Stock rotors & pads

[ctrlraven]

Stock OEM Motorcraft
Front Rotors: $98.00 each
Front Pads: $65.00


I really want to go with the cryo treated Power Slot rotors with some Hawk HPS pads but that dips into my 4.10 gear install money. So I thought just for the time being go with stock cause the EBC rotors I have are shot AGAIN (imagen that) and Napa pads are wearing down, tired of the spongy pedal and brakes pulsing under braking. Is the above prices fair from a dealer? My friend who will be doing my 4.10 gear install gave me those prices so I don't know if they are at cost or what.

-Thanks

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

100 bucks each is what dealer rotors have always seemed to cost for any of the newer cars I've had.

I am running Centric Parts rotors from Rock Auto on my car now. They are about half the price of the dealer rotors and they are still fully machined and mill balanced like OE. They are also center split castings. Most aftermarket crap especially including the ebay no name cross drilled rotors, are side split castings which don't tranfer heat to both sides evenly.

I talked w/ the engineering folks at Centric and it sounds like they are trying to fill the void between all the worse than OE budget rotors on the market and the real high end OE parts.

Here is a link to a pic I took comparing a typical budget crap aftermarket rotor (Rotor pros rotor from ebay) to the Centrik rotor. The crap rotor on the left is a side split casting and the Centric rotor on the right is center split (OE specified for this application)

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/shylin01/2003%20Mercury%20Marauder/Brakes%20and%20Wheel%20Balanci ng/UsingTheBalancer003.jpg

Here is a pic showing the balancing cut on the Centric rotor. If you buy rotors that don't have balancing cuts you are not buying an OE-comparable part

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/shylin01/2003%20Mercury%20Marauder/Brakes%20and%20Wheel%20Balanci ng/UsingTheBalancer014.jpg

Nice quality castings, fully machined hats

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q116/shylin01/2003%20Mercury%20Marauder/Brakes%20and%20Wheel%20Balanci ng/UsingTheBalancer013.jpg

These centric rotors have all of the OE features at less than half the price of OE. I can't tell you if the metallurgy is just as good as OE or not but for the price they have much better design features than any of the other mid priced aftermarket rotors I have seen.

[babbage]

Command Automotive (cryo, lifetime) are close to that cost.

[ctrlraven]

Just had the owner of the repair shop next to me order Motorcraft rotors and pads for me.

Cost price:
Rotors - $79 x2
Pads - $54

I know the new rotors will get rid of the pulsing and those EBCs are going straight into the trade and I hope the OEM pads will help me regain brake pedal feeling again. Also going to give the calibers a good look over and grease them.

With stock pads/rotors what is the proper break-in procedure for them?

[babbage]

With stock pads/rotors what is the proper break-in procedure for them?


:D Just drive it regular you'll break them soon enough!

Brake in procedure or bedding the brakes is overrated I think. It's not like your going to do the 24 hours at Sebring -- or are you?


You Shoulda got the Motorcraft SEVERE duty (police) pads. That's what I run. The Command Automotive rotors were $200 SHIPPED for the rears - cryogen heat treat - Lifetime warranty - proven shorter stopping distances. No slots or holes - nice crosshatch finish.

http://www.commandautomotive.com/images/419_IMG_1939.JPG

[ctrlraven]

:D Just drive it regular you'll break them soon enough!

Brake in procedure or bedding the brakes is overrated I think. It's not like your going to do the 24 hours at Sebring -- or are you?


You Shoulda got the Motorcraft SEVERE duty (police) pads. That's what I run. The Command Automotive rotors were $200 SHIPPED for the rears - cryogen heat treat - Lifetime warranty - proven shorter stopping distances. No slots or holes - nice crosshatch finish.

http://www.commandautomotive.com/images/419_IMG_1939.JPG
Yeah $200 for the rear, I'm sure the fronts are more. Car is DD duty and weekend cruiser don't need anything fancy, just something that works.

[Stranger in the Black Sedan]

Let me know what happens. I am running ceramic pads and good quality, brand new rotors on my 300A and have horrible pedal feel with no initial grab. I found my old 23,000 mile stock pads in the basement, for some reason I never threw them out (have both front and rear). Just for ha ha's I am going to put the stock pads back on the car and see if the pedal is grabbier. If not I really might have a booster/master/air in the system problem but I have running ceramics for a while and it has been ages since I had factory pads on the car, so I really don't know for sure.

[ctrlraven]

Yeah I will let you know, about to install the new stuff right now. I ran Napa Ceramix on the EBC's (current on the car) then the rotors wrapped, had the factory rotors turned, ran those with the Napa Ceramix pads, wrapped again. Then had the EBC's turned and they lasted about 6k miles before wrapping again. The factory rotors were turned by the first owner at around 10-20k miles. Current mileage is 130+ k.

I know the new rotors will fix the pulsing and hope the pads fix the pedal feeling, if not then I know it's def. the is booster or master cyl.

[babbage]

Problem with ceramics is that they eat the rotor and warp it. You really want the pad to wear more than the rotor, then you won't warp them. Motorcraft semi metallic will not eat rotors/warp them easily.

Re: Command Auto Fronts they are only $130 each shipped.

[ctrlraven]

So VicsEvilBrother, I noticed more pedal feel after the new pads and rotors went on. I think I might still have an issue with the brake booster/master cyl. I can still push the pedal to the floor without having to stand on it which I remember when I first got the car I never had to go more than half way to even come to a panic stop. Either way it's better than what I had.

I know I have a vacuum leak somewhere anyways cause going WOT with the A/C on it will bog down and almost stop blowing air completely, maybe it has something to do with it.

[babbage]

Sounds like a full brake fluid flush and some new stainless lines from TCE are in order.

[ctrlraven]

I already have the KVR SS brake lines and it's time for a flush anyways for the brakes, coolant and power steering.

[Vortech347]

Ebay you can get a full set (4) of rotors and pads for like 220$ shipped.

I've never had a problem with them. Even open tracking them on 3 different cobra's and my car. I'll be installing them on my MM when the time comes. I simply had my front ones turned because they got warpped a bit and the pads are all pretty new.

[CoreyM75]

Ebay you can get a full set (4) of rotors and pads for like 220$ shipped.

I've never had a problem with them. Even open tracking them on 3 different cobra's and my car. I'll be installing them on my MM when the time comes. I simply had my front ones turned because they got warpped a bit and the pads are all pretty new.
I have the same ones with no problems at all.

[ctrlraven]

So after I installed my new rotors and pads I'm still getting a pulsating feeling in the pedal when braking. I wonder if something is wrong with one or both of my calibers.

[Krytin]

If you have never flushed/bled the system by now there is enough water in the fluid to cause all kinds of trouble. A good power flush - either pressure or vacuum - should clear up a lot of the problems most people are having. Not sure how much it may help the pulsating pedal but it won't hurt it any either.

[ctrlraven]

I had it flushed 2 yrs ago and system bled last year. I had already planned on having the fluids flushed within the next month or so hopefully that will take care of it.

[Phrog_gunner]

So after I installed my new rotors and pads I'm still getting a pulsating feeling in the pedal when braking. I wonder if something is wrong with one or both of my calibers.

Pulsing in the pedal can still be a fluid problem. I would flush that before troubleshooting further, especially if you just pushed the caliper pistons back in <cringes>.

[darkvader1]

Stock rotors on our cars will cause us marauder owners to sell are cars for parts due to its design. Trust me i stop an i gave them change. One bumper later at $1,340 up graded to the sloted/dempled rotors,ebc with performance friction pads, carbon metallics. After upgrade had two accedents were i was rear ended an i got paid.O, an by the way folks please avoid driving in pudles of water or after driving ur marader an u want to wash it dont hose down the wheels an rotors that will speed up the process of warping due to tempeature change in the metal. Bottom line don't like stock rotors due to brake fade an pad haze.

[ctrlraven]

Had EBC's slotted/dimpled rotors along with their Green Stuff pads and they were junk.

[bob6364]

Napa ceramics warped my rotors....but Spectragod to the rescue!!!

[Bradley G]

If you put new brakes on a car that has several miles on them, the "NEW" feeling does not make the ones you had, crap.
Running OE Brake parts will not cause you to rear end someone and force you to sell your car.
Aged brake fluid will not cause your brake pedal to pulse.
The current set up is Baer decella rotors and Ford severe duty pads in the front and cheap China/ebay rears W/ Hawk pads.
At 82K the brakes have been done 4 times, but I do a lot of drag racing.