While doing some winter cleanup on my 08 I noticed a ridge on the perimeter of both front brake discs. Both are about 1/32" wide and a little less than 1/16" deep. The car has just under 20,000 miles on it and is still on the first set of stock pads. Is it something that is out of the ordinary? They're not PCCB's (whew!)
I'm planning on switching to Pagids for the upcoming DE season so should I have the discs resurfaced to remove the ridge?
Thanks all
Get a micrometer and measure the thickness of the rotor. The specs are here somewhere.
I really don't think the stock perforated rotors are good candidates for resurfacing, just get a new set from a sponsor like Suncoast.
The ridge is normal wear.
If you do swap pads without changing the rotors remember that it takes a little time for the pads to bed in so that they match all the waves and surface uneveness of the old rotoro to get full surface contact. Braking performance will be reduced in this time.
+1, agreed sounds like normal wear and new pad bed in will take some time.
However some people like to replace pads and rotors in sets to avoid noise issues.
If you have access to a micrometer and want to check the remaining rotor life I'll look up the specification for the wear limit. It is usually about 2mm.
Thanks for all your responses.
The discs don't need replacing yet from what I have 'miked.
Just checking around the 'net and I found that replacement discs cost the same as if I were to get the discs resurfaced!
Anyone out there try the aftermarket ones? Primo priced ones AND otherwise...
We have used OE Porsche, Aftermarket branded from OE suppliers like Brembo, Sebro and Zimmerman and for track cars PFC Direct Drive.
The OE Porsche rotors are the quality you would expect but also at the price that you expect. $200 for a front CS rotor.
The Zimmerman and Brembo rotors have always been a bit more budget friendly but they don't always have the OE coatings on the mounting hat area. This can be remedied with high temp self etching primer.
The Sebro replacements so far have been identical to the Porsche rotors but for less money. We've been thinking of running a special on these to Planet-9 members. Would anybody be interested in CS front rotors for $130 USD each plus shipping?
The PFC Direct Drive rotors are by far the nicest. They brake smoother, and they last longer, but they also cost more ($325 each side for the assembly, and $225 for each replacement rotor ring and hardware kit). These are a good choice for a track car because they offer a significant longevity improvement compared to the stock drilled rotor (regardless of manufacturer).
We don't use or recommend the really budget priced stuff because it usually is made of inferior materials and low grade machining causing all sorts of problems.
Or if you are using your car for DE consider the Girodisc. We use them on our own car, and on many customer cars, great upgrade, but not the cheapest solution to replacement rotors.
Have not priced out the factory sized PFC parts. Ran their rotors in the last Rolex 24 and was not convinced we should carry them.....
Jeff,
I'm curious about your PFC experience at the Rolex 24. What car, and what PFC brakes were on it? (Rotor size, pad compound, calipers, etc) And what issues you had with them.
We use PFC pads and rotors in the Club Race and DE environment and have not had any issues, in fact we use them to eliminate issues. Of course we also use Pagid pads, and we are a StopTech dealer, another company which we have had much success with.
The Rolex 24 is a much different environment so I'm wondering what weaknesses you found in the PFC products you were running.
We ran them two years ago on a GT3. I don't have the part numbers with me, but based on my conversations with the crew we did not get the life we were prommised out of them.
I agree, the 24 is a very very different enviroment than daily driving, a dual use, or even a club race car. And of course with 4 different drivers in the car another variable is added. I can check the details with the crew chief and see if he recollects all the details. And to be honest I am not sure what rotors we will be running during the race this year, but perhaps can offer some comparative comments once the race is over and we are back home.
I am sure they are fine products, and they do have a great rep.
For us, with complete Girodisc, Brembo and Pagid lines we did not see the need to add them to our list. As you well know, if you have products you are comfortable with and a good relationship with the brand, sometimes you really need to be "wowed" before you risk that relationship by bringing in a competors product line. We were not "wowed". That said, the car did last to the end...
We have access to them through a wholesaler we deal with, but not direct. I acutally have no idea how they compare price wise in the market place and can not comment on that.
Cheers
Wanted to come on here again and say that we ran the PFC rotors on the GT3 this weekend in the Rolex 24 and they were great.
Cheers
