Fitzy
Registered User
Need new rotors on my 93 crew cab 4x4. Seems like they are all made in China. Any advice on brands. Truck weighs 7,300 empty; so I want guality parts.
Front brake rotors
- Thread starter Fitzy
- Start date
Dirtleg
Full Access Member
Just last week I installed Stoptech slotted rotors and EBC yellow pads on my truck as well as calipers. 93' F350 4x4 standard cab.
Not cheap and I'm hoping for good performance/life out of them. They are fine so far but barely even broken in yet.
I have heard good things so went with that setup. I believe @Thewespaul has used these as well. Maybe he can chime in here.
flyarmyguns
Registered User
I went ahead and used the cheap Chinese rotors, with no issue.
I did NOT use Chinese calipers or pads. Also, I reused the old OEM Ford wheel bearings, as only communist bearings were available. Rotors, with no real mechanized moving components is one thing, but...
I'd fly in a Harley Davidson helicopter before I would consider putting Chinese parts on anything safety related that has any possibility of failing. ie wheel bearings, steering components, etc...
I did NOT use Chinese calipers or pads. Also, I reused the old OEM Ford wheel bearings, as only communist bearings were available. Rotors, with no real mechanized moving components is one thing, but...
I'd fly in a Harley Davidson helicopter before I would consider putting Chinese parts on anything safety related that has any possibility of failing. ie wheel bearings, steering components, etc...
kuskoal
Full Access Member
Koyo bearings are just as good as Timkens, if you're looking for bearings. Submarines use them, so I'm sure the Japanese have a lock on cone bearings.
Stoptech are made in the USA and I like them on my swapped axles. Be sure to get the heaviest rotors and uprated pads, should be good.
Stoptech are made in the USA and I like them on my swapped axles. Be sure to get the heaviest rotors and uprated pads, should be good.
ComatoseLlama
Full Access Member
I don't believe that parts being made in China has much to do with quality. Chinese manufactures build to the quality their clients want them to build to, which is usually the cheapest, worst quality since the whole point of outsourcing is to save money. On the other hand Red Wing, Ray Ban, Levi's and Apple all make most of their products in China.
Shop for good brands, not country of origin
Shop for good brands, not country of origin
nelstomlinson
Full Access Member
Comatose, Red Wing used to be good, then they moved to China. The US ``manufacturers'' spec a sort-of-adequate level of quality, then the Chinese managers cheat as far as they can. The best the offshoring company can hope for is that the extra monitoring expense does keep quality sort-of-adequate, without eating up all the cost savings of offshoring. Usually quality falls off and it costs more to keep at that too-low level. That is what is making onshoring the current management trend.
Win or lose, offshoring means giving all your company's intellectual property to China - you're paying them to learn how to undercut you.
Win or lose, offshoring means giving all your company's intellectual property to China - you're paying them to learn how to undercut you.
When its all made in China anyway, I just buy the cheapest.
My F350 weighed that too... lifted on 35's. Hydroboost swap with the greatest improvement of anything I did to the brakes.
flyarmyguns
Registered User
There is no risk in avoiding Chinese parts.
USA made goods can be are undercut in quality to keep production costs down too. A great deal of horrible qualty, cheap plastic goods are made in USA.
The #1 goal of at least 90% of major manufacturers is the highest possible profit. A quality product is #2, if not #3 on their list of priorities. As long as it sells, the quality doesn't matter. People will buy whats cheapest most of the time.
Dirtleg
Full Access Member
Koyo bearings are OEM in some Ford applications. My 07' Mustang GT 8.8 axle had them from the factory.
Did you replace the wheel studs when you swapped the rotors? This job sounds like a real pita. I have new rotors,pads and new old stock timkin bearings for mine. I had to mix and match bearings and races a few years ago. All Chinese and from several different stores as nobody had complete sets in stock. It's been fine amazingly.
Dirtleg
Full Access Member
Studs were easy. Seems like they'll be a pain but came out and went in without any issues.
I dreaded that part of it before I got into it but it wasn't bad at all.
And I reused mine. I thought about replacing them but did not. Maybe I'll be okay, maybe not.
Yep, studs are easy. Stuck a lug nut on even with the end of the bolt, put a socket over it and wack it with a sledgehammer a few times. Installing, line it up and use a lug nut and a deep socket (add a stack of washers if needed) with a breaker bar or gently with an impact gun to pull it into the hole.
I dread the idea of pulling the front rotor+hub on dually because its a huge, heavy assembly.
I will say, the studs on this RV are the first vehicle I've ever had where they are all in perfect condition, none of that crap where certain lug nuts will only thread on certain studs (like my F250). I guess they never got abused by shops doing tires. I can hand thread each one on fully with normal resistance.
I’ve been very happy with stoptech and ebc pads, you get what you pay for.
