Sebring Silvur

Hi All,

Had my S2000 for about a month now and I guess it's no secret that the brake rotors rust. I had this problem on my Prelude. I used an aftermarket set of rotors that were cross-drilled and had some sort of gold colored plating on them. After a couple thousand miles they rusted too (not just on the pad contact area). Is there any aftermarket rotor that will TRULY not rust, as a stock replacement for the S2000? I really like the wave rotors that Rick has to offer, but it seems that he only has a stock replacement for the rear and not the front. I'd like all four rotors to match. Any info/advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

AusS2000

Check out the DBA rotors. They sound like what you had on the Prelude.

cthree

2 answers to your question:

1) Not ones that you would want
2) Not ones you could likely afford

They rust because they are cast iron. So do BMW rotors, Porsche rotors, Ferrari rotors and even those on the MacLaren F1. The only rotors I can think of worth sheet that don't rust are carbon rotors which is not an option.

The solution to rusty rotors is a) buy new ones, they have painted hats and b) drive around the block. They don't rust because they are crap, they rust because they are good. If they didn't you would have cause to worry.

docofmind

Cthree are you serious? My rotors are cadmium plated and will not rust on the hub like the factory rotors.
In addition, the blanks i use are manufactured here in North America which means more carbon in the rotor which means harder and longer lasting rotors for you

You guys can either hit me up or Schatten from IDI for more info on these rotors. We offer them in many patterns as well.

MajorHavoc

I just installed a set of these rotors from Docofmind!!!

dwb1

We offer racing rotor replacements for the stock S-2000 rotors . We use the wave design in the rear ( to reduce weight ) and a curved vane , directional , thermally treated cast iron heavy duty racing rotor for the front . Both rotors are Zinc plated for corrosion protection . The plating will wear off where pad wears , but the rest of the rotor remains rust free .
The hats that hold these rotors are forged aluminum with nickel plating , rotors are mounted to hats with safety wired bolts and stainless steel bushings .
Rick's car has a Wave front cast iron rotor on at this time , he will be installing a Wave steel rotor this weekend . We have the capability to manufacture a steel Wave rotor in the stock S-2000 size if there is a need .
Our components have been tested on the race track for more miles, than any other after market kit , and they work . The S-2000 in the Sport Compact Car October issue , the supercharged one ( davepk ) has our big brake kit on it ( this includes the rear wave rotors ) he has over 3,000 TRACK miles with no problems .

See kit at : http://www.ricks2k.com/products/brakes.html

brad
Pinnacle Braking Systems

hoof

Do you want rotors that don't rust for looks, or because you feel that rusting degrades their performance/longevity? As cthree pointed out, the rusting has almost zero effect upon longevity or performance, while cast-iron rotors have some significant advantages over most other non-rusting rotors (due to the properties of cast iron on heat absorption and dissipitation if I've got my facts right).

I agree, looking at my rotors after a night of rain does make me feel that my car picked up some disease but one or two brakings from speed usually clears them up good.

jeffbrig

It isn't just the rotors. I'm in South Florida, and the S is my daily driver. After a good rain, not only are the rotars orange, but I also find orange stains where the water drips onto the inside of the rims. I guess the brake dust has enough metal content to turn rusty when it gets wet. It comes right off when you wash, but it sure doesn't look good after it happens.

Jeff

dwb1

Yes you are correct , the plating is just for looks . It does not improve performance at all . In fact , when you first install plated rotors , they will not work correctly until the plating is worn off the pad wear area .
Keep in mind that the way rotors are treated before and after machining , makes a big difference , on the rotors ultimate ability to perform . A set of stock used rotors that have been used for a few thousand miles , then the surfaces trued up will perform better than most new stock rotors.
The casting and machining process puts stresses in the rotor casting , driving a car hard will heat rotors up and change the rotors properties ( the wear surfaces will not be true "warped rotors") relieving these stresses before and after machining will deliver a new rotor , without the problems associated with new rotors .
Some people have found that the one piece design , does not allow rotors to be used safely in racing applications ( cracked rotors you can find some nasty pictures if you search ) . There is no way to design a one piece rotor that will allow the wear ring to run at 1,000 to 1,200 F and the center to run at 500 to 600 F with out stressing the casting . This leads to cracking of the outer ring . Most people are only running rotors between 600 to 900 on track events and on the street the stock rotor will work fine . You will find that people who take the stock brake system , including pads , to the track ,not only will you ruin their pads and boil their brake fluid , you will more than likely warp the rotors .
Install parts in your brake system that matches the way you use the car .
Spirited street driving : change fluid and move to hot street pads .
Some track days : move pads up to track pads ( change when you get to the track) unless you install track pads that can be run on the street.
Balls to the wall track driving : go to two piece racing rotors that improve heat rejection ( they have the ability to operate at higher temperatures ) and add cooling ducts as required in the front .

brad

cdelena

I have found that most plated rotors will lose the plating with heavy track use. I actually think that high temp paint holds up a little better although is still affected by the heat.