Rear Brake Time

[zero cool]

Its time for me to replace my rear brake pads and rotors and I am looking for budget conscious recommendations.

50K on a set of pads and rotors is a bit crazy when the fronts look new. I wonder WHY Mazda bias the braking system this way? Must have been for stability issues.

Taking it to the stealer is a $400 bill. For that kind of money i can buy EBC's and some type of higher performance rotor, drilled, slotted, frozen whatever. But i don't want to spend $400

Doing some homework i can get a set of drilled or slotted rotors off ebay for about $150 EBC's seem to cost $35-$75 depending on black, green or red.

Autozone has rear rotors of $33 each and pad sets for $35, thats $100 for the whole thing. cheap but if they are going to wear out again i can replace them 4 times for the cost of one stealer ship replacement. and i bet they last longer too. this is my best budget option and probably the one i end up going with unless i can find a better option for say $200?? i don't want to spend more the $200 For $200 i can do the eBay & EBC deal.

I don't really want drilled rotors. slotted if they have an advantage and on the rears they just might.

If i buy a set of rotors from someplace. will any shops install them?>? MAP maybe??

whats recommended.

 

[dmention7]

If you do buy drilled/slotted rotors, ONLY get a name brand. I would be extremely hesitant to buy anything but plain smooth rotors off ebay due to the possibility of improperly drilled or slotted cheapo rotors... Those can quickly warp or even crack if they are not machined correctly.

If you want to do it on a budget, just roll to autozone and pick up a set of OEM spec duralast pads/rotors. And the set of rotors I bought for our focus came with a lifetime warranty. These will likely be of the exact quality you'd get at the stealership, and they are the LAST place I'd go for something as simple as brakes.

Also, replacing pads/rotors is very very easy to DIY. Though if you're going to pay a shop to install them, from a price standpoint you're probably better off going to midas or something and letting them install their own parts. Again, you'll be getting the same quality parts you'd get from the dealer or autozone.

 

[WhiteSpy9]

Just an fyi... I bought name brand brakes from Pep boys and they looked ALOT different than the OEM pads. It was a crazy looking design and I didn't even want to mess with them.
If I remember correctly the inner pad clips in somewhere so you can slip the caliper back on over it. The pads I got from Pep boys were not going to clip into anything.
I ended up just grabbing a pair of OEM pads from the dealer.

oh... and same deal as you. The front pads looked brand spanking new. I only changed the rears.....

 

[zero cool]

I think i will just do the Autozone Pads rotors. But before i do, check these out and tell me what you think...

eBay Item number: 280247439190

Drilled and slotted rotors which im not so thrilled about but, they come with Ceramic pads too all for $168. for $68 more then the autozone rear rotors and pads only i can get front and rear and pads.

Im sure they are pretty cheap rotors and what not but....I dunno.


anyone need to do there rear pads? maybe we could do a Rear brake tech day or something someplace.

Zc

 

[DrWebster]

You might want to see what MAP has/can get if you want new pads/rotors that are better than stock. Personally I wouldn't use AutoZone parts on my car, I'd work with one of M3F's sponsors for OEM parts. Brakes are one part I wouldn't skimp on just to save some cash.

 

[dmention7]

I wouldn't touch those ebay rotors with a 10-foot pole. Drilling and slotting are definitely not the kind of machining you want to have done on the cheap.

And personally I also wouldn't use autozone (duralast) brakes on my car, but that's just because I beat on it a little bit and I want something thats going to give at least OEM performance. But for a car that gets used as a regular DD, I'd have no qualms going with them.

As for a brake tech day, I'm going to be replacing my pads/rotors on all 4 corners probably in a month or so, and I'd be down for something like that.

 

[zero cool]

I will call MAP today. ZZD was showing me the RPMstore EBC stuff. Looks like i can do rears for about $250 with EBC pads and rotors that are dimpled and slotted.

I don't know if i can go another month on my rear brakes. kind of been doing that for 2 months now! I haven't hit metal on metal yet but it must be paper thin by now.

I looked at Autozone, Napa, Checker etc and all have no-name brands and prices from mild to wild. I have put those Durabrand on a friends car when he chewed through the rotors right now to the vents. and i was impress at the quality. they were made pretty well. If these were the fronts i would be a bit more picky. but for the rears i think the duralast rotors will be OK. have to be at least as good as stock as stock is crap! I just don't have the cash to drop a half a K on brakes this week and i have to do something. Even if it only gets me through a few thousand miles until i can do all 4 corners with something good. maybe next spring i can do all 4 or something.


Zc

 

[JustROLLIN]

I have used Raybestos pads and rotors on every vehicle I have replaced brakes on. You can find the best deal on-line, print it out, and bring it into Checker and they will beat it by 5%. I usually get out of there with pads and rotors for about $75. I have never had any issues with the Raybestos products.

 

[ZoomZoom Diva]

One other thing I've noticed about the EBC pads is they seem to dust the wheels more evenly, and the dust is easier to clean from the wheels than the OEM pads and other ones I have used over the years. The weak dollar isn't helping their price, as they are British, but I think it's a case where you are getting what you pay for.

AutoMax in Apple Valley was approximately $100 to install each axle of brakes.

 

[Slim]

I can second Raybestos as well. And I've shopped Checker online for prices which are better than in store usually. You can choose the in-store pick up option and pay that price at the store as well. I re-did all four wheels on my wife's Corolla, rotors and pads, for $125.

So long as you're not a crazy driver or going to autocross your car it should be fine. Just my experience. Now that being said, I wouldn't put those on my MS3 because I drive it hard.