I stumbled across a local autoshop that has a line of brake rotors and pads.

The brand is called "Max performance" and you can get a set of front rotors and Ceramic pads for $130.

After a few google searches I only found 1 review on a JDM forum asking about their quality. The poster said he "had them on his car for a little over a year and liked them so far, the ceramic was low dust on his white wheels, only downside is that the ceramic pads take longer to warm up before you get full stopping power."

I bought my car with cheap pads and oem rotors, and I'm not a fan of them, they vibrate and brake fade is a nightmare. So I can't believe anything could be worse than my current set up.

I know Brakes are an integral part of a cars safety, but I hate my current set up, and I can't pass up this deal.

Any opinions? what would you do?

 

http://maxrotors.com/brake_pads.html#3
That's the link to it, but not much info.

 

Stoptech or centric rotors and EBC redstuff pads.

Don't cheap out on safety or lifeblood items (tires, brakes, oil change intervals and oil, gas with proper octane rating).

 

remember the old saying you get what you pay for.

 

I agree on safety, and getting what you pay for.
But I'm really tempted to take a shot on these local guys and save a few bucks at the same time.

I found one review on all of google, which was positive, but who knows, that could just be their marketing team undercover.

 

i put those cheap autozone brand or whatever pads on my old corolla dd a while back. and, well, they're cheap as hell. they got the job done for a low power commuter car (i just used it to go back and forth to school) but i would never put them on anything that has any kind of decent numbers behind it, and by decent i mean like more than 100hp lol. they just aren't worth it.

you can get a good set of porterfield r4s's for $130, ebc's for a little less, and a set of ebc rotors for about $80. spend a little extra money and get a good set up that you can actually trust to do it's job. and while you're at it, change the fluid to ATE super blue.

 

The reason I'm willing to take a risk on cheap brakes is because I have the cheapest brakes the used car dealer could find to pass safety.

At highway speeds, hitting the brakes causes extreme steering vibration. And when I constantly use them the brake fade is annoying, I can feel them grip, I'll be slowing down, and then it will start coasting as if I eased up on the brake pedal a bit. and they dust like crazy.

For this reason I believe nothing can be worse, and I need something different.

 

like everyone else has said, don't cheap out. these are the only things stopping your car. if you're going to do it, do it right. spend the money and get good parts. if you've lasted this long with what you have, a few more days shouldn't be a problem.

pads, rotors and tires are the three things that i will never understand why people go cheap on. this is your life here, literally. do it right.

 

Looks like you've answered your own question, here. You have the experience to show that cheap brakes don't work.

 

Sounds like you have a warped front rotor. This is typical of cheaper rotors and causes the steering wheel to vibrate when you hit the brakes.

I'd look at the one of the kits from Way, Helix or ECS at their lower end. It'll still be better than the cheapest option you're looking at now and last much longer in the end.

 

"We guarantee 100% exact fitment based on the vehicle specifications you provide at order confirmation. If for any reason your products do not fit, we will happily replace it free of charge. All AAP products come with a 100-day warranty against warping and cracking from the date the buyer receives the product."

That's enough info for me to say NO

100 days is NOTHING

Spend the extra $$ and get a decent set of rotors and pads. You don't have to splurge and buy high priced performance pads and rotors, but get at least get something that has a decent warranty. And while you're at it, get the shop to change your brake fluid and (possibly) your lines.

Just my $0.02

 

Here is a bit of info....
cheaper rotors actually WEIGHT less....
Less cast iron, less $$...
the fins between the wear surfaces are fewer, and thinner, leading to lower overall heat holding ability, before they overheat....
So you do get what you payfor...
But that having been said, they will likly work better than what you have now...sounds like you have a warped rotor, and some old waterlogged fluid that needs to be bleed, with some crap pads and cheap rotors....
You can do what the dealer did...go cheap, and get a few miles out of it, and do it again, or spend a few more $$, And get 30,000 to 60,000 miles or maybe more.....
In the US, an auto parts supplier, NAPA, provides cut-away rotors to both their retal shops and many shops doing installs, of oem/oem equivalent and cheap discount rotors....the differeances are pretty marked.....