suggestion for good replacement rotors for 500 sel

[mercs]

hello,
my friend has been having trouble with front brake rotors warping.
I've been told by several mechanics (and suppliers) the chinese parts
are the source of this problem.
not all manufacturers but too many get rotors made in china.
the result is cheap quality rotors that warp easy (less than 10k
miles).

So, what is a good quality rotor that is in fact NOT made in china?

I'm thinking of either asking for original mercedes rotors or looking
for very high quality after-market rotors (high performance). Does
anyone know what AMG uses for brakes? I was wondering about upgrading
and getting the better quality brakes AMG uses, but don't know too
much about this.

I saw R1 concepts on ebay doing a search for 500 sel brake rotors.
Are these any good??

Thank you

[t***@optonline.net]

Post by mercs
hello,
my friend has been having trouble with front brake rotors warping.
I've been told by several mechanics (and suppliers) the chinese parts
are the source of this problem.
not all manufacturers but too many get rotors made in china.
the result is cheap quality rotors that warp easy (less than 10k
miles).
So, what is a good quality rotor that is in fact NOT made in china?
I'm thinking of either asking for original mercedes rotors or looking
for very high quality after-market rotors (high performance).  Does
anyone know what AMG uses for brakes?  I was wondering about upgrading
and getting the better quality brakes AMG uses, but don't know too
much about this.
I saw R1 concepts on ebay doing a search for 500 sel brake rotors.
Are these any good??
Thank you

I think there are only a couple, if that, of manufacturers making
rotors in the USA. And it also depends on what you mean by made in
the USA, as some companies also import raw castings from overseas and
then finish them here. Who the remaining ones are and what brand
names they may be marketed under, I don't know. And then there is
the issue of if they make rotors for that particular car. I think
it's going to be very difficult to figure this out, unless someone
here knows for sure the rotors they bought were in fact cast and
finished in the USA. Your friend may have to buy the rotors direct
from MB. Today, I'm not sure even that means they were not made in
China.

But, I see where you're coming from and if I were having problems, I
would probably be looking for the same solution. It's possible that
there is something unique about those particular rotors that makes
them more susceptable to warping or harder to manufacture. But with
the overwhelming amount of aftermarket rotors coming from China or
other foreign suppliers, if there was a serious warping issue in
general, there would be a huge problem on all kinds of cars. But
apparently there is not. I've used a variety of generic aftermarket
rotors on my 300SD, as well on various Detroit cars without any
problems. From my understanding, a prime cause of warping is
incorrect torquing of the lug nuts. Also, it may depend on how one
drives and how much aggressive braking is done.

[Jens]

Post by t***@optonline.net

Post by mercs
hello,
my friend has been having trouble with front brake rotors warping.
I've been told by several mechanics (and suppliers) the chinese parts
are the source of this problem.
not all manufacturers but too many get rotors made in china.
the result is cheap quality rotors that warp easy (less than 10k
miles).
So, what is a good quality rotor that is in fact NOT made in china?
I'm thinking of either asking for original mercedes rotors or looking
for very high quality after-market rotors (high performance).  Does
anyone know what AMG uses for brakes?  I was wondering about upgrading
and getting the better quality brakes AMG uses, but don't know too
much about this.
I saw R1 concepts on ebay doing a search for 500 sel brake rotors.
Are these any good??
Thank you

I think there are only a couple, if that, of manufacturers making
rotors in the USA.  And it also depends on what you mean by made in
the USA, as some companies also import raw castings from overseas and
then finish them here.   Who the remaining ones are and what brand
names they may be marketed under, I don't know.   And then there is
the issue of if they make rotors for that particular car.  I think
it's going to be very difficult to figure this out, unless someone
here knows for sure the rotors they bought were in fact cast and
finished in the USA.  Your friend may have to buy the rotors direct
from MB.  Today, I'm not sure even that means they were not made in
China.
But, I see where you're coming from and if I were having problems, I
would probably be looking for the same solution.   It's possible that
there is something unique about those particular rotors that makes
them more susceptable to warping or harder to manufacture.   But with
the overwhelming amount of aftermarket rotors coming from China or
other foreign suppliers, if there was a serious warping issue in
general, there would be a huge problem on all kinds of cars. But
apparently there is not.   I've used a variety of generic aftermarket
rotors on my 300SD, as well on various Detroit cars without any
problems.   From my understanding, a prime cause of warping is
incorrect torquing of the lug nuts.  Also, it may depend on how one
drives and how much aggressive braking is done.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

You don't mentioned which 500SEL it is (W126 og W140).

In any case, are you sure it is disc warping and not worn wheel
bearings?

I'm in Europe, and I use EBC brakes for my 300SEL (W140) with very
good results. They come in different qualities, and I use "Turbo
Groove discs" and "Red Stuff" pads. For W126 500SEL it would be:

- Front discs:
http://www.ebcbrakeshop.co.uk/mercedesbenz-500-w126-saloon--coupe-19851991-ebc-brakes-turbogroove-discs-front-gd431_p1139245.htm

- Front pads: http://www.ebcbrakeshop.co.uk/mercedesbenz-w126-500-sel-19801991-redstuff-pads--rear-dp3104c_p1174243.htm

Discs are of high quality alloy with grooves to ensure cooling and to
lead dust away, and pads are ceramic for better performance and low
dust.

Prices are somewhat higher than the cheap stuff around but not much
higer than original MB parts and absolutely worth the extra.

[Jens]

Post by Jens

Post by t***@optonline.net

Post by mercs
hello,
my friend has been having trouble with front brake rotors warping.
I've been told by several mechanics (and suppliers) the chinese parts
are the source of this problem.
not all manufacturers but too many get rotors made in china.
the result is cheap quality rotors that warp easy (less than 10k
miles).
So, what is a good quality rotor that is in fact NOT made in china?
I'm thinking of either asking for original mercedes rotors or looking
for very high quality after-market rotors (high performance).  Does
anyone know what AMG uses for brakes?  I was wondering about upgrading
and getting the better quality brakes AMG uses, but don't know too
much about this.
I saw R1 concepts on ebay doing a search for 500 sel brake rotors.
Are these any good??
Thank you

I think there are only a couple, if that, of manufacturers making
rotors in the USA.  And it also depends on what you mean by made in
the USA, as some companies also import raw castings from overseas and
then finish them here.   Who the remaining ones are and what brand
names they may be marketed under, I don't know.   And then there is
the issue of if they make rotors for that particular car.  I think
it's going to be very difficult to figure this out, unless someone
here knows for sure the rotors they bought were in fact cast and
finished in the USA.  Your friend may have to buy the rotors direct
from MB.  Today, I'm not sure even that means they were not made in
China.
But, I see where you're coming from and if I were having problems, I
would probably be looking for the same solution.   It's possible that
there is something unique about those particular rotors that makes
them more susceptable to warping or harder to manufacture.   But with
the overwhelming amount of aftermarket rotors coming from China or
other foreign suppliers, if there was a serious warping issue in
general, there would be a huge problem on all kinds of cars. But
apparently there is not.   I've used a variety of generic aftermarket
rotors on my 300SD, as well on various Detroit cars without any
problems.   From my understanding, a prime cause of warping is
incorrect torquing of the lug nuts.  Also, it may depend on how one
drives and how much aggressive braking is done.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

You don't mentioned which 500SEL it is (W126 og W140).
In any case, are you sure it is disc warping and not worn wheel
bearings?
I'm in Europe, and I use EBC brakes for my 300SEL (W140) with very
good results. They come in different qualities, and I use "Turbo
- Front discs:http://www.ebcbrakeshop.co.uk/mercedesbenz-500-w126-saloon--coupe-198...
- Front pads:http://www.ebcbrakeshop.co.uk/mercedesbenz-w126-500-sel-19801991-reds...
Discs are of high quality alloy with grooves to ensure cooling and to
lead dust away, and pads are ceramic for better performance and low
dust.
Prices are somewhat higher than the cheap stuff around but not much
higer than original MB parts and absolutely worth the extra.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -

Sorry, link to pads was for rear brakes.

Anyway, EBC is US based and here is link to their catalogue:

http://www.ebcbrakes.com/Assets/EBC-2011-USA-Auto-Catalogue.pdf

On the site you will also find information on stores/online sales.

[benzaholic]

Post by mercs
hello,
my friend has been having trouble with front brake rotors warping.
I've been told by several mechanics (and suppliers) the chinese parts
are the source of this problem.
not all manufacturers but too many get rotors made in china.
the result is cheap quality rotors that warp easy (less than 10k
miles).
So, what is a good quality rotor that is in fact NOT made in china?
I'm thinking of either asking for original mercedes rotors or looking
for very high quality after-market rotors (high performance). Does
anyone know what AMG uses for brakes? I was wondering about upgrading
and getting the better quality brakes AMG uses, but don't know too
much about this.
I saw R1 concepts on ebay doing a search for 500 sel brake rotors.
Are these any good??
Thank you

On my previous 300CE, I had good results with the ATE rotors from Rusty Cullens' buymbparts.biz.
He's got the star-slotted ATEs for about 82 bucks a piece at http://www.buymbparts.biz/item.wws?sku=W0133-1614142&itempk=10804&mfr=ATE%20Premium%20One&weight=13.50

or the regular ATE discs for under 70
http://www.buymbparts.biz/item.wws?sku=W0133-1614142&itempk=10803&mfr=ATE&weight=14.33

I also second the note about being careful with torqueing the lug bolts.

[Tiger]

First of all, you need to get the full history of the car. If your friend
say he keep warping the rotors every 30,000 miles... then ask him what kind
of driving he does? Ultra City driving or mostly highway?

Find out what kind of brake pad he is using? Believe it or not... factory
pads and replacements are the worse offenders. Better choices are ceramic
brake pads. I prefer Akebono.

If your friend say he warped the rotors at 100,000 miles... tha is
completely normal... you have worn out the rotor already.

As for what kind of rotors to buy? I perfer slotted rotors... such as ATE
Premium One... they have slots that allows the brake pads to exhaust the
superheated gas... thereby faster stopping and less braking needed for same
stopping condition.

Standard solid rotors are horrible in my opinion... It just take much harder
and longer to stop... therefore quicker warping.

There are all sorts of other maladies that can cause warping... such as
stuck brake pistons... that creates drags.... and super heat the rotors...
you will find bluish tinge on the rotor or you simply cannot spin the wheel
as easily as other wheels on the car.

So it is not just the matter of what rotors to buy. If you are in US. I'd
suggest you shop for best deal for what you are looking for. Rockauto is a
good choice to gauge prices. AutohausAZ is good source of standard rotors.
BMAparts has wider choices... and many other websites.... such as Partgeeks.

[mercs]

Post by Tiger
First of all, you need to get the full history of the car. If your friend
say he keep warping the rotors every 30,000 miles... then ask him what kind
of driving he does? Ultra City driving or mostly highway?
Find out what kind of brake pad he is using? Believe it or not... factory
pads and replacements are the worse offenders. Better choices are ceramic
brake pads. I prefer Akebono.
If your friend say he warped the rotors at 100,000 miles... tha is
completely normal... you have worn out the rotor already.
As for what kind of rotors to buy? I perfer slotted rotors... such as ATE
Premium One... they have slots that allows the brake pads to exhaust the
superheated gas... thereby faster stopping and less braking needed for same
stopping condition.
Standard solid rotors are horrible in my opinion... It just take much harder
and longer to stop... therefore quicker warping.
There are all sorts of other maladies that can cause warping... such as
stuck brake pistons... that creates drags.... and super heat the rotors...
you will find bluish tinge on the rotor or you simply cannot spin the wheel
as easily as other wheels on the car.
So it is not just the matter of what rotors to buy. If you are in US. I'd
suggest you shop for best deal for what you are looking for. Rockauto is a
good choice to gauge prices. AutohausAZ is good source of standard rotors.
BMAparts has wider choices... and many other websites.... such as Partgeeks.

Wow!!
Thank you so much all of you for the excellent advice :)
I did some research and the local mechanic has access to ATE rotors
(with slots). I think I'll suggest these to him and make a note to
point out the torque of the wheel lugs. I'll also see about the brake
pads!

You guys are awesome!!

Oskar