If you guys really care about the quality of your brakes, why not go to a place like German Autoparts.com and buy the quality rotors they sell there. Here's a link to rotors for a 2004 SLK320.

http://www.germanautoparts.com/Merce.../5510/10829803

I just bought a set of blank brembo rotors for my VW from the parts bin. Here's the link to rotors for a 2007 crossfire: Parts Bin - Auto Parts and Accessories Catalog - 2007 Chrysler Crossfire Brake Disc

Disc italia? I never heard of them before I came to this site. Why cheap out on brake rotors? Both places I have linked to sell high quality rotors. I've bought from both places in past and will continue to do the same in the future. Some the places in this thread seem shadey as all get out! :-)

 

If the rotors have high spots then you will feel a pulsating brake pedal. High spots on rotors are not meant to be there at all, if you have high spots you need to get them turned or replaced.

 

Cheap out??? Disc Italia leads you to belive they are super high quality rotor from maybe... Italy! They cost twice as OEM from Mercedes. I had heard good things about Disc Italia on this site, but the only thing Italian about them was maybe their name. The sites you posted are good and I personally believe that the OEM's are hard to beat. They come with a gray coating that aids in beding them in.

P.S. Rotors don't have high spots. This would be felt as pulsating in the pedal. If you ever feel pulsating in the pedal your rotors are warped.

 

the originals are heavy duty and a grt rotor...but most folks like the look of the slotted/drilled rotor...but they come with problems if they aren't done right...prone to cracking, etc...our stock rotors are top notch...I went to drilled rotors all the way around, more for looks than performance, since all I do is drag race for the most part...updating your lines to steel, and your fluid will do a lot more for prolonged braking, and I went to ceramic pads vs our stock pads...just shop smart...but do upgrade the lines and fluid to take full advantage of your purchase whatever that may be...

 

Here another place to try--> AutohausAZ: Auto Parts at AutohausAZ - OEM Auto Parts - Discount Replacement Parts, Resources and Car Care Tips

Regarding Disc Italia, I've never heard of them, but reading their website, they don't seem like anything special, so why even consider them? There's no unique technology and from what I've read on the website, it doesn't seem like they have any OE relationships. If you are going to pay more than what the OEM crossfire brakes cost, why not just go for the Brembo's, which have a superb reputation. Other brands like Zimmermann are well known, especially for their cross drilled rotors. And ATE (ATE - North America), IIRC, produces much of the braking hardware on the crossfire. And by looking at the website, it seems like they offer some type of slotted options.

I'd love to know exactly what the advantage is disc italia rotors vs the more established brands, especially if they are more expensive!

 

I was looking for drilled/slotted and was mistaken by there name to believe they where using high quality rotors. There are many more brands of rotors than there are foundies which produce them. If Mercedes had factory drilled rotors for the SRT/SLk32 I would have bought them. I did see an iteresting rotor on a 2006 E350 4 Matic that was drilled and looked just like my SRT rotor. Next time I am at the dealer I will have them pull one so I can take some measurements.

 

As I suppose an addendum to my previous post, according to: New at Otto Zimmermann!, the zimmermann brakes are TUV-ISO approved, which I know in Germany, specifically, is a very big thing when it comes to replacement parts for cars. It's a very different thing over there than it is here from what I have been told! Lanatana, if you are set on cross drilled, see what zimmermann has to offer. I know they make rotors for our cars, but I don't recall if they offer the cross drilled versions--they sell them for other cars. I will tell you though that the stories you here about micro cracking between the holes is true. I've had it happen, though it was also on a car that I tracked, as well as drove on the streets. Sometimes they are hard to see in certain light, but I'd do a visual check of them after every few thousand miles. I had much better luck with slotted rotors.

This is certainly not to call out Lantana, but does anyone know if there are any certifications associated with disc italia? I don't want to straight out call them garbage because I don't know one way or the other, but I'd like to use some deductive reasoning to come to a conclusion.

 

I think you are misunderstanding me. I bought Disc Italia and compared them to cheap china rotors and since I bout them and tested them, I feel like I bought the right to say they are crap!! The cheap Ebay rotors were better. I am no longer looking for drilled rotors as I am very happy with my Genuine Mercedes SLK32 rotors

As far as TUV-ISO cert. This only applies to parts sold in Eurpope and cannot be used to judge parts that are sold only in the USA as there would be no reason to get this certification if you are not marketing your parts in Europe. TUV-ISO means nothing to 99.9% of americans. BTW, my Vogtland Springs do have the certification but of course they are made in Germany.

 

I suppose I should have been more clear in my posts. What I wrote in previously in this thread was more for the knowledge and benefit of others who may be following this thread or who are looking for a set of rotors. I wouldn't buy disc italia rotors and certainly not chinese made rotors. Why would anyone by cheepo rotors off of ebay? If you can't afford proper brakes on the car, I;d go as far to say you can't afford a car--not even a crossfire, but any car. Brakes are the most important safety aspect of a car (well maybe tied with tires depending on your view). The last place to cheap out and buy knock-off is the brakes. It's good to see that you bought some quality brake parts for your car though! I hope others will follow your lead.

Actually it can be used to judge rotors. There is a minimum level of quality required for that certification. I'm not aware of any minumum quality required for brakes in the US. Which is horrible, IMO. So if I'm buying US-made or Chinese-made rotors the level of quality is unknown. They could be fantastic or crap. Who knows. With the certified German products you know there is at least a basic level of quality that are not associated with products made in the countries I listed. Now, I don't know about you, but the last thing I want to do is take chances with my brakes. I'd like to spend my money on important items that are made within a system where quality is an absolute requirement. Just because the US doesn't use the system is irrelevant. If there are certain minimum standards in place to ensure adequate brake performance in one country, I don't see how the objectivity of the individual standards would not be relevent in other countries.

IMO, if automotive parts in Germany need to withstand a certain amount of abuse because of stresses placed upon said parts in the unllimited sections of the autobahn, then those same parts should hold up even better in the US where there are few if any unrestricted roads.

 

My rule of thumb is that any thing made in China is rubbish, inspection of the part is required to disprove this generalization.
I try and avoid anything made in China, many of these goods were previously made by those people that are now under employed or worse unemployed. I encourage everybody to boycott these goods and help steer the West out of this slump.

 

Hello every one over the past month since my first post I have been through some shenanigans with Brake Planet and trying to get some decent brakes. For those of you have have visited their site recently will notice that it is nonexistent. Mean while their rotors and pads are still sitting in my garage.

Since then I have purchased a set of Power Slot rotors and Akebono pads from the Tire Rack down the street. ( corporate headquarters is a cool place I love going there ) The cost for the parts are as follows:
Front rotors:203.00
Rear Rotors:163.00
Front Pads: 62.00
Rear Pads: 59.00
Brake kit: 16.00

Over all I am pleased with the outcome and glad its over they look great and the bite well. I have not put them through any stress yet seeming they are within a 500 mile break in period I am giving them. And a mentionable note is the low brake dust. I have not washed the car in two weeks and not a speck of brake dust is visible.

I have some pictures here to show the before and after, and a side by side of the low quality and great quality brakes. A picture is worth a thousand words. Enjoy.

 

Clicking on the thumbnails does not work for me. I had to go o your gallery and saw a few of the ones you posted as thumbnails.

 

Check these babies out. This is my Sat. project. These are SP Performance rotors which are zinc coated. Pictures don't do it justice as to how nice the finish really is. Lifetime warranty against cracking.

 

question:
knowing little about brake sensors,
are they embedded in the pads?

 

No, they are offered with quality pads. The sensors are to be removed from the old pads and literally plug in to the socket and a small pin point gets inserted into the pad. So the answer is they are not embedded but rather something that is installed. My first set of pads from brake planet did not come with them! (i didnt use those brakes....they still sit in my garage). The set of Akebono pads came with sound dampening lube and brand new sensors. Hope this helps.

 

those rotors look fantastic!! are the vantilation vanes directional on them ? or are they the same for both sides? ill need some new rotors in the near future and these might fit my needs

 

do the diskitalia t/k ones have sensors?

 

No they do not, I ended up reusing mine when I was halfway through the job and realized they did not have them. I have liked the T/K pads by Italia but I would suggest going another route when you factor in cost. I think you can get some good akeboano pads or even red stuff pads for not too much more and IMO a better pad. Good luck