Any opinions on brake rotors appeciated

[A_mod_too_far]

I’m replacing my broekn steering knuckle today and upon inspection my front brake rotors are in pretty bad shape. I want to pick something up today locally.
my options are autozone, oreilys, advanced auto, and napa, and the dealership lol.

of course they all have their good better best lines and I’m not really sure if it matters.
I don’t need anything performance because this is a daily driver, I don’t tow much and Nothing big ever, so I figured just a plain old fashioned basic rotor is fine,

sort of leaning towards Napa, but wanted to get anyone’s opinions or horror stories before I go pick one up,

I’ll probably also do the pads even though they seem ok because I think it’s good practice, so any thoughts on those also please share

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

Wagner and duarlast seem to be popular priced replacement options but, I am not certain.

Always buy EBC myself, but on an unplanned basis you may not have that option

 

[670hoth]

Raybestos Element 3 rotors and pads work great for me.

 

[chri5k]

I have Brake Performance dimpled and slotted rotors. EBC Extreme Duty pads. Been almost 4 years and over 100,000 miles and the brakes still work very well. Tow a 13,000 lb trailer for a few months out of the year as well.

 

[caulk04]

I tend to only buy from local stores when I must have it right away. The price delta between local and online like rock auto or Amazon (careful to buy brand name only) is crazy.

Pretty much anything you get from a major store will be good, but I stick to mid range generally. I prefer only ceramic pads, semi met make a mess.

 

[HEMIMANN]

We've had good results with Bosch coated rotors. Some folks swear by PowerStop, but I understand they wear faster. I guess the solid rotors along with ceramic pads are sufficient for the average truck owner. If towing real heavy loads, then maybe I'd consider the PowerStop and carbon pads.

 

[Hemi395]

I have Powerstop Z36 pads/rotors on my truck and so far they have been great. They are the only rotors that have stood up to the New England winters and coastal salt air. Before these I had Wagner coated rotors and OEX pads, they were good except the coated rotors rusted pretty quickly.

 

[A_mod_too_far]

I ended up getting the Napa premiums, we will see how they do. The nice thing was the guy at the store gave me an 80$ discount for no reason, he was just like let me see what kind of discount I can get you, lol., got both rotors and pads for the front for 147$, can’t argue with that.

but holy **** compared to rock auto, dang, I’ll be buying from there in the future lol

 

[turkeybird56]

I have Powerstop Z36 pads/rotors on my truck and so far they have been great. They are the only rotors that have stood up to the New England winters and coastal salt air. Before these I had Wagner coated rotors and OEX pads, they were good except the coated rotors rusted pretty quickly.

I just have stock rotors on MY 19. And, even here in TX, they surface rust real fast. If I do not run the truck for a few days and any humidity, U would think they were rusted through, till I back up on the brakes and push off the rust powder, lol.

ADDED: Before ne body chimes in on they R bad, etc, nothing wrong with the rotors/pads, especially considering there is only 22,600 on the odometer, and I do not ride the brakes, but I do 2 foot drive, old habit from previous occupation.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I have Powerstop Z36 pads/rotors on my truck and so far they have been great. They are the only rotors that have stood up to the New England winters and coastal salt air. Before these I had Wagner coated rotors and OEX pads, they were good except the coated rotors rusted pretty quickly.

Is PowerStop Stainless?

 

[Hemi395]

Is PowerStop Stainless?

I wish lol, they're zinc coated and you have to go thru a burn in procedure to wear the zinc off the pad surface.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I wish lol, they're zinc coated and you have to go thru a burn in procedure to wear the zinc off the pad surface.

Wondering why they'd be any better than Bosch for corrosion resistance.

 

[Tom Davis]

Changed mine in this past May and went with

NAPA Adaptive One / SilentGUARD Front Brake Rotor And Pad Kit​

Part #: NBK 7991MSGK1C
Line: NAPA Brake Kits

I have zero complaints and and would definitely go with them again. Was going to go with OEM but they were on a 2 month back order, and have always had good luck with Napa products. They do have lower priced ones, but I'm hoping these last as long as the OEM did (which I put on the back).

They are also 20% off through the end of the month with the code SUMMER20, if you purchase $125 or more.

 

[Hemi395]

Wondering why they'd be any better than Bosch for corrosion resistance.

Yeah they might not be? Idk I've never ran Bosch rotors...

 

[14ramdjh]

went with bendix hard rotors and ceramic pads from rockauto. very happy

 

[jshillin]

Powerstop GEOMET coated rotors. I believe it's the evolution line with the Powerstop ceramic pads. I ordered them as a set from Rockauto and they have been great.

 

[Overlander]

In my experience, 'upgrading' with the same size rotor as stock will have zero impact other than on your wallet and visual style. Slotted, drilled, etc.

If you want a solid increase in braking performance try running Hawk LTS pads. I run them now on all my trucks. Figure about a 20% increase in braking action with the same pedal force. It's significant. No increase in dust, noise, etc.

Lastly, I never have problems with 'warped rotors'. This is almost always uneven brake pad deposits caused by standing on hot brakes after stopped. If you have a hard (or repeated) stops, allow space for the vehicle to continue to creep forward at the light to prevent the pads from coking onto the rotor.

And don't worry about grooves in rotors unless severe. Grooves you can see and barely feel with a fingernail are normal and cause no issues.

 

[Janelle]

I recently put Duralast from Autozone on my 2014 Ram sport 1500, They are the ceramic copper free pads and their High carbon coated rotors with a life time warranty. I have had several other brands on my trucks including performance parts. these duralast are the best brake pads and rotors by far I have ever installed, very smooth and great stopping power plus Zero!! brake dust on my black rims.

 

[Hydrasport23]

Reading the OP statement that the rotors look "pretty bad" but the pads "seem OK" is concerning. The original pads have micro grooves that will not allow full contact of the pad with a new rotor. Old pads and new rotors can cause overheating of the pad and cracking of the pad material. There are a lot of issues that you may need to consider before starting a brake job like condition of the internal seal and piston of the caliper (age, wear), caliper pins, contamination of the brake fluid, condition of the mounting hardware and condition of the rear brake components. New components on the front axle with different stopping power than the OEM rear brakes can cause unbalanced braking in a heavily loaded or panic stop situation. Brake pads can have different "normal operating temps" to be considered when thinking about replacing the pads with an aftermarket pad. High performance pads may not transfer heat as well as OEM pads at cold temps. Installing "high performance" pads on the front and keeping the OEM used pads on the rear may cause issues. If you decide to replace your brakes, don't skimp. Get new, quality, matching components, front and rear. Napa brakes are good, depending on the quality level you choose. Powerstop brake components are very good. Just keep everything properly matched.

 

[BLUEDERANGO]

I suggest PowerStop, you can get them on Amazon with quick delivery depending on your location and for a decent price. You will be glad you waited a day or so,, And DO the pads at the same time, half assed brake work can only lead to disaster ..