Disc brake rotors - a disappointing search

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Spechti

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 8, 2011
Messages
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Location
Hamburg, Germany
My Car
1971 Mustang Mach 1 (under restoration), 1973 Lincoln Mark IV (show boat)
Hi guys,

a week ago I bought new disc brake rotors from ACDelco (Durastop). Before installing them on the car, I installed them on a spindle on the workbench and measured them with a dial gauge for runout, etc.

Ford specifies a max. lateral runout of 0.003 inch for the 71 Mustang.

The ACDelco discs both have a runout of 0.006 inch. Also the bolt circle is out of true and when I spin it by hand, I can clearly see it not running round also in radial direction.

I contacted the seller (amazon) and got a refund. They did not even want the crap back. Now I have some nice boat anchors...

Yesterday I bought some Raybestos Professional Grade Rotors from a local parts dealer. Looking into the box, they seem to be from the same manufacturer in China.

Result on the bench for the Raybestos: one has 0.007 inch runout, the other is within tolerance with a runout of little over 0.002 inch.

What are your experiences with brake rotors? It seems the whole scrap comes from China. Are there still brake manufacturers, that care about quality?

Michael

 
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Wow, That's pretty disapointing, I had the similar problem with a fuel pump , (made in china) got 2 in a row from the parts store both defective , finally found a decent one at a car show.

Did you try your local auto salvage yards , you might be able to get a nice set of originals at a decent price, that would meet your needs , there are a couple of site members that also deal in used parts I believe Don does both new and used and Mike does mostly reconditioned used.

 
...Did you try your local auto salvage yards , you might be able to get a nice set of originals at a decent price, that would meet your needs , ...
I have 2 good cores that can be refurbished. I wanted to get new ones because all other stuff on the car's suspension is also new or like new. If I can't get new ones of adequate quality, this is the only option. But isn't it poor that industry has come to this sad point? Do we really have to search wreckyards to acquire auto parts in a quality they used to have 20 years ago?

By the way, brakes are important parts that allow no mistakes in manufacturing. When a fuel pump fails, the car rolls out to a halt (okay, it's a hassle when it is 200 miles from nowhere in a deep-freeze snowstom). But when brakes fail, you will probably lose your life...:s

Michael

 
ac delco is a GM company. Thats why you cannot put them on yer car! I have Baer rotors. Never had a single problem in 10k miles. SS brake company makes replacements also. While i have heard good things about their brakes i have never used them. If i had the money i would try Wilwood setup. Not sure if they make oem replacements. The first 2 brands are available at Summit. Baer a little more expensive at $270 a pair. And breaking them in is important.

 
...Did you try your local auto salvage yards , you might be able to get a nice set of originals at a decent price, that would meet your needs , ...
I have 2 good cores that can be refurbished. I wanted to get new ones because all other stuff on the car's suspension is also new or like new. If I can't get new ones of adequate quality, this is the only option. But isn't it poor that industry has come to this sad point? Do we really have to search wreckyards to acquire auto parts in a quality they used to have 20 years ago?

By the way, brakes are important parts that allow no mistakes in manufacturing. When a fuel pump fails, the car rolls out to a halt (okay, it's a hassle when it is 200 miles from nowhere in a deep-freeze snowstom). But when brakes fail, you will probably lose your life...:s

Michael
I agree, brakes are one thing you do not compromise on as well as tires and wheels , one failure and you're history.

It is horrible that some parts are simply not up to par with originals or early remanufacture items, I do not know why it takes 2 or 3 tries before something you buy in a store is correct , my guess is the quality control in China needs to be better as I have not had the problem on other items I have purchased made elsewhere.

 
I believe we drive our cars differently than when Ford offered them to the public. Drag racing doesnt require brakes more than once a run. Auto-x will have your brakes fading half way thru the course. Buy what you need. Plenty of stuff out there that wasnt avail when our cars were new!

 
Just bought a set of slotted and cross drilled rotors off rock auto. "StopTech" they seem to be excellent quality. I'm getting custom brake pads ordered. When it's all together I'll let you know how well they work.


I could text you pictures tomorrow if you'd like.

 
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