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@op, did you have EBC rotors on there before this replacement, caz usually the stock rotors are blanks.
I suggest anyone who is considering EBC yellowstuff to get some good quality blanks and yellowstuff. With an aggressive pad you want all the surface area out there for max effective force. For brake feel get better siffer lines. And of course make sure all brake components are in good sliding order since a bad caliper or sliding pins equate to crappy performance.
Personally the jury is out for crossdrilled and slotted rotors, since besides some improved water channels during rainy driving, not really much in performance. More issues later one with increased pad wear and of course the decreased strength of the rotor.
@op, did you have EBC rotors on there before this replacement, caz usually the stock rotors are blanks.
I did not have EBC rotors prior to this. I had some other brand which worked ok, but I wanted a full EBC replacement on all four corners.
Originally Posted by coolsaber
Personally the jury is out for crossdrilled and slotted rotors, since besides some improved water channels during rainy driving, not really much in performance. More issues later one with increased pad wear and of course the decreased strength of the rotor.
I agree that cross-drilled can decrease the strength of a rotor due to holes, that is why I chose dimpled rotors; therefore, not fully cross-drilled, yet still maintain some of the structural benefits of a blank rotor, along with better cooling and water/dirt dissipation.
I did not have EBC rotors prior to this. I had some other brand which worked ok, but I wanted a full EBC replacement on all four corners.
I agree that cross-drilled can decrease the strength of a rotor due to holes, that is why I chose dimpled rotors; therefore, not fully cross-drilled, yet still maintain some of the structural benefits of a blank rotor, along with better cooling and water/dirt dissipation.
Dimple rotors is a post casting process, aka similar to drilling, shaving off material. I know that alot of folks including myself associate the fact that certain high performance vehicles ship with X Drilled,Slotted, dimpled etc style of rotors, and hence when we see similar setups available it encourages confidence, and thats really fueling the myth. Porsche MBs have certain vehicles that ship with dimpled, slotted, xdrilled rotors, but usually those are of higher spec and include casting with those features already in place, which make them much higher then whats available aftermarket.
Before you replace your rotors have you tried re-bedding your brakes? 90+% of the time when people think their rotors are warped its actually uneven deposits on the rotors. heating them up with multiple aggressive stops clears this up. I JUST did this on my GX470 and it cleared it right up.
Before you replace your rotors have you tried re-bedding your brakes? 90+% of the time when people think their rotors are warped its actually uneven deposits on the rotors. heating them up with multiple aggressive stops clears this up. I JUST did this on my GX470 and it cleared it right up.
It depends on the scenario. If the rotors have uneven deposit wear, and this is early on maybe it will work. However when deposits become a problem, the rotors have already heat cycled so many times that a couple of stops will get it hot, but not fix the issue.
For the OP, if your car has warped rotors here are some tips
1) Check the rotor and measure runoffs on both hub and new rotor if you can.
2) Check alignment and make sure your wheels are torqued to correct values
3) Then inspect the calipers. if you have never done any maintenance on them, go at it. Some times the issue may lie with a frozen caliper or brake hardware thats rusted shut.Clean them out, apply brake lube and sand out any surface rust.
4) Before throwing out the old hardware inspect them. See if the thickness on pads was different side to side on each wheel and each axle. This will allow you to diagnose a frozen caliper etc etc.
5) After that install your pads and rotors accordingly
6) Avoid any type of drilled, slotted, dimpled rotors. They look fast, but also wear faster. Dont think that just cause the AMG pulling up next to you has drilled rotors, you need them too, theyre specd differently and work as a system from the mfg. For the best combo, go with a reputable blank, and some tow ready pads.
7) Due a fluid change while your at it.
8) If this has not improved to your tastes, your last easy bet is stainless lines.
It depends on the scenario. If the rotors have uneven deposit wear, and this is early on maybe it will work. However when deposits become a problem, the rotors have already heat cycled so many times that a couple of stops will get it hot, but not fix the issue.
For the OP, if your car has warped rotors here are some tips
1) Check the rotor and measure runoffs on both hub and new rotor if you can.
2) Check alignment and make sure your wheels are torqued to correct values
3) Then inspect the calipers. if you have never done any maintenance on them, go at it. Some times the issue may lie with a frozen caliper or brake hardware thats rusted shut.Clean them out, apply brake lube and sand out any surface rust.
4) Before throwing out the old hardware inspect them. See if the thickness on pads was different side to side on each wheel and each axle. This will allow you to diagnose a frozen caliper etc etc.
5) After that install your pads and rotors accordingly
6) Avoid any type of drilled, slotted, dimpled rotors. They look fast, but also wear faster. Dont think that just cause the AMG pulling up next to you has drilled rotors, you need them too, theyre specd differently and work as a system from the mfg. For the best combo, go with a reputable blank, and some tow ready pads.
7) Due a fluid change while your at it.
8) If this has not improved to your tastes, your last easy bet is stainless lines.
To fix a problem, you have to understand the root of the problem. Blindly buying expensive products base on advertising material is a sure way to burn a hole in your wallet... and maybe fix the problem.
When I used to autocross, Grassroots motors did a rotor comparison test. They showed that the $25 raybestos rotors did just as well as the way more expensive products. They did find large variation in brake pads.
Just because EBC, Hawk, etc is the most expensive and spends the most on advertising, does not make them the "best". My wheeling rig is an FZJ80 and most people in that community swear by the OEM pads.
Back to the OP, If you define 'upgrade' as spending more money... by all means buy whatever. If you define 'upgrade' as increased performance, the next question is 'what performance factor are you trying to upgrade.
More stopping power - My stock brake are powerful enough to lock up my tires and trip ABS. Why would you need more power?
More resistant to fade - Grooved rotors have their problems and stay away from drilled. Some pads are more resistant to fade, however, you often see a loss in cold bite.
FYI - I ran EBC greenstuff on my autocross car. They performed well but produced an insane amount of dust.
To fix a problem, you have to understand the root of the problem. Blindly buying expensive products base on advertising material is a sure way to burn a hole in your wallet... and maybe fix the problem.
When I used to autocross, Grassroots motors did a rotor comparison test. They showed that the $25 raybestos rotors did just as well as the way more expensive products. They did find large variation in brake pads.
Just because EBC, Hawk, etc is the most expensive and spends the most on advertising, does not make them the "best". My wheeling rig is an FZJ80 and most people in that community swear by the OEM pads.
Back to the OP, If you define 'upgrade' as spending more money... by all means buy whatever. If you define 'upgrade' as increased performance, the next question is 'what performance factor are you trying to upgrade.
More stopping power - My stock brake are powerful enough to lock up my tires and trip ABS. Why would you need more power?
More resistant to fade - Grooved rotors have their problems and stay away from drilled. Some pads are more resistant to fade, however, you often see a loss in bite.
FYI - I ran EBC greenstuff on my autocross car. They performed well but produced an insane amount of dust.
I still dont get your point?
Did I recommend the OP fall victim to ruthless advertising and Buy the Super Frozen, Cryogenically Level 5 D Autocross certified AMG speced Super Duper Dimpled, slotted, and cross drilled Rotors?
The Warped Rotor myth to me is just companies pulling the semantics debate out. Instead of trying to debate what the issue is, simply take matters into your own hands and figure out the problem on the car. Who gives a flying crapola about white papers and publications, simply dedicate some time on your own vehicles braking system. If you TLC it, and follow the specs outlined by the designers of your vehicle, and not farm out your brakes systems to an air gun nut you can solve issues quite rapidly and at low cost.
Did I recommend the OP fall victim to ruthless advertising and Buy the Super Frozen, Cryogenically Level 5 D Autocross certified AMG speced Super Duper Dimpled, slotted, and cross drilled Rotors?
The Warped Rotor myth to me is just companies pulling the semantics debate out. Instead of trying to debate what the issue is, simply take matters into your own hands and figure out the problem on the car. Who gives a flying crapola about white papers and publications, simply dedicate some time on your own vehicles braking system. If you TLC it, and follow the specs outlined by the designers of your vehicle, and not farm out your brakes systems to an air gun nut you can solve issues quite rapidly and at low cost.
OP said brakes "warped" and wanted to "upgrade".
I was simply trying to shed some light and provide discussion on those 2 topics.
Personally I would stick with OEM brake rotors. If you shop them, they are cheap enough that it's tough to justify going aftermarket. Lexus OEM brakes are top quality.
Also for what it's worth, having rotors turned 2 or 3 times already on a 2012 seems pretty excessive (unless perhaps you've got quite a lot of miles). Unless there is brake shudder or other rotor damage, there is no need to turn the rotors at a pad change, though a lot of shops will insist upon it so they can charge you for resurfacing. If rotors had been resurfaced that many times, that's probably why they warped because there is very little rotor thickness left to handle the heat. It's possible that the previous owner was tough on the brakes, but I imagine they were just upsold needless brake jobs by an aggressive service advisor.
I've had this discussion with the master tech on this. According to him, it's give and take. This is a large vehicle and requires a lot of stopping power and meanwhile it has to do so smoothly.
On the whole he says something has to give and based on the number of replacements and for the type of vehicles, it's nothing to worry about.
05-04-16 | 08:17 AM
