FAQ: Brake Rotors and Pads

The pads I use are comparable to EBC Yellowstuff pads with regard to friction and temperature rating, but I've not actually tried EBC pads. I have used EBC dimpled/slotted Sport rotors - these ones are comparable, and at a lower cost.

My rear rotors are starting to warp, what is a good stock replacement? A lot of the replacement rotors that I have found are either drilled and/or slotted. I don't think I need drilled or slotted rotors on my car. I thought Brembo used to make a set of plain rotors for our cars, but I can't find them anymore.

Rear Brembos are harder to find, and price has gone up. I went with Brake Performance (see previous page).

AA wrote:

Rear Brembos are harder to find, and price has gone up. I went with Brake Performance (see previous page).

AutohausAZ has PBRs, Brembos, and ATE's although which they have at any given time varies. autohausaz.com - they also have free shipping on orders over $50.

Albertj

Thanks for the suggestions. If I am changing the rotors, do I also need to change the pads? I haven't taken the pads out yet, but it looks like there is at least 50% life left on them.

98riv wrote:

Thanks for the suggestions. If I am changing the rotors, do I also need to change the pads? I haven't taken the pads out yet, but it looks like there is at least 50% life left on them.

You should change the pads if only to get the most life out of the rotors.

Albertj

If the pad wear appears even, I would reuse them. Rear pads usually last a long time - the remaining 50% could last you another 20-40k miles.

Come on,if your changing the rotors, do pads as well... Also make sure you clean the new rotors,spray brake cleaner on them...

Not to accuse any individual of being a COB, but there are a few on here.

[quote="Mr.Riviera"]I like the set i have too. So far its the first set i havent had warping or cracking issues with.
Although my front ones have rust on the edges and inside the vents b/c when i was breaking them in i overheated them and cooked the paint off.
That was the first time i've had the HPS pads severely faded too.[/quote]

What Rotors do you have.?[i]

powerslot's directional vented

Mr.Riviera wrote:

powerslot's directional vented

Do you mind telling me where you bought them and how much for the pair of fronts.?

link was from a few pages back (i can find it later) and i believe they were like $120ea

flyineagle96 wrote:

Come on,if your changing the rotors, do pads as well... Also make sure you clean the new rotors,spray brake cleaner on them...

It's never a bad thing to change pads, but good pads are expensive, and they can last a very long time. I've actually sold a worn set of pads to a member who used them (with new rotors) for quite a while; never heard of any problems.

Some people replace pads just because... maybe because they buy cheap ones. That's fine. But you don't absolutely have to if the pad is in good shape, especially if you bought quality pads last time around. And depending on your driving style, and the pad compound you choose, it's often easy to burn through a set of rotors without wearing down the pads much at all.

Rickw wrote:

Mr.Riviera wrote:

powerslot's directional vented

Do you mind telling me where you bought them and how much for the pair of fronts.?

They carry them at tirerack http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/results.jsp?autoMake=Buick&autoModel=Riviera&autoYear=1998&autoModClar=. I don't know if he got the cryo-treated ones or not.

If you are going to reuse the old pads, suggest you grind or sand them flat on their faces before reinstallation of turned or fresh rotors. You should not have to take very much off at all.

Albertj

so which ones is a good st up i wanna replace all four rotors pads

Lots of 'good' possibilities, depends on what you want to do. What does good mean to you?

- noise-free
- low-dust
- long-lasting
- hard-stopping

Different pads will be better at doing some of the above things. Usually, you can't have them all. If you want a pad that stops the car on a dime, even when hot, it will squeal at times, and you'll need to clean your wheels every few days. The pad will last a long time, but may wear your rotors a bit.

If you want a pad that's clean and quiet, you can have that, too. But it won't stop your car as well once it's hot, and could warp your rotors if you abuse the brakes - may not be the best choice for stopping hard from 90 mph.

Because our cars are heavy, avoid the cheap 'organic' pads priced at $20-30. They fit all right, but may not be dependable to stop the car in a panic situation.

For more on pads, read half way down this page:
https://rivperformance.editboard.com/brakes-suspension-f6/rotors-and-pads-t2081-180.htm

As for rotors, just get the quality ones at your local auto parts store - these are the ones made in USA, not China. They cost more, but the iron seems to hold up better over time. EBC and Baer are both good brands. Drilled & slotted are sporty-looking, but probably won't make much difference in everyday driving. Solid rotors work just as well. Slotted-only discs may help if you use high performance (hard-stopping) pads and do a lot of heavy braking.

If your burning through rotors, before pads. What kind of metal are they made of? I use only the best pads, rotors. Never did the rotors wear first. My cars are all driven hard. go through lots of them. Again never heard such a thing...

For plain rotors, Bendix and Raybestos were, I think, the OEs for GM for the Riv - their rotors work quite well.

In my experience, my Riv will chew through a set of "economy" rotors in about a year of use. A good set will last several years.

The pads - use a good quality ceramic pad on the front. semimetallic or ceramic on the rear. Over the years I've driven the RIv I've been happiest with Raybestos 'professional grade' ceramic pads, "Carquest Blue" grade is one way to get 'em. I had EBC Redstuff pads for a while, they are the best stopping pads I'd driven on BUT throw a lot of dust compared to the Raybestos and were kind of hard on the Bendix rotors I had at the time. I now run ATE rotors and Raybestos pads.

Rockauto.com has a wide selection, why not have a look?

Albertj

i know ill get my ass chewed off for this one but my cheapo autozone pads work great.

Quote :

If your burning through rotors, before pads. What kind of metal are they made of? I use only the best pads, rotors. Never did the rotors wear first. My cars are all driven hard. go through lots of them. Again never heard such a thing...

The rotors are made of grey cast iron (all production rotors are).

The pads I use are ferro-carbon, aka carbon-metallic. They use a blend of graphite (carbon fibers) and metallics such as iron, steel, or copper. The metal particles are abrasive, and constantly wear away at the iron rotor surface during normal driving. This high friction value is what enables the car to stop at low speeds when the brakes are cold. But they also keep the rotors very clean, true, and even. Warping just doesn't happen. They wear down instead - the pads 'turn' the rotors a little bit every time you hit the brakes.

The carbon material in the pads doesn't do a whole lot until the brakes get hot. This is when most OEM pads begin to fade, but carbon pads will stop the car much faster when hot. Speed = Heat. If you are going 120 mph and want to stop very, very hard, this can cause a problem with OEM and other 'good' pads, especially if you do it more than once. If you've ever used the brakes hard going down a mountain grade, you know what fade is all about. Carbon pads don't fade until a much higher temperature, and they will stop the car a lot faster up to that point.

When we say we use the 'best' pads, what exactly are they the best at? Best at lasting 50k miles? Best at being quiet? Best at keeping your wheels clean? We can have all of that from an OEM ceramic pad for $50-80/pair, and most people are cool with that. The pads I use are not quiet, and they're dirty, but they will let me decelerate 2 tons from 90-20 mph in roughly 4 secs, and they'll do it 5-10 times in a minute's time. If you try that with OEM pads, you'll loose your ability to brake on the 2nd or 3rd attempt, resulting in a dangerous situation. The Riviera is just too heavy to stop repeatedly from high speeds using OEM pads, or even 'good' pads. We need something with lots of friction, and carbon designed for sustained high temp operation.

Quote :

i know ill get my ass chewed off for this one but my cheapo autozone pads work great.

No need to chew you out for anything, but I would ask the question: work great at doing what?

Would they work great braking as hard as you can from 110-10 mph? What if you tried it 2 or 3 times in a row? Cheapo Autozone pads may have some vibration, brakes will fade fast, and you may need a brake job to fix it all when you're done - they just aren't made for that. With ferro-carbon pads, the car will stop better as the brakes get hotter, and fade will not come until much later (hotter). That's the difference the right pad can make.

The pads i use are ceramic, with Napa rotors. I did slam on the brake's, at 110, many times through out the day, week. I'm sure there is some failing,for the pads to be turning down the rotors that much, for them to wear first, is still hard to believe.Your rotors are slotted two,dam that's chewy....

Ceramic pads are great for just about everything except repetitive high speed stopping. That's why OEM uses them, but race teams don't. I used to run ceramic, and there's nothing wrong with it - they are the 'best' at being quiet, clean, and reliable. They also stop very well when cold, but the problem happens when they get very hot.

You can stop from 110 mph once, maybe twice, but after that things will get too hot. If you let them cool down, sure you can do it again the same day, but what about in the same minute? Imagine you were just pounding through the mountains for a full hour, WOT, on brakes hard, over and over - you get the idea.

I thought someone might ask about the rotors, and you're correct, they were slotted. When I changed the rotors in May, the slots were worn completely gone to bare metal (no more slots), and you know those slots were cut at least .080" deep when new. The pads however were only worn a little. I have those same pads on the new replacement (slotted) rotors, still working very well. The rear pads in particular have about 80% left. Fronts I would say have 60% remaining.

Sure enough, Hawk gives this warning about the HP Plus compound:

"Warning! Due to the dramatic friction levels produced by this product to achieve "race-level" braking, rotor wear, noise, dust, and pad life may be affected."

Good to know...