Which aftermarket rotors/pads for towing and better than OEM performance?

[Sangster]

My OEM rotors have some pulsating pretty bad from warped rotors when I'm coming to a stop. So I am going to replace them with new. I will be towing a decent sized boat and occasionally a Jeep/off-road truck on a trailer for long distances once or twice a year. I want a brake setup that will handle that and be better than OEM brake performance. Shopping on RockAuto for prices, I have found these rotor options under the Performance/Heavy Duty sections. The Powerstop and Raybestos are in the "Performance" section and the ACDELCO are in the "Heavy Duty" section. Which of these would you choose? If none, what others would you suggest in this price range?

Rotors:
Powerstop drilled & slotted $60.79 front, $61.79 rear
Raybestos R-300 Performance slotted, not drilled $63 front, $64 rear
ACDELCO Severe Duty slotted, not drilled $87 front, $104 rear


Please vote and comment why you made that choice. Looking for good discussion. One question I have is are drilled rotors better? I've heard stories about them cracking between the drilled holes, but that's been years ago and I'm not sure it's still an issue.

Am I wasting my time at this price range? Should I be really looking in the $200+ price range for a full set?

 

[swathdiver]

My OEM rotors have some pulsating pretty bad from warped rotors when I'm coming to a stop. So I am going to replace them with new. I will be towing a decent sized boat and occasionally a Jeep/off-road truck on a trailer for long distances once or twice a year. I want a brake setup that will handle that and be better than OEM brake performance. Shopping on RockAuto for prices, I have found these rotor options under the Performance/Heavy Duty sections. The Powerstop and Raybestos are in the "Performance" section and the ACDELCO are in the "Heavy Duty" section. Which of these would you choose? If none, what others would you suggest in this price range?

Rotors:
Powerstop drilled & slotted $60.79 front, $61.79 rear
Raybestos R-300 Performance slotted, not drilled $63 front, $64 rear
ACDELCO Severe Duty slotted, not drilled $87 front, $104 rear


Please vote and comment why you made that choice. Looking for good discussion. One question I have is are drilled rotors better? I've heard stories about them cracking between the drilled holes, but that's been years ago and I'm not sure it's still an issue.

Am I wasting my time at this price range? Should I be really looking in the $200+ price range for a full set?

Unless you are racing or driving fast in heavy traffic, drilled and slotted rotors are not needed. They have less surface area for braking.

I went with all new GM OE for my truck as they last a long time and have stopped my truck in city driving while towing a 6000 pound trailer without its brakes functioning.

The drag reduction clips that ACDelco recently came out with have allowed my truck to coast a lot further and my truck's average gas mileage has increased over 1 mpg this year though I cannot say for sure it is all because of the drag reduction clips but the mileage HAS gone up.

PN#:
18K1025SS
18K1027SS

 

[Sangster]

I'm going to disagree on the stockers being up to the task. They suck. I'm not looking for "last a long time". I'm looking for better stopping power/performance....hence the thread title "...better than OEM performance."

 

[Kee Fuller]

i bought the durlast heavy duty rotors and gold brake pads from auto zone for my ppv and they pretty solid

 

[VM 2]

I’ve used the Hawk Light Truck and SUV pads before and they worked great for me but i got tired of the squeal at low speeds so I changed back to factory

 

[The Raven]

I went with the Powerstop Evolution kit and saw a dramatic improvement, though I never really had an issue with the power of the stock setup. I had to replace my calipers because of corrosion and the Powerstop kit was the most cost effective option for calipers/pads/rotors.

 

[dougo]

I have an 06 Tahoe I use only Powerstop Z36 Truck & Tow I can say they have saved my ASS twice were factory would have failed

 

[5strmtrp]

Hawk HPS pads sound stupid but (green box).

NAPA has Ultra premium brake rotors that are coated in the hat area and in the veins. Have had these rotors on my pickup for years and never had any issues towing a car trailer and enclosed 16’ft trailer.

I’ve just put this setup on the back of my SSV. Happy so far with the stopping enffort they give.

STRONGLY SUGGEST, bedding in the pads with the new rotors. YouTube it or look it up on the inter webs. This I firmly believe helpnin the stopping power.

Paul
5trmtpr

 

[Hrocks]

Easy...do not buy drilled rotors. Many think that because Porsche, Ferrari and other exotics use them that they must be good. They are, IF they were cast that way. Most of these boy racer internet companies simply buy the crap from China then drill and slot them. They are drilling through the vanes that allow the vented rotors to stay in one piece. I've seen aftermarket drilled rotor literally explode on the track and blow a wheel off cars which cause them to wreck.

I would use the higher end factory rotors and Performance Friction "highway" pads. I've seen many guys use any number of high performance brake pads that squeel and tear up their rotors. I've only used PFC pads on my vehicles for the past 25 years, for both on/off track applications. (I did however use a very aggressive compound for track use, and got amazing life out of them. Like a good 36 hours of track time.) Hope this got to you in time. PS. Don't forget to totally PURGE your entire braking system. See a related thread.

 

[89Suburban]

Upon recommendation from a GOOD friend I just installed a front set of Powerstop Z36 Truck & Tow rotors/pads. The kit comes with brand new SS sliders and boot seals for the mounting bolts. Very nice kit and well priced for the Biggest thing to me is the zinc coating on the rotor to prevent rust. Will find out if that works or not. Break in procedure is a pain in the ass. I live in a crowded area, neighbors all eyeballin me driving like a nit wit.

Very noticeable improvement in stopping power, especially towing the boat, huge difference. Very happy so far but time will tell. Can't wait to install them in the rear as well.

The rotors I replaced were from Pep Boys 2-3 years old and they were rusted to hell and gouging the inner pads on the outer edges. Very disappointed in those.