Topic: what brand of brake rotors and pads do you use?

[Jeffe 81]

its time for me to change the pads and rotors on my '81 pick up.  The brakes are stock 4x4 early '81 calipers and I don't have the $ to upgrade the calipers. What have you been happy with?  Are slotted and drilled rotors worth it?  Where did you find them?  LC engineering seems to have the best deal going at $45 per rotor that is drilled and slotted, but I couldn't find much else other than them and JC Whitney( back ordered for at least a month).   

[Duffil]

Stock rotors, so far.  When the time comes, I'll go with NAPA replacements.  NAPA pads as well.

[J-BO]

X2 - Napa

[kyle_22r]

when i went through my front end it had the original calipers and rotors so i got some rotors and reman calipers at carquest.  working great so far

[Phazertwo]

X3 on the napa.  However for my car (civic) rotors I usally call around to see who is cheapest.  For my truck i just order from

[CTENG in KS]

 

[Makman]

X4 NAPA for a decent quality rotor.

As for whether or not drilled and slotted are worth it, that is a subjective question.  Drilled and slotted rotors have Pros and Cons like anything else so it comes down to what you want.  The following is my understanding of this issue.

Pros:  Good looks, decreased inertia for acceleration/deceleration, decreased unsprung weight for suspension performance, improved offgassing (venting) of the brake pads under hard use, better feel (pad release)

Cons: Stress concentrations at cross-drilled holes leading to premature cracking, decreased thermal mass, added expense for a quality rotor.  Note that thermal stresses are huge when you consider that your rotor may cycle up and down hundreds of degrees every time you jam the brakes going into a corner.  The brake system is designed to turn momentum into heat.  The formula for momentum is M=1/2mv^2 where m = mass and v = velocity.  Obviously the velocity term is the killer but vehicle mass and tire diameter are also very significant when it comes to braking performance.

My opinion is that D&S rotors are not worth it due the potential decrease in service life although the big players in the market are split on the issue when you look at their marketing literature (keep in mind that it is marketing literature and not the actual engineering test results so interpretation is applied to best serve their purpose).  The minor performance gains are most applicable to sports cars, not trucks with solid axles and oversize mud tires mounted on steel wheels.  Besides, I have more lead weights balancing my tires than I stand to shave in rotor weight by drilling them.  Another concern regarding low cost D&S rotors is that they may not be quality...the phrase "lipstick on a pig" comes to mind.  That's just my two cents.  Whatever you get, they'll probably stop the truck just fine.

[Makman]

One more thing...if the local auto parts shop tries to sell you "lifetime" pads, don't do it unless they can tell you what the pad compound is and prove that it is of decent quality and performance for your application.  Of the two sets that I have replaced on various vehicles, I've come to the conclusion that they must design the lifetime pads to basically last forever.  The drawbacks are that you lose all sorts of performance and the rotor generally becomes the consumable component which, conventiently for them, isn't covered by the lifetime warranty.

[jimbo74]

im running oem replacement brembos i got from tire rack, they are still straight even with the abuse i put them through, whereas the rotors i had on their before, were warped within a week......

[Duffil]

One more thing...if the local auto parts shop tries to sell you "lifetime" pads, don't do it unless they can tell you what the pad compound is and prove that it is of decent quality and performance for your application.  Of the two sets that I have replaced on various vehicles, I've come to the conclusion that they must design the lifetime pads to basically last forever.  The drawbacks are that you lose all sorts of performance and the rotor generally becomes the consumable component which, conventiently for them, isn't covered by the lifetime warranty.

to a point this is true, but you also get MUCH better braking performance.  Between our "premium" pads(which are lifetime warranty) and our lower quality pads, there is a huge difference in stopping ability.  As long as you don't get Super Duty or Heavy Duty pads(which are much harder), the premium lifetime pads are really an OEM replacement. 

For example, if you went into a NAPA looking for pads for an 84 toy 4x4, you might be offered a set of pads for (ts7069)14.99,(ss7069) 24.99 or(ae7069) 32.99(these are just baseline prices).  Unless   you are driving a trail only rig, I would not suggest either of the less expensive pads.  I really try not to sell them.  People come in and say "well, I won't be having this car long" or "it's only a $150 car".  But you have to remember the Lexus in front of you cost $32,000.  So for $10 more, having better pads is usually a good idea.
Just remember: Brakes are the most important safety system on your vehicle.

 

[Jeffe 81 [OP]]

Thanks for the advice everyone!  I decided to go with the LC engineering rotors that are drilled and slotted.  I live in Colorado so having cool running brakes is a must.  I'll let you know how they hold up-they seem to be a good bargain for $45!

[eightyfive]

vented rotors beat drilled and slotted solid rotors anyday. upgrading to larger calipers and vented rotors will barely cost you under 100 bucks easy.

[DTB]

toyota rotors, toyota pads. No cheap Chinese crap for my ride. 

[Jeffe 81 [OP]]

vented rotors beat drilled and slotted solid rotors anyday.

Sorry for the confusion-the rotors in debate are vented, drilled, and slotted-not solid rotors.  I figured for descents that range up to 7000 vertical feet I could use all the help I can get!