Where To Buy Brake Pads And Rotors
Should you replace brake pads and rotors together? The short answer is probably, assuming you can afford to do so. While brake rotors do not usually wear away, they often become damaged from use. Brake pads can leave a deposit of superheated pad material on the surface of the brake rotors during hard use. These deposits will make the rotors feel as if they're bent or warped during normal braking, causing the steering wheel to wobble. While it's true that brake rotors can be reground to remove the deposits, the cost of grinding a brake rotor smooth is nearly as high as the the cost of replacing the rotor (often, the cost of grinding a rotor is higher). What's more, griding the rotor doesn't always fix the problem.
where to buy brake pads and rotors
If your vehicle's brake rotors are in pristine condition, with no noticeable steering wobble or grinding noises under braking, odds are your rotors are OK. But if you've noticed noises or wobble - or if your rotors have become rusted and corroded - it's smart to replace them when you replace your brake pads.
And if you buy pads and rotors together as part of a brake kit, you can make sure the pads and rotors compliment one another. All of the brake brands we offer carefully pair up rotors with pads, maximizing both performance and durability. Many people report big improvements in brake performance after replacing both rotors and pads with a purpose-built kit (like the kits we offer).
There are a few tools that you absolutely must have, and a few others that will make your life easier - this blog post goes into more detail about both types. First, let's talk about tools you absolutely need to replace brake pads and rotors:
The best brake pad and rotor combination is the one that best matches your driving style. If, for example, you are pushing your vehicle hard, a performance set of pads and rotors will give you better performance. Of course, performance pads and rotors will wear out more quickly than a set of pads and rotors designed for daily driving. The key is to find the right balance.
We typically recommend buying the best set of pads and rotors you can afford for your driving style. If you're looking for good performance kit, a StopTech Stage 2 pad and rotor kit has slotted and drilled rotors along with performance pads. If you need a good set of pads and rotors for daily commuting, a Goodyear Premium Brake Kit could be the best option.
I heard from other hellcat owners that these pads cut down on brake dust significantly and were a good replacement for the stock Brembo brake pads. Well, they were correct. Since I have installed the pads, I now have hardly any brake dust after a week of driving!
How often you need to replace your brake rotors in relation to your brake pads depends on many variables, such as the quality and durability of your original brake components and where, when, and how often you drive your vehicle.
Like brake pads, there are a lot of different brands and types of rotors out there. Rotor quality ranges from exceptional to questionable, and that will have a lot to do with how often they will need to be replaced alongside brake pads.
Driving conditions will also influence the durability of your brake rotors. Depending on where you live, your car will be exposed to different elements resulting in varying levels of corrosion, dirt, or debris. You may do a lot of driving down gravel roads or live in a harsh climate where the roads are regularly salted to melt ice.
What are brake rotors? How long do brake rotors last? How do you know if you need new brake rotors? Do you have to replace rotors when replacing brake pads? What are your options for brake pad and rotor replacement? How much do new brake pads and rotors cost? What to expect after replacing brake pads and rotors
Rotors work for hand and hand with your brake pads to bring your vehicle to a stop. In a standard disc brake system, as you find on most conventional cars today, brake pads are held in place on either side of the rotor by a caliper. When you step on the brake pedal, it engages the master cylinder and sends a signal to your brake caliper to clamp down on the rotor with the brake pads.
It used to be that you could rely on original equipment brake rotors to last through two or three brake pad replacements. However, on many newer car models, the rotors are designed to be lighter and thinner, allowing for more fuel efficiency. As a result, they can wear out just as quickly as your brake pads (or even faster).
As a quick test to see if you need new brake rotors, stick your finger through one of the slots in your hub cap (or take it off entirely to get better exposure) and feel along the surface for any deep grooves, which are essentially cracks in your rotor. Then feel along the outer edge to see if there's a ridge. A lip around the edge of the rotor is a sign that your rotor worn fairly thin and it's probably time to have it replaced.
Grinding brakes indicates that your brake pads have worn all the way down and are now grinding metal on metal against the rotors. The damage can be pretty intense, so you are probably in for a complete new set of pads and rotors.
Brake rotors come with a minimum discard thickness set by the manufacturer. This measurement determines how thin a rotor can get before it needs to be replaced for performance and safety. When material is removed from the surface of the rotor during machining, the edges can wear away brake pads faster than traditional smooth surfaces. The removed material also decreases the durability of the rotor, making it more prone to cracks and warping.
If there is enough thickness left in your rotors when you go to have your brake pads replaced, some shops will offer to resurface your rotors on a machine (called a lathe) to bring them down to a smooth surface for the new brake pads to wear against. This is often used as a cost-saving mechanism against paying to have them replaced. Shops can charge anywhere from $75 to $120 for rotor resurfacing, about a hundred dollars less than it would be for a full rotor replacement.
A complete brake service involves replacing both the pads and rotors. While more expensive upfront, replacing pads and rotors together will help both components last longer and ultimately give you the best brake performance. Replacing the full brake set also tends to be safer, as there is less risk of uneven wear or warping - both of which can reduce your stopping power.
When you take your car to a mechanic, new brake pads and rotors can run you anywhere from $250 to $1200 or more per axle. If you ask around at a few repair shops, each will quote you a different price depending on:
Keep in mind: The cost of brake pads and rotors can vary substantially even on the same vehicle, but you should only need the more-extreme and higher-priced option if you put more abuse on your vehicle such as towing, racing, off-roading, etc.
On cars equipped with disc brakes, the pads and rotors are the wear items that must be replaced over time to ensure safe braking. When you press the brake pedal, fluid in the master cylinder applies pressure to the brake calipers, which in turn squeezes the brake pads against the brake rotors. This friction is what stops your car.
Over time, the material used for the brake pads and rotors wears out. The cost to replace brake pads and rotors depends on the vehicle and the type of material used for the pads and rotors. Read about the six different materials for brake rotors here. For these parts prices, keep in mind that it is for a four-wheel brake job that replaces all pads and rotors. Pads are sold in sets of four so you can do just the front or back brakes, and rotors are sold individually.
Brake pads and rotors are designed to wear, but continued driving on worn out brake components can pose a serious safety risk in the worst case scenario. In addition to being a safety concern, waiting too long to replace brake pads and rotors can also result in damage or excessive wear to other brake system components that can make the brake job cost even more.
Ceramic brake pads are made from material very similar to the type of ceramic used to make pottery and plates. Ceramic brake pad material, however, is denser and considerably more durable. Ceramic brake pads also have fine copper fibers embedded within them, to help increase their friction and heat conductivity.
The final type of brake pad is the semi metallic brake pad. Semi metallic brake pads are different from fully metal brake pads in that they use fillers to create the pad compound instead of using 100% metal. Full metal brake pads are typically reserved for truly extreme braking requirements
Semi metallic brake pads are between 30% and 70% metal, including copper, iron, steel, and other composite alloys. These various metals are combined with graphite lubricant and other fillers to complete the brake pad. The metallic brake pad compounds available vary, each type offering their own advantages for everything from daily commutes to track racing.
However, there are some disadvantages when it comes to metallic vs. ceramic and organic brake pads. Metallic brake pads tend to be noisier than their ceramic or organic counterparts, leading to a louder ride. Metallic pads also put more stress on the brake system, adding more strain and wear on the brake rotors. As far as price goes, metallic brake pads tend to fall somewhere between organic and ceramic pads. They tend to produce more brake dust than the other two varieties as well.
So which brake pad is the best choice for you between ceramic vs. semi metallic vs. organic brake pads? It depends on your vehicle manufacturer recommendations and the ride you expect from your vehicle combined with your driving style.
Sometimes called brake discs, brake rotors are attached to each wheel of your vehicle and are the disc that the brake pads clamp down on in order to stop the wheels from turning. Brake rotors are specific to the type of car that you drive. 041b061a72