Opinions on rotor brands

[limepanda 13]

Looking for some front rotors for my 335i. Against my better judgement I'm wondering about the cheapies from SCA etc. They carry one type from ASL and one from TechStop which both run about $120 each. 

Does anyone here have experience with those? What's the quality like? I've got a good set of pads coming from the states so have that side of things covered. 

Other options are RDA from AU for $145 each, and Brembo for $200 each. I've got Repco looking into getting in some TRW's for somewhere around $150 each which would probably be my preferred quality/price balance but it seems like a long shot.

All the mainstream options like Meyle, Zimmermann etc cost double any of the above at minimum which seems excessive. 

Any pointers or thoughts would be much appreciated. 

[Eagle 1680]

Not saying anything critically wrong with their rotors or pads but Techstop are a low end brand, ive fitted many set of their pads and rotors to cars but id never put them on my own car.

Local generic option is NZAD @ $414 a pair. Yet to hear anything negative, i and others have used them on all sort of cars and driving over the years.

 Best International option is Micks Garage if you wanted a Mintex set @ $285 a pair shipped. They have always turned up in 10 days or less for me.

 

[Jacko 2158]

I wouldnt touch cheap brembo rotors after the nightmare I had with them, 1st set rusted in a week and ran out all kinds of crazy (with a proper bed in). Replaced with a second set, and same thing instant heavy rust, and crazy shuddering/squeeling/nastiness. It was genuinely scary to use the brakes and was barely drivable. 

Glenn stuck some ATE units on (From BMW workshop parts from memory, price wasnt bad) 30,000km later they still look and work mint. 

[Olaf 3343]

have you tried your BMW dealer?  You might be surprised.  

[limepanda 13]

1 hour ago, Eagle said:

Not saying anything critically wrong with their rotors or pads but Techstop are a low end brand, ive fitted many set of their pads and rotors to cars but id never put them on my own car.

Local generic option is NZAD @ $414 a pair. Yet to hear anything negative, i and others have used them on all sort of cars and driving over the years.

 Best International option is Micks Garage if you wanted a Mintex set @ $285 a pair shipped. They have always turned up in 10 days or less for me.

 

Oh yes I'd looked at the Mintex set from MicksGarage as well but I wasn't able to find much regarding their quality. Do you know much about them? From what I was able to ascertain they are probably better than cheap chineseium, but beyond that I have no idea, especially relative to these other options.

Good to know about TechStop, pretty much what I assumed. 

Do you know anything about the NZAD ones? Are they NZAD's own line, or made by some kind of OE manufacturer?

 

1 hour ago, Jacko said:

I wouldnt touch cheap brembo rotors after the nightmare I had with them, 1st set rusted in a week and ran out all kinds of crazy (with a proper bed in). Replaced with a second set, and same thing instant heavy rust, and crazy shuddering/squeeling/nastiness. It was genuinely scary to use the brakes and was barely drivable. 

Glenn stuck some ATE units on (From BMW workshop parts from memory, price wasnt bad) 30,000km later they still look and work mint. 

Wow, I didn't expect that. Good to know. There is a pair of ATE's on ebay for a good price, might be worth looking into.

 

43 minutes ago, Olaf said:

have you tried your BMW dealer?  You might be surprised.  

I haven't for this but I have had many quotes for different parts over the years and I've pretty much given up. It seems that everything is always 2-5x more expensive than anywhere else, even bringing the same parts in from overseas including shipping and GST. I can't see how this would be any different, but I might call them on Monday. I feel like a bit of a dick getting a quote from them and having to say no almost every time though.

Edited August 23, 2019 by limepanda

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

I would not fit or go past using ATE pads & rotors. Never gave me a problem for over 20 years. Price them from BM Workshop. 

[C-130 Hercules 571]

+1 for ATE

[Eagle 1680]

9 hours ago, limepanda said:

Oh yes I'd looked at the Mintex set from MicksGarage as well but I wasn't able to find much regarding their quality. Do you know much about them? From what I was able to ascertain they are probably better than cheap chineseium, but beyond that I have no idea, especially relative to these other options.

Good to know about TechStop, pretty much what I assumed. 

Do you know anything about the NZAD ones? Are they NZAD's own line, or made by some kind of OE manufacturer?

Ive used Mintex ones in the past here and there without issue but ive never had a problem with any brand rotors tbh

No idea about NZAD ones you'd have to ask them, they are likely made in China like the vast majority. If they can handle multiply track days they are good enough for me, i don't particularly care where things are made these days as long as the quality is up to standard. Given BMW rotors have basically no room to work and wear quick you are replacing them fairly often, so i don't see the point of expensive rotors on most cars. Pad choice is much more critical imo.

If you can get ATE ones for a good price then go for it.

 

[M3AN 4016]

OEM or ATE are the safe bet for street use but RDA have made a good name for themselves so if you can land them for NZ$145 each that sounds like a good deal.

 

[limepanda 13]

On 8/24/2019 at 6:05 AM, B.M.W Ltd said:

I would not fit or go past using ATE pads & rotors. Never gave me a problem for over 20 years. Price them from BM Workshop. 

They sound like a good option then. Got them priced from BM Workshop for $250 per side before shipping! They are $295 per pair from overseas with a good chunk of that being shipping.

 

On 8/24/2019 at 8:01 AM, Eagle said:

Ive used Mintex ones in the past here and there without issue but ive never had a problem with any brand rotors tbh

No idea about NZAD ones you'd have to ask them, they are likely made in China like the vast majority. If they can handle multiply track days they are good enough for me, i don't particularly care where things are made these days as long as the quality is up to standard. Given BMW rotors have basically no room to work and wear quick you are replacing them fairly often, so i don't see the point of expensive rotors on most cars. Pad choice is much more critical imo.

If you can get ATE ones for a good price then go for it.

 

Thanks for the help. Quality control and spec are the concerns I have regarding manufacturing. I've done a fair bit of business in China and I know that unless you're breathing down their neck there will be deviations and corners cut so it's important to get a trusted brand that has good processes in place. That's a hard thing to quantify with unknown or local brands and products. I think for now I'm going to get a set of ATE's from overseas, seems to be much cheaper than locally.

 

On 8/24/2019 at 7:44 PM, M3AN said:

OEM or ATE are the safe bet for street use but RDA have made a good name for themselves so if you can land them for NZ$145 each that sounds like a good deal.

 

Yeah they're tempting, but the ATE's are essentially the same price so I think I'll go with them. It looks like Zimmermann can be had for about $330, but it sounds like the ATE's are just as good so might as well save the money.

 

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

You will not regret going for the ATE option even if the cost didn't come into the equation. If you would like some help with pricing, give me a call Ph 021921377

I would also add...these must be fitted correctly... I can help with the correct procedure in a phone call

Edited August 26, 2019 by B.M.W Ltd

[_ethrty-Andy_ 2136]

54 minutes ago, B.M.W Ltd said:

You will not regret going for the ATE option even if the cost didn't come into the equation. If you would like some help with pricing, give me a call Ph 021921377

I would also add...these must be fitted correctly... I can help with the correct procedure in a phone call

its a brake disk Glenn.
there is no BMW specific procedure compared to any other mass produced vehicle.

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

There is a difference fitting by a schoolboy and a professional though. Nothing to do with BMW specific.

[limepanda 13]

1 hour ago, B.M.W Ltd said:

You will not regret going for the ATE option even if the cost didn't come into the equation. If you would like some help with pricing, give me a call Ph 021921377

I would also add...these must be fitted correctly... I can help with the correct procedure in a phone call

 

3 minutes ago, B.M.W Ltd said:

There is a difference fitting by a schoolboy and a professional though. Nothing to do with BMW specific.

Thanks for the thoughts and the offer but I've got it more than covered. 

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

I'll withdraw my ATE recommendation. I should have read all the previous posts before I engaged in conversation. ATE rotors will probably not suit the pads you are purchasing from the states. Compounds and compatibility are critical when matching pads & rotors, depends on how the vehicle will be used and the demands on the braking system. The offer to call me still stands.

Edited August 26, 2019 by B.M.W Ltd

[limepanda 13]

23 minutes ago, B.M.W Ltd said:

ATE rotors will probably not suit the pads you are purchasing from the states.

Could you elaborate on this? Is there a difference between pads from the states and the rest of the world?

[Jacko 2158]

Its possible to get metallurgy of the rotors and pads incompatible, so the pads dont correctly bed in to the rotors, and leave uneven deposits, which leads to crazy weird runouts/squeeling/sadness.

If you want good "stock" brakes run ATE rotors and pads, guaranteed to work. Mixing and matching could result in an expensive mess.

 

Im currently looking at rotors and pads for my BMWP/135i setup, stoptech rotors and pads are looking good (ATE dont make rear rotors to suit) and are priced reasonably. 

[Eagle 1680]

18 minutes ago, limepanda said:

Could you elaborate on this? Is there a difference between pads from the states and the rest of the world?

What pads did you get out of interest?

[M3AN 4016]

I'd hope if any pads/rotors were incompatible at least one of them would have a massive warning attached that said "DO NOT USE WITH xxx"!

 

[limepanda 13]

52 minutes ago, Jacko said:

Its possible to get metallurgy of the rotors and pads incompatible, so the pads dont correctly bed in to the rotors, and leave uneven deposits, which leads to crazy weird runouts/squeeling/sadness.

If you want good "stock" brakes run ATE rotors and pads, guaranteed to work. Mixing and matching could result in an expensive mess.

 

Im currently looking at rotors and pads for my BMWP/135i setup, stoptech rotors and pads are looking good (ATE dont make rear rotors to suit) and are priced reasonably. 

I imagine that's pretty rare? I have never heard of this happening, and 90% of people just buy the cheapest crap they can get from SCA or Repco and mix and match which you'd think would lead to this occurring fairly often.

 

51 minutes ago, Eagle said:

What pads did you get out of interest?

Bosch Quietcast, they seem to tick all the boxes for performance, feel, and price and it looks like lots of people use them with OEM style rotors with zero issues. 

 

27 minutes ago, M3AN said:

I'd hope if any pads/rotors were incompatible at least one of them would have a massive warning attached that said "DO NOT USE WITH xxx"!

 

I agree lol. Everyone I know mixes and matches pads/rotors with no regard for compatibility and I've never heard of it going wrong. Maybe I'm wrong though.

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

28 minutes ago, M3AN said:

I'd hope if any pads/rotors were incompatible at least one of them would have a massive warning attached that said "DO NOT USE WITH xxx"!

 

No, the industry allows you to choose what ever you want to purchase and fit to your vehicle. Mix and match at your own peril. Rotor and pad materials vary considerably and the mix matches may not give you a safe braking system, depending on how you are using the vehicle. Race/rally/track systems are not really suited to daily/ family or every day driving use.

[M3AN 4016]

The ATE rotors, and all the rotors mentions on this page, will be fine with the mentioned pads, there's no compatibility risk at all.

Fitness for purpose is an entirely different discussion of course.

 

 

 

[Herbmiester 935]

For the past 4 years I have run RDA rotors and either Stoptech or Hawk pads. Never had any issues and the Rotors seem to last well.

[B.M.W Ltd 950]

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2013/10/04/tech-101-how-to-choose-the-right-disc-brake-rotors/

[M3AN 4016]

After reading the article I still can't establish why you think ATE rotors are incompatible with his chosen pads?

Is there something you and Nathan know that we don't?