D-009: Stock RL brake rotors versus Aftermarket Brakes Discussion
 

Hey guys

I bought my '05 RL about a year ago, and it is badly in need of new rotors and pads in front. I'm pretty sure one of the rotors is warped, as it is causing vibrations under braking. I was wondering if you could give me some quick advice on where to buy, as well as what brands you'd recommend.

Also, I'm new here, so go easy on me if I did something stupid like post in the wrong section.. :yum:

Thanks

Funny you mention it... I just swapped new rotors and pads a few weeks ago because of the same warped rotors issue. I was getting vibrations and the car didn't seem to take off like it used to. I went to a local mechanic had them done for 530 for parts and labor. Went with OEM rotors and pads.

I did some research on drilled vs. blank rotors and decided on blank because there are no advantages to drilled rotors other than looks. You actually have a greater risk of the rotors cracking cuz of the drilled holes. If you do decide to go with drilled or slit rotors go with the ones that have been pressed with the slits or holes in them. (Not cheap)

Hope this helps...btw the car runs like new now...loving it.

i get occasional vibration / pulsing and know it's my rotors. My dealer told me my front pads are low and so I know I need to replace them... they suggested i simply resurface my front rotors... now I know they can be resurfaced, but I wonder if replacing them is really better/necessary? my car has about 43k miles. i know the rotors are original equipment..

i am not interested in doing slotted or drilled either. i've done them before on prior cars..and honestly couldnt' say I ever noticed a difference. maybe if you were tracking a car you would..but c;'mon.. o an RL??? it's not needed.

i would simply be curious if a different pad / compound that is avaialbe from tire rack or antoher supplier would be superior to the OEM pad... I'm not looking for something that is a track pad that needs to be heated up to work right, but a slightly better pad that maybe grabs better and stops better?

anyone here know how the OEM pad really stacks up to the aftermarket choices?

Search and look for experiences with
Satisfied GranSport (037, I think) and
EBC Red Stuff (not Green! from others)
Also, IIRC the consensus is that Akebono ceramics seem to be no better, and perhaps worse, than OEM, but I don't remember well, so search. Centric pads have also gotten good marks

OEM pads are made by Advics and I think they are pretty decent. After all, this is not a track car.

Rotors
OEM from internet Acura dealers
Rotara rotors (OEM style blanks-see our sponsor Excerate)
Centric Rotors (Tire Rack has some, Centric site has more than a few)

Thanks for the info. What Acura internet dealer sites do you guys use usually?

So tirerack has Satisfied GranSport 6 Pads, and Centric rotors - total for that is $288 with shipping. Does that sound like a good deal?

i have centric premeum rotors and Carbotech pads. they are very good and if you want that extra bite like me i got the rotors slotted ! Cross drilled just take surface braking area away

Stock RL brake rotors versus Aftermarket Brakes Discussion
 

I was a bit leery at first, but took a chance on a full set of front and rear brakes (cross drilled and slotted rotors with ceramic brake pads) from Brakemotive after seeing some reviews. The price was very good at under $200 for the full set including shipping! In any case, I had them installed on Saturday and they are by far THE BEST set of brakes I have ever purchased!! The stopping power has been drastically increased, to the point where I had to readjust the way I step on the brake pedal. I know it's only been a few days and a couple of hundred miles, but I can't say enough good things about the customers I have received from Brakemotive (Sean) and these awesome brakes!!

pics of them and i would love to hear a review 6months even a year down the road as to how they hold up.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2...-p-k/brake.jpg

did you say you got front and rear brake pads, and rotors for $200?

I know I'm hearing it wrong...

no kidding on the price, do you owe them your first born too?

Yes sir, $187 SHIPPED from Brakemotive (Sean). I believe he's a vendor here. I got the following:

2 front cross drilled and slotted rotors
4 front ceramic pads
2 rear cross drilled and slotted rotors
4 rear ceramic pads

I know it sounds hard to believe, that's why I was a bit leery in the beginning. It tool me about 3 months of research before I purchased from Sean.

I had a friend of mine install them for $175; so $175 + $187 = $362. Even my friend was amazed on how affordable and nice these brakes are.

I hope they are everything they are talked up to be, but I am not sold.

"You get what you pay for" & "too good to be true" are common life lessons that come to mind and aren't common because they are usually wrong. Like ichi said, I would like to know how they hold up more than how they feel new. My stock brakes still work fine after 5.5 years and 55k miles. I have a suspicion you will be replacing these earlier than that.

Still, I will reinforce that I hope I am wrong. There are just somethings I am willing to pay full price for.

I am from the same school, that's why it took me a while to place my order. However, after I had my OEM brakes removed, my mechanic (friend) showed me fractures and uneven wearing in the rotors. The new brakes including labor is about half to a third of the cost of dealership installed brakes. If the new brakes last me half as long as the OEM brakes, I'll be even. If it goes beyond that, I'd be very happy.

While most (even myself would find the price hard to believe) a few years back I got a full set of cross drilled and slotted rotors (front & rear) and ceramic pads from R1 Concepts for $185 on my TL-S. I put them on at 50K miles and the rotors were still in good shape and pads at a little less than half life at 120K when the car was totaled.

I installed the same exact set on my buddies CL-S and he did not have to change the front rotors for 107K miles and still has the rear rotors over 120K miles later.

So while the adage "you get what you pay for" most times proves true, there are quality comapnies out here making quality products (in this case brake products) for affordable prices.

I've never had any experience with Brakemotive and was just going to get my replacements from R1 Concepts again but this has made me reconsider. I will see how they hold up for the OP 6 months from now

I hear ya, now a days a lot of this crap is re-branded and over priced.
I owned an AEM big brake kit with the 17" disk back in the day and it was pure crap, bought a set of OE replacement EBC's and they never let me down.

If they are still in good shape in 6 months I'll buy a full set at that price.

:werd:

I'll keep you guys posted!

what about rust on the hub? keep us posted on that too please. thanks

they all rust unless you paint/coat/anodize them.

Just like a GM water pump.

what brand pads and rotors did he sell to you?

I've had a set of centric rotors for my evo 8, went thru all the abuse. (tracking & drag) and they held up just fine. Paid about $300 shipped for front and rears.

If those rotors are Centric brand then you should be in good shape.

The weather has been crappy here lately, rain, snow, slush, salt - but the brakes still look brand new. No rust at all.

Not sure what brand they are, Brakemotive brand maybe?

Kinetics rotors and kinetics ceramic pads

Here's my 9-day update:

The past couple of days have been wet (drizzling, puddles from melted snow, and rain today) and my brakes still look like the day it was installed. This morning when I left for work, I checked the rotors for rust, and there were NONE - not on the rotor, or the hub.

thanks for the update. keep them coming i will need to replace mines in spring and this might be a good option.

So I could not really tell...were the hub collets coated as the OEMs are. Cheap disks often have uncoated collets which end up rusting and looking bad over time, cheapening the look of the car. I expect that all brake disks will rust over time, but since the pads wipe them clean after a few revolutions, rust on the braking surface is not a real concern, but rust on the hub collets are.

Thanks!

Any chance of calling them rotor hats?

that is a lot easier name....I just could not think of it! Thanks :thumbsup:

Here a link to the same set I got: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FRONT-REAR-K...-/221087553746

I just received my set! $139 for four rotors (couldn't find the listing that included pads). I've continually had problems with the EBC rotors and am ready to try something new. Plan on installing them this weekend with new pads.

The zinc plating is a plus, hopefully it will hold up nicely.

^ keep us posted after the install.

:annoyed: "This seller does not ship to Finland" :annoyed:
Well, mine oem`s are still in pretty good shape.

Here's a shot of the old/current rotor, notice the surface rust/discoloration on the rotor hat:
http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/...ps51cc53ec.jpg

Here's a snap of the new one:
http://i1280.photobucket.com/albums/...ps1bfa16ae.jpg

I've been using EBC Red Stuff in the past and thought I'd try something new. So with the new rotors I installed Adebono pads. I have what might be a really silly question, but I noticed the "pattern" on the new rotors are the opposite of what I expected. Left IS Driver's side...right?

Hmm, I always thought the vains should be going opposite direction like in your first pic.

Found this too.

http://www.zeckhausen.com/how_to_pro...all_rotors.htm

How do you like the Reds by the way?

For people concerned about rust, you can always paint the hat just like the calipers to protect it.

i really liked the EBC red stuff pads. I've used them for quite some time on several different cars. I just thought I would try something new with the new rotors. I'm not sure if it was the pads or the rotors, but there always seemed to be some minor vibration. I've always suspected the pads, but don't know for certain.

As far as the direction of the rotors go, EBC specifically said go "one way" but you can clearly see the sticker on the new rotor that denotes L says go "the other way".

front brakes RL 2007
 

HI guy's, hoping someone can help me i am after a supplier in the states to ship out to Australia a new set of front brake rotors and pads, as parts for the Honda Legend are far cheaper in the states than here in Australia, to suite Honda Legend 2007.:rolleyes:

did you try these guys?

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rl-2005-2012-76/adam-here-adams-rotors-873915/