Brake Rotor Recommendation?

[1saxman]

I've got to put rotors on our VUEs - do you guys have any recommendations on rotors and pads? I'm looking for an upgrade at least on the rotors. Brake dust is not an issue for me, but I like a 'soft'-feeling pad that gives a lot of bite on the first touch.

[Tek]

I just picked up the R1 Concepts rotors from Ebay and Hawk LTS pads, when I get them on i'll let ya know how they fair.

[GearGuy]

I found out too late that my pads were binding in my calipers and the outer pad on the driver side wore out. Rotors were not too bad but I was looking for an excuse to upgrade anyways.

I installed ATE PremiumOne Rotors and Akebono ProACT Ceramic Pads, purchased from TireRack.com. Price was reasonable and they were shipped to my door.
Current TireRack prices:
ATE PremiumOne Rotor, $66 ea. (US)
Akebono ProACT Ceramic Pads, $67 (US)

Installation was pretty easy. Anybody know the torque required for the bolts? I best guessed but so far so good.

After installation, initial feel was excellent. Break-in is simply braking mildly for the first 500 miles. The slotted rotors might help to speed that up?

I'm probably close to 1000 miles on the set and so far I see no rust on the rotors. Braking is still smooth, no squealing, no noise. Brake feel is better than the OEM set. And I have not noticed any build up of brake dust on the rims.

I'm very happy with the combination so far.

[1saxman]

Thanks. Do you get any noise/vibration out of the slots? I had a set on a Cherokee and they did give a bit of a 'growl' on a stop - but worked great.

[Ritz]

I've been very happy with the combination of ATE slotted rotors and Hawk HPS pads. I changed my brakes at about 15k miles when the OEM rotors started to warp. I bought everything at tirerack.com.

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brakes.jsp?make=ATE&model=PremiumOne+Slotted+Rotor

http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brakes.jsp?make=Hawk&model=HPS+Street+brake+pads

Total cost with shipping was about $230 for the front pads/rotors.

Cheers,

[Ritz]

Thanks. Do you get any noise/vibration out of the slots? I had a set on a Cherokee and they did give a bit of a 'growl' on a stop - but worked great.

No noise with the ATE slotted.

Cheers,

[GearGuy]

I agree, no noticeable noise or vibration.
The ATE slot appears to be a smaller width from what I can see from pictures of other slotted rotors. More of a mild slotting (which I prefer) than an aggresive slotting. The slot is also continuous around the rotor which may help to lessen the grab-and-let-go pulsation feel. This is my first ATE purchase so time will tell how they work out.

Here's a PDF for the ATE PremiumOne Rotor (http://www.ate-na.com/generator/www/us/en/ate/ate/themes/20_ate_brake_products/download/ate_rotor_sheet_us.pdf)

I considered the Brembos until I read several comments about rust. They use a lot of salt around here during winter.

If you replace your rotor, make sure your mating hub surface is clean. I use a thin coat of synthetic caliper grease to keep it rust free.