I noticed some drilled front rotors for my '99 on eBay. Anybody try these yet? Recommendations?

 

Drilled rotors are much more likely to crack. Try to find some slotted(only) ones...

Do you actually "need" them? I believe the reason for drilling, and I know the reason for slotting, is to prevent gas from building up between the pads and disk.

Mike

 

You'll get better stopping power but both drilled and slotted rotors will wear your pads out faster. I've never found my Caravan to be lacking in the stopping department and see no reason to try new rotors. I prefer having the strength and reliability of stock rotors. I think if you check you'll also find those rotors are imported from Communist China and poorly made.

 

I dunno, our stock rotors go every 15-20k miles, these cars really take a beating(aproaching $6k in warrenty work). My dad told me the only reason he continued to buy em was because of his objections to SUVs, which he now overcame due to there durability and better fuel economy. I see a shiny new MDX in our future.

You would probably be better off upping the rotor size, or putting in 4 piston calipers.

Mike

 

Well, quality is always a concern for all of us no matter what country the parts come from. Nobody wants cheap parts (okay, some people might), but I have had issues with the current OEM front rotors. They keep warping on me. Okay, quick review... Warping is due to heat. Enough heat and the rotors can "deform". Solution? Turn the rotors. Problem? Still stuck with the same rotors that now have less material. Solution 2. Buy new rotors. If I go OEM, they'll be expensive and may perform the same as my first set. If I buy aftermarket I might get a good pair, I might not. Solution 3. Buy a different style of rotors. Thus, that's where the slotted or drilled rotors come in. Slotted are "cool" (they have "bling") but they "slice" the pads in order to reduce the glaze build-up. Great for braking, not good for durability. Great for race cars that will change brakes between races, not good for daily drivers. Drilled rotors? The main purpose is to eliminate heat build-up faster. Cracking problem? Yeah, if you're racing. Any of you race your mini-vans? Daily driving? Daily driviers don't usually build up enough heat in the rotors to cause severe cracking problems. The assumption is that a mini-van with drilled rotors MIGHT experience less problems since they get rid of heat better than stock (non-drilled) rotors. As for where they're made? If it was a complicated electronic gizmo costing big bucks? Yeah, I may be a little worried (that's why they sell extended warranties). A brake rotor? One piece item? I'm not too worried. Heck, they're cheaper than OEM. Quality? Don't know yet. Might not be great. Might knock my socks off.

My bigger concern is how easy/hard it is to remove the front rotor on the mini-van. If it is relatively easy, I may go for it. I can always have the original rotors turned and keep them as a back-up in case I do end up experiencing problems. Anybody tell me how easy it is to remove the rotor? Do you have to mess with "unpressing" the bearings? Hope not. That would suck.

[8D]

 

I won't buy unbranded tools that have "Made in China" stamped on them. Why? Because they're crap. The quality control is atrocious, the castings are poor and they break! I wouldn't feel comfortable buying something as important as a brake rotor from the same folks. If you don't like Mopar, look for Brembo, Wagner or Raybestos rotors. Stay away from the unbranded stuff. Even if the Brembos are made in China, you can expect better quality control. The Chinese Communists may eventually get their act together but I'm not willing to risk it right now.

As long as they aren't rusted on, the rotors pop right off. Remove the wheel and the caliper and yank it off. You don't have to remove the hub to change rotors on a Caravan. It's a 15 minute job.

I never cut rotors. If they're scored enough to need it, I just toss them out. They're cheap enough that it's not worth your while to have them cut.

 

I found out that these rotors were manufactured in Canada. Now what do you guys think?

 

In that case, if I wanted to switch to that type of rotor, I'd give 'em a shot. OEM Caravan rotors are also made there.(along with the rest of the van)