Looking for Autozone's Duralast Black Rotor Revien

[Andy099]

i am considering replacing my front and rear rotors with Duralast Blanks from Autozone with a 2 year warranty

Front: $31.99 each
Rear: $27.99 each

has anyone had any experience with these? Reason why I am considering these is because they offer warranty while Brembo doesn't and they are a little more expensive.

Honda Rotors are

Front: $38.77
Rear: $39.85

any reviews is greatly appreciated

[alpine_aw11]

Go for it. Nice, durable rotors with good enough stopping power for a DD. I would imagine if they can efficiently stop my Jeep they can do just fine for you.

[iNsTuN nOoDoH]

I've ran aftermarket rotors before and even Brembo's, they warp quicker than oem. I'd rather run Honda one's unless you get an entire brake system.

[GTScoob]

I'm running them. They've lasted a good thrashing up in the mountains so far. They're cheap, they do the same thing as a more expensive rotor and at half the price. Do it. run them without fear and then go spend the $50 you saved on your lady, she'll appreciate it.

[Shibby]

I have Wearever pads and Bendix rotors.. they're fine.

but now i need to rebuild my caliper

[alpine_aw11]

I've ran aftermarket rotors before and even Brembo's, they warp quicker than oem. I'd rather run Honda one's unless you get an entire brake system.

If you're talking more race oriented rotors, then you're absolutely right. But Duralast blanks aren't for track cars, from what I've seen with mine they keep the same durability with better performance.

[Shibby]

CD and Slotted rotors are out of date and unless used on full on track cars.

They started drilling rotors to release gases in the rotors which caused warping back in the 60s. They have since fixed this problem and for daily or even spirited braking, blank rotors will be fine.. especially if they have a warranty.

[Andy099]

thanks for the feedback on the drilled.slotted rotors..i found the same info on honda-tech..i think i am going to go with the duralast and their 2 year warranty

[iNsTuN nOoDoH]

Oh, I guess I'm the 1 of a dozen that had some crappy rotors. Mine warped twice and after the second cut it was out of spec, that's on a daily driver. Some cheaper products do have good quality though. I ran an SS Auto Chrome manifold on my civic for 30k miles and it never cracked on me.

[Andy099]

i've ran their ceremic duralast gold brake pads with lifetime warranty and I've been happy with them. haven't had to replace them yet and have performed just as good as OEM.

so i'll try the rotors

[yudalicious]

there's alot of misinformation here.

first, brake rotors don't warp. it's a big myth. if it's "warped" it's most likely that you didn't bed it in right, or that you were using the wrong type of pads for your driving, leaving deposits on the rotor.

two, rotors don't provide stopping power. please stop saying you got new rotors and you have more stopping power or can stop faster, you don't and you can't. stopping power is provided by the friction material of the brake pad, but how well your car stops is ultimately decided by the tires, the only thing that connects your car to the road. if you have the same tires, your braking distance is most likely the same, unless your old set up was so anemic that it can't even lock up the brakes.

three, stop saying drilled or slotted brakes are for track cars. they're not. the rotor of choice for the average joe user on track is the cheapest blank rotor he can find. track-worthy pads chew through rotors like nothing, no one cares about more expensive, less structurally sound drilled or slotted rotors that provide basically no benefit.

some guy named carroll smith (i think he'd know just a tad bit about cars) on brakes:
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml#

[green91]

rotors most certainly do warp. if they didnt warp why would manufacturers have runout specs on them? every rotor ive machined has been due to excessive runout caused by heat.

[yudalicious]

rotors most certainly do warp. if they didnt warp why would manufacturers have runout specs on them? every rotor ive machined has been due to excessive runout caused by heat.

Read the link I posted, carroll smith accounts for excess runout:
"In fact every case of "warped brake disc" that I have investigated, whether on a racing car or a street car, has turned out to be friction pad material transferred unevenly to the surface of the disc. This uneven deposition results in thickness variation (TV) or run-out due to hot spotting that occurred at elevated temperatures."

whether or not you call that "warped," I really don't care. the point is if your rotors are "warped," it's most likely due to incorrect bedding of pads, incorrect use of brakes or the wrong type of pad used for your type of driving, not due to an inherent quality of the rotor. In an attempt to bring this back on topic, just buy the cheapest blank rotors you can find, perhaps with internal vanes.

[green91]

Of course its very easy to google a few websites for answers. I guess first hand experience means nothing any more. How many rotors have you measured for thickness variation and runout?

[Black R]

i use cheap autozone blanks for hpde's - it's a wear item and will be replaced anyway. :)

[yudalicious]

Of course its very easy to google a few websites for answers. I guess first hand experience means nothing any more. How many rotors have you measured for thickness variation and runout?

Have you read anything I posted? Of course there is thickness variation and runout. I'm sure you can measure rotors with the best of them, but that does not address the argument here since we both definitely agree there is thickness variation and runout. Now whether or not you call this being "warped" it doesn't matter. The point is, contrary to the popular belief that it's the lack of quality of a rotor that causes "warpage," it is most likely caused by other factors as I pointed out before. I said that rotors don't warp to highlight the fact that when people are faced with "warped" rotors they incorrectly assume that the rotor's quality is in question, when it's more likely that the user is at fault. If you can't wrap your mind around this, that's ok, I will leave it at this.

And I've measured exactly 0 rotors, never had to. But i'm pretty sure Carrol Smith has measured more than you and has forgotten more automotive knowledge than you or I could hope to ever know. I've ran through many cheap blank rotors on both street and track, and my personal and anecdotal experiences agree with what carroll smith had to say on the subject.

/end rant

Basically, if you're after function, get the cheapest blank rotors you can find, choose the right pads for your application, bed your pads right, use your brakes properly, you'll be fine.

[Andy099]

whats the proper way to bed the bads? no heavy breaking for 500 miles?

i appreciate all the info..so far i have Duralast Ceremic Brakes pads on all four corners of my Si.

i have purchase the Front Duralast Blanks..saving up for the rear ones

[67MercCougar]

I work for AutoZone and run them on my truck and work pretty well. I have a nice set of pads and those rotor and work pretty good.

[Andy099]

sweet do you get any discounts?

[Shibby]

dont care what that link person says... i know what i've seen. rotors warped, need turning. and CD/slotted rotors are a waste.

[Andy099]

true

[redrumracer]

i dont hate to break it to ya yudwhatever but rotors do warp, i dont really care what that smith guy says, i know what i have seen with my 2 eyes and also what i have learned in school.

but to the op ive run them before and dont have a single complaint whatsoever go for it, hell im about to get some for my car for the rear.

[dorin48]

Well a little more info... Auto patrs retailers like Autozone, Advanced, Oreilly, Main, Car Quest, NAPA etc. usually will have 2 choices of rotor in stock. I'll use autozone as an example. House brand premium aka (duralast) and house brand value aka (Valucraft). Due to the current economic structure of the world BOTH will be made in China. There may be small differences in thickness and directional finish between the 2 depending on what the company opted for. The only other difference is warranty. There will also be a 3rd party premium available for special order like brembo or beck arnley. Typically the 3rd party premiums are made in a country other than China but I can guess where their steel comes from.

The only thing i can contribute to this other than what was stated earlier about warping is that your rotor is a friction surface so that heat exchange can occur. Remeber learning about enery conversion? Your breaks are turning kenetic energy into heat energy. A thicker rotor has a higher thermal capacity and therefore can maintain you breaking performance better than a thinner rotor under heavy loads. Heat saturation = break fade :crazy:

[Andy099]

good info!

[yudalicious]

i dont hate to break it to ya yudwhatever but rotors do warp, i dont really care what that smith guy says, i know what i have seen with my 2 eyes and also what i have learned in school.


Since reading comprehension seems to be a lost art in this thread, I'll make it clear for the last time, with short and clear sentences:

Incorrect use WILL cause rotors to have thickness variation and runout due to deposition. Thickness variation and runout cause symptoms like vibrations. People attribute these vibrations to a rotor that has somehow warped in shape. The rotor didn't warp in shape. Deposition on the surface causes it to be uneven. Unevenness leads to the symptoms. If you want to call this set of conditions warped, fine. No point in arguing over semantics. The point is incorrect usage (not the inherent quality of the rotor) led to this set of conditions. If you don't recognize this you will cause these symptoms again, no matter which brand of rotors you buy.

/end thread jack, sorry op. My point is for blank rotors, I'd just get whichever the cheapest is, although internal vanes are nice to have.