ECS vs. Girodisc replacement rotors

[Lento]

I bought a 2008 E93 back in October. The car is in good shape but it has a judder in the front brakes which is getting worse. I am considering replacing the stock rotors with an aftermarket two-piece direct replacement. Turner offers the ECS rotors and Bimmerworld recommends Girodiscs.

https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-3...s-pair-360x30/

https://www.bimmerworld.com/Front-Sl...sc-E9X-M3.html

Does anyone have any experience with either of these rotors, or any other recommendations? I am looking to keep the stock calipers and will probably be upgrading the hoses, guide rods and bushings, and pads for moderate street use on Vermont's twisty roads.

This is my first post on the forum. I did search to see if this topic has been covered and didn't find anything, but forgive me if I have overlooked anything.

Thanks!

[jasonturbo]

Experience with girodisk on a number of Porsche GT cars, high quality product, been track tested by MANY GT car owners on rennlist, these are the rotors everyone runs when they pull the PCCB rotors off their Porsche.

I can’t speak to the ECS units with any experience, but I get the impression they are primarily seeking to offer an aesthetically pleasing rotor, girodisk seeks to offer a high performance/reliable rotor.

[SAMM3Y]

The ECS Rotors will be great for your application the bimmerworld rotors will be more track focused. The BW rotors are also 40% more expensive that's significant enough to make you think about it, if the car isn't getting tracked I'd go cheaper.

Welcome to the forum! 😎

[pbonsalb]

I am not sure ECS offers replaceable rings. Maybe that has changed.

[Lento]

Thanks for the feedback everybody. Currently leaning towards the ECS because of the cost differential. As long as they hold up to some occasional heat I think that's all I need, at this point anyway.

Forgot to say, I love this car. I owned an E34 M5 years ago and I find the E93 reminds me of it in some ways -- the same reward for pushing the high-revving naturally aspirated engine up into the powerband and the same unflappable stability. But the newer M handles better and is much, much faster

[nissanite]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

I am not sure ECS offers replaceable rings. Maybe that has changed.

ECS descriptions the end says new rings are available on original buyers.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by nissanite

ECS descriptions the end says new rings are available on original buyers.

My question would be how much are new rings?

For anyone who tracks their car regularly knows that brake rotors and pads are frequently replaced items.

I kept my OEM rotors and I get them replaced from FCP with their warranty. It has saved me hundreds of dollars when I replace rotors. Remember that OEM is already a 2 piece floating rotor design that is track ready.

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by nissanite

ECS descriptions the end says new rings are available on original buyers.

I know ECS stated rings were replaceable with one version of their rotors and then refused or were unable to sell replacement rings and instead offered a discount on a new set of rotors. Maybe that has changed or maybe they improved their design or changed suppliers or whatever but based on how ECS acted previously, it’s worth looking into if your plan is to save money long term by replacing just rings.

[Richbot]

ECS was unable to replace the rings on my rear rotor set as originally promised. I was offered a (pretty small) credit toward a set of new ones instead. I did not take them up on that offer. They wore out just as fast as stock ones.

RB makes a set of front and rear rotors for these cars as well. I have a set of the rears on my car. they're something like 3.5lb lighter per rotor. So far they've held up great to street and track use.

[pbonsalb]

I’d buy the good stuff, not the ECS stuff. Plus the ECS stuff, the last time I checked, weighed about the same as stock parts. RB or PFC or Girodisc seem preferable.

[Bartledoo]

Originally Posted by Z K

My question would be how much are new rings?

For anyone who tracks their car regularly knows that brake rotors and pads are frequently replaced items.

I kept my OEM rotors and I get them replaced from FCP with their warranty. It has saved me hundreds of dollars when I replace rotors. Remember that OEM is already a 2 piece floating rotor design that is track ready.

Eh the oem aren't really floating.

[dparm]

GiroDisc is in a different league than the ECS stuff. There's a reason they cost so much more.

Honestly though, if you are not tracking the car, the OEM rotors are fine.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by Bartledoo

Eh the oem aren't really floating.

How so? They float on the pins that extend from the rotor ring into the hub. Just because it isn't two piece doesn't mean it's not floating.

[Richbot]

It's floating in the same way that the attachment of the rear subframe to the unibody is floating

Yeah, it *can* move, but it doesn't move freely and it isn't happy about it when it does

[m3heaven]

If you're just driving the car on the streets get whichever is cheaper.

If you plan on tracking get the Girodisc.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by Richbot

It's floating in the same way that the attachment of the rear subframe to the unibody is floating

Yeah, it *can* move, but it doesn't move freely and it isn't happy about it when it does

It's fine. I've been tracking on them for 10 years and yet to have a rotor warp due to heat expansion. It's a much better design than a non floating rotor.

Having used 3 sets of them, OEM rotors are also easy on the pocket book compared to these aftermarket rotors.

[Bartledoo]

Originally Posted by Z K

It's fine. I've been tracking on them for 10 years and yet to have a rotor warp due to heat expansion. It's a much better design than a non floating rotor.

Having used 3 sets of them, OEM rotors are also easy on the pocket book compared to these aftermarket rotors.

If you drive on the street a lot, full floating rotors are pretty awful noise-wise anyways, as I can attest to.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by Bartledoo

If you drive on the street a lot, full floating rotors are pretty awful noise-wise anyways, as I can attest to.

I ran racing brake 2 piece rotors on my Evo before for track and street commuting. I ran girodisc 2 piece rotors on another Evo I had. I burned through 3 sets of replacement rings with these set ups over dozens of track days.

The noise is associated with the slots in the rotors cutting the pads. The actual 2 piece design doesn't make any more noise than a normal rotor assuming you don't have any slots or holes on the rotors.

[Bartledoo]

Originally Posted by Z K

I ran racing brake 2 piece rotors on my Evo before for track and street commuting. I ran girodisc 2 piece rotors on another Evo I had. I burned through 3 sets of replacement rings with these set ups over dozens of track days.

The noise is associated with the slots in the rotors cutting the pads. The actual 2 piece design doesn't make any more noise than a normal rotor assuming you don't have any slots or holes on the rotors.

SYT_Shadow knows about the noise of full floating rotors (i.e. No belleville washers). The true two-piece fully floating design definitely makes more noise if you don't have the ring to hat interface spring-loaded or damped in some manner.

[SYT_Shadow]

Originally Posted by Bartledoo

SYT_Shadow knows about the noise of full floating rotors (i.e. No belleville washers). The true two-piece fully floating design definitely makes more noise if you don't have the ring to hat interface spring-loaded or damped in some manner.

Full floating is a lot of noise for sure.

The OEM rotors I think are great for anything short of lots of tracking

[pbonsalb]

Are stoptech full floating? I have front/rear ST40 on my E36M3 and they aren’t noisy.

[Bartledoo]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Are stoptech full floating? I have front/rear ST40 on my E36M3 and they aren’t noisy.

Not sure. On full floating rotors with traditional fasteners (PFC rear V2 rotors without belleville washers, for example) you can move the friction ring axially by hand, while the hat remains stationary. It will clink against the hat when you move it back and forth.

The front V3 rotor design with the retention ring seems to silence the noise though.