[Marcus]

Been doing a lot of reading and searching on rotor reviews but haven't really found anything conclusive. Maybe not many people have tried multiple rotors, but I'll at least try asking I'm a frequent autoxer with track days coming soon, and I DD my STi also. So needless to say, my braking system gets put through the paces.

So I've justified to myself that I need to spend the money on some lightweight two-piece rotors. Now it seems my choices are:

DBA 5000
Stoptech
Girodisc
Performance Friction
RacingBrake

The DBA's seem to be the most popular and most accessible, but seem a little pricey. I've found Stoptechs for cheaper but how do they compare to the DBA's? I've found no reviews on the Girodisc so quality is a concern. Same with PF, and I've heard one bad review of RB.

I already have Goodridge SS lines, Motul 600 fluid, and a Cusco master cylinder brace. I'll be getting NT-01 tires for track and autox, and will probably be running Ferodo 2500 pads F&R.

Can anyone shed some real life experience with any of these?

Thanks, -Marcus

[Draco-REX]

There's a lot of info on the board regarding high-end rotors. But you'll find that a lot of racers use the $40 cheapos from the local auto store (Autozone, Advance Auto Parts, etc) for racing. The one-piece rotors have a higher heat capacity than the two-piece rotors and at $40 a pair, are practicaly throw-aways. Drivers will keep their stock rotors or a mild slotted set for DD, and then swap in the cheap rotors for racing. Slotting and drilling don't do much, if anything, and can actually hurt braking performance when racing.

There's a thread in this forum somewhere that really goes into slotted and drilled rotors, and the end result was, blank rotors are the best for racing. HERE you can see that even a Formula 1 rotor is neither slotted or drilled.

[CGMDan]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

There's a lot of info on the board regarding high-end rotors. But you'll find that a lot of racers use the $40 cheapos from the local auto store (Autozone, Advance Auto Parts, etc) for racing. The one-piece rotors have a higher heat capacity than the two-piece rotors and at $40 a pair, are practicaly throw-aways.

I don't know just what your smoking, but I want some. The $40 rotor does not exist yet for the STi.

[Turninconcepts.com]

If you have to go to 2 piece then let me offer this advice - make sure you can easily get replacement rings. For this you're looking at DBA and stoptech.

There are many a victim of "get these sweet 2-piece rotors for a song" sale, and then they could not get replacement rings.

when you get new rings for 2-piece rotors be sure get new hardware. that is not hardware that should be reused.

[BoostJunkie]

^^Agreed. I have the PFC rotors and they are great, but replacement rings are very expensive (although readily available). For this reason I'll probably replace them with Stoptechs when they give up.

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by CGMDan

I don't know just what your smoking, but I want some. The $40 rotor does not exist yet for the STi.

Sorry, $60 from Advance Auto Parts. Better than a few hundred.

[xerox445]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

Sorry, $60 from Advance Auto Parts. Better than a few hundred.

Not for the STI...not last time i checked anyway.



They list the WRX and the STI as the same....

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by xerox445

Not for the STI...not last time i checked anyway.



They list the WRX and the STI as the same....

Well, if that's the case, the basic advice still holds true. The OP would probably be better served with a cheaper set of blanks for the track.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

There's a lot of info on the board regarding high-end rotors. But you'll find that a lot of racers use the $40 cheapos from the local auto store (Autozone, Advance Auto Parts, etc) for racing. The one-piece rotors have a higher heat capacity than the two-piece rotors and at $40 a pair, are practicaly throw-aways. Drivers will keep their stock rotors or a mild slotted set for DD, and then swap in the cheap rotors for racing. Slotting and drilling don't do much, if anything, and can actually hurt braking performance when racing.

There's a thread in this forum somewhere that really goes into slotted and drilled rotors, and the end result was, blank rotors are the best for racing. HERE you can see that even a Formula 1 rotor is neither slotted or drilled.

I've thought about that as well, but will cheapo blanks hold up to a weekend of hard track use? I mean, I've seen claimed "high quality" aftermarkets crack after 20 minutes of track time. They were drilled which I am not a fan of, but still cracked. If I have to go through rotors like gasoline, they are no longer inexpensive and add downtime.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by Turninconcepts.com

If you have to go to 2 piece then let me offer this advice - make sure you can easily get replacement rings. For this you're looking at DBA and stoptech.

There are many a victim of "get these sweet 2-piece rotors for a song" sale, and then they could not get replacement rings.

when you get new rings for 2-piece rotors be sure get new hardware. that is not hardware that should be reused.

Absolutely. I haven't seen any vendor offering the replacement rings, but then again I haven't asked. The rotor without the hat should be cheaper than a regular one piece rotor (I'd assume), which is the main reason I want to go with 2-piece, for the long run cost savings.

So DBA and Stoptech...thanks for the heads up

[rmo55c]

DBA 5000's ftw!!! Not the lightest 2 piece rotors but are easily accessible and they look so sweet on the STi. And as far as initial price - yeah its a little high but that is more than made up for when you need to start replacing your "rings"

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by Marcus

I've thought about that as well, but will cheapo blanks hold up to a weekend of hard track use? I mean, I've seen claimed "high quality" aftermarkets crack after 20 minutes of track time. They were drilled which I am not a fan of, but still cracked. If I have to go through rotors like gasoline, they are no longer inexpensive and add downtime.

Cross-drills and even slots can cause cracking. That's one reason why Blanks are used in a lot of high performance racing.

Look, there's a sticky at the top of this very subforum that will go into vast detail about drilled, slotted, and blank rotors. I would reccomend reading that and drawing your own conclusions.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

Cross-drills and even slots can cause cracking. That's one reason why Blanks are used in a lot of high performance racing.

Look, there's a sticky at the top of this very subforum that will go into vast detail about drilled, slotted, and blank rotors. I would reccomend reading that and drawing your own conclusions.

Nowhere in my original post did I mention a single thing about slotted or cross drilled rotors. The main reason for that is because I'm already aware of their flaws, I've read all the stickies and have my own thoughts on it. I want two piece rotors for the weight and long-run cost factor (as I said, replacement rings and hardware without the hat should still be cheaper than or close to the cheapo blanks).

And I mentioned cracking of cheap rotors because I've seen also seen blanks cracking after 20 minutes of track time. My original response to your advise was, what kind of quality can I expect from the $60 blanks from Checker that you suggested?? So, without bringing up something off-topic such as drilled and slotted, do you personally use the $60 blanks for raceday? How do they hold up, etc?

[Draco-REX]

Originally Posted by Marcus

Nowhere in my original post did I mention a single thing about slotted or cross drilled rotors. The main reason for that is because I'm already aware of their flaws, I've read all the stickies and have my own thoughts on it. I want two piece rotors for the weight and long-run cost factor (as I said, replacement rings and hardware without the hat should still be cheaper than or close to the cheapo blanks).

And I mentioned cracking of cheap rotors because I've seen also seen blanks cracking after 20 minutes of track time. My original response to your advise was, what kind of quality can I expect from the $60 blanks from Checker that you suggested?? So, without bringing up something off-topic such as drilled and slotted, do you personally use the $60 blanks for raceday? How do they hold up, etc?

It seems we've gotten off track some. I just suggested the cheapos due to the higher heat capacity and nigh throw-away nature. It's tough to find replacement rings, but the ones I've seen are over $200.

As for experience, there are others who would have more racing experience than I. But if you check out corvetteforum.com you'll see that they swear by the el-cheapos in the Auto-X & Roadracing subforum. If two-piece rotors were an advantage they would be using them since the C5s have an issue with brake fade in the fronts. But they're using the cheap rotors.

What started as a suggestion seems to have meandered into an OT discussion, I'm sorry about that.

[Marcus]

Originally Posted by Draco-REX

It seems we've gotten off track some. I just suggested the cheapos due to the higher heat capacity and nigh throw-away nature. It's tough to find replacement rings, but the ones I've seen are over $200.

As for experience, there are others who would have more racing experience than I. But if you check out corvetteforum.com you'll see that they swear by the el-cheapos in the Auto-X & Roadracing subforum. If two-piece rotors were an advantage they would be using them since the C5s have an issue with brake fade in the fronts. But they're using the cheap rotors.

What started as a suggestion seems to have meandered into an OT discussion, I'm sorry about that.

It happens sometimes - I find it tough though to believe that the $60 rotors from Checker have a higher heat capacity / cooling capability than aftermarket blank rotors. Also I know Corvettes and STi's perform differently and have different factory and aftermarket options available to them, so just because one thing works for Vettes doesn't necessarily mean it will work for me and my car.

I'm just afraid I'll have to buy 8 sets of $60 rotors for a track weekend when $200 rings will last all weekend and get me back home, you know?