Duane Black
Curbs go brrrppp
So since I started my track career, I came to a conclusion I have two ways of handling the brake rotor dilemma. Expensive rotors may last a long time, but ultimately of course, are expensive. Alternatively, I can find cheap rotors, and just count on replacing them often. I can put on 10 $40 rotors and may get as much or more life out of that as I will a single $400 rotor. As an idiot who drives the car on the street a lot too, this isn't a major inconvenience as I'm swapping pads back and forth frequently too....
Sometimes, I revisit my philosophies...
So I got the NASA e-mail about how Raybestos now has a racing line site. They have their "R-Line" which is just OEM quality, their Speciality line for "police cruisers" and other "high performance" applications..
In the past, I've bought these rotors, and quite honestly, haven't noticed any major trend in anything. I found thatthe cheapest rotors are cheap to replace, and last marginally less time if any. I had one rotor crack on a first track session (probably just bad metallurgy from the factory) and since moved my RockAuto orders over to the Wagner line, and thus get a front rotor for around $40, and these seem to bend less.
I can't say I've been a big fan of any Raybestos products. I want to say Wagner is the best on a factory brake set up that I've used, but there again... that's just based on what I've used.
I know the "correct answer" is to put a $2500 big brake kit on my $10,000 car that's only aging out and is just a simple little V6 auto anyway, right?
But if dumb me insists on running cheap rotors, am I doing this right? Does anyone have a particular brand they really had good luck with that might be worth say, jumping from $40 to $70 each?
Too Long, Didn't Read (TL;DR), I currently buy $40 rotors and don't intend to jump to a $250 rotor on a $2500 kit. Is it worth it to buy a $80 rotor of "higher quality" for the brake system I havE?
Sometimes, I revisit my philosophies...
So I got the NASA e-mail about how Raybestos now has a racing line site. They have their "R-Line" which is just OEM quality, their Speciality line for "police cruisers" and other "high performance" applications..
In the past, I've bought these rotors, and quite honestly, haven't noticed any major trend in anything. I found thatthe cheapest rotors are cheap to replace, and last marginally less time if any. I had one rotor crack on a first track session (probably just bad metallurgy from the factory) and since moved my RockAuto orders over to the Wagner line, and thus get a front rotor for around $40, and these seem to bend less.
I can't say I've been a big fan of any Raybestos products. I want to say Wagner is the best on a factory brake set up that I've used, but there again... that's just based on what I've used.
I know the "correct answer" is to put a $2500 big brake kit on my $10,000 car that's only aging out and is just a simple little V6 auto anyway, right?
But if dumb me insists on running cheap rotors, am I doing this right? Does anyone have a particular brand they really had good luck with that might be worth say, jumping from $40 to $70 each?
Too Long, Didn't Read (TL;DR), I currently buy $40 rotors and don't intend to jump to a $250 rotor on a $2500 kit. Is it worth it to buy a $80 rotor of "higher quality" for the brake system I havE?