Brake Rotors and Pads: Which to Buy?

"Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)" (rduncan5678)
03/09/2015 at 12:18 • Filed to: None

I am planning on changing out the rotors and pads on my Miata at some point this month. No idea when they were last done on the car but the rotors are relatively worn so it would be a good idea to just change them now. I should be able to figure out how to change them without too much trouble. My problem right now though is figuring out which ones to buy. I have been browsing rockauto a bit and there are a lot of different options! I have the LS so I know I need to find ones compatible with the sport suspension. I am just curious if anyone has some advice about what type of rotors and pads I should look for. Is it worth the extra money to get the slot drilled rotors and ceramic pads? The standard stuff looked like it would be around $200 for everything vs $320 for the upgraded stuff (both of those include shipping).

DISCUSSION (17)

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
03/09/2015 at 12:24

Does it really use a different hub for the sports suspension? That seems kind of pointless.

TotallyThatStupid > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
03/09/2015 at 12:33

Ditto this. I would think all hubs and calipers would be the same for an NB (which is what I'm assuming you have based on calling it an LS).

TotallyThatStupid > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
03/09/2015 at 12:41

Brake opinions are like tire and oil opinions (and assholes and belly buttons) - everybody has one and nobody wants to hear about yours. But since you asked...

I've run lots of different brake pads and rotors over the years, from generic German organics (Metalmasters?) to Carbotech Greens. For aggressive street driving I like Ate slotted rotors and Hawk HPS or HP+ pads. They will dust like crazy, but on a car the size of a Miata (or an E30 BMW, which is what I used to run them on) they should be more than enough. Flush the fluid while you're at it.

For slightly and/or occasionally aggressive driving I like Ate slotted rotors with Akebono ceramics. They stop well, don't fade much on the road, and keep the wheels pretty damn clean. Again, flush the fluid while you're there.

I'm not a fan of drilled rotors. I've seen too many aftermarket pieces develop cracks. Quality brand name kits, like something from Flyin' Miata? Not so much. Rock Auto Drillmasters? Eff that noise.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TotallyThatStupid
03/09/2015 at 12:42

I think it just has a different sized hub with the LS package. Its a 2001 NB2. When I was looking at winter wheels, I had to make sure to specify that I had the brakes for the sport suspension since they are different sizes. I cannot fit 14 inch wheels because of that reason.

Aaron M - MasoFiST > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
03/09/2015 at 12:45

Rotors: slotted/drilled rotors do little, other than eat your pads faster and crack.

Pads: You'll get better fade protection with beefier pads, but they're going to dust more and most of them don't last as long either. Going hardcore track pads will actually hurt braking performance, as most of those are designed to function best at higher temperatures and will never warm up on the street.

When I did my WRX I bought Centric Premium rotors and Stoptech Street Performance pads. The Stoptechs bit more nicely than whatever OEM pads I had, but they dust a fair amount. They aren't much more expensive than the OEM-like pads from the same manufacturer (Posiquiet).

And remember: stopping distance is a function of your tires, pedal feel is a function of your fluid, pads and rotors just modify how consistently you're able to stop.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
03/09/2015 at 12:57

Oh, okay, just a different sized rotor. The hub should be the same.

These are the rotors I'd get (I prefer Beck/Arnley for OEM-like components, though ymmv)

https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/morein…

As far as pads - I don't usually buy these from RockAuto. I love them, but their performance selection isn't that good, nor does their interface make it easy to compare items. Pads also matter more than rotors and are more driver-specific, so that's a more personal choice. Are you looking for just pads that are newer, or are you planning on autocrossing it? Any straight up track days planned? Would you mind having to swap pads before going to the track? Especially for the Miata, there are just so many options. I like Ferodo DS2500s personally. They don't seem to eat rotors, still have good cold bite, and seem to hold up under DDing as well. I've never been able to make them overheat.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > TotallyThatStupid
03/09/2015 at 12:58

That's true, I don't want to get sub-par quality stuff. I may be best off just trying to find the stock stuff and being happy with it. I only plan on autocrossing and daily driving so keeping everything stock would be ideal.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Aaron M - MasoFiST
03/09/2015 at 13:03

I definitely will want to get standard solid rotors then! I am getting a bit of that rotor feel in the brakes where heavy braking will make a little bit of a pulsing (not ABS pulsing) but just the kind of stuff that happens when rotors start going bad. They also look pretty old anyways so now is a good time as any to do them.

BorkBorkBjork > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
03/09/2015 at 13:47

Only get slotted rotors if the pads you are purchasing do not have a slot in the middle (99% of them do). I just went with Centric rotors for my truck, they are a subsidiary of StopTech so the rotors are quality. I have used them on the track as well and they do hold up. They are still cast in China, but that is unavoidable nowadays.

BorkBorkBjork > TotallyThatStupid
03/09/2015 at 13:57

Kinja'd!!!

On the right you will see the Hawk pads I put on my truck, on the left some budget Napa pads I replaced them with. That amount of wear is after about 1 month of use. They, of course, dusted like crazy. Even worse, these "High Friction Truck Pads" did not have any grip until they got hot, so I would frequently have the pedal hit the floor on a regular stop after just starting to drive.

Can't say I recommend Hawk.

D > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
03/09/2015 at 13:58

worth it for fancy pads, not worth it for fancy rotors

Scary__goongala! > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%)
03/09/2015 at 14:44

Drilled/ Slotted rotors are pointless on a stock power level Miata. I have a NA and bought the "premium" rotors from Napa. They were $19.99 a corner. Spec Miata guys use them, which is why I bought them. There is nothing wrong with stock Mazda pads. I upgraded to StopTech pads and they work better but they produce quite a bit of dust. I also added stainless steel brake lines and used better brake fluid. My car stops extremely well now and I haven't even done an AutoX event on this setup yet.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > BorkBorkBjork
03/10/2015 at 15:43

This has nothing to do with hawk and everything to do with the model you got. Hawk focuses on performance pads (which don't last, make dust, don't work until hot, etc), so if you got some of their race pads thinking that it's just a better street pad, it's not. It's an actual race pad.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Scary__goongala!
03/10/2015 at 15:43

Drilled/slotted rotors are pointless in genera.

BorkBorkBjork > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
03/10/2015 at 16:37

They were truck pads that the Hawk people recommended to me

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > BorkBorkBjork
03/10/2015 at 16:54

Weird. I didn't even know that they made truck pads, but reading the reviews, it looks like they're only really useful for people who do serious towing in the mountains, which is kind of what I would expect. I bet they work great when you're getting pushed by 6000 lbs of trailer downhill for miles, though! Their marketing isn't clear on that, however. They should really be specifying it as being for heavy use.

BorkBorkBjork > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
03/10/2015 at 18:28

You're right, that must be their target market.

I do alot of towing, but mostly in Texas and on the highway. When they did get hot they worked well, but I just couldn't believe how poorly they worked when cold and how much they wore out in a month.

For now, I stick with stock-type pads on the truck and Porterfield R4E's on the race car. I've gone 2 consecutive 24-hr races on the Porterfield pads in the past and they still had meat on them! Of course, they plain didn't work below 600 degrees either...