$42 Rotors on RockAuto?

[SDPLV]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Most people won’t still own their M3 by the time they wear out their second set of rotors. I replaced my originals at 90k miles and the car was 10 years old. I have had it for 8 years and 60k of those miles, but won’t still have it when it is 20 years old and has 180k miles. I might keep it another 5 years.

Sad...but very true.

[WingZeroX5]

I was going to pull the trigger on FCP totaling about 1100 with new zimmerman rotors and akebonos on all 4 corners. Then I came across Rock Auto's bendix. Well for 1/5th of the price, I just bought them and I'll report back after the following weekend after I have them installed. Someone has to be the beta tester here right?

Btw, someone on a different forum purchased it for their e92 m3 and said it was fine, plus it was drilled too.

[pbonsalb]

You put the miles on so you will be one good tester. Hopefully a track guy will try them on the track to see how they hold up there.

[BOOF-M3]

Originally Posted by BOOF-M3

I figured why not go right to the source. I contacted Bendix via email and hope to share their response if they are willing to play along. My email below.

Hello, there is an interesting discussion going on in M3Post about your Bendix PRT6345 rotors (1 of the 4 corners just to give you an idea). The question is can an aftermarket rotor that sells for $42 be reliable on an 2008-2013 E9X series BMW M3 and specifically for street and track use. There is some general interest in your product and I think that a response from your company on real world testing and any data you would like to share could go a long way with potential customers looking to save a substantial sum of money on a safe and reliable alternative to OEM rotors. I look forward to your response which I plan on posting on the M3Post forum with your permission as my question to you is being posted and members will hopefully be looking forward to your response also.
Yours truly, BOOF-M3

This is the response from Carid.com.

Dear Mark,

Thank you for giving CARiD.com the opportunity to service your automotive needs!

We appreciate your interest to our company and the products we sell!

The Bendix® - Global Premium Vented 1-Piece Brake Rotor should be a quite reliable alternative for the OEM parts. The OEM vane design and configuration ensure optimal noise performance and heat dissipation. All castings meet or exceed SAE standards for strength and hardness which is a guarantee for consistent performance.

Also, the manufacturer warrants that this product will be free from defects in materials or workmanship, for twelve (12) months, 100,000 miles or 3,600 hours, whichever occurs first.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us at CARiD!

Thank you and have a good day!

Sincerely,

CARiD
Marissa
Sales Department
Customer Experience Center
Phone: 800.505.3274 ext

So it does appear that the rotors are slotted. Overall it's pretty much the response I had expected. I'll probably go with FCP Euro when the time comes but for $42 I think it's probably a viable choice for those wanting to save money on an item that although it may only be half as good as OEM it is however 1/5 the price which in theory is what would make this product appealing to those who do not have deep pockets. I'm willing to hold off on judgement until WingZeroX5 updates us at the time of install and in a few hundred miles. If they do turn out to be a reliable rotor then I think there is more value in these rotors than going through FCP even with their lifetime warranty.

[Inflame]

This went a bit overboard... I've been running $35 e46 m3 rotors on my LS swapped track car that is MUCH faster than my E90, there is no way these rotors are subprime for track or street use. With proper pads and ducting, these will be a fantastic alternative for anyone who doesn't have a stick up their ass over "omg these aren't 2-piece, they won't dissipate heat and you'll crash".

[dnoble37]

I put dirt cheap centrix blanks from rock auto on my e36 M3 that was double duty DD and AX car that hit about 15 events per year. I think I spent like $100 shipped on a full set pads and rotors. Mind bending cheap. So cheap I said, screw it... I'm gonna try and if they suck I'll trash them and start over.

A year later I had no issues with performance, dust, longevity, etc. I couldn't tell the difference between those and the stock brakes.

I actually moved to the Centrix from Zimmerman's that had warped at an AX. Before that there were OEM brakes on the car.

I would do it again on my e90 M3. Brakes are a wear item. For that price, it's hard to justify not at least trying them.

[Richbot]

I am seriously considering these for the rears when the light comes on, which will be soon. I have an STR40 front kit so blanks in the rear won't look too bad, and the front is where the party is anyway.

So I ordered one rear and will weigh it, photograh it, and ask it how its day went and report back.

I have burned through approximately 1 billion 1-piece rotors on club racing racecars and never had a failure. If they're not significantly heavier than stock I'm gonna do it

[SDPLV]

Originally Posted by Richbot

So I ordered one rear and will weigh it, photograh it, and ask it how its day went and report back.

I lol'd.

[WingZeroX5]

Just wanted to provide an update to everyone. My shipment came early, because fedex decided to split one up and delayed until Tues.

But anyway, I couldn't do any work on it because I have incomplete sets, I was hoping the package contains full front or full rears.

Here's how they look like in the pics.

[pbonsalb]

Can you weigh a front?

[JsL]

Heads up that code MMFBR18 takes 5% off your order on rockauto.

Originally Posted by WingZeroX5

Just wanted to provide an update to everyone. My shipment came early, because fedex decided to split one up and delayed until Tues.

But anyway, I couldn't do any work on it because I have incomplete sets, I was hoping the package contains full front or full rears.

Here's how they look like in the pics.

Thanks for taking the plunge.

[WingZeroX5]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

Can you weigh a front?

Originally Posted by JsL

Heads up that code MMFBR18 takes 5% off your order on rockauto.


Thanks for taking the plunge.

Yup used the 5% off. Saved some on shipping overall

23.8 rear

26.4 front

[svinfinity]

Originally Posted by WingZeroX5

Just wanted to provide an update to everyone. My shipment came early, because fedex decided to split one up and delayed until Tues.

But anyway, I couldn't do any work on it because I have incomplete sets, I was hoping the package contains full front or full rears.

Here's how they look like in the pics.

Very nice! I thought they would be blanks, not cross drilled.

[Richbot]

Yeah I'm actually kinda bummed about the holes. Blank would match the front on my car a lot better.

[JsL]

Originally Posted by WingZeroX5

Yup used the 5% off. Saved some on shipping overall

23.8 rear

26.4 front

Vs

R oem rotor 19.7 lbs

F oem rotor 22.7 lbs

Not bad considering they're 1/5 the price.

[WingZeroX5]

Originally Posted by svinfinity

Very nice! I thought they would be blanks, not cross drilled.

That's what I thought, but further research indicates that they're drilled before I ordered them. I wouldn't mind being blanks either. but this keeps the OEM look.

Originally Posted by Richbot

Yeah I'm actually kinda bummed about the holes. Blank would match the front on my car a lot better.

For the price, purchase a set!

Originally Posted by JsL

Vs

R oem rotor 19.7 lbs

F oem rotor 22.7 lbs

Not bad considering they're 1/5 the price.

Overall that's like what, about 15lb additional altogether? An individual losing 15lbs would probably make up the difference anyway

[pbonsalb]

But rotational weight saved is worth more than regular weight and unsprung weight is worth more than regular weight. Flywheel, driveshaft, tire, wheels and brakes are critical places to save weight if looking for every possible advantage.

I was hoping they were maybe 2 lbs heavier not 4 lbs heavier.

But the reality is most of us are not race car drivers who could notice the weight.

[WingZeroX5]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

But rotational weight saved is worth more than regular weight and unsprung weight is worth more than regular weight. Flywheel, driveshaft, tire, wheels and brakes are critical places to save weight if looking for every possible advantage.

I was hoping they were maybe 2 lbs heavier not 4 lbs heavier.

But the reality is most of us are not race car drivers who could notice the weight.

True!

[///M3Fresh]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

But rotational weight saved is worth more than regular weight and unsprung weight is worth more than regular weight. Flywheel, driveshaft, tire, wheels and brakes are critical places to save weight if looking for every possible advantage.

I was hoping they were maybe 2 lbs heavier not 4 lbs heavier.

But the reality is most of us are not race car drivers who could notice the weight.

Great to learn on, that's for sure!

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by pbonsalb

But rotational weight saved is worth more than regular weight and unsprung weight is worth more than regular weight. Flywheel, driveshaft, tire, wheels and brakes are critical places to save weight if looking for every possible advantage.

I was hoping they were maybe 2 lbs heavier not 4 lbs heavier.

But the reality is most of us are not race car drivers who could notice the weight.

True, but with the bulk of the weight gain being close to the hub (Aluminum vs steel hats) I'd bet the rotational gain isn't all that significant.

These look great. Thanks for purchasing and posting, all!

[BayE30]

Originally Posted by WingZeroX5

Just wanted to provide an update to everyone. My shipment came early, because fedex decided to split one up and delayed until Tues.

But anyway, I couldn't do any work on it because I have incomplete sets, I was hoping the package contains full front or full rears.

Here's how they look like in the pics.

these are the Bendix rotors from Rockauto? damn, for the price these are a steal. DD in the city im in, rotors don't last even 20k miles...


PS: they are $39/each now...

[pbonsalb]

Originally Posted by tlow98

True, but with the bulk of the weight gain being close to the hub (Aluminum vs steel hats) I'd bet the rotational gain isn't all that significant

I agree that the further away from the center the more any added weight will matter but people make a big deal about saving weight on driveshafts, which are about 3 inches in diameter.