Ouch! Please suggest something less painful!

[nfpgasmask]

Beej, that's quite alright, I'm sure I have jacked a thread or two of yours in the past! And besides, we are still on the right subject here. Probably next week I am going to place an order with R1 for a full set of brakes and rotors. I will also be getting my front wheel bearing repacked at the same time. I will keep you all posted on how it goes.

And yes, the $229 price tag on R1's product is very good indeed, especially since new brakes and rotors from Merlin were an upwards of $900, which is nutty to say the least.

I just want to make sure my VX is tip top, so I need to do this soon. But Xmas was a little rough on my bank account.

Bart

Bart, apologies if this is hijacking your thread... but I have a question for R1 (or anybody else that might know).

Do you have to use the semi-metalic pads with the R1 rotors, or will use of the ceramic Isuzu OEM pads work fine with them? Explain.

Thanks.

-biju.

[kpaske]

Hey Bart,

I went through a similar decision making process a few months ago and I decided to go with the following:

SP Performance Rotors:
Front: Diamond Slotted
Rear: Slotted

SP Performance Street Pads

http://www.sfxperformance.com/parts/...tems/index.htm

I chose these because they came recommended by several of the veterans of this site, and seemed like the best bang for the buck. Unfortunately, they would not do Diamond Slots on the rear rotors (and wouldn't explain why), but otherwise I think this is the best deal available if you can afford them.

P.S. - No discredit is meant towards R1, BTW. I have never used them, nor know anything about them, besides the fact that a few members here have expressed good results with them. I've never heard anything bad about them and they are very reasonably priced.

[r1concepts]

No worries... how much did you spend on them?

[kpaske]

No worries... how much did you spend on them?

For all four rotors and pad sets I spent about $500, IIRC.

[PHO2GR4]

Cool! Battle of the Monster Rotors! Cage-match!

I've also heard really good things about R1Concepts. I'm following this thread with great interest because at 63k, my brakes already feel mushy and blehhhhhhh.

I'll probably go new with all four wheels, and I trust that YOU GUYS will make up my mind on the best way to go!

Okay, back to the debate...

[kpaske]

Yeah, we're an opinionated bunch, aren't we?

I think a lot of us come to a consensus on "what's best" for the VX because the options are limited, and there are often clear differences in the products being offered. I always come here for advice first because 99.9% of the time someone else has already done something similar to what I want to do.

Even then, it pays to do some research on your own and decide whether the most popular solution (or what one might claim is "the best" solution) is right for you in your situation.

PHO2GR4 - If your brake pedal feels mushy you should consider steel braided brake lines. Results vary, but some have experienced dramatic improvements over stock, and it's a relatively inexpensive upgrade.

[ZEUS]

Maybe someone else has heard this before, knows something about it, and can set me straight... To my understanding, drilled rotors are not suited for those of us who go offroad. I have read about small rocks getting wedged in the holes of vented rotors and ruining things. It would seem if this were to happen it would happen more often in rally, but I don't read up on rally very much so I am not sure where I heard it. Anyone have any comments on this?

[nfpgasmask]

Well, I just ordered a full set of brake pads and rotors from R1.

Hopefully they will ship soon! I can't wait to get these on so I can start driving like a maniac again! (I have been taking it easy cause I know my pads are worn down pretty bad right now).

Bart