pathology knight

iTrader: (2)

i'm looking at getting some new rotors and wanted your guys' opinions...

my rotors are warped and was looking at either the front/rear set of Rotoworks from ws6store for $169 (for all for) or a set from R1concepts. R1's fronts are $112 and the rears are $105.

this is a daily driver car with no track/race time. i want a good looking, but not crap rotor. i leaning towards the ws6 rotors unless you all think the R1's are worth the few extra bucks.

(i also have ordered a new set of wheels/tires from oewheels)


oh yeah....what's the proper ft/lbs to torque the lugnuts when putting the wheels back on?
thanks.

LS1W66

I have the ATE's from Strano and I'm very pleased with the look and performance. Nice price too.
http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...=193&ModelID=8

Also lug torque is 100 ftlbs

Racin'Z28

iTrader: (7)

I would steer clear of any drilled rotors. Slotted are okay, but drilled are just for show anymore. There are numerous articles, (also I think this month or last months Chevy Hi-performance) with brake experts saying the exact thing. For a DD, I would get blank or plain rotors. Spend the extra money on good pads, they will make more of a difference than the rotor. For the Street, Hawk HPS are a great choice.
Drilled rotors used to be beneficial but the directional vanes on the side of the rotor actually do more to cool the rotor than anything. Spend your money on good pads, and if you want another good upgrade, steel lines will really increase the pedal feel.

And what the OP said, 100 ft lbs is correct.

LCTA

iTrader: (17)

I have seen from past experience that it seems like all of the drilled rotors always get the spiderweb cracks along the holes. They don't seem to affect performance, BUT it doesn't look very good. If its a DD, then I would agree with RacinZ28 and get the slotted or blanks, and go with some high quality pads. Be sure and bed them in properly too.

pathology knight

iTrader: (2)

i don't need pads right now, but i might get some since i'll have everything thing apart..and yes, i was thinking of going with the Hawks pads. my car has just over 40k on it, so i think i'm still good, but it would be nice to have some new ones anyways.

i'll look at just the slotted rotors. i'm not going for any high performance rotor...just something that would look good with the new wheels. plus my original blanks are warped, so they need replaced anyways.

i'm getting the 17x9.5/18x10.5 z06 c6 wheels, and the rears are DD.

besides the small cracks around the drilled holes, why wouldn't you put them on a DD??

NVR_SPDS

iTrader: (39)

The cracks near the holes will start small, then probably keep spreading which is bad.

Im personally running the ATE rotors that LS1W66 posted, along with Hawk HPS pads and they work GREAT! They are a little pricey, but ive had them for over 2 years with no warping and they still look damn near brand new!! The coating they have on them only wears under the pad, and the rest is still nice and silver.

Heres a pic of the stock rotor, and one of the ATE. Ill see if i have some with the wheel mounted on there:

Element

iTrader: (5)

Most drilled rotors are drilled after being cast, which weakens the rotor. It also reduces thermal mass, meaning the rotors will heat up more quickly and be more likely to warp.

mbrownin

iTrader: (1)

Everything said above is pretty much true, but it depends on the primary reason you're considering drilled rotors. If it's just for looks, that's a valid reason, and if it's a daily driver which doesn't see much hard driving/braking, the drilled rotors are fine. I've had slotted/drilled rotors on my DD for around 5 - 6 years, and they have no cracking around the holes.

LCTA

iTrader: (17)

My reason for not wanting them on mt DD was mainly aesthetic. They looked like crap with the wheel combination I was running (thin 18" 5 bars) which made it easier to point out the cracking around the holes. They did however function properly, no warping or further cracking. One set I had was on an SRT4, and the other was on my Grand Prix GTP. Like mbrownin said though, some people have luck with them........good luck with whatever you decide on.

pathology knight

iTrader: (2)

purely looks like mbrownin said. i don't do any hard braking or driving, it's just a v6 firebird.
i think i'll try them and get a set of hawks pads while i'm at it. i'll be working around them anyways....might as well replace them.

is there a right/wrong way to install the pads?

i was reading the article at installuniversity, and it seems pretty simple, but they don't talk about the pads much (as in right/wrong). i've never done this before......

mbrownin

iTrader: (1)

Only thing I can think of that surprises some when replacing the pads is that you'll have to push the caliper piston back in some to make room for the new (therefore thicker) pads. I place one of the old pads against the piston, then use a C-clamp to push it back in. Make sure you have some empty space in the top of your brake fluid reservoir for the fluid that will be forced into it.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

ATE rotors are great. I have cheaper rotors too. I have kits that have the rotors and pads both for a bit of a discount as well.

Also, don't forget to look at the Racing Brake rotors. They are on sale for about the same price as the ATE's (normally a lot more expensive), but are super tough iron, and the fronts are directionally vaned which makes for cooler running pads if you drive spiritedly. Those are also coated to prevent rust on the hat and edges--and have a more traditional straight slot vs. the ATE's elliptical slot pattern.

pathology knight

iTrader: (2)

i went ahead and ordered the rotors and hawks pad via ws6store and should be here in a couple days. Hopefully everything will go smoothly. i got the slotted/drilled ones...i'll see how they work. i don't do much hard driving so i think they'll be ok. i really like the look of them, but i've never had them, so i figured why not. it was a great price for all 4 anyways. my wheels/tires should be ready by this weekend. now i need to go get some brake caliper paint and get to work on those.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I used to have a picture on my website of a customer's rotor (before he was my customer), showing the huge crack emanating from one of the slots.... And his weren't drilled, just slotted. Drilled rotors are even worse.

Cheap drilled and slotted rotors are just that. They are normal rotors that folks then cut into--that's why you see issues with them, but not with more premium rotors.

TAboo

iTrader: (3)

Sam... do you have a Racing Brake rotor set for the C5 upgrade, similar to the ATE set?

Also, can the C5 upgrade be done reusing the factory f-body calipers? My car is an '01 WS.6, so I already have 17" wheels and nicely painted red "Trans AM" calipers. I'd just as soon keep them.

Thanks for your help.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

Racing Brake does make front C5 rotors, and of course we have the LS1 rears. The cost would be an even $400 for the set of 4.

Most C5 conversions require using a C5 caliper (otherwise it's not a true C5 setup). I seem to recall that someone, maybe LG had a bracket that kept the F-body caliper, but with C5 rotors.

TAboo

iTrader: (3)

Thanks Sam. You may not be able to answer this but I recall reading somewhere that the f-body caliper is dimensionally the same as the C5's and can be used with the C5's abutment bracket. I know the two aren't cast in the same manner but I'm betting the biggest improvement with this conversion will be due to that larger rotor and not necessarily the caliper. Besides wanting to keep the existing calipers, it looks like the conversion kits that include the calipers also include the rotors and I'd definately like to go with that Racing Brake set.

Sam Strano

iTrader: (41)

I can't tell you if the F-body caliper will actually work with the C5 bracket. If I knew, I'd tell you. I might learn something today..