Raybestos Professional Grade rotors and pads good?

[toypaseo]

Planning on having my ex-Ford mechanic do my front brakes.

He suggested buying rotors from Autozone, and pick a set of pads.

I am not quite sure on "trusting" Autozone's rotors, even though my neighbor is currently using them on his 91-94 Explorer.

So, I was digging on RockAuto for some options. I consider Raybestos a good brand, and the rotors are inexpensive. There is a small rebate available also. Professional Grade provides “OE or Better” quality and coverage.

RAYBESTOS Part # 66576R (rotor) $26.99

• Non Direction Finish
• No Machining Required
• Expanded Coverage
• Rust Preventative coating

RAYBESTOS Part # PGD652M (pads) $37.99

• Premium Attached Shims for Unrivaled Noise Damping and Durability
• Application Specific Slots and Chamfers Supress Noise
• Vehicle Specific Friction Formulations
• Electronic Wear Sensors and Loose Hardware where Applicable
• Optimized Brake Performance
• Internal Foam Pack
• Full Coverage

or, should I upgade to the Advanced Technology...?

RAYBESTOS Part # 66576 (rotor) $47.79

• Advanced Technology NO TURN GUARANTEE
• Advance Technology MILL Balanced
• Advanced Technology Metallurgy
• Advanced Technology Rust Prevention Coating
• OE VANE Configuration

RAYBESTOS Part # ATD652M (pads) $47.79

• Application Specific Shims for Lowest noise and Longest life
• Quiet Coated Hardware for Maximum Noise Suppression
• Advanced Formulations to deliver increased stopping Power
• Electronic Wear Sensors Where Applicable
• Vehicle Specific Slots, Chamfers Ensure Quiet Operation
• Internal Foam Pack

$91.97 vs. $143.47 is pretty substantial.

Keep in mind that my Explorer does not see severe duty. I think the Professional Grade would be fine

 

[Willard]

I have the professional grade rotors and pads. All I can say is they have been great so far. Probably 3000-4000 miles on them and almost no visible wear yet. They stop very good, I am happy with them.

I wouldn't do the Autozone rotors. They will probably be much more likely to warp.

 

[my pos mounty]

I wouldn't do the Autozone rotors. They will probably be much more likely to warp.

I am in 100% agreement. Do not waste your money buying Autozone mechanical parts. I have made this mistake more times than I can count and was too patient with them. Lets just say that I will never buy anything other than oil/chemicals (and only the well known brand-name stuff) from them ever again.
Their rotors are cheaply made to the minimum standard to be able to sell them at the price they sell them for. Manufacturing them like that results in a rotor that will not disapate the heat evenly and will result in warping. Spend a little more now and do the job once and be done, or do it cheaper and do it again alot sooner. Sorry for the little rant, but I want to stop others from making the same mistake I have.

 

[Smokin' Joe]

Rotors dont warp??

Here is a great article ragarding "warped rotors" Form your own conclusion and dont forget to bed those pads after you replace them.

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

 

[my98nnj]

I'm running $18 rotors from NAPPA with Wagner Quiet Stop pads for over a year now.
Smooth brakes, very little brake dust and the whole job was under $75 bucks.

It's a cast part, I can't see how a $40 blank rotor would be any better then an $18 blank rotor, unless the hub section is plated for aesthetics reasons. Nice open wheels don't look good against a rusty rotor hub.

I've run the Brembo blanks on my Maxima, wasn't impressed for what they cost.
They started to vibrate after only a year in service and I don't drive the vehicle hard.
I've switched back to the cheapest blank I could find and have had smooth brakes for almost 20K miles on that car.

I also believe that good brakes come mostly from matching a pad to your driving style.

There's some really good information about brakes on this web site. www.stoptech.com Go to the technical section white pages and read through what they say before you spend $$$ on replacement brakes.

 

[Willard]

The biggeset difference I have visibly seen between cheap and name brand rotors are the thickness. The Raybestos rotors are thicker then the cheap ones, and therefore hold up better.

 

[scottnh1970]

I'm running the Brembo rotors. High quality, proper thickness. No issues. Got for $40 a rotor for front.

 

[my pos mounty]

The biggeset difference I have visibly seen between cheap and name brand rotors are the thickness. The Raybestos rotors are thicker then the cheap ones, and therefore hold up better.

Exactly what I was trying to convey in my earlier post. Manufacturing to the minimum standard (thickness required) results in rotors that warp faster than they should and also will not last as long.