Was very interesting and was shocked the upper tier was kinda worse for some test compared to mid. OEM is really where it's at but at a much steeper price.
Normally I would say that probably comes down to uneven or over tightening of the lug nuts but most of the Cavaliers just had the cheap little pop on rotors and I don't really think it matters how tight you tighten them.My old cavalier used to warp rotors standing still . Didn't matter what brand or quality,. 500miles later they were warped.
I can understand that theory. Especially for those of us who still do all of the work themselves, I'm getting too old to do all this work so I don't want to do it twice as often. But I'm more cheap overall. I don't value my time as much as I do the money in my pocket. I only overspend on Heinz ketchup and Paul Mitchell styling gel because I'm a snob for those products. We all have our Hang-Ups. I know so many people that won't drink off brand pop. They have one particular brand. They only drink. It's all the same to me.I've been the other way around. The older I get the more I spend for good parts. Wasted too much money on cheap parts with poor performance. Learned that the hard way on brakes with rotors that would warp if you look at them funny. But I do search for the best deal possible for them.
True but kind of only in extreme conditions. No one is ever going to catch their brakes on fire driving their vehicle on the roads. Few people ever even make them smoke.It's also if they don't last as long, you're spending more to replace them (unless they have a lifetime warranty). And I do value my time more as well as my safety overall. The one time you may need those brakes to overperform you want them there and not on fire.
My mom always said "you can't afford cheap".
After seeing the results of the corrosion test, I think I'm going to swap out those (cheap) Detroit Axle pads next spring. I'm pretty rough on my brakes and usually warp rotors within 6 months to a year.
I would have gone with ACD but the fact that Brembo pads are used on Hellcats, Demons, and the Corvette ZR1 has me swayed a little bit.
I too hate slotted or drilled rotors but I wouldn't blast the entire science behind it as you would get are many arguments from that.If they warp that much, I'd upgrade to the SS brakes if I were you. Just need to replace the caliper brackets (available at RA new) and get SS rotors.
They use their calipers but I'm not so sure they use Brembo pads in them. I have a set of Brembo calipers from a Camaro to put in my Caprice and the pads don't look so special.
My stock brakes on the LS have a little warp in them, probably from when I towed our 5000# RV trailer. And I know that it was ACD rotors and pads that were used on it by the previous owner. I will be upgrading them, hopefully this weekend, to the ACD Advantage coated SS rotors and ACD Pro pads. I will be towing a much lighter double snowmobile trailer (no brakes) and just want the best possible combo. They worked well on the 9-7x for towing that same trailer so they won't ever break a sweat. I wanted to give the coated rotors a shot as I'm tired of seeing rusty rotors even though it doesn't affect braking itself.
And drilled/slotted rotors are junk no matter the brand as they are based on junk science.
All that you said is true except that premium pads don't always give you as long as life and better stopping ability and less dusting. There's always at least a slight trade-off like you mentioned earlier. My point is that the vast majority of drivers don't notice or care anything about that initial bite, the further pedal travel you mentioned, or basically anything else. If they care about anything at all its life span. The average person which I would say this is well over 85% a vehicle owners would say their brakes work just fine.In my opinion, there is far more to brake pads than simply how long they last. Fleet pads designed for long service life would be a poor choice for most of us because we also want stopping power and good brake feel. This is where the huge difference is. Better pads provide better stopping power, at the (usual) expense of either shorter life or greater dusting (or both.) Premium pads provide better stopping power without shorter life or excessive dusting.
Cheaper pads take more pedal travel for the initial bite - which I hate. OEM pads provide great stopping power, long life and minimal dusting, but I don't like the softer feel of the pedal. OEM or Akebono (which are the same as OEM on our platform) feel exactly the same. Higher end pads such as the Napa Adaptive One pads provide the same performance, with a different feel. To many of us here, the feel of the braking is almost as important as long life, no noise and minimal dusting. That's why we reopen these interesting debates again and again.
I will be testing the new Raybestos Element 3 pad soon, back-to-back with new Akebono pads. One issue with consumer reviews is that nobody (except me, of course) is stupid enough to test brand new pads back to back with brand-new pads.
As for drilled or slotted, my opinion still stands. They are only for the looks. The true science - not the junk science touted by the manufacturers - does not support the design. Serious users of brakes such as airplanes, police cars and most race cars use only solid vented rotors. Air cannot possibly turn a 90-degree corner, and the thin layer of almost stationary air right next to the rotor surface prevents any air from entering those slots or holes anyway. All it does is reduce the overall weight, which causes slightly worse performance. Thankfully, the loss is slight, which is why if people want the look - go ahead. They are certainly better than old worn rotors. We just suggest users don't try to repeat the junk science behind them in this forum. We know better.
If a 747 takes off with dust on its wings and flies half way around the world at mach .8, it will land with the same dust on its wings. That's what boundary layer air is.