OEM Rotors & Drums

Standard Brake Rotors and Brake Drums

Standard or Premium, what are the differences?

Standard or "Replacement" brake rotors and drums are made to vehicle manufacturer original equipment specifications. More specifically, they're designed to match factory dimensions, thickness, materials, mounting points, and other important criteria. Generally, they are not made of exotic materials to match OE levels of braking operation and longevity. They bolt on just like original parts so no modifications are necessary for installation.

• Non-Directional Finishes
• Machined non-friction surfaces
• Basic standard metallurgy
• Effective, budget friendly replacements that do the job
  
  

Premium Brake Rotors and Brake Drums

Premium rotors and drums often made to a higher standard than OEM equipment.

They can utilize an electrocoating finish that provides long-lasting corrosion protection. Phosphate finishes utilized by OEM equipment provide only minimal protection from the elements; these finishes are generally only effective for the shipping and storage portion of a rotor’s life. The addition of heat and moisture eliminates the effectiveness of phosphate finishes, resulting in immediate corrosion once installed in the vehicle.

Premium rotos and drums can also feature advanced metallurgy like high carbon alloy that greatly reduces the possibility of pad squeal, especially with higher friction, European-style brake pad compounds. Proprietary Molybdenum and Chromium alloys resist cracking in high-heat situations and increase friction couple for improved braking power and stopping performance.

• Double disc ground, taper free finish for more effective break-in
• Mill-balanced to reduce feedback such as vibrations
• Advanced metallurgy
• Geomet or Electocoating
• High quality replacement components that provide quieter and smoother stops
  
  

Two types of traditional braking systems

There are two different main types of traditional braking systems used on modern cars and trucks: "drum brake systems" and "disc brake systems". While both set-ups use a friction material pressed against a rotating object to provide stopping power, they share almost no parts or part names.

Disc brake systems
Disc brake systems use a disc, also known as a rotor, which rotates along with your wheels and tires. To stop the rotation, brake pads, located within a brake caliper, press against the two sides of the disc or rotor. The caliper provides the force to clamp the pads against the rotor using hydraulic pressure. The resulting friction slows down the disc, slowing down the vehicle. Disc brakes are very efficient. They allow for lots of air to circulate around the rotor, which carries away the tremendous heat generated from the friction.

Drum brake systems
Drum brake systems, which pre-date disc brakes, use different wheel brake components. The rotating part here is the brake drum; the drum mounts over a pair of brake shoes, and the shoes, which contain the friction surface and are secured to a backing plate mounted inside the drum.

While a very simple set-up, drum brakes do not shed heat with the same efficiency as disc brakes. However due to their low cost of manufacturing many carmakers still continue to use drum brakes at the rear of vehicles to cut down overall production costs.

Whether you choose our standard or premium brake rotors or drums, you can be sure that you are getting proven, high quality components.