SoKrispe

Ok so here the scoop. It seems that no matter what i do in my 07 SS/SC i keep going through a set of front rotors pretty often. I understand that this is probably because of my driving and fast/hard breaking habits. I put a set of NAPA rotors on my car about this time last year and they have already warped and it is time to get a new set. I am to the point where i strongly think that i need to get a set of racing pads and rotors.

Does anyone have any opinions, advice or know of where i can look to find a good set?


Thank you for your time.

Chris

07cobalt_LT

hawk hps pads and ebc 3gd rotors

never had issues running strong for over a year now

alleycat58

It's either something with your driving style or something wrong with the car. I road race my car 2-3 times a year and drive fairly aggressively as far as braking goes and so far I've gotten about 50,000 miles out of my front rotors, but it's time to replace them. I went with the Raybestos Professional OEM replacement rotors.

Just FYI if you go with "racing" pads (read - more aggressive friction material), you'll go through rotors even faster than you do now. Just something to keep in mind.

Are you still on stock pads? I ask because the stock pad/rotor aren't a good match for each other, the stock pad tends to really eat up the stock rotors. I switched to Hawk HPS (a mid-range pad, more aggressive than stock, but without the annoyance of brake squeal or having to heat up full race pads) with the aforementioned Raybestos rotors and have had awesome luck with that setup.

07cobalt_LT

i found oem gm pads warped rotors really quickly even higher end rotors.

as soon as i switched to hawk hps no issues

alleycat58

tr00f. Don't know what engineer was put in charge of selecting the brake combination, but they suck at what they do.

07cobalt_LT

i think its whatever compound they use in them.

ive found that brake temps are alot higher using oem pads, even after a regular drive

Omnigear

iTrader: (4)

ced brembo kit

DSmastery

iTrader: (5)

down shift and rev match


i never brake

ForsakenOutlaw57

I've actually had nothing but issues with my rotors. When I brake I brake smoothly and lightly and never jam on the brakes. I don't ride the brakes and I don't race either. I put a new set of rotors on the car in July '09 and they warped. I put a new set on this past October. They're warped already. There's definitely something wrong with the car. I'd say pads but I put on a new set of Wagner pads on in July '09 and when I took them off in October '10 they had so much meat on them they were practically new. I put on a set of EBC Greenstuff this time and they still have plenty of meat. Rotors are expensive, I can't be replacing them. I need to get to the bottom of this and yes I'm using OEM rotors.

rallyracer

same here! LOL

ForsakenOutlaw57

Well I'm taking mine in tomorrow because the front pulsation is pretty bad and, to add to it, there's something wrong on the rears. It sounds like a dying cat or something when I brake and there's a rubbing sound. Honestly WTF is with this car, it's such a cheap POS. I've been trying to really avoid going the slotted & cross drilled route but I can't be spending the money to cut rotors every 6 months.

SoKrispe

When changed my rotors this past year i replaced the pads as well. OFC the guy told me that the napa pads were perfect for the rotors. I can honestly say that i don't jam, mash or anything of the sort when i am breaking. I looked for a set of brembos but i though i saw something about them but when i look i cant find any. Are they the same as the ones that go on the newer cobalts? i looked into the HAWK pads with EBC rotors and they looked legit. I was just wondering if anyone had any other opinions or input on my situation before i cash out.

alleycat58

You need to solve your brake issues before you put on slotted and drilled rotors. If you have excessive heat building up, which is what usually kills rotors, you're going to be buying new slotted and drilled rotors twice as often as you are with blanks. When they get hot, they don't groove or wear uneven, they just crack. As for the rears, if you still have meat left on the pads, it sounds like you might have a caliper sticking.


Brembos will require either spaces or new wheels. They are the same as the 08+ SS's.

ForsakenOutlaw57

Well got the car back. Nothing wrong with the braking system. Listen to this one. The EBC GreenStuff pads had less surface area than the OEM Wearever Gold Autozone brakes that I previously had on the car. The rotors in the front were fine. The pads actually warped the **** out of the rear rotors...

Now isn't that something strange. Now I know a lot of people who swear by Hawk but the same amount swear by EBC so now I'm lost.

Pads wise there is plenty of meat on the EBC pads and I had kept the Wearever Gold pads that I removed in Oct because htey had plenty of meat on them (like new after 1 1/2 years almost) so they're back on the car now. We'll evaluate how this works now.

alleycat58

EBC has really gone downhill the past few years. Back when I had my Cavalier, it seemed like everyone and their brother ran EBCs. I've known two people with Deltas (one Cobalt, one ION) who tried EBC and had terrible luck with them.

ForsakenOutlaw57

Yeah so really do I want their slotted & cross drilled rotors now? No would be an inclination.

Dezod

QFT!

You may want to one, see if there are any mechanical issues that could be causing premature failure of your brakes. Check slide pins, pads being loaded into caliper unevenly, sticky calipers etc....If nothing, then check your driving habits......See above comment there.........Then, if all else, consider a pad compound to suit your driving needs.

Dezod

NEVER had good luck with EBC. Even back 15 years ago.....Always where terrible.

JimHarr18

just changed my rotors. rears where on their way out, decided to change the fronts while i was at it as well. new pads all around. in 5+ years and 59,500 miles on my '06 ss/sc, i had only changed the front pads. so either it's your driving, or somethings up with your car.

and as people said, the more aggresive the pad (ie: a racing pad), the better they'll bite, but the quicker you'll use them.

this is the exact setup i just installed. i also installed ottp braided caliper hoses as well.

ForsakenOutlaw57

I don't like that the rear's are smaller than the front's. Can you put front rotors on the rear or would that just not fit?

alleycat58

It would technically fit but why would you do it? I think the brake bias is pretty good on these cars the way it is, I wouldn't think you'd need the extra braking surface in the rear unless you really wanted to put more bias towards the rear somehow.

JimHarr18

if the brakes weren't that good from factory, i'd say it may be something to look into. you will probably disagree with me, but the factory brakes were great. really no reason to upgrade the rotors.

ForsakenOutlaw57

Just wondering because of what I just had to deal with on my brakes.

I wanted performance pads on the car because that's really the one thing I don't go OEM on, generally. I like the better pads because I want to stop better if I have to and what not. So it was EBC or Hawk, the two of them had the same amount of fanbois and haters so I flipped a coin really and definitely lost. I may just go to HPS Hawk now.

JimHarr18

got hps pads, not the ceramic ones. still working on breaking in the new rotors and pads and whatnot, but the little that i've gotten on them, then feel really nice so far! should be great once the rotors get some wear on them.

ForsakenOutlaw57

With EBC on a Unknown list any other slotted rotors people would recommend?