What ROTOR/PAD do you use ?

[FishyMan]

I have a 97 camry , 50K and feel it is time to change the brakes. I have gotten OEM PADS + kits + (i needa find the SHIMS) lol and I'm debating on which rotor to use? Should I go OEM or BREMBO blanks? Reason is, I had brembo blanks for my other cars and they required some cutting.

I am not sure if the rear is disc or what not but I hope to contribute by taking pictures and what not.

Please chime in. I know I am new, but I'm willin to take pics and help others out.

My plan:
Pads/Kits = OEM TOYOTA
Rotors = OEM/Brembo Blanks (depending on response)
Fluid = VALVOLINE SYNTEHTIC dot 3

[number73forlife]

If your car is LE or CE model trim then you 99.999999% have drums in the rear. Disks were $2000+ option with abs. Pads should be low dust / dust fee especially if you have aftermarket wheels to minimize corrosive contact with brake dust. Blanks are blanks as long as they are made of quality material. Only differentiation appears when considering slot'd and drilled.

Some slot'd rotors are good but are unneccessary if you are not doing lots of hill driving or aggressive daily like motor crossing etc. Drilled is asking for problems. Only company that has a clue how to make cross drilled rotors is Porsche. They actually cast the rotor with the holes in it. Other companies take blanks and drill them after forming and that structurally comprises the rotor and makes them very prone to cracking. And cutting a rotor?? Sounds like poor quality product and fitment issues to me.

Brake fluid is brake fluid so long as you are not aggresively driving and doing lots of hills again because higher temp will make them less likely to boil and fail.

General rule of thumb is stick to OEM if it worked before.

[FishyMan]

Originally Posted by number73forlife

If your car is LE or CE model trim then you 99.999999% have drums in the rear. Disks were $2000+ option with abs. Pads should be low dust / dust fee especially if you have aftermarket wheels to minimize corrosive contact with brake dust. Blanks are blanks as long as they are made of quality material. Only differentiation appears when considering slot'd and drilled.

Some slot'd rotors are good but are unneccessary if you are not doing lots of hill driving or aggressive daily like motor crossing etc. Drilled is asking for problems. Only company that has a clue how to make cross drilled rotors is Porsche. They actually cast the rotor with the holes in it. Other companies take blanks and drill them after forming and that structurally comprises the rotor and makes them very prone to cracking. And cutting a rotor?? Sounds like poor quality product and fitment issues to me.

Brake fluid is brake fluid so long as you are not aggresively driving and doing lots of hills again because higher temp will make them less likely to boil and fail.

General rule of thumb is stick to OEM if it worked before.

Well, I have used BREMBO blanks for many makes and instances. Only in 1 situation did I have to cut it for the sake. Oh well

In all the other times it was fine, no weird noise, nothing.

I do believe in OEM, but I just prefer something better if it's worth it. I don't drive aggressively but I sit in quite a lot of traffic at times.


*btw, does changing plug wires matter?

thanks.

[eurohazard]

When my OEM rotors warped at ~150k miles, I bought Brembo rotors on ebay (made in China by the way). I installed them with new pads (some mid-grade from autozone), and drove away happy...no pulsing, and no need to turn or "cut" them. I'm at 171K miles, and they feel great.

[kpszar]

My OEM rotors warped at ~46k miles. I was shocked, they car is barley driven and when it it is driven it is not like I go hard on the brakes. So I bought a hole new set up.

[ECale3]

the OEM camry rotors suck balls, they fade, they warp, and they are really only good for getting groceries. That's just my opinion for the OEM lovers. Now if it was some OEM Supra Rotors or something...

I read somewhere that brembo also cast's their "cross drilled" rotors with the holes already there.

[360glitch]

Hawk HPS Pads FTW

[Creeps228]

if your going to have power under the hood you could go with drilled slotted, just sayin im not sure, but go OEM, or try drilled if you want

[FishyMan]

Do HAWK pads hurt rotor life? I heard a lot of the top brake pads will do this; though it does make sense.

I want something with more grip.

The setup now is pretty crappy (OEM). Braking isn't smoothe. But since I already have OEM pads, I'll proally just get BREMBO blanks or something.

Thanks.