Now help me pick front brake rotors?

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GemStater

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My other thread, Help me pick brake pads?, here: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/3682827#Post3682827

Now for the rotors -

Application: 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport 3.3L, 123,000 miles and with rear drums.

Objective: Will likely own this vehicle for another 80,000 miles. Want this to be the last brake job I do on this vehicle. Looking at replacing both front rotors in addition with some brand of aftermarket ceramic brake pads.

A couple options I'm considering:

- Raybestos Advanced Technology Disc Brake Rotor - Amazon, $45.86 shipped.

- Mopar OEM - MoparOnlineParts-dot-com, $104.86 plus shipping.

Question:

- Would the extra cost for the OEM rotor be worth double the cost?

- Is there another brand to consider?

- Curious what vendor Mopar sources their rotors from if not their own?
 
no way i would pay the extra for mopar
raybestos is a fine choice
if it's available i would consider ac-delco rotors
 
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Mopar OEM brake components for these vans were horrible.

This would be my *last* choice.


Good info. I've heard that all brake rotors come from China now. I'm trying to figure out if one brand is better than another and if it's worth it to pay extra for a so called "Premium" rotor?

BTW, I live in an area with little-to-no snow fall and no chemical/salt road de-icer. Corrosion resistance probably isn't a necessity.

Thanks everyone for the input.
 
Originally Posted By: jacky
no way i would pay the extra for mopar
raybestos is a fine choice
if it's available i would consider ac-delco rotors


That's what I was thinking.

For my Honda, I find that paying the price for OEM is worth it. For the Dodge, not so much. But then, that leaves me to navigate through the aftermarket.
 
Amazon has the Centric Premium 120.76049 that fits your vehicle for $36.81 each (you will need to buy two as rotors are generally not sold in pairs) and is Prime eligible. Can't go wrong with that part, especially at that price. It is install ready and does not require cleaning or otherwise preparing the rotor faces.
 
Originally Posted By: GemStater
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Mopar OEM brake components for these vans were horrible.

This would be my *last* choice.


Good info. I've heard that all brake rotors come from China now. I'm trying to figure out if one brand is better than another and if it's worth it to pay extra for a so called "Premium" rotor?

BTW, I live in an area with little-to-no snow fall and no chemical/salt road de-icer. Corrosion resistance probably isn't a necessity.

Thanks everyone for the input.


Sometimes the "premium" rotors will have some extra features like painted hats, a special coating, or tighter tolerances for runout.

For example, on Napa's "Ultra Premium" line of rotors, maximum lateral runout is .002". On the "Premium" line it is .004". The Ultra Premium line has a "No Turn Guarantee," the Premium line does not.

Your call if up to double the price is worth it for these features. Last time I went rotor shopping for my truck, I decided it wasn't and just bought the Premium line from Napa - so far, so good. This is also what I order for many customer cars because 99% of customers balk at the idea of paying for AC Delco or even Napa's Ultra Premium line "for just some router things." We don't even stock any AC Delco rotors anymore because only a tiny percentage of brake customers will pay for them.
 
First, you need to know which rotors you have, there are 2 sizes, 181mm, and 190mm . Go to rockauto.com, they have rotors from $15 to $50. Pads are from $12 to $60. Lots of choices. Rockauto is usually cheaper then Amazon. I use both. 2 years ago, I put new rotors+pads on my 2000 GC. I bought Raybestos Pro parts. Got the rotors on closeout, whole deal was less the $80.
 
The shipping from RockAuto for rotors makes Amazon a much better deal.

I would go with the Raybestos ones the OP mentions.

While all or almost all rotors are made in China, I believe in some cases the final machining is done in the US. Almost any rotor will be pretty rusty looking after a year in the rust belt.

Not sure if they use salt where the OP lives.
 
The Advance auto rotors it just put on my Century seem better than the average parts store rotors. They have Raybestos cross reference number on the box, so possibly re boxed Raybestos. I got them cheap Cuz I got pads + rotors and used the $40 off $125 coupon code while I was getting other things.
 
I plan to use Raybestos Advanced Tech. Rotors soon.
They list some tolerances which seems impressive if true (maybe the hook to reel me in).
Lateral Runout - 0.002" or less
Minimal Thickness Variation - Less than 0.0004"

I wish I could find them nearby for a fair price instead of purchasing online in case of return.

Does anyone know where they are sold in the Southern part of Louisiana?
 
>Raybestos

Seriously? That's an actual brand name? I would not buy that just for the name. That'd be like naming a new cough medicine Carcinoma, NO THANKS. Try funding a marketing department sometime.
 
Originally Posted By: horse123
>Raybestos

Seriously? That's an actual brand name? I would not buy that just for the name. That'd be like naming a new cough medicine Carcinoma, NO THANKS. Try funding a marketing department sometime.


horse123, please add value to the discussion by alerting us to better options rather then knocking current ones.

This is what I'm seeing in the Raybestos "brand" that I'm not seeing elsewhere:

- meets SAE rotor metallurgy standard G3000

- has a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty.

- Lateral Runout - 0.002 or less

- thickness variation less than 0.0004

- Shipped to my doorstep for $45.86
 
Originally Posted By: horse123
>Raybestos

Seriously? That's an actual brand name? I would not buy that just for the name. That'd be like naming a new cough medicine Carcinoma, NO THANKS. Try funding a marketing department sometime.


Raybestos is an old time name. They were an old name back when I first started working on cars in the '70s. The name probably comes from a time when asbestos was a good thing, it didn't burn, it was very heat resistant, it was a good insulator and made good brake pads. But that was a long time ago, before asbestos carcinogenic nature was widely known.

Raybestos is generally regarded for quality products but I believe there was a recent thread about Raybestos being bought and questioning if their quality would be maintained.
 
Last edited:
"Sometimes the "premium" rotors will have some extra features like painted hats, a special coating, or tighter tolerances for runout.

For example, on Napa's "Ultra Premium" line of rotors, maximum lateral runout is .002". On the "Premium" line it is .004". The Ultra Premium line has a "No Turn Guarantee," the Premium line does not."

Napa Ultra Premium are reboxed Raybestos Advanced Technology. Very good quality, the Raynestos version available from Rockauto and Amazon.
 
Originally Posted By: horse123
>Raybestos

Seriously? That's an actual brand name? I would not buy that just for the name. That'd be like naming a new cough medicine Carcinoma, NO THANKS. Try funding a marketing department sometime.


Yes, Raybestos has been around a long time! IDK how long without looking it up but, I've been working on cars for over 45 yrs and they were around longer than that!
laugh.gif
 
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