Ouch! Please suggest something less painful!

[biju]

bart... by all means, if you can please do. I just got pulled into a 9:30pm Asia Pacific video conference so looks like tonight's out for me.

Thanks man.

-biju.

[nfpgasmask]

Sure man!

Bart

bart... by all means, if you can please do. I just got pulled into a 9:30pm Asia Pacific video conference so looks like tonight's out for me.

Thanks man.

-biju.

[r1concepts]

Sure, PM them over when u get the chance.

[nfpgasmask]

OK, even with the sun shining today, it was difficult to get a good quality pic of the rotors through my Chambers. There isn't much room to see through.

This is the pic that came out the best:



As you can kinda see, the surface of the rotor is clearly not silver anymore, but now has a brownish tinge to it.

Other than that, these brakes and rotors seem to perform just fine. I have purposefully tried braking hard on a few down hill stops to see how well they bite, and they do seem to need a little extra pressure, but otherwise work just fine.

So, R1, any ideas what this brown discoloration is from? I'm sure its nothing to really worry about, but if you could shed some light that would be excellent...

Thanks - Bart

[MSHardeman]

Biju,

Is there any update on the rotors? I was thinking of replacing pads and rotors when I got under the VX to repack the front bearings (might also paint the calipers too). Are they working fine? Has the browning gone away? What's your overall opinion?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[nfpgasmask]

Hopefully Beej will reply also.

I have had the R1 Rotors and pads on now for about 2 weeks. The browning is still there, and we have had no response from R1 regarding this. So, I don't know what to say about that.

As for performance, I'm on the fence. It seems like with everyday normal driving on FLAT surfaces, the brakes work fine. But just yesterday, I was driving through the mountains and one a winding road going downhill, the guy in front of me slowed down to make a turn with no signal real fast. I started braking and the brakes were not gripping very good on the downhill. I actually got a little scared for a second. So, I don't know, I mean, is it the weight of the VX that was causing this? Or brakes that don't bite as hard as they should? Or is it an anti-lock issue? If I am going down a moderatly steep hill at say 30mph, and I JAM HARD on my brakes, should they lock up my wheels? I didn't like the feeling that my brakes were not working very well. Its almost like I need to STAND on the pedal to make the brakes grip as hard as I felt they should. Could it also just be that the brakes are new and need a little more time to break in?

Bart

Biju,

Is there any update on the rotors? I was thinking of replacing pads and rotors when I got under the VX to repack the front bearings (might also paint the calipers too). Are they working fine? Has the browning gone away? What's your overall opinion?

Inquiring minds want to know.

[biju]

mark: my final opinion >> worth the money.

i mean, they were only a couple hundo for the set - so i can't complain. great looks, equal if not slightly better performance than the oem's (but could be due to new pads).

the browning? it seems to be gradually getting less and less noticeable - although still slightly there. i have a feeling it will continue to decrease (*crossing fingers*).

because my garage is down to one vx i find that I'm braking much more often these days, being extra careful/mindful of traffic around me. brakes work just fine and feel really solid - i'm confident.

would i buy them again with the same budget? >> yes.

bart: i'm not a gear head/mechanic - but maybe an adjustment is in order? - or possibly low brake fluid?? ... just a thought.

-biju.

[kpaske]

any ideas what this brown discoloration is from?

I think it's probably rust. If it's only on the surface where the pad wears away at the rotor, it's nothing to worry about as it will be scraped off each time you brake. Does some of the discoloration go away after you drive it, then build back up over night?

[Joe_Black]

I'm leaning towards heat discoloration as they shouldn't rust up overnight as the pad keeps the surface polished. If it's a bronze sort of brown there's likely some issues with the alloys the rotors are made from, meaning they could be re-branded seconds.

[VehiGAZ]

Any news on the R1 rotors?

I ask because my recent brake job didn't last - the rear rotors that I had replaced in November (with pads, $890!!!) have warped. Can you believe that?! I am pee-ossed!!

If the dealer doesn't replace them for free, I'm going to need some options. The $30 Autozone specials are looking pretty good right now!