Which Brake Rotors Are Best For Your Car?
Introduction
Brake rotors are an integral part of your car’s braking system. They provide a surface for the brake pads to grip which in turn slows your car down. Buying the right type of brake rotors for your individual needs ensures safe stopping time after time. It can also save you money on replacement rotors and pads. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about brake rotors and give you the knowledge to choose the best brake rotors for your car!
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**Below, you'll find our more detailed reviews, but you can also click the links above to see current prices or read customer reviews on Amazon.
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What Are Brake Rotors?
Brake rotors take the form of a disc which are attached to your vehicle’s axles at each wheel. Applying the brakes causes the brake pads to squeeze the rotor from either side, creating friction and heat. This is the action that slows your car.
Everyday brake rotors are made from grey cast iron, which is a type of cast iron that contains graphite. This kind of rotor works well across the range of temperatures that road cars experience, is long-lasting, and dissipates the heat generated from the friction of braking quite well. The graphite it contains also helps to reduce noise generated by braking. Many race cars use carbon brake rotors and pads but these setups are poorly suited to everyday driving as they need to get up to a certain temperature before they perform properly.
Why Use Quality Brake Rotors?
First and foremost, it’s important to use quality brake rotors because they make up part of your car’s safety systems. Forget about repair bills and running costs, nothing is more important on your car than the parts that keep you and your loved ones safe.
Quality brake rotors have a long service life (much longer than a set of pads) over which they provide consistent, controlled stopping power time and time again. As with most other products, lower quality rotors stop functioning properly sooner than good ones. This decline in function usually takes one of two forms.
First, low-quality rotors can become warped by the thousands of heating and cooling cycles that your braking system experiences. Warping means that the rotor is no longer “true” meaning that if you sit in front or behind your car and spin the rotor it would wobble from side to side as it turned. Warped brake discs make your car handle poorly under braking and can negatively affect your brake balance (the amount of force the brakes exert on the front and rear axles).
Second, low-quality rotors can wear out sooner because they are made of cheaper, less durable metal. Check out this video for a simple way to test if your brake rotors are worn out!
Advantages Of Using Quality Brake Rotors
Quality brake rotors help you to stop in a shorter distance over and over again without your brakes fading and losing their stopping power. The number one advantage of using quality brake rotors and other braking components is the confidence that they allow you to drive with. Knowing you’re always in control and feeling safe on the road is a major benefit. Aside from that, there’s the obvious advantage of spending money on rotors less often because you bought the best brake rotors last time you had to change them.
How To Keep Your Brake Rotors In Good Condition
Like any other component of your car, taking care of your brake rotors is a fairly simple thing to do. Looking after your rotors will extend their service life and keep them working as they should without vibration, noise, and excess brake dust. Driving your car gently is the main way to look after your rotors. When approaching a red light take your foot off the gas earlier and allow your car to lose some momentum by coasting. When you apply the brakes do so with plenty of room before you need to come to a stop. Slowing down gradually rather than all at once in a short distance generates less heat in your braking system and puts it under less stress. This will help your brake rotors to last a lot longer than someone with a violent driving style.
Features To Look Out For When Choosing The Best Brake Rotors
Before you go looking for rotors you need to decide what your needs are. If you drive a powerful car, enjoy driving quickly, or take your ride to the track occasionally you’ll need higher performance rotors than the average grocery getter. Once you know what you’re going to be asking of your rotors there are a few characteristics to consider.
How To Install Brake Rotors
Installing new brake rotors at home is a good way to save money on a costly brake job. However, you should only attempt it if you have confidence in your DIY mechanic abilities. If that’s the case you can find out all you need to know from the entertaining and informative Scotty Kilmer video below!
The 5 Best Brake Rotors Reviewed
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Ready to take on that brake job? Below you’ll find a list of pros and cons for some of the best brake rotors on the market. Race car stuff this is not, but they’ll keep you safe going to and from work, the grocery store, and anywhere else you travel in normal motoring.
1
Via Amazon.com
Bosch is a huge player in the braking industry. The company claims that one in three American, European, and Asian vehicles uses their braking parts. That scale of OEM production makes it extremely likely that their rotors will work with your vehicle. Their QuietCast range of brake rotors is designed to provide smooth, consistent stopping power over a long service life.
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2
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Dura has been in business for more than 45 years. While these rotors may not be as advanced in their design as others on the list they do come with an electrophoretic coating. Dura says that this coating makes their rotors highly resistant to corrosion and salt build-up. One downside is that the rotors are quite heavy which can have a negative impact on handling thanks to increased unsprung weight.
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3
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Wagner states that its rotors are manufactured with very tight tolerances so that their customers get consistent and reliable stopping power every time. The vanes between the front and back of the rotors are cast in a patented design that’s specific to the rotors’ intended application. The design also takes into account the run-in process required for new rotors and aims to shorten it with a smooth surface finish and clever packaging.
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4
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ACDelco’s Advantage brake rotors come backed by a 12-month warranty with unlimited mileage. That’s confidence in a product for you! They’re manufactured to replace OEM rotors with very tight tolerances to make sure they provide smooth and consistent stopping. The only downside is weight. 20 lbs is quite a lot of unsprung weight compared to other rotors on this list.
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5
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Prime Choice’s offering is unique on this list because the purchase price includes two rotors and four brake pads. When replacing a brake rotor it’s important to also replace its counterpart on the other side of the vehicle to maintain brake balance. Prime Choice Auto Parts may not have the brand recognition of other companies on this list but its bundle deal is certainly worth considering.
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In Conclusion
Brake rotors need to be able to stop your car before they do anything else. After that, lightness and clever design are important too. In this comparison, we’re going to give the win to the Bosch QuietCast rotor because it provides reliable stopping power, smart design, and lower weight than the other rotors on the list. There are, of course, higher performance rotors available but we feel the QuietCasts are the best all-around performer for everyday driving. Thanks for reading our guide on the best brake rotors and happy shopping!
