Rotor recommendations?

[mrballcb]

Let me give you some background before I ask my question. We had a Mitsubishi Galant get totalled the day after Christmas by a guy running a red light (side airbags FTW! just deep bruising). With the insurance payoff we bought a used Versa with 78K miles from a Ford dealer. The Versa was a win because it's roomy like the Galant for my 6'3" frame and it gets better mileage to boot. It gets driven a lot of miles due to a lengthy work commute (14K miles so far since Jan). So the first variable is that it's a used car with 78K miles.

I bled the brakes at about the 3K mark because the brake fluid was dirty, it was obvious it hadn't been changed in a while. At that time, I do not recollect any visible heating of the pads. The brake calipers all were clean and moved freely.

At about 6K (April) the brakes started to shake the steering wheel. I brought it in to my normal tire shop and the brake pads on the front wheels were overheating to the point that the metal backing on them were turning red & blue due to the heat. My dad was a welder and I have been involved in metal work since I was a kid and I know what heated metal looks like, so I had no problem with paying for a brake job (new ceramic pads from Big-O Tire, if that makes any difference). I thought I had them turn the rotors, but the receipt doesn't say anything about turning them.

After the brake job, it braked very smoothly. Now, around 8K and 4 months beyond and it's started to get that rotor-is-warped shimmy in the steering wheel at high speed and grab and release sensation at low speed. It has not been driven in water nor rain (it's SoCal, it just doesn't rain that much here). I'm taking it in this morning to have them look at it (6 month warranty, so at the very least they should pull the tires off and look at it and tell me that it's ok or that there's runout, or there's something else wrong, etc).

It seems very likely to me that the rotors on this car are really cheap pieces of crap that got put on by the previous owner to get it good enough to trade in or by the Ford dealership to get it good enough to sell. But that's just a hunch, I have no experience to base this on that gives me that hunch. Any opinions on that are appreciated.

Ok, finally the question. I'm about to change out my struts (yes, I have all the tools, including the spring compressor). While I've got things down that far, I'm considering just replacing the whole dang rotor (both front ones) with something a bit more reputable. IMHO I don't need performance rotors for my commute to work. Instead I'm looking for
1) opinions on good rotor brands (Centric, Raybestos, Beck/Arnley) - seem to be $40 - $60 per rotor
2) opinions on those labled OE - about $70 per rotor
3) any other opinions / sources?
4) Again, I don't think I require the EBC performance rotors, but if you have a case to make (dimples, no dimples, brands with proper sized cooling fins, etc), lay it on the line.

Thanks to all! ...Todd

[Encryptshun]

Hey there. First off, welcome to NiCO!

A lot of places don't turn rotors anymore because the factory rotors are so thin that they will warp if you lathe any more off. I'd say any OEM replacements are fine, along with some decent pads (no need to go ceramic, IMHO). You should replace the pads if you're replacing the rotors. I'd also do all four corners, not just the front.

[silverarrow27]

I went with a cheap pair of ebay rotors with dimples for $110 shipped to my door. I drive pretty aggressive, I warped the stock rotors after 3 months of owning the car in 70-80 degree weather. I'm on my 3rd month with these rotors and still going strong in this 100+ degree weather. Unfortunately, the rotors were not as thick as the oem and braking is a little louder than stock. Otherwise, no regrets so far!

[mrballcb]

I went with a cheap pair of ebay rotors with dimples for $110 shipped to my door.

Could you provide a part number and the ebay vendor you used? It's not my first choice, but I'll definitely keep it in mind.

[mrballcb]

It seems very likely to me that the rotors on this car are really cheap pieces of crap that got put on by the previous owner to get it good enough to trade in or by the Ford dealership to get it good enough to sell.

Nope, the Big-O tire shop said they looked to be factory original steel rotors.

I'm about to change out my struts (yes, I have all the tools, including the spring compressor).

Took 3.5 hours to change out both struts, by the way. And that included taking pictures which I intend to throw together into a quickie howto. I even was able to do it with standard well sockets (because I don't have deep well sockets in those larger metric sizes).

[silverarrow27]

R1concepts.com was who I went with on ebay. You can probably just go straight to their website and purchase it through there. I received the rotors in two days so their shipping is quite fast. Then again they are nearby and are local to us Southern California folks.

[mrballcb]

R1concepts.com was who I went with on ebay. You can probably just go straight to their website and purchase it through there. I received the rotors in two days so their shipping is quite fast. Then again they are nearby and are local to us Southern California folks.

HOLY CRAP! I *WORK* in Whittier, the town right next to LaHabra. Looks like I'll be checking out their place. Thanks for the referral, I'll make sure to mention that you referred me from the nicoclub forum. Thanks!

[mrballcb]

R1concepts.com was who I went with on ebay. You can probably just go straight to their website and purchase it through there. I received the rotors in two days so their shipping is quite fast. Then again they are nearby and are local to us Southern California folks.

HOLY CRAP! I *WORK* in Whittier, the town right next to LaHabra. Looks like I'll be checking out their place. Thanks for the referral, I'll make sure to mention that you referred me from the nicoclub forum. Thanks!

Well I am very pleased. I ended up spending a little more than I had originally planned and I got the drilled and slotted standard rotors for about $140. I didn't think it was necessary to spend the extra for the Premium rotors. It's been about 3K miles now and it's still braking smoothly with no detectable warping of the brakes. Thanks for the referral to R1 Concepts, I'm a happy customer of them now.

...Todd

[silverarrow27]

Glad it worked out for you and still okay for you, I have around 9k+ miles on my rotors now and still braking smoothly here as well.