my last brake pad change i noticed i would probably need to get new rotors on my next brake change... the time has come.. dont know what i should do. take to dealer? or somewhere else? what to get? change myself?

 

go aftermarket, if you are gonna spend the money then you might as well get something that looks good as well as fuctions. such as brakes from Lohen, heres a link
http://www.lohen.co.uk/shop/proddetail.asp?prod=LB1

 

My advice would be:

1. Buy new zinc plated rotors off ebay for $240. I have had those on my car for over 2 years and they still work and look great.

2. Get some Hawk HPS or EBC Greenstuff low dust brake pads- $170ish

3. IMO changing brake rotors & pads is a pretty simple job. I would change them myself in a couple hours, but if you don't feel comfortable doing it by yourself, pay a local mechanic.

 

If you're inclined to do a brake job yourself, then by all means, that's the way
to go. I suggest Hawk HPS pads (low dust, more bite than stock, quiet,
and work ok cold) and powerslot cryo rotors or plain cryo rotors (last
longer than stock and less dust).

 

Agree...there are lots of decent deals out there.......the Mini is very easy to do a brake and rotor job on ....just takes a little time. Best part is the rotors are not part of the hub/wheel bearing package and just basically slip on..hardest part will be to get the old rusted parts off....after that it's easy.

 

If'n the next time you rotate you tires, you pop your rotors loose and add some anti-seize to the center hole of the wheel as well as the rotor retention screw, then when it is time to replace those rotors, they will come off easy.

YD

 

thanks alot guys.. quick response as well.. i love this place.. anyway my girlfriends brother and i did the last brake job ourselves as he is a mechanic.. i had no damn clue what was goin on.. at first.. pretty simple tho.. anyway i dont see why we couldnt do it ourselves i guess. i just need to decide what to buy now.. thanks once again!!!

 

Just did my Rotors and Pads and snapped 3 of the 4 retention screw (Totally rusted on). Mine is a 2002 MCS and had the original pads and rotors.

 

Maybe with a lighter car the EBC greens and HPS are better, but here are my experiences with both.

EBC green on a mildly modded 02 WRX with all season tires - low dust, good cold stops, but really no better than stock pads (which suck on a stock WRX) when they heat up. With only periodic spirited driving the pad material got so hot it crumbled and fell off the backing. They are also VERY, VERY hard on the rotors.

HPS on a highly modded stock turbo STi with Azenis RT-615 autocrossed often - medium dust, noisy when cold, never faded in autocross or spirited driving, hard on the rotors.

Have also use EBC reds on the 02 WRX, again spirited driving - a little less bite in cold weather ( though I drove them in below freezing weather with no problem) and much better fade resistance than the EBC greens, but not as good as HPS. Very little dust and very gentle on rotors. For street use it is a very good choice.

Ferodo DS2500 on the STi - similar performance and dust to the HPS but less rotor wear. If you are going to venture on the autocross course or mild track day these are your pad. For aggressive street use go with the EBC Reds.

 

I ran Hawk HPS pads on cryo treated plain rotors for about a year (multiple sets of pads, one set of rotors). Daily driving, winter driving, autocrossing, track events. They made no noise. Dust wasn't bad (I've got white wheels, so I'd notice). Work cold (even in winter). Work on the track pretty well. Rotors held up forever. Good combo.

The only thing with that combo was that you need to re-bed the brake pads every once in a while. The rotors would develop pad deposits during daily driving which will eventually create bad steering wheel shimy and brake pedal pulsation. Get them nice and hot every once in a while, and they'll stay happy. Don't get the hot every once in a while, and they get grumpy.

For whatever reason, I'm trying something different this time... the Texas Speedwerks rotor / Porterfield R4-S combo. I haven't had them out for a track event yet, but they're working good for daily use / autocross so far. Again, no noise, not much dust.

 

Good point about the cryo treated rotors, mine were not cyro treated and that may explain the faster wear. I also wonder if the HPS's are the exact same compound for all applications. I had used them on my old VR6 Corrado with good results and little dusting, though they were pretty hard on the rotors in that application too.

 

If you're getting new rotors, too, check out Texas Speedwerks' replacements, too.

 

If it's still under the service agreement, have the dealer change the rotors and pads for free. Then when you get home, change out those nasty dust-generating OEM pads yourself. It should be really easy then because the dealer will already have retracted the rear pistons for the new pads and broken any stuck bolts loose.

 

http://thebrakeman.com/stormkitlist

the answer.

 

What's the question? How to spend way too much money on brakes? I'm sure they're great, but over $2,000 for front brakes? Not for me, thanks.

 

For OEM sizing check out the Texas Speedwerks rotors. Lots of folks around ehre have been usung them and are quite happy.