Front Rotors Slotted - $135.19
Brake Performance Rear Rotors Slotted - $105.17
EBC BlueStuff Front Pads - $146.51 (F-Body fit, thanks Mr.Riviera)
Hawk HP Plus Rear Pads- $76.00

Need to replace the rear brakes on the Riv and I figured I would go ahead and do all four. Has anybody used Powerstop rotor and/or pads? I'm specifically looking at these:

http://tinyurl.com/bsnfqvk

Looked at them but with more pressing repairs to do first... just waiting.
if you try them let me know if you like them.

For anyone looking for 2-part rotors, BAER offers what's probably the most affordable solution for our cars, Eradispeed Plus:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Baer-2301006-in-our-Brake-Rotors-Deptartment-/140868996854?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year%3A2001|Model%3ACamaro|Make%3AChevrolet&hash=item20cc724ef6&vxp=mtr

These are listed for 98-02 Camaro (LS1 F-body) part# 2301006, but will fit any Riv with the 12" rotor option (98-99 I think, maybe '97?). FYI, although cheap for 2-part rotors, the price is close to $500.





The benefit of 2-part rotors, other than looking cool, is better cooling and lighter unsprung weight, somewhere in the area of 10-15 lb between both front wheels. Unsprung mass reduction is a huge handling mod. Center hats are aluminum, and cast iron rings are replaceable (not sure the cost on these). The cooling vanes in the rings are curved and directional for the best cooling effect. Replacement rings are available in drilled, slotted, or plain.

Still a little pricey at $500, but installing these would probably solve most rotor-related braking issues for the life of the car. For those who track their car, or brake heavily a lot, these might be worth looking into (I personally go though a front set of cheapies every 1.5 years).

More product info: http://www.baer.com/products/rotor-upgrade/eradispeed

Im due for another set of pads and rotors soon. Yes, its only been about a year... so what?

Blue stuff pads take more abuse than i can throw at them on even the toughest days and the EBC rotors are still not warped!

However, im considering going with the HP+ pads if only for the extra initial bit you supposedly get from them.

Aaron, after using the blue stuff pads for some time now, has your opinion of them changed? Would you say they dust more or less than HP+? How about wear rate?

Ideally i want responsive and sharp initial bite, good moderation and ability to take the heat of 2 consecutive 90mph hard stops. Not sure there is anything out there that can do that while still being street-able (cold stops, low noise, and good wear).

If i have to change pads OR rotors every year, so be it but id prefer to replace rotors since those tend to warp. Cant afford to keep doing both with semi-premium parts.
I may try HP+ in the rear and keep the blue stuff up front. Not sure if it would give me the extra peddle response im looking for or not.

I will probably start buying rotors from brakeperformance.com since they are cheaper than the powerslots and EBC's i have been using. I have them on the rear and so far they have been good.

I still think EBC blue stuff up front with HP+ in rear is the best combo for street, for me. HP+ up front will do 3-4 hard stops from 90 mph, not more. Blue stuff works better for that. HP+ have that nice initial bite, but I'm not sure I like it so much, and they can get noisy compared to the blue stuff at slow speeds. I will continue to run HP+ in rear, for durability sake.

I still have my worn HP+ for front if you want to try them out. Since they are worn they won't be as good at managing the heat for high speed devel, but you can at least get a feel for the cold operation and strong initial bite. HP+ and EBC blue stuff have about the same level of dust build-up. Let me know.

I installed a trial set (used) of HP+ front body pads about a week ago. Put them trough some daily driving tests and a few hard stops. Comparing them to the ebc blue stuff pads here is what I think:
They have a ton of initial response, almost to the point of over sensitivity.
There is a lot of brake dust but no more than blue stuff. I've learned to live with it.
One thing that weighs heavy in the negative, is the noise. The make some squeaks when coming to a complete stop and a bit more noise as they heat up. I used pad spray so I'm certain its just the compound.
They seem to take abuse well and I haven't overheated them yet.
Quick jabs will lock the wheels. Abs can't control the friction level and in the rain you better be careful.

Overall I really like the extra bite and response from these pads. Have not decided if I can sacrifice the modulation and noise for them. My ideal pad would be a cross between the blue stuff and the HP+. High initial friction, no noise and and longer life than I'm currently getting from a set of pads. Not sure that exists yet.

Matthew

Has anyone else used the Performance Friction carbon metallic pads?

turtleman wrote:

Has anyone else used the Performance Friction carbon metallic pads?

I had them on the rear at one point. nothing special about them but its hard to tell when they are back there.

Team, I have been studying up on brakes as it is one of the next jobs on my list of things to do. Well, just front pads for now. I am considering the Akebono #ACT699 . I think my rotors are just fine, i mean, I am sure they could use an upgrade but they arent hurting anything for now. would I be safe on just replacing pads for the winter and waiting to do more brake work in the Spring or is it critical/beneficial to do pads and rotors at the same time?

I dont want to invest too much in brakes yet because I plan on going for the Big Brake mod next year.
So anyways, any last thoughts before I get the Akebonos?

I used the Akes for a little while. A very clean and quiet pad, but not so good for heavy high speed stopping. I may still have mine somewhere if you are interested.

I just need new pads. Anything is better than what I have right now. Any suggestions for an OEM set up?

Hawk HPS are not extremely expensive, and will make a noticeable difference. There are lots of other options in this thread, with very specific pros & cons to each.

I bought slotted and drilled rotors and brake pads from 1BRAKESTOP. they sell thru ebay...i kno i kno some people dont like ebay but these guys are legit and the product is very nice and works great. in think with rotors and pads its was $175 pretty good deal for slotted and drilled plus they zinc coat them and they slide right on no mods!
Heres there store page http://stores.ebay.com/1brakestore?_trksid=p2047675.l2563
I will get some pics of them on the riv here hopefully tomorrow

Thanks for the info MrWood. I've found some of my best deals on rotors online! Let us know how the Brake Stop rotors hold up in the future.

Will do AA
So far they feel great i drove about 100 miles today stop n go
the more i drive the better they get! i noticed a huge improvement in brake power.

You can get this set at Rockauto for ~$120

POWER STOP Part # K1542

This is what I am currently looking at.

That's a good price for slotted/drilled rotors. If you are still planning to do the F-body upgrade, those pads won't fit. They will fit OEM Riviera just fine, though.

I will do the Fbodies some day, but for now I just need brakes. I will probably do Fbodies once the new pads die. As far as I am concerned, brakes are the most important part of any car. No point in going fast or cornering hard if you cant stop before hitting the curb. Gonna order that package tomorrow.

charlieRobinson wrote:

I will do the Fbodies some day, but for now I just need brakes. I will probably do Fbodies once the new pads die. As far as I am concerned, brakes are the most important part of any car. No point in going fast or cornering hard if you cant stop before hitting the curb. Gonna order that package tomorrow.

take my advice and Just do the F-body mod. you all ready have the alu knuckles and control arm,all you need are the F-body rotors and calipers.I would bet you that you can put together a F-body package for around the same as that $120 dollar kit.besides,no pad is going to do that much better than what came stock on your Riv.been there done that. find a junker who can sell you a nasty set of F-body calipers.I found mine out of texas or somewhere,for $15 bucks a piece.took 'em to Pep boys for the core swap and done. dont waste your money on a kit you will trade out anyway eventually.

decent FBods + rotor + caliper + pad ~= $120? huh? The only thing from the powerstop kit i'd trade out would be the pads?