after market rotors and pads
 

following the http://986forum.com/forums/general-discussions/33807-how-often-do-you-replace-your-rotors.html ?" post i decided to start this one.

my pads are looking like on the way out.
the brake warning light is not on yet, but by looking at the pads, it will come on soon.
the rotors look fine but will need to be measured for spec.

lets hear your 0.20$ about the subject.

recommended pads- OEM or aftermarket.
recommended rotors- OEM or aftermarket.

if aftermarket please state if equal, better or worst then OEM

also don't forget to mention if your car is base or S.

Zimmerman rotors, pagid blacks is a nice combo, whatever you choose the application of the Welmeister anti squeal liners on the pad backs is worth every penny. Car was 986 base 98.

Too many possible choices. Include your typical driving style and tire choices for a more useful response:

-Daily driver commuter only
-Open road Sunday cruiser
-Spirited canyon carver
-Some street, some track
-Fire breathing track rat

you got a point topless.
how ever, i was hoping to start this post just to give the average Joe some information about the available options.
i remember that back in the day when the Subaru impreza just came out (in Europe), we use to upgrade the OEM rotors and pads to "OMP racing" with better resoles for less money (than going with the OEM).
but back to your point, my car is not a DD or a track but that's not the point.
lets try to come up with some information that will be valuable for the majority of the guys here so lets go with the "Some street, some track" option?
i'm sure the track rats already know what they want for their brakes :).

Ghostrider 310 post was a nice one.

now lets see yours :D

Street driving, no track - stock rotors and pads (or OEM equivalent).

Street driving and beginner track use - stock rotors and pads (or OEM equivalent) is fine and won't squeal like a pig at stop signs. Slight upgrade on the pad is EBC Redstuff - no squeal and no dust.

Street driving and moderate track - stock pads will be toast. Suggest Pagid Sports or EBC Yellowstuff (or equivalent) with any aftermarket rotor.

Street driving and heavy track - combo street/track pads will be toast. Pagid Yellow pads (or equivalent) or full racing pads depending on your skill level.

OEM (Zimmerman) rotors and Akebono ceramic pads - no dust.

stock pads were just too dirty.

For a Street car I used OEM and Mintex pads. They held up well and were quiet, and low cost.

A dual purpose Street/track car will benefit from Pagid Orange or Hawk HP Plus (higher heat range, moderate price)

A serious track car needs serious high temp pads. There are no better than Raybestos ST-43. They can withstand temps up to 1200F and stop the car well even when stone cold. They only get better when warmed up. ST-43 are expensive, last nearly forever compared to other brands, and squeal like a school bus when cold, but they will never let you down at the track.

For rotors I am a fan of Zimmerman and slotted. Moderate price and good performance. Balo are cheaper at $50 but I had less consistent performance with them.

Almost as important as good brakes is a trusted brake specialty supplier. Having someone who answers the phone that knows a great deal about pads, rotors, and fluids, and can make a sound recommendation for your car based on experience. Someone who will custom-cut a set of pads to fit your car in the compound of your choice. Once ordered they arrive at your door in 2 days. That kind of service is quite rare and there is only one company like them. Give em a look:
:: #1 Race Specialist in The World :: »

Hey Topless, have you ever tried the PFC two-piece rotors? I may get those in a couple months, but would like to know your thoughts.
I've had great luck with Zimmerman over the years, but would like to save a little weight and worry less about cracking.

Looked at everything last all...
 

and ended up with Zimmerman rotors. Only rotor that seemed to work on my A6.
I used EBC Yellow Stuff for pads no noise and no problems.
But got them from a Cayman owner and they did not have the holes for the sensors..so had to drill a couple of holes.

Bala was cheaper but not readily available. No one had a set of 4.

Drilled and slotted Zimmerman rotors. I installed EBC yellow stuff pads but after a track event they squealed and I could not get it to go away. Purchased the EBC RED stuff, no squealing after 2 days on track and 3 more AX days, but they seem a little more dusty.

Never tried them because they are not legal in my class and big $$$. Stock Zimmis are working just fine for now. No cracking issues on the plain rotors yet. Cross drilled rotor cracking is a well known problem though.

I used the Akebono ceramics on an AMG and just loved them. Dust went from 90% to 15% and the stopping power was fine ... for the street and drag strip.

I track the Boxster with CarboTech's, the XP-8 on the front and XP-10 on the rear.
Couldn't be happier.
(Except when I get lazy and leave them on for a couple of weeks on the street. What a symphony as I approach a red light!)

Has anyone tried this brand? Good or bad feedback?
eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

Topless,
The R4-E seems to be a Porterfield pad. Can you clarify? I am looking for suitable street/track pads at this moment.

TIA

Oops, you are right. Sorry, brain fade. Porterfield R4-E is good at the track or Hawk HP Plus as a solid, moderate heat range,moderate price street/track pad. I have not used the Hawks personally but several Boxster buddies do and love them. Here is a recent test on the Hawks:
http://blog.caranddriver.com/performance-brake-pads-compared-hawk-hps-hawk-hp-plus-ebc-yellowstuff/

I edited my earlier post. :)

What you guys think of Hawk products?
Products in 'Hawk Performance' | Place for Brakes

On my 2000S Boxster I replaced them with Balo drilled rotors and Red Box Mintex pads. Balo rotors are German made and at one time a OEM supplier for Porsche. The Mintex pads have low dust and and good every day driving grip. Cost in parts was about $300. I heard the new Balo's have painted hats, from Pelican Parts.;)

Personally, I always favour cheap **************** rotors with the best pads and fluid. I'm not convinced fancy rotors make the slightest bit of difference to performance.

If that's the case, it hard to justify prices that might be 3x those of cheap rotors. Even if you're swapping our the rotors (and easy job) twice as often as the fancy ones (and frankly I doubt the fancy ones last twice as long - I doubt they last much longer at all), you're still winning.

Short of a complete braking upgrade, for me it's all about good pads and fluid.

I guess you've never heard of Chinese steel.

if the rotors are made in Germany would they still be using Chinese steel?

Well, what matters it how they perform, period.

I've used cheap pattern rotors on track days without issue. Like I said, it's pads and fluid that have delivered by far the biggest benefit in my experience on track days.

I've used expensive rotors and less expensive (cheap Chinese) rotors. Less expensive Chinese steel is still the same grade of steel used elsewhere around the world and I've never noticed any performance difference (track or street).

The resulting price difference isn't in the material (steel) anyway, its in the machining - less expensive Chinese rotors have 10x less finish machining done on them. At the end of the day, all of that expensive German machining only makes the rotors look better, not perform better. Pads make all of the difference.

In the material world you get what you pay for. The V8 Merc Mountaineer ate rotors, as such I tried them all. The Chinese rotors don't offer the service life of the other choices. Now if I was going to smoke a set at a track, I'd use them because who cares but I found the Zimmermans to be high quality and super long lasting. It's like a good dress shoe, you can buy a cheap good looking one but if you spring for the Johnston & Murphy's they will only cost more on the front end and become a great value when you see how long you have them.

Well, the key question is the price-to-longevity ratio. If they cost three times as much, they're going to need to last three times longer. I'm far from convinced that's the case.

I always buy proper parts when I think they're worth it - bought a Porsche water pump and proper Behr rads when I did my cooling system overhaul last year. But regards rotors, I'm with thstone: expensive rotors is money blown. That's been my experience on and off track.

Problem with the Chinese is one size fits all. I did the rotors on my Nissan Altama with 100K on the original rotors. The Chinese one's fit no problem, but they were smaller in diameter. My pads actually where kissing the outer edge of the rotor. Ok, they where only about $20 a piece and worked just fine.:p