[_The_Editor_]

Eyeing up parts for an upcoming job, and trying to decide on what to go with..

I'm not fussed over drilled/goved/dimlped/ribber-for-her-pleasure discs, as I'm never going to take this car on a track - I want good quality OEM or equivalent discs. Would rather save a bit of money on plain discs, and get a nice set of PF pads from AL.

Problem is that there seems to be a million and one brands of disc to chose from, all in a similar price bracket... Pagid, Eicher, Mintex, Tarox, Ferrodo, etc.

I know Pagid are usually pretty good, but do they offer much over the cheaper options?

Cheers all!

 

[AussieAlex]

Eyeing up parts for an upcoming job, and trying to decide on what to go with..

I'm not fussed over drilled/goved/dimlped/ribber-for-her-pleasure discs, as I'm never going to take this car on a track - I want good quality OEM or equivalent discs. Would rather save a bit of money on plain discs, and get a nice set of PF pads from AL.

Problem is that there seems to be a million and one brands of disc to chose from, all in a similar price bracket... Pagid, Eicher, Mintex, Tarox, Ferrodo, etc.

I know Pagid are usually pretty good, but do they offer much over the cheaper options?

Cheers all!

The cheaper Pagid discs and pads are just OE equivalent not upgrades. In many cases Pagid is just the brand name slapped on OE kits and they have the exact same manufacturer just with a brand name on the box.

So if you are just looking for bog-standard like-for-like OE replacements.....just get OE. The Pagid product won't be any better. Now if you are talking Pagid performance pads or grooved discs.....then yes! Pagid make some really good up-rated kit. Especially their performance pads. But if you want stock non drilled/grooved etc. and some basic pads. Just go for OE or the cheapest brand name alternative.

 

[scottyf]

Won't be much in it at all for solid discs.

To be quite honest won't make much difference with drilled or grooved etc. Well slight differences but not enough to warrant on the road bar asthetics.

Get some Okay discs and splash out on some new fluid and better than OE pads.

 

[halftone]

I'd trust anything badged Mintex, Ferodo, or Tarox - all very good brake stuff from previous experience on other cars. Pagid and Eichner, I know nothing.

I suspect most of these things are made in the same factory or two somewhere in India, Brazil or China nowadays and the difference will be the name on the box and the testing and QC tolerancing applied.

 

[Giorget2]

If you are not planning on racing or anything, get the cheapest discs, whether they be OEM or sold as another brand. Then spend the extra cash on good brake pads and new brake fluid.

As long as the discs are not made of pot metal, they're going to all perform similarly as long as they are not overheated. It's the pads where the difference comes in.

 

[armoore]

OE pads I have bought have turned out to be Pagid once the box was opened.

 

[halftone]

Yes, pads do make the biggest difference but the alloy used for the disc material also makes a difference to brake efficiency.

The question is, though, what alloys and is there a difference between brands?

I think that with the exception of costly specialist discs there probably isn't, they're all sourced from a common mfr or two. That's just the way industry works nowadays. However, there may be differences in selection off the production line, with disks meeting slightly different specs being required by different brands, and the residue - that pass only some minimal testing - flogged off no-name to end up on Alibaba and eBay. They are probably OK, but there have been instances in the past of utterly useless brake materials entering the market like that, sometimes branded by someone you've never heard of, or worse, as counterfeits. Personally, on brakes, I want the assurance that someone with a reputation to lose has tried to ensure they actually work.

 

[_The_Editor_]

Ferodo discs it is then I guess, cheapest I've found so far!

It's the pads where the difference comes in.

Precisely my thinking.

Get the cheapest OEM/equivalent quality discs, and spend the rest on Performance Friction pads and a fluid flush! Got a set of braided lines and handbrake cables sat on the spare parts shelf in my garage waiting to go on as well!

 

[gazza82]

Wore out a set of Eichner rear discs on a Pug 206 very quickly ... I prefer Mintex, Brembo, Tarox, QH, etc ..

 

[Giorget2]

Ferodo discs it is then I guess, cheapest I've found so far!

Would be unlikely to be bad quality discs. I like your chances.

 

[ransoman]

The best OEM spec disks I have bought have been Brembo corrosion resistant disks. They do not stick on after a rain shower and the edges stay clean and rust free. Pagid are ok but the pad tends to stick to the disk after rain which releases with a clonk. Other disks do the job fine but are not corrosion resistant so tend to flake at the edges.

 

[VO2Max]

The only thing I would add is that I decided to try grooved/drilled discs last time, and although 'bite' is a little improved, the droning noise they produce when braking hard is a little off-putting.

As ransoman has said, corrosion-resistant discs will look nicer when they've been on for a while because the the centre of the 'hat' and outer edge of the disc will remain rust-free.

As for pads, I've used whatever good make is currently on-offer - these have included Mintex, Ferodo and Brembo over the years, and all have performed well for spirited road-driving.

 

[symon]

I would avoid Eicher pads and discs, I have had issues with them in the past. The pads would not stop the car as well as the OE ones, where as the discs would distort when hot.

Utter junk.

Pagid are very good as are Bendix, Mintex etc.

It is worth buying discs with an anti corrosion coating, as otherwise they will get a coat of rust as soon as it rains and look awful.

Most very cheap discs won't have this, the Bendix ones do that is for sure as I have them on my Giulietta.

 

[_The_Editor_]

How long do these anti-corrosion coatings last then?

I can see how they'll work on the central hub and round the rim... But surely where the pads are sweeping the disc, any coating won't last more than about 5 minutes?

Every time you hit the brakes hard you're exposing a fresh metal surface no? I thought so long as you go for standard discs (i.e. not carbon ceramic or other exotic materials), surface rusting on the friction patch was pretty much unavoidable...

 

[gtearl]

I just fitted a set of front and rear discs n pads all round delphi brand 2 yr guarantee 111.95 on offer off eBay great fit and vastly improved braking

 

[David C]

How long do these anti-corrosion coatings last then?

I can see how they'll work on the central hub and round the rim... But surely where the pads are sweeping the disc, any coating won't last more than about 5 minutes?

Every time you hit the brakes hard you're exposing a fresh metal surface no? I thought so long as you go for standard discs (i.e. not carbon ceramic or other exotic materials), surface rusting on the friction patch was pretty much unavoidable...

The pads won't bed in properly until that coating has worn off.
Part of the bed in procedure transfers a layer of material from the pad onto the disc.

All ferrous metal discs will get surface rust on the working surface, how much can vary depending on the disc. Some will be worse than others.

 

[dgmayhead]

Eicher discs and pagid pads on mine work fine and are cheap. However, get in nearly any other marque and you realise the Alfa set up was never (to put it kindly) sector leading.

 

[Giorget2]

How long do these anti-corrosion coatings last then?

Every time you hit the brakes hard you're exposing a fresh metal surface no? I thought so long as you go for standard discs (i.e. not carbon ceramic or other exotic materials), surface rusting on the friction patch was pretty much unavoidable...

Correct. The surface of a steel disc is definitely going to corrode. The anti-corrosion coatings are only of use around the hubs.
What I do is to simply spray the hub part of the disc with some neutral-coloured, heat-resistant paint before fitting the new discs. No unsightly rusty hubs that way.

For best results with any disc and pad combination you should "bed in" the discs. Drive the first 300 or so miles with only careful, light braking. Then the next 500 to 1 000 miles with light to moderate (normal) braking, until you can see a uniform bluish colour over the entire braking surface of the disc.
Once you see that, you can do the proper bedding in. Get on some open, quiet piece of road. Do a bit of moderate braking just to get the discs warm. Then get up to 70 miles per hour and brake hard down to 20 or so miles per hour. Accelerate back up to 70 and brake hard again, repeating this process 6 or 7 times until you feel the brakes fade a little. You may smell the pads or even see a bit of smoke.
Then drive fast-ish for 15 - 20 minutes to give the discs time to cool down completely again. Do not, whatever you do, stop while the discs are hot and keep your foot on the brake, as this will deposit a clump of pad material on the discs in one spot.

If you do the bedding in correctly, there will now be some of the pad material embedded in the surface of the disc, increasing friction and making the disc last longer.

 

[ransoman]

Correct. The surface of a steel disc is definitely going to corrode. The anti-corrosion coatings are only of use around the hubs.
What I do is to simply spray the hub part of the disc with some neutral-coloured, heat-resistant paint before fitting the new discs. No unsightly rusty hubs that way.

Anti corrosion disks are only a little more costly and no faffing with paint required.

It's not just about looks, Getting old disks off a hub can be a pain if the inside of the hub of the disk corrodes and expands. Anti corrosion disks don't have this problem and you can remove and refit the disks to your hearts content. (makes suspension repair jobs easier if you can remove the weight of the brakes).

 

[scottyf]

Anti corrosion my bum. Nothing a hammer won't fix.

Although unsightly disc's are not that nice. But they take a while to fur up.
Discs tend to be cheap that doing them in pairs with pads seem's to be common practice almost these days. Since they got rid of that asbestos material...