New brake pads and rotors, which ones? Options

[6strngs]

Alright, my car has been in need of some new brakes for a while now, I figure it's time I get some in, especially since my uncle who is coming out for christmas said he would help me install them. Anyway, I want to go with a cross-drilled or a drilled and slotted rotor. I saw the drilled/slotted rotors on nopi, but they're pretty expensive. I also saw some on irotors.com that were only $229 for the front and back. (plus an extra $50 for zinc plating on them, but I figure that that is only for rust protection, and since I live in cali, rusting rotors really isn't a problem. so I shouldn't need the zinc plating, right?) so, does anyone know if they are any good?

And I don't know what kind of pads to get. I've heard good and bad about EBC greenstuff pads. And I've heard that Hawk pads were pretty good. I want something that can be used on my daily driver, but are an upgrade from stock that will hold up to aggressive braking, and possibly even autocrossing one day. I don't really know the pros/cons of ceramics vs. regular pads so I don't know which I need.

thanks in advance for any help!

[hurley97]

ceramic pads are quieter than metallic and supposedly leave less brake dust and can withstand higher temperatures.

as for drilled vs slotted... some say drilled compromise the structural integrity of the rotors, they do provide faster cooling but are more prone to cracking or warping and are mainly for use on the track (although I know lots of people who have them without any problems). slotted still provide a good amount of cooling without too much change in structure and might be a better bet for street/daily use. also keep in mind that if either drilled or slotted become warped you cannot have them shaved down, you have to get a brand new set.

This post has been edited by hurley97: Dec 4, 2006 - 7:51 PM

[Bitter]

Hawk HPS pads and powerslot rotors always seem to make a good combo.

[CelicaST202]

Hawk HPS pads and powerslot rotors always seem to make a good combo.

+1 my bro has it on his MR2 turbo

[Bitter]

i love them on the prizm, same weight and almost the same sized brakes as the ST. the car stops great!

[LewFX]

ceramic pads are quieter than metallic and supposedly leave less brake dust and can withstand higher temperatures.

as for drilled vs slotted... some say drilled compromise the structural integrity of the rotors, they do provide faster cooling but are more prone to cracking or warping and are mainly for use on the track (although I know lots of people who have them without any problems). slotted still provide a good amount of cooling without too much change in structure and might be a better bet for street/daily use. also keep in mind that if either drilled or slotted become warped you cannot have them shaved down, you have to get a brand new set.

you can trim cross drilled rotors with no problems according to this place that i went to

[6strngs]

so, from what I see, Hawk makes a their HPS, HP plus, and cermaic pads for the front, but they only make HPS for the back. So if I went with the irotors cross drilled and slotted rotors, and HPS pads on all wheels it should be a good set-up for my needs, right? or should I go with a different pad for the front?

[dustin15brown]

I have cross drilled and slotted in my fronts and rears... no problems at all... I also have ceramic pads, which I will say cause less brake dust... My wheels definitely stay cleaner for longer...

ceramic pads are quieter than metallic and supposedly leave less brake dust and can withstand higher temperatures.

as for drilled vs slotted... some say drilled compromise the structural integrity of the rotors, they do provide faster cooling but are more prone to cracking or warping and are mainly for use on the track (although I know lots of people who have them without any problems). slotted still provide a good amount of cooling without too much change in structure and might be a better bet for street/daily use. also keep in mind that if either drilled or slotted become warped you cannot have them shaved down, you have to get a brand new set.

you can trim cross drilled rotors with no problems according to this place that i went to

Lew nailed it.... cross drilled and slotted, or any combo and be trimmed.... just have to find a place that correctly does it... Many places are not able to or simply will not try because it's a lot harder to actually do... but reagardless... they can be done

[Kadett]

Use Ferodo brake pads.

Still dont know why people who use there car for 99.9% as a Daily Driver want to place rotors with less contact surface by using Cross/Drilled/Slotted rotors.

Better replace your brake lines for stailbraided ones.

[6strngs]

Use Ferodo brake pads.

Still dont know why people who use there car for 99.9% as a Daily Driver want to place rotors with less contact surface by using Cross/Drilled/Slotted rotors.

Better replace your brake lines for stailbraided ones.

heat dissipation, and it disperses water... other than that, they just look really cool

and I plan on getting some steelbraided lines, but they shouldn't have to be done at the same time as your pads/rotors do they? as far as I know, you can change your pads/rotors without even opening up the brake line. and when you do install braided lines, you are only replacing the solid straight lines that run down the car, and not the short flexible pieces that connect to the caliper itself. Therefore, I can get the braided lines later on when I can afford them, and just get these now (since my parents agreed to lend me some money to get new brakes, but they won't give me money to replace something that doesn't otherwise need replacing, and I'll have to do that with my own money once I have some)

[JonMarkos]

Hawk HPS pads and powerslot rotors always seem to make a good combo.

I don't think powerslot makes rotors for our cars, I know they don't make it for a 97 Vert.

[Negative]

as far as I know, you can change your pads/rotors without even opening up the brake line.

True.

and when you do install braided lines, you are only replacing the solid straight lines that run down the car, and not the short flexible pieces that connect to the caliper itself.

Not true. They replace the flexible part. The real benifit of them is they don't expand like the OEM rubber lines causing additional time/effort to apply braking pressure. You will notice that the braided ones seem to work more "positively" or just brake quicker/easier. Hard to explain but i loved the ones I installed on the 4th gen and it's def in the works for when I start my brake upgrade project.

[Bitter]

Hawk HPS pads and powerslot rotors always seem to make a good combo.

I don't think powerslot makes rotors for our cars, I know they don't make it for a 97 Vert.

they do not specifically, but do camry rotors fit?

[JonMarkos]

Hawk HPS pads and powerslot rotors always seem to make a good combo.

I don't think powerslot makes rotors for our cars, I know they don't make it for a 97 Vert.

they do not specifically, but do camry rotors fit?

I'm not sure, I just sent powerslot another e-mail asking them if camry rotors will fit, I'll let you know when I hear back from them.

[Kadett]

as far as I know, you can change your pads/rotors without even opening up the brake line.

True.

and when you do install braided lines, you are only replacing the solid straight lines that run down the car, and not the short flexible pieces that connect to the caliper itself.

Not true. They replace the flexible part. The real benifit of them is they don't expand like the OEM rubber lines causing additional time/effort to apply braking pressure. You will notice that the braided ones seem to work more "positively" or just brake quicker/easier. Hard to explain but i loved the ones I installed on the 4th gen and it's def in the works for when I start my brake upgrade project.

What he said:

When you brake hard the Brake Oil will go hot and make your rubber flexibel brake lines soft. So instead of only pumping the oil to your calipers they will also expand a bit. With steel braided lines you dont have this effect thus it mean you have a straighter brake feel.

[JonMarkos]

I just got an email back from Powerslot, they informed me that their Camry rotors will not fit on our cars.

[Bitter]

well thats too bad

[6gsillyca]

So does ANY powerslot rotor fit on our cars? Is there any slotted rotor that fits the celica? I was looking for a set of reputable slotted rotors but can only find ebay knockoffs.

Does anyone know what the irotors.com rotors look like? I wasnt able to find a description of any sort on their website, as to what kind of rotors/pads you get when you order (solid, vented, xdrilled, slotted, x/slotted, hawk pads, ebc, axxis etc), just the prices.

This post has been edited by 6gsillyca: Dec 11, 2006 - 1:53 AM

[LewFX]

im selling front and rear crossed drilled and slotted rotors.

[6strngs]

im selling front and rear crossed drilled and slotted rotors.

what kind? what price? and are they new or used?

[LewFX]

not sure of the brand, got from another member brand new, i put about 5k miles on them, fronts need to be trimmed

[6strngs]

not sure of the brand, got from another member brand new, i put about 5k miles on them, fronts need to be trimmed

hmm, I'm looking for brand new. thanks for the offer though!

[LewFX]

they practically new after a good trimming

[6strngs]

Does anyone know what the irotors.com rotors look like? I wasnt able to find a description of any sort on their website, as to what kind of rotors/pads you get when you order (solid, vented, xdrilled, slotted, x/slotted, hawk pads, ebc, axxis etc), just the prices.

here you go, just found this tonight. they appear to be drilled and slotted
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Toyota-Celi...bayphotohosting

I think I'm going to go with those rotors. as for pads, I'm a little stuck... I don't know which would be better, the hawk performance ceramic pads or the hawk HPS pads... I'll probably get HPS for the back either way (since they don't have the ceramics for the back), but I was thinking of going with something even better for the front, I considered the HP plus, but they are a bit pricy and I've heard so many good things about ceramic pads... the only thing is, on tirerack.com they classify the ceramic pads as "premium" and their HPS pads as "performance street" so I don't know which ones are actually better...

[6gsillyca]

nopionline

Axxis ultimate kevlar/ceramic. I ordered some a few days ago (have to go to friggin border to get them) but ~$50 for front axle set and ~$45 for rears.

[6strngs]

alright, I just placed an order for some irotors drilled and slotted rotors and Hawk HPS pads all around. (also ordered a koyo aluminum radiator because my radiator has a leak)

[6strngs]

ok, finally recieved my irotors rotors today, after two full weeks. I'm definately not happy with their shipping/processing time. but then I get the rotors, and open up the boxes to find that 3 of the 4 have some minor surface rust on them. my uncle says that's no biggie, and once you get them on the brake pads will wear away that. but my concern is that one of them looks as though it were spray painted... to the point where there is lint in the paint and I can stratch it with my fingernail. I dunno if that'll also come off with a bit of use and be ok, or if I should be worried. opinions?

[Bitter]

is the rotor surface (where the pad will be contacting) spray painted too? if so then you need to remove that before the pads go on or else it'll contaminate them.

[6strngs]

is the rotor surface (where the pad will be contacting) spray painted too? if so then you need to remove that before the pads go on or else it'll contaminate them.

yes it is.

so, you think if I get some sand paper and take off the paint that it'll be fine? I'm not too worried about the ones with the rust, cause that will wear off (at least, I think it will) I was just worried about this painted one. the paint comes off easily, so hopefully I should be able to sand it off. what grit do you think I should use?

[Bitter]

use 220 grit SILICON CARBIDE paper ONLY.

DO NOT USE ALUMINUM OXIDE ABRASIVES ON BRAKE ROTORS, EVER!
when you're done sanding wash them down with brake cleaner very very well. the pattern you sand in doesnt matter, but it wouldnt be a bad idea to sand all 4 rotor faces in the same manner so that all the pads (4 faces per pair of rotor, 2 faces on a rotor) of an axle (4 pads in an axle set) have the same rotor surface to bed into and all have the same bite.

i hate to say i told you so, but you should have just gotten the brembo blanks. hearing that they spray painted the rotors really makes me question the quality of the casting and how long they'll last without warping or cracking.

[6strngs]

use 220 grit SILICON CARBIDE paper ONLY.

DO NOT USE ALUMINUM OXIDE ABRASIVES ON BRAKE ROTORS, EVER!
when you're done sanding wash them down with brake cleaner very very well. the pattern you sand in doesnt matter, but it wouldnt be a bad idea to sand all 4 rotor faces in the same manner so that all the pads (4 faces per pair of rotor, 2 faces on a rotor) of an axle (4 pads in an axle set) have the same rotor surface to bed into and all have the same bite.

i hate to say i told you so, but you should have just gotten the brembo blanks. hearing that they spray painted the rotors really makes me question the quality of the casting and how long they'll last without warping or cracking.

I know. I know. I didn't know that they were going to be this crappy though. at least we know now so that other people don't make my same mistake. Thank you for your help. I really wish I did go with the brembo blanks now too. would've saved me alot of money and I would've gotten alot better quality.

[6strngs]

alright! I sent an e-mail to the irotors company, they replied the next day asking for pictures, and when I sent them some, they replied telling me that they were going to arrange for DHL to pick up the bad rotors from my house and that they were going to send a new set within 5 business days... so, I'm not gonna knock irotors yet. they do seem to have good customer service at least.

[6strngs]

the new rotors are supposedly en-route to my house. Irotors is not very good at sending me a tracking number. but if they are not here tomorrow then they should come some time next week. The people at irotors are polite and easy to talk to however. I'm just not liking their shipping speeds. hopefully the new brakes coming in will be perfect out of the box so I can just slap them on and tell you all very good stories about them.