I am done with Brembo OE replacement rotors and pads. Since the switch to China the quality is most certainly down hill.
The first set of pads since the switch to China lasted all of 15k miles before literally crumbling to pieces. I suspect these were counterfeits as I bought them off Amazon.
I have since bought 3 more sets directly from Brembo and while their stopping power ability is as it should be longevity not so much.
I am getting about 30-35k miles out of a set. I think this to be on the low side as I do not tow much. However we do do a fair amount of twisty 2 lane road 55-65 mph curvy roads with some 15-25 mph curves.
So it’s not like we are mostly highway so the hopes of 60k+ is not happening I understand. But 35k still seems low to me.
It’s this way with 2 sets on 2 different vehicles.
But anyway I am going back to Akebono pads as they have always treated me well and are still made in the United States.
Just trying to figure out what to do about rotors. These frozen/cryo rotors seem to be the rage currently for folks with higher braking demands.
But they add about $125 per rotor.

Trying to figure out what rotors to go with Hawk Talon rotors are made in the states but I was very unhappy with them and their pads.
Their stopping power was amazing however they became horrendously loud in about 5k miles. To which they replaced under warranty. They were bedded to Hawks specifications the 2nd time as well and they only made it about 10k before becoming obnoxiously loud. Again, stopped amazingly.
I called them again and they were willing to replace the set again though I declined and went to Brembo and was disappointed in the switch to China but continued with them.
And now here we are needing new brakes once again.

What vehicle?

No recommendations, but totally agree the Chinese steel is shit and frequently warps.

All China now. I’ve had good luck with the Centric premium rotors and Akebono pads.

The last Raybestos I bought 15 years ago warped.

I don't know about brake rotors specifically, but I can tell you is that cryo-treatment of firearm barrels does work. Dramatically reduces hot barrel "stringing" that older Mini-14s were notorious for.

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
What vehicle?

That would help wouldn’t it!

Up first 2015 Chevrolet Suburban won’t be too long for the 2014 Toyota Tundra.

I use Performance Friction whenever they make them for my application.
They are the best brake components you can buy and made in the USA.

https://pfcbrakes.com/

To be fair, those are heavy vehicles. The heavier the vehicle, the faster wear parts get used up. You’re right about counterfeit Amazon parts too. Amazon is online Walmart; a conduit for chinesium. My truck is almost 8000 pounds. I put premium pads, rotors and calipers on all four corners. Cost almost 1000.00. I guarantee I will not get as many miles as you’re get from Brembo. But yeah, hard to avoid chinesium when it comes to brake parts. Even the GM dealer sources their parts from China. Says so right on the genuine GM box. Some of their engine parts come from Mexico and Germany though.

Found this list after searching for Brake Rotors Made in the USA".

American Made Brake Parts

Baer brakes and SSBC-USA are listed as making rotors.

I had forgotten about Baer since they are $450 a rotor!!
Had heard of SSBC but thought they were just Big Brake kits. They do have an OE Replacement for the Suburban but they are drilled and slotted only which I still don’t think is great idea for daily use.

I learned how to drive from my truck driving father. As a result I have also learned that how a person drives has a big factor in how long the braks last or the gas mileage rate of their vehicle.

When I had a Tacoma I was doing the front brakes about every 35 or 40k. I think that's pretty good if you are a "spirited" driver.

I always had great luck with Brembo, I'm bummed they aren't up to par. My options are that or centric for my MX5 autocrosser.

Curious about the bad Brembo pads, was Amazon the seller or did you buy them from a third party seller using Amazon?

I’m not sure you have to worry about Chinese steel sneaking into your cast iron rotors. I suppose with all the recycling of steel that happens in China, it’s possible a variety of country’s steel could wind up in them if it was cheaper than iron.

The heavier weight of your vehicle does not automatically mean the parts wear faster. The parts should be sized appropriately for the weight of your vehicle. I get about 50,000 out of a set of pads from vehicles weighing 3,400 pounds up to 8,000 pounds. Except the C5 Corvette which lasted 30,000 miles.

Do you have a lot of hills where you live? I don’t in SW-Florida. I guarantee I’d get less miles out of a set of pads in every one of my vehicles if I lived somewhere with a lot of hills, so 35,000 miles might not be so bad. Pads are cheap and rotors are expensive, so I like ceramic pads because they are easier on rotors. They’ll activate the antilock brakes on dry pavement on every vehicle I own so there’s no other combination of pads/rotors that’ll stop quicker. The tires are the limiting factor at that point. When it comes time for new pads, as long as the rotor thickness checks out and the rotors are smooth and flat, I just use a new set of the same pads.

Semi-metallic pads have always left circumferential grooves in the rotors, so having them turned or replaced is required for new pads to bed properly.

There are other differences, but I’ve never had them come up in normal driving. My brakes have never been smoking hot if I stay close to the speed limit and don’t drive like a moron even while spending time in the Smoky Mountains. Brake fade has never been an issue, even towing a 14,500 pound 5th wheel down long steep grades.

I can’t say what rotors are good now, but the Raybestos and Power Stop I’ve purchased between a few years and 5 years ago are holding up on three vehicles at over the 40-100,000 miles on the rotors. I bought AC Delco Gold for the C5 that I believe were made in Mexico. We might get enough miles on them in the next 7 years to have an informed opinion.

Cryo treating rotors does indeed improve longevity and wear. Ran their rotors a lot over 30 years of driving full sized suvs and pickups. Usually ran more aggressive pads too. To me it was worth the premium price. Frozen Rotors was who I used.

Having said that, cryo treating shitty metal will deliver minimal improvement.

Damn. I must be old but I remember when rotors weren't expendable and you could actually get rotors cut.

Been a while since I've done brakes. I have over 135,000 on my current set of rotors/pads on my 2018 Civic. But I must caveat that most of those miles are interstate miles. Probably time to do the fronts soon.

I remember Brembo, Wilwood and DBA were very highly thought of.

I cut rotors and drums in my high school auto shop class.

The problem for a DIYer is time. All four wheels get done in an afternoon if you replace the rotors. It’s a day or more if you have to take them somewhere to get them turned. Plus you have to have another car to drive in the meantime and the wife isn’t happy about the car on jack stands sitting in the driveway. Even with new rotors, the whole job is half the price of the dealership if they turned the old ones.

I kept my old ones and will have them turned and ready to swap when the time comes.

I highly recommend Akebono ceramic pads. I've been using them on all my daily driver vehicles and I am very satisfied. I've got them on my wife's full size SUV that we tow a 6-7k lb boat with and have no complaints. There was a noticible differnece in stopping power over the OE on my daily with the Akebonos and they seem to last a long time. Another plus is minimal brake dust.

quote:

Originally posted by cruiser68:
Cryo treating rotors does indeed improve longevity and wear. Ran their rotors a lot over 30 years of driving full sized suvs and pickups. Usually ran more aggressive pads too. To me it was worth the premium price. Frozen Rotors was who I used.

Having said that, cryo treating shitty metal will deliver minimal improvement.

That is who I am looking at will likely splurge on the Tundra and get them.
Suburban likely not.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
Damn. I must be old but I remember when rotors weren't expendable and you could actually get rotors cut.

Been a while since I've done brakes. I have over 135,000 on my current set of rotors/pads on my 2018 Civic. But I must caveat that most of those miles are interstate miles. Probably time to do the fronts soon.

I remember Brembo, Wilwood and DBA were very highly thought of.

I usually get my rotors turned once. With the poor luck out of these Chinese Brembos I am just going to move along instead of wasting most of my day waiting on them to get turned.

As for Brembo their performance lines not made in China are good to go.
Just not the Chinese OE replacements.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Curious about the bad Brembo pads, was Amazon the seller or did you buy them from a third party seller using Amazon?

Do you have a lot of hills where you live? I don’t in SW-Florida. I guarantee I’d get less miles out of a set of pads in every one of my vehicles if I lived somewhere with a lot of hills, so 35,000 miles might not be so bad.

I just checked the Amazon invoice the first Chinese set was 2015 from a 3rd party vendor and I would be floored if they were not fake. They did not wear down they pad material literally crumbled to bits.
The other sets were all purchased directly from Brembo and they just wore super fast. The Suburban did not warp. The Tundras warp pretty easily so looking at the frozen stuff to see if that helps.

We have some mild hills but lots of curvy country back roads so I am
Not expecting crazy mileage but 35k and already grinding is pretty sad.

Several years back I put EBC rotors and pads on my 2013 F150. They were made in the UK I believe they still manufacture most of their parts in the UK or USA. They didn't last appreciably longer than the OEM stuff but I was happy to spend the money on parts made anywhere other than China. Might be worth taking a look at their website to see if they have an application for your trucks.