I just bought some rotors from an o riely auto parts store. they had a wagner brand that was 70 bucks a rotor. i bought the store brand for 12 bucks a piece. i got good ceramic pads for them to, but im thiniking am i ganna have any problems beacuse of using cheap rotors. i got them for my little yota solara. im going to see if i can shave them to there min. thickness but would it be better to use the org rotors shaved down or the new cheap ones?

 

I am in the belief that rotors should be left alone unless they are warped, then I replace.
I dont shave or allow them to be shaved. I discard them.

Why? I seen too many rotors shaved beyond the limit, shaved wrong, shaved uneven and there is NO NEED .. BOTH FORD and GM recommend that you only replace the PADS unless there is damage .. IT IN THE DEALER service instructions of both FORD & GM, although the dealers tend to always want to shave them.

By the time one pays for cutting the rotors, you just about bough new ones. Normally, I pay around $35 for a rotor and never have I had an issue.

I dont know what your driving is like, but I need MAX stopping power when I press the pedal, often at triple digit speeds.

My procedure is fast and simple .. jack up cars, remove tires, R&R pads, BLEED SYSTEM, replace tires, GO !




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Out of round rotors need replacing though. I tend to follow the Best pads/ Ok rotors school of though when changing them. The rotors are eventually going get chewed up no matter what, that's just the way the braking system works. I just replace the rear rotors on my Deville because they were warped, I paid $45 each, not the best but not the worst either.

 

i changed the rotors out and it turned out i didnt need new pads. The new cheap rotors brake so smooth. i guess it really dosent matter if you have cheap rotors, there all made outta steel anyways.

 

actually, they are castings, iron.
there are probably as much defect content on the expensive as the inexpensive. Dotn like the word cheap which co notates poor quality which is far from inexpensive.

minor side footnote, with excessive heat, rotors get warped and wobble; drums go our of round, meaning not round.

If you change pads before there is metal contact and use the brakes in a normal way, it is not uncommon to see the rotors go 150,000 miles or more. MY 6,000 lb 4X4 got 120,000 miles, my Allante got 80,000 miles, I sold another car with 225,000 miles, original rotors. Drums dont fare nearly as well.