Recommended Rotor and Pad Brands value/price/safety

[turbotim2]

I had very poor luck with the Brembo rotors (made in China). I would highly recommend the OEM pads for the rear.

[C@lvin]

Lee, I think it may boil down for me between the ATE rotors at FCP and the UC Autoparts drilled rotors you are using. How much have you used the UC Autoparts drilled rotors? Is your experience fairly long term? They are about the same price shipped as the ATE rotors, but the claim is that the drilled rotors brake better and last longer because they run cooler. (Also, where do you get your Mintex pads?)

Also, just for a barameter, the local dealer (stealer) today quoted me $830 for parts and labor (excluding shop fees and tax). An independent Volvo/BMW specialty shop quoted me about $700 using Jurid pads and Brembo rotors.

By the way, the independent shop claimed that Jurid makes the Volvo pads, but several posters in this thread say it's ATE. Can anyone offer any clarificaiton on that?

[iselloil]

Carquest has the premium Ceramics for around 40.00 or 50.00.They have the Oem grade rotors with a two year warranty.

[Ozark Lee]

Lee, I think it may boil down for me between the ATE rotors at FCP and the UC Autoparts drilled rotors you are using. How much have you used the UC Autoparts drilled rotors? Is your experience fairly long term? They are about the same price shipped as the ATE rotors, but the claim is that the drilled rotors brake better and last longer because they run cooler. (Also, where do you get your Mintex pads?)

Also, just for a barameter, the local dealer (stealer) today quoted me $830 for parts and labor (excluding shop fees and tax). An independent Volvo/BMW specialty shop quoted me about $700 using Jurid pads and Brembo rotors.

By the way, the independent shop claimed that Jurid makes the Volvo pads, but several posters in this thread say it's ATE. Can anyone offer any clarificaiton on that?

I'm, give or take, three years (50,000 miles or so) into the first set and 2 years into the last set, no problems at all yet. I drive the cars VERY hard just because they are fun to drive on the twisty and hilly roads that are seldom patrolled by the constabulary going to my cabin and before the drilled rotors I was warping the OEMs badly. I tried getting them turned and that only lasted for a couple of months before they warped again.

So far with the drilled rotors no warping at all on any of the cars. They do make a weird noise when you get on them hard exiting the highway at 70 plus MPH.

I purchased the Mintex pads from our friends at FCP Groton.

Wow, the prices you have been quoted seem obscene to me, I can pull off a full brake job in a couple of hours for well under $250.00 - new pads and rotors on all 4 corners.

As far as the OEM supplier for the pads goes I have no idea who it really is. The OEM supplier of the calipers is ATE but I don't know if Volvo bought them as a preloaded package or they mixed and matched things. While the OEM pads are very good and they don't squeal they are very dirty. The Mintex pads are by no means clean but they are cleaner than OEMs.

...Lee

[volvomileage]

usually car companies have more than one supplier

most of the braking system comes from ate , jurid was probably one of the pad suppliers a lot of onilne stores list as jurid pads oem, as same as volvo sells

like Lee was saying a good quality rotor and good quality pads will do the work, a good quality semi met set of pads will work fine more than a cheap quality of mixed semi met and ceraminc stuff...

i had semi mets they lasted over two years and were still good for at least one or two years on the front with very good performance, i had to change them with regret when the front calipers started to go, i could of grinded them but said wtf and chose a long term solution ...

i bought a set of semi mets for the rear, mind you the rear brakes get less of work they are semi mets, and after two years they are still good for an other run they costed me about $30..as long as you are getting a good quality product it will do the job ...

cheers !

[850 Turbo1]

Lee, I think it may boil down for me between the ATE rotors at FCP and the UC Autoparts drilled rotors you are using. How much have you used the UC Autoparts drilled rotors? Is your experience fairly long term? They are about the same price shipped as the ATE rotors, but the claim is that the drilled rotors brake better and last longer because they run cooler. (Also, where do you get your Mintex pads?)

Also, just for a barameter, the local dealer (stealer) today quoted me $830 for parts and labor (excluding shop fees and tax). An independent Volvo/BMW specialty shop quoted me about $700 using Jurid pads and Brembo rotors.

By the way, the independent shop claimed that Jurid makes the Volvo pads, but several posters in this thread say it's ATE. Can anyone offer any clarificaiton on that?

I'm, give or take, three years (50,000 miles or so) into the first set and 2 years into the last set, no problems at all yet. I drive the cars VERY hard just because they are fun to drive on the twisty and hilly roads that are seldom patrolled by the constabulary going to my cabin and before the drilled rotors I was warping the OEMs badly. I tried getting them turned and that only lasted for a couple of months before they warped again.

So far with the drilled rotors no warping at all on any of the cars. They do make a weird noise when you get on them hard exiting the highway at 70 plus MPH.

I purchased the Mintex pads from our friends at FCP Groton.

Wow, the prices you have been quoted seem obscene to me, I can pull off a full brake job in a couple of hours for well under $250.00 - new pads and rotors on all 4 corners.

As far as the OEM supplier for the pads goes I have no idea who it really is. The OEM supplier of the calipers is ATE but I don't know if Volvo bought them as a preloaded package or they mixed and matched things. While the OEM pads are very good and they don't squeal they are very dirty. The Mintex pads are by no means clean but they are cleaner than OEMs.

...Lee

Well C@lvin you did say you don't drive hard...If you want your car to feel and handle(or brake) like it did originally I would recommend going stock...ATE...In my opinion ATE is an excellent quality...Braking is amazing...emergency stops can be made with great confidence...and so can 70MPH freeway exits...Knowing for a fact that the calipers are ATE ,I think it would make sense for the Volvo pads to be ATE as well. I think out there there is a greater consensus that Volvo = ATE...not Volvo=Jurid

These cars were built like no cars built today and handle absolutely amazing as stock...There are many reviews out there that rate the emergency stopping distance of these cars much better than many new high end cars made today...Now the thing here is that these reviews(or tests however you would like to call them) were done with the original pads and discs....not slotted or drilled or zimmerman or akebono...

Lee is right about your rims becoming dirty if you use ATE....Personally I don't care at all...I get absolutely no noise(squealing) or vibration of any sort...and I love getting quotes from the Stealer for $1000 to redo the brakes for all 4 corners......and then in a weeks time when I have ordered my parts(Usually original...in this case ATE) from FCP, end up with a $750 savings...Hey I live in Canada so things are soo much more expensive here(My local Volvo stealer charges $130/Hr for labor )

Lee is the Volvo guy..he knows best....but he also drives very hard...(probably because he's very confident in his abilities to repair and maintain his car.) I am not and therefor I have to drive gently ......20,000 miles on the pads and discs...and everything feels like brand new....

I would go ATE all the way..unless you could somehow prove that Jurid was in fact the original Volvo supplier...but I doubt that...FCP is quite reasonable for these pads and discs...especially for me with cross border shipping being very reasonable...

[polskamafia mjl]

I have heard a lot of good about zimmerman rotors and akabono pads, I ordered them for all 4 corners and will be installing them sometime around christmas

[volvomileage]

sharp !

zimmerman are well rated...and so are aekebonos especialy the ceramics..
one of the mecanics i know swears only by zimmerman for the rotors for european cars...

good choice..

[vegasjetskier]

By the way, the independent shop claimed that Jurid makes the Volvo pads, but several posters in this thread say it's ATE. Can anyone offer any clarificaiton on that?

The OEM pads for my car are made by Pagid in France. I don't know if yours would be the same.

[C@lvin]

Yes, entirely possible that there are multiple suppliers for the original pads.....

C@lvin you did say you don't drive hard...If you want your car to feel and handle(or brake) like it did originally I would recommend going stock...ATE...In my opinion ATE is an excellent quality...Braking is amazing...emergency stops can be made with great confidence...and so can 70MPH freeway exits...Knowing for a fact that the calipers are ATE ,I think it would make sense for the Volvo pads to be ATE as well. I think out there there is a greater consensus that Volvo = ATE...not Volvo=Jurid

These cars were built like no cars built today and handle absolutely amazing as stock...There are many reviews out there that rate the emergency stopping distance of these cars much better than many new high end cars made today...Now the thing here is that these reviews(or tests however you would like to call them) were done with the original pads and discs....not slotted or drilled or zimmerman or akebono...

Lee is right about your rims becoming dirty if you use ATE....Personally I don't care at all...I get absolutely no noise(squealing) or vibration of any sort...and I love getting quotes from the Stealer for $1000 to redo the brakes for all 4 corners......and then in a weeks time when I have ordered my parts(Usually original...in this case ATE) from FCP, end up with a $750 savings...Hey I live in Canada so things are soo much more expensive here(My local Volvo stealer charges $130/Hr for labor )

Lee is the Volvo guy..he knows best....but he also drives very hard...(probably because he's very confident in his abilities to repair and maintain his car.) I am not and therefor I have to drive gently ......20,000 miles on the pads and discs...and everything feels like brand new....

I would go ATE all the way..unless you could somehow prove that Jurid was in fact the original Volvo supplier...but I doubt that...FCP is quite reasonable for these pads and discs...especially for me with cross border shipping being very reasonable...

Hmm.......when I look for ATE pads on FCP for my 98 S70 they aren't listed, so I called FCP and was told they don't sell an ATE pad for my car (maybe that explains why Jurid or Pagid might be the OEM maker for some models). Although, I would have thought that the same pads and rotors would be compatible between the 850 and S70

Also, regarding the drilled rotors - the more I think about it the more I think I might do more "spirited" driving like when I was a bit younger as a substitute for acquiring my mid-life-crisis red convertable!