Suggestions for Replacement Rotors
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 789
Likes: 105
From: San Diego, CA
Suggestions for Replacement Rotors
I have about 41k miles on the clock. The car has been bulletproof. With that said, I noticed a lip forming on my front steel rotors, so I guess it is time for a replacement.
What are the standard recommendations and the pros/cons of each?
Appreciate everyone's suggestions/opinions.
What are the standard recommendations and the pros/cons of each?
- OEM
- AP Racing J hook
- Girodisc
- other?
Appreciate everyone's suggestions/opinions.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 726
Likes: 269
I have about 41k miles on the clock. The car has been bulletproof. With that said, I noticed a lip forming on my front steel rotors, so I guess it is time for a replacement.
What are the standard recommendations and the pros/cons of each?
Appreciate everyone's suggestions/opinions.
What are the standard recommendations and the pros/cons of each?
- OEM
- AP Racing J hook
- Girodisc
- other?
Appreciate everyone's suggestions/opinions.
- OEM
- ~$700 each front rotor
- Street - Designed for the car and does a great job for street use.
- Track - They wear fast, could crack between the holes, and doesn't have great feedback/feel.
- AP Racing J hook
- ~$850 each front rotor (hat + ring)
- Street - They work well on street but are excessive.
- Track - They wear slower, no holes to crack, slightly warmer than OEM (due to slots instead of holes), and have good feedback/feel.
- These look super cool!
- Girodisc
- ~$800 each front rotor (hat + ring)
- Street - They work well on street but are excessive.
- Track - They wear slower, no holes to crack, slightly warmer than OEM (due to slots instead of holes), and have good feedback/feel.
- Sebro
- ~$520 each front rotor
- Street - They work exactly like OEM. It's a great alternative.
- Track - They wear slower, no holes to crack, get warmer than OEM (due to no slots or holes), and have good feedback/feel.
- Brembo
- ~$950 each front rotor (hat + ring)
- Street - They work well on street but are excessive.
- Track - They wear slower, no holes to crack, slightly warmer than OEM (due to slots instead of holes), and have good feedback/feel.
- These look super cool!
Pro
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 646
Likes: 530
From: NY/NJ
With the aftermarket stuff its a larger upfront investment, for cheaper replacement costs down the line as you can keep the hat and just change the rotor. Girodisc and AP are battle tested in track conditions which are much more extreme than the street, and will last longer rotor for rotor as there are no holes to crack.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2015
Posts: 349
Likes: 100
From: Hoboken, NJ
I didnt realize this until I dug a little deeper into the AP brakes- the calipers they sell are lighter than OEM but more importantly have an open design that doesnt require removal of calipers to change pads, which is a huge time saver for people who want to run an aggressive track pad and swap back to quieter pad for street driving. Of course requires purchase of calipers for even more up front cost, but good long term investment IMO.
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Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 789
Likes: 105
From: San Diego, CA
Thanks for the detailed breakdown. Interesting that I have no signs of cracking whatsoever, just that I've worn away enough of the rotor to have a lip form at the edge. Has anyone else had to replace rotors due to this type of wear? I figured this would be a more common occurrence.
For those upgraded options that are 'excessive for the street', are there any street-associated drawbacks? For example, do they not get up to temp on the street or are they overly squeaky (I assume that has more to do with the pads)?
Suppose I'm in the minority, but I actually like the way the OEM drilled rotors look (although I'd place those Brembo Type 3s as a close second). I'm hesitant to get the OEM replacements given how quickly they wore. In contrast, my previous 987 had ceramics and they barely had any wear at all after 70k miles and a few seasons of auto-x.
For those upgraded options that are 'excessive for the street', are there any street-associated drawbacks? For example, do they not get up to temp on the street or are they overly squeaky (I assume that has more to do with the pads)?
Suppose I'm in the minority, but I actually like the way the OEM drilled rotors look (although I'd place those Brembo Type 3s as a close second). I'm hesitant to get the OEM replacements given how quickly they wore. In contrast, my previous 987 had ceramics and they barely had any wear at all after 70k miles and a few seasons of auto-x.
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2020
Posts: 164
Likes: 141
I doubt you'll get cracks with 1-2 track days per year. It's mostly caused by aggressive heat cycles, which are a consequence of how often you're on the track and what sort of pace you run.
Took me 6-7 track days to start seeing any cracking at all (and that was just a couple <1 cm surface cracks on the front rotors), and I was running track pads (RE10) for about half of those.
I would probably go with the Sebro slotted in your case. Anything more is overkill.
Took me 6-7 track days to start seeing any cracking at all (and that was just a couple <1 cm surface cracks on the front rotors), and I was running track pads (RE10) for about half of those.
I would probably go with the Sebro slotted in your case. Anything more is overkill.
Last edited by akhbhaat; Sep 27, 2021 at 08:32 PM.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 493
Likes: 179
From: Athens, GA
Glad to see this thread, because I am looking at replacing all 4. If I don’t care how excessive or ugly they are for the street and am simply looking for the ones that hold up the longest under aggressive track driving, what’s my best bet? Thanks for any feedback.
Rennlist Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 695
Likes: 91
From: Indiana
Coming at this question with a Spyder versus a GT4 so your mileage may vary. Drilled rotors develop cracks on my car after a couple of days on the track, though cracks not connected and still pass tech inspection.
I moved to Sebro slotted in the front and happy so far; the rears though seem to be an odd size so haven't yet sorted out a slotted option other than Girodisc, which I don't feel like springing for yet.
Given that you are not tracking a lot I would recommend Sebro - good bang for the buck
I moved to Sebro slotted in the front and happy so far; the rears though seem to be an odd size so haven't yet sorted out a slotted option other than Girodisc, which I don't feel like springing for yet.
Given that you are not tracking a lot I would recommend Sebro - good bang for the buck
PS Armorer
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Rennlist Member
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 2,949
Likes: 112
From: Fort Worth, TX
When I bought my car it had Giro Discs on the front already. They seem to be wearing great (I've added 5700 miles, roughly 2500 of which are track miles). I'm using RE10 pads. I'm ready for some new front pads, and while the front rotors have hardly any wear they are just starting to show some cracking. I'd buy these again in a heart beat. They work great on the track.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 726
Likes: 269
For those upgraded options that are 'excessive for the street', are there any street-associated drawbacks? For example, do they not get up to temp on the street or are they overly squeaky (I assume that has more to do with the pads)?
Suppose I'm in the minority, but I actually like the way the OEM drilled rotors look (although I'd place those Brembo Type 3s as a close second). I'm hesitant to get the OEM replacements given how quickly they wore. In contrast, my previous 987 had ceramics and they barely had any wear at all after 70k miles and a few seasons of auto-x.
Suppose I'm in the minority, but I actually like the way the OEM drilled rotors look (although I'd place those Brembo Type 3s as a close second). I'm hesitant to get the OEM replacements given how quickly they wore. In contrast, my previous 987 had ceramics and they barely had any wear at all after 70k miles and a few seasons of auto-x.
Changing your rotors at 40k miles is pretty good for a performance car! How many miles do you think youll out on your cars lifetime? Maybe math it out and see what works to your benefit.
My car came with Brembo front/rear rotors and Ive never driven an OEM GT4. With only 2 days so far, they seem to be better than the Sebro on my 987.2, which started to fade when I went to wider tires (245/275). That being said, the brakes on the 987.2 were engineered for skinnier tires (235/265), so the additional traction may have changed the balance (wild guess here).
Best bet, I think go with any of the track focused options in terms of longevity and performance AP, Brembo, or Giro (no particular order).