The best rotors for the money aren't slotted or drilled, is the honest truth. Drills and slots are supposedly there to relieve the film of gas that comes off of hot brake pads and forms a low-friction cushion between the surface of the rotor and the surface of the pad; the reality is that formulations in brake pad materials in the last twenty years have reduced this gas by 90+% and have rendered slotted or drilled rotors as an aesthetic option, not a performance option. If anything, slots and holes lead to increased brake pad wear, higher likelihood of rotor warp (I've experienced it first hand at the 2011 Fastivus track day riding shotgun in someone's MkIV R32...over the course of a few laps, his slotted rotors went from smooth to warped enough to be garbage; post-session inspection showed they visibly warped at the slot lines) and higher likelihood of cracking and failure around holes as well. What's more, depending on the pattern of holes around the face of the rotor, you'll develop uneven wear across the brake pad surface, actually reducing the area of pad-to-rotor surface contact area over time. Only the best (usually patented) hole patterns avoid this issue, Porsche's proprietary hole pattern being one I know of for sure. The half-slotted/half-drilled rotors are the worst because the holes are placed in a geometrically symmetrical way on the rotor face, not in a hole pattern that is best for the life of the pad...purely "for looks" and honestly a garbage choice. Brembo plain rotor OEM replacements are the most expensive direct-OEM replacement rotor but are, IMO, worth it (I put 80,000 miles including several track days on my 11.3" Brembo plains and they held up very nicely). ECS is selling Genuine VW/Audi rotors for $190 a front pair which are probably your best bet (OEM = Brembos, at least on my GTI...whatever they use, it's not a bad disc at all). Getting a disc with curved vanes instead of straight vanes should help with disc cooling and longetivity, as a general rule. As for pads, you'll get a lot of different opinions on that. I like my Hawk HPS a lot, I know people who adore their Ferodo DS2000s and DS2500s. You're going to hear rather mixed things about EBC Greenstuffs but there are a lot of people that like those too. Porterfield is a very reputable brand though I'm not sure if they offer anything that's especially street focused or if they tend to just market to HPDE/Autocross/Road Race use. I came to the conclusion a few years ago that Mintex is kinda cheap and not that great.
Owner reviews for brake discs
The rotors and pads I used were Bosch and I'd use them again.
I'm currently running wilwood 11" rotors and 4 piston forged dynalight calipers on my mk3 spindles. I plan on going bigger soon and this will be my setup.
About a year ago, I installed a complete Meyle control arm kit in my B7 A4 Avant . At the same time I installed a set of Meyle geomet coated rotors and Akebono ceramic pads on all 4 corners. The car still rides, handles and stops like new. The rotors still look new with no warping and no rust after a tough New England winter.
Rallye 1.8T you are the man! Thanks for the tip and saving me a lot of time and money. The mk5 312x25mm rotors work on my setup. Only thing I have to do is run one thin washer between the bracket and spindle.
I'm running Corrado G60 11.0" front calipers and carriers, and MKIV alloy rear calipers on my 97 Jetta GT with Meyle plated rotors. The rotors are about four years old, and still look almost new. A few small rust dots are showing, but not the massive rust that you see on most two and older rotors, and virtually no wear of the friction surfaces.
I replaced mine at 60K, just a few months ago. I used Raybestos rotors and pads. So far, so good
Buy good quality rotors such as Zimmerman, Brembo OEM ( surprisingly affordable ) Wagner, Raybestos or Bendix. Stay away from cheap s**t like Powerslot or other Taiwanese made garbage.
Many heavy 4WD vehicles out there chew through rotors in 25k miles. My LandCruiser goes through them every 20k. And yes, I have checked the thickness and I've tried resurfacing old rotors a couple times but it always resulted in short life and problems.
I did my brakes about a week ago and was fine since the other day...getting a high pitched woooo intermittent sound after driving a few miles some times goes away when I depress the pedal. Also chatters on little bups and pot holes a bit now too.
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