New brake rotors - recommendations please.

Brembo pads, and RDA discs for me (fronts) I am of the opinion that the pads need to be of very high quality, and of the correct material for your use. The discs need to be decent branded ones, but isn't as critical as pad selection. Warpage is primarily caused by the lack of heat transfer AWAY from the disc surface, this is achieved mostly by the pad. Running a highly conductive material ( high metal content) is the best option for our use- stop start and lots of towing. The wear and tear on the discs is part of the joys of having effective and safe brakes. Most rotors are not hugely exxy nowadays, in contrast to decent pads...

Ive had a mixture of rotors and pads, my favourites being:

RDA Rotors - seem to wear better, nicer finish
Genuine Pads - NO noise.

Ive tried, EBC Greenstuff, Remsa, Bendix, threw my hands in the air and went genuine, i said id never try anymore but ill try these TRW that are being mentioned alot
Ive also tried DBA rotors, they were fine too didnt think they wore as well as the RDA were more expensive but the wear was likely due to my pads experiments.
Plus my Local brake and clutch guy who i always have and will use stopped selling DBA and only sells RDA for his own reasons.

DBA slotted rotors and TRW DTEC ceramic pads. Very happy with braking feel and performance.

I fitted Bretec rotors and ceramic pads (Euroline) for under $600 the lot DIY - awesome braking

I have DBA T3 slotted all round. Havent been running them for long enough to pass full comment but so far they seem fine

Hi All,

I recently got new pads and rotors fitted. I don't have the brand at hand but RDA comes to mind. Supplied by a Euro specialist and fitted by a mechanic I've used for years.

They started off really well and then developed a very low speed squeal. Within a week or so I started getting a shudder whilst braking, especially going down steep hills. I've read this can be something to do with non-OEM 'clips' of some description.

When the brake guy fitted the new kit he said everything appeared tight and in order but he kept four metal clips off the original set of pads. He said that was the only thing that would resemble what I'd talked to him about.

Any idea if these clips are the culprit/fix and can the LR ones be fitted to the non-oem pads.....or am I in for a pad replacement?

Just wanted to get as many facts as possible before going back to the brake guy. He's a good bloke so I don't foresee any real issues but it will help if I have some semblance of what's what.

Cheers,

Kev.

Im assuming the clips are the pressed metal clips for top and bottom of the pads. These keep the pads from slapping around in the caliper under no load, so the shudder could be the pads re-seating every time, which is not ideal.

Theres also been cases of the brake pad material delaminating from the steel backing plate causing shudder. Most pads nowadays come with antisqueal shims integral in the form of a thin rubber layer on the backing plate.

Did your "brake guy" bleed the brakes after fitting? Theres a chance that when pushing the piston in the caliper back (to make room for new pads) that air has entered the system if the piston didnt go back square, so there could be an air bubble in the line.

Also, if the caliper slides haven't been cleaned and lubricated, it could be that the caliper is sticking so the brake is only being partially applied.

If youve got quality pads and rotors, its normally something else in the system that causes issues. Hope you get to the bottom of it. Brakes are kinda important...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eric SDV6SE

Im assuming the clips are the pressed metal clips for top and bottom of the pads. These keep the pads from slapping around in the caliper under no load, so the shudder could be the pads re-seating every time, which is not ideal.

Theres also been cases of the brake pad material delaminating from the steel backing plate causing shudder. Most pads nowadays come with antisqueal shims integral in the form of a thin rubber layer on the backing plate.

Did your "brake guy" bleed the brakes after fitting? Theres a chance that when pushing the piston in the caliper back (to make room for new pads) that air has entered the system if the piston didnt go back square, so there could be an air bubble in the line.

Also, if the caliper slides haven't been cleaned and lubricated, it could be that the caliper is sticking so the brake is only being partially applied.

If youve got quality pads and rotors, its normally something else in the system that causes issues. Hope you get to the bottom of it. Brakes are kinda important...

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Thanks Eric,

I've read a few stories on FB and I believe on this forum too, regarding folks having similar issues after fitment of non-OEM pads ... but he'll recheck everything without an issue to isolate the problem. I've never in 15 years or so of using this guy, had issues with the quality of his work, so I'm confident he'll get to the bottom of it.

The car pulls up OK but the vibration is quite noticeable through the steering wheel.

Yeah, I'm rather fond of brakes that work well ....

Cheers,

Kev.

After a lot of experimenting with rotors and pads I have settled on the combination of DBA 4000 T3 rotors front and rear, with the DBA Xtreme pads on the front, and Bendix 4WD pads in the rear. I used to go through a complete (F&R) set of OEM pads and rotors in 15,000k's (combination of a 3200kg car trailer, living in the mountains and driving style), with this combination I get closer to 45,000k's for the front pads, and 60,000k for the front rotors and rear pads. I also get better braking performance (measured using the same hardware as the V8 Supercars) out of the vehicle on both singular stops and multiple stops, with a lot less fade and a more consistent pedal.

The set of RDA Fronts that I tried I cracked within 1,000k's of installing them. They didn't have the same heat rejection capacity of either the OEM or DBA rotors.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Celtoid

Thanks Eric,

I've read a few stories on FB and I believe on this forum too, regarding folks having similar issues after fitment of non-OEM pads ... but he'll recheck everything without an issue to isolate the problem. I've never in 15 years or so of using this guy, had issues with the quality of his work, so I'm confident he'll get to the bottom of it.

The car pulls up OK but the vibration is quite noticeable through the steering wheel.

Yeah, I'm rather fond of brakes that work well ....

Cheers,

Kev.

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As expected, Gary had no issue taking the supplier to task. He predicted that the rotors would be the issue. Got new rotors fitted under warranty. He also fitted my old OEM clips to the pads just in case.

Everything is back to smooth again but it's early days to see if these rotors warp.

I've recently moved house, so finding the original receipt with the Brand and Part No is not so simple as I've still got stuff packed.