Made in China rotors?

[roswell998]

I checked at AutoZone and their two brands of rotors are $20 and $30 respectively and both are made in China.

Napa has $22 rotors made in China and $40+ ones made in the USA.

What experiences have you guys had with the Made in China ones?

Also, any other suppliers recommended? Not racing, just normal commuter driving at only 5K miles/year or so.

 

[Shoaz]

For normal driving it probably won't matter much.

However, if you're concerned, Pep Boys carries Raybestos which are reputable for using decent materials and doing proper annealing of the rotors.

 

[rlw001]

The cheaper ones are thinner and may not even have enough material to be turned more than once.

 

[DHMag]

regardless of country of manufacture, aftermarket automotive parts are required to meet or exceed OE requirements. that said, i have foreign made rotors on front and rear and they have performed flawlessly for over 2 years.

 

[Whiner]

They usually are the same. The only difference sometimes is warranty.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

The cheaper ones are thinner and may not even have enough material to be turned more than once.

These are underbraked, overweight Taurus'

The rotors normally warp before they need to be turned!

Honestly though, who turns rotors anymore?? They are so cheap, I just get a new set.

BTW, I use napa's "true-stop" chinese rotors with very good results.

 

[Shoaz]

The concerns with the Chinese rotors used to be bigger due to inferior metallurgy and inadequate annealling, both of which can lead to a higher tendency to crack, distort, load unevenly, etc. Basically, there were justifiable worries about performance.

I've been told (for what that's worth) that the manufacturing processes of the Chinese suppliers have improved so that the former concerns are less of an issue. I've been getting only Raybestos or custom (e.g., Coleman) rotors for quite a while, so I don't have any personal experience to report on the differences.

For a mildly driven street car, though, I don't know that it's going to make a huge difference either way. If you drive in the mountains once in a while, well, decide accordingly. As has been mentioned, even if they go wacky they're not expensive or difficult to replace.

 

[craigztoyz]

Oriellies has made in the usa lifetime warranty for 50, granted it is more, but if you are a lifetime sho owner, like me, it is a good deal for lifetime warranty, besides in is made right here in the good ol us of a

 

[roswell998]

I went to PepBoys and looked at the Raybestos made in USA and the Made in China "White Box" and the Raybestos rotors are thicker, heavier, with smoother lathe cut and had a cross hatch finish. The "White Box" rotor clearly showed the lathe tool marks with tiny ridges. The NAPA made in USA rotors were more similar to the Raybestos.

Bottom line.............. I'm either going to get the NAPA @ $42 each or the Raybestos as $45 each.

Anyone have first hand experience using both of these for a comparison?

Thanks

 

[Rob94]

Pay the extra and keep the money/jobs in THIS country.

 

[NotSoSlowSHO]

oh please zzzzz

We are talking about rotors, nothing more, nothing less.

And if the average Joe American was willing to work his tail off like the average Joe from overseas, we'd never have such comments.

 

[SeanMc]

I have the AutoZone Duralast 96 SHO rotors. So far, so good. Just don't go and buy pads from them, they'll give you the same ones you have now (if you have a 94/95).

 

[SHO Continental]

regardless of country of manufacture, aftermarket automotive parts are required to meet or exceed OE requirements. that said, i have foreign made rotors on front and rear and they have performed flawlessly for over 2 years.

Brake parts are not required to meet or exceed OE requirements.. but.. if they do they are given a seal. Just look for the seal when buying new brake parts.

 

[Minnesho]

a good way to tell a cheaper rotor is to tap on the edge with a wrench, a cheap rotor will ring like a bell, where as a better rotor will deaden the sound more. i'd pay the 18+$ extra just for the peace of mind. its a SHO ... dosent it deserve the best?