Brake Disks - which manufacturer?

[zcacogp]

Chaps,

Quickie. My S2 is producing some slightly unusual effects when you use the brakes and I'm thinking it's time for some new pads and disks up front, and possibly some new pads at the back while I am at it.

The cheapest supplier seems to be carparts4less (vile name!) who are the cheap front-end to Euro Car Parts. They are currently offering the following in terms of front disks;

Pagid. L/R not interchangable. £59.
(Another) Pagid. L/R interchangeable. £43.

ATE. L/R not interchangable. £72.

Sebro. L/R interchangeable. £60.
(Another) Sebro. L/R not interchangable. £72.
(Yet another) Sebro, "Sport brake disk set, crossdrilled". £98.

I can understand the non-interchangeability of the disks being due to the vents being angled or spiral (as opposed to simply radial) and hence a bit more expensive. How much difference does this really make in practice?

Also, I am assuming that the Sebro crossdrilled 'set' is probably a mistake in the advertising, and that is the price each and not for a pair of them.

So, for a road-used S2 with standard brakes (not M030), which would you choose? Cheapo Pagids for £43 a pop or expensive crossdrilled Sebros for £98 each? Or something in between. My inclination is to go for the Pagids (£43) or cheapest Sebros (£60), but not for any logical reason. The advice always used to be to avoid Zimmerman disks, but I haven't actually seen those on sale for a while.

While we're at it, Pagid pads at £46 an axle look good to me. Anyone able to suggest anything better?

Thanks,


Oli.

 

[Veerzigzag]

EBC discs and their "Redstuff" pads have always been good for my cars, including my 944

 

[Super_Marv]

Blanc Sebro discs and Pagid pads sound like a good combo to me.

I've got the drilled Sebros on my 968 for the last 4 years. First time I've tried drilled discs on my car, don't think they make any difference.

 

[zcacogp]

Chaps, thanks.

Prymaka, where do you get EBC disks from?

Super_Marv, thanks. Why Sebro disks? Do they work better, or last longer, or some other reason? And what do you mean by "blanc"? The L/R-interchangable ones?

Does anyone know who the original manufacturer for Porsche was?


Oli.

 

[Copperman05]

ORIGINAL: zcacogp
And what do you mean by "blanc"?
Oli.

I think he means the solid disks as in not drilled.


Edd

 

[chrisg]

Oli

IMHO, for standard road discs I'd use standard discs and pads and unless the brand/ product is very poor/suspect (not fitted different brands so can't comment) I'd go for the cheapest option.

I know you've done you calipers/ SS plates recently so that won't be an issue on your car, you will be surprised and impressed with how good a new set of pads/discs feels under braking, particularly once they're bedded in.

Chris

 

[edh]

I agree with Chris

anyway, as you live in London, you will never be travelling at over 30mph, so brakes aren't really a priority []

I bought Pagids for our Audi A2 - very cheap from ECP (Using one of those 30% off codes). They are fine on that car although it's hardly a "performance" car

I'd always thought the non-interchangeable discs were the M030 size with curved vanes?

 

[Veerzigzag]

Prymaka, where do you get EBC disks from?

Direct from EBC - if you Google EBC Brakes direct, it will list the site.

 

[zcacogp]

Chaps,

Thanks for your answers.

Edd - Yes, that's what I guessed.

Chris - Great technical input, as usual. Thanks. I'm with you in that I am struggling to understand what I get for spending more money on them. If I'm not going for the drilled ones - more hassle that it's worth, as confirmed by Super_Marv - then it's down to the extra cooling offered by having directional venting vanes (as edh said, I thought these were only an option on the M030 ones) which I am a little dubious about, or spending extra on Brand X over Brand Y.

There is an additional appeal in buying the cheapest ones in that they are made by the same people as make the pads (pagid), and you would hope that they make their kit to work well together.

edh - living in London - yes, indeed!


Oli.

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: Prymaka
Direct from EBC - if you Google EBC Brakes direct, it will list the site.

Thanks - that's helpful. It comes back with a price of £150 (inc VAT) for a pair. So more expensive than most of the car parts 4 less options but not outrageously so.


Oli.

 

[944Turbo]

ORIGINAL: Prymaka

EBC discs and their "Redstuff" pads have always been good for my cars, including my 944

Never got on with redstuff on the 944, green were ok and I find yellow a pretty good / price performance compromise - you need to cook them though or they squeal!

 

[david924s]

I replaced the fronts on my S2 with Sebro discs and Mintex std pads, total price less than £140 when using the Eurocar parts 30% discount that was on at the time, pads were less than £30 work really well or good enough for my style of std road driving.

 

[944 man]

Id sooner use my handbrake than fit EBC products.

 

[Hilux]

ORIGINAL: 944 man

Id sooner use my handbrake than fit EBC products.

Tea spat all over the keyboard...................[]

You`re not wrong!

Standard discs and Textar (OEM) pads are fine and perfectly adequate if its ordinary road use, dont go too cheap on the pads.

 

[Super_Marv]

ORIGINAL: Copperman05

ORIGINAL: zcacogp
And what do you mean by "blanc"?
Oli.

I think he means the solid disks as in not drilled.


Edd

Yep, sorry, I meant blank, not blanc!

I like the Sebro discs because quality wise, they're every bit as good as genuine Porsche supplied discs, only they're a fair chunk of money cheaper.

I'd buy the discs which the vanes are handed left and right - it's what Porsche specified the car to have!

Haven't tried the Pagid discs on my 968, but I've got them on my Golf and quality wise, they've been perfectly fine.

 

[zcacogp]

ORIGINAL: Super_Marv
I like the Sebro discs because quality wise, they're every bit as good as genuine Porsche supplied discs, only they're a fair chunk of money cheaper.

Why - were Sebro the ones who supplied the original disks to Porsche for original fit?

ORIGINAL: Super_Marv
I'd buy the discs which the vanes are handed left and right - it's what Porsche specified the car to have!

Not sure that this is the case - PET lists one part number for both sides (951 351 041), with two of them being required. (The M758 option brings different part numbers for each side, and I guess that M030 will as well, but mine is boggo standard.)

I'm becoming more and more inclined to save the extra pennies and buy the cheapest Pagid ones, as well as a set of Pagid pads.


Oli.

 

[944Turbo]

I have pagid pads and discs from ECP on my Audi (a6 3.0tdi) and quite pleased with them. They work fine and are wearing much better than whatever was on before.
Tony

 

[zcacogp]

Great, thanks Tony, that's decided then!

Out of curiosity, does anyone know what happened to Zimmerman? As long as they weren't bought out by Pagid then I reckon I'm OK. []


Oli.

 

[T911UK]

The info on ECP or Carparts4less is poor at best

As Oli quotes, S2 discs are not handed. The Sebro cross drilled ones are handed in as much as they "look" handed ie the holes go in different directions even though the vents dont!

Pagid discs and pads are a great value package on a road car

Porsche discs are made by SHW

Not many people stock Zimmerman anymore, Pagid and Sebro have knocked them along way off the perch

 

[Veerzigzag]

EBC discs and their "Redstuff" pads have always been good for my cars, including my 944

- my comment

Id sooner use my handbrake than fit EBC products.

- a tea-spluttering reply
Sorry to have suggested that EBC items are OK - I obviously don't drive fast enough..