03 CL TypeS

I know some of you may say "use the search" but I just want to get a few opinions about the brakes I'm going to get. I want to have an increase in stopping power, a decrease in brake fade, no noise whatsoever and brake dust is tolerated.

I am thinking of getting Brembo rotors with Hawk HPS pads. My friend has that setup on his 95 GSR and his braking is superb compared to mine. Mind you, he has the Hawk HP Plus pads, which are noisier, and I wouldn't consider getting those. But I figure the Hawk HPS cannot be all too far off the HP Plus in performance.

So what do you say, is the Brembo rotors + Hawk HP Plus combo a good idea for a mild performance upgrade over stock? My stockers are warped!

Thanks!

ndawood

I have the HPS pads on my car right now and they are awsome. They are paired up with rotora slotted rotors so I cant say anything about the brembos.

I dont think I would get the HP Plus pads as they are more of a track pad. One of the things I noticed with the HPS pads is that you do have to warm them up before they really take bite but after riding the brakes for a few seconds they are awsome. That being said I would only imagine the HP Plus pads being worse for city driving.

DRM600

for the street, i don't think you can't go wrong with the hps pads. i have them and really like them, after using ebc green stuff pads.

03 CL TypeS

That's all I needed to know as far as the pads are concerned! Thanks guys!

Any opinions on the Brembo rotors as well?

FroOch

Brembo rotors are good rotors but what do you want out of them? Slotted/Drilled or both. The drilled you have to watch out for because they spider crack over time but if you can find them that were cast with the holes already, they're better off.

The HPS pads are really nice just make sure you burn them in properly. Once installed there is an initiation process if you will to get them to matte to the rotors perfectly.

Moodist

iTrader: (2)

how many miles have you had that combo on for?

03 CL TypeS

I dont want nor slotted, nor drilled. I just want the flat ones.

ndawood

They have been on the car for about 15,000kms. I had them installed right before the winter and thats when it was most evident that the pads didnt bite too well until warm, but that wasnt a big deal. I have put these brakes though some major abuse and everything is still perfect.

03 CL TypeS

So how do those Rotora's compare to Brembo's... at least on paper?

ndawood

seeing how you are getting the brembo blanks I would imagine that they are going to be similar to the stock rotors, maybe just a higher quality rotor thats all.

03 CL TypeS

So given the price difference, aren't I better off with stock rotors + Hawk HPS pads?

FroOch

For flat faced rotors my opinion is that a rotor is a rotor is a rotor. The only real difference there is if they're cadmium plated or not. All thats going to do for ya is keep the rust down.

99% of your clamping power is coming from the pad itself and with Hawk pads you'll stop just fine. The only draw back with the racier compounds is cold weather driving they're a progressivly less responsive until they heat up, they require a special burning in process and they're pricier than stock.

Hawk, Mintex, Greenstuff is all good for a racier pad with good streetability.

russianDude

I've got Brembo blanks & Akebano pads from tirerack.com, and very happy about it !!!

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

Brembo's have been known to warp just like the stock rotors. I have no problems with my rotoras and I recently purchased the HPS pads but they haven't been delivered yet. I'm tired of the dust and noise with the Axxis Ultimate pads.

03 CL TypeS

OK... so it seems that Brembo flat rotors are kind of pointless to get, and I might as well save some $$$ and go with stock blanks.

I hear the Rotora word come up often... are their rotors better than stock and/or Brembo, and if so, why?

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

Because they don't warp nearly as easily and they are slotted.

russianDude

Not true, I have Brembo blanks and Akebano pads, they are excellent. I also read a lot of posts, and people are happy with brembo blanks. Sure they will warp, but they are better than OEM rotors. It also has to do with your pads, stock pads could be part of the problem. If you put ceramic/rotor friendly pads like Hawk or Akebano, it should reduce warping.

Brembo blanks are twice as cheap compared to OEM. Seems like a no brainer that Brembo blanks are a better value than stock.

Drilled/Slotted rotors will warp too, they could also crack. If you are an average driver who is OK with normal stoping power, its a waste of money to buy drilled/slotted rotors. People primarly get them for looks... I do admit that they look really cool...

FroOch

They normally only crack when their drilled, not when they're cast that way. There is a big difference there. Also keep in mind that Brembo generally is an OE manufacturer. I dont know if they're Acura's OEM house but they are infact an OE rotor non the less. Yes they're a big name, and yes you see them as part of racing kits but again its the Caliper and Pad that really play the big part here. The same goes for Fram too... so Brembo is no big deal.

TampaBayCLS

Brembo is no big deal????
They are only OEM for Ferrari and Porsche who build 200 mph+ super cars. I guess that's no big deal. How do you compare Fram to Brembo? Brembo is a prime manufacturer. They build the rotor from scratch. They produce the castings and machine them. They control the metal content of their product that is why you see many of their rotors advertised with a "high carbon" content . Rotora, and most all the other rotor suppliers, are buying rough castings, that they have no control over, and machine them to a finished product. Engineering, testing and experience is a big deal.

FroOch

Brembo also makes the rotors for my VW... again they're an OE manufacturer... they make the stock rotors for alot of cars. Just because they have applications in Ferrari and Porsche doesnt mean that across the board they are anything and everything special. They're rotors. They build them from scratch.. wtf does that mean? All brake manufacturers had to build them from scratch at what point, its not like they're produce that grow from trees.

The truth of the matter that those Brembo's on the Porsche would be nothing without the 6 piston calipers clamping down on them.

TampaBayCLS

All brake manufacturers DO NOT build them from scratch. Does Rotora (not picking on them) or any other rotor supplier you can think of produce their own castings? NO they do not. There are only two or three foundries in this country that cast brake rotors and everybody else buys from them and then machines them for specific applications. Brembo has their own foundry in Italy to control the entire process from scratch. They also cast and produce their own calipers as well. Calipers make a difference but it is the rotors that dissipate the heat and if do not think that makes a difference go ahead and put some "made in (insert 3rd world country)" and see how well they work.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

Relax there spaz. The Brembo rotors that are sold for our cars have been known to warp. Period. Not as frequently as the OEM rotors, but they have warped for numerous people. Only one person I know of has warped the Rotora rotors.

FroOch

With all that said I'm assuming you do know the difference between a MANUFACTURER and a SUPPLIER, right?

03 CL TypeS

LOL !

Well thanks for the replies guys! I am ordering my brakes tomorrow and going for Rotora's up front!

Baldee_Lox

I just got this set-up yesterday and love it!!! I don't know much about the other set-ups but my racer friends recommended this set-up to me and I can't stop stopping. The only advice I can give to you is that the pad/rotor seating process should be followed carefully. It took 10-15 stops w/medium to moderate preassure before I was able to get the noise and vibration away. Now these things are sweet!!

Racer friends also warned me of crack problems but did not think it would be an issue because I don't road race or regularly autocross.

TampaBayCLS

If you want to get real technical, rotors do not warp. This has been examined and checked thoroughly by a number of racing teams. The problem is actually a pad and rotor issue. As they heat up the two actually have a co-mingling of material at the friction point and then separate when they cool off. What happens is a poor friction compound leaves behind some of its material on the rotor surface that now is not smooth and causes the "warpped" feeling when braking. I discovered this many years ago with my 94 Vigor (my son drives it now, 186k+ miles). The steering wheel would get the ol' wobble and I would only have to remove about 5 thousandths on the lathe for it to go away.