**The OFFICIAL** R1 Concepts EBAY Rotor Review!!!

[ThePaintballGuy]

Ok,
So it seems that most of you are all very interested in the rotors I just got for my S4. I have posted in various threads about them and everyone wanted to know how they work. Well I have them installed now and... well... you will see.

First off here is what i got and where I got them:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=260293457746

You get all 4 drilled and slotted rotors in this package. For me it was $234 shipped to my door. Not to bad. But again I still was not completely sure how well they were going to work out. But I decided to get them anyways.

Shipping was super quick. I had them within 3 days of paying for them. They arrived in a 65lb box and were nicely packaged. Here are a few pictures of them the day i got them:

Front:


Rears:


And the rears on top of fronts.


These things are beefy. They seem really solid and straight and look amazing (hard to tell in that light).

On to the install:
Well the install was pretty straight forward. I decided to run the Mintex Red Box brake pads with these rotors. I used the Mintex pads on my old A4 when I had that and loved them. They have good bite and don't produce a lot of dust and they are quiet.

Now The Testing:
SO After the install I went out and made sure the brakes were in deed working. Just slow rolls and slammed on the brakes a few times and sure enough they work! I then went and did a few higher-speed stops (60mph-0) to heat the brakes up and get them bedded in. Once they seemed to be working better I hit the highway (it was midnight by this point and there was NO-ONE on it) so I started to do some 80mph-0mph stops by just mashing the brake peddle to the floor and holding it there. THESE THINGS STOP AMAZINGLY WELL!!!! Perfectly smooth braking, no squeal, and no weird vibrations. I did about 5 of these in a row to get them nice and hot. By the 4th one I could smell my brakes a lot but they kept on working just as good as they did before. I let them cool down then proceeded home (I was at a friends house working on them). On my way home I have nice little canyon run that I get to do. It has lots of little turns and whatnot so you get to use the brakes a lot. During this run they never stopped working. Never once got brake fade. Once again you could smell them since I was on them a lot but they never let up.

This is just the first night I have had them on but I will be updating this thread as I use them more but so far I am VERY happy with this purchase. SO if anyone is in the market for some new rotors be sure to check out R1 Concepts. You wont be disappointed.

Here is a quick cell phone picture of the front wheel with the new rotors. I will get some good hi-res pictures this weekend.


I will also try and get some video of them and of some 60-0 stops or something like that.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please post them up!

Josh

[Tiluleshpingen]

these are for stock s4 calipers right?

[TRANS4M]

I'll be tracking this thread. Thanks for the review.

[S4_NE]

nice write up , they look like a nice casting, for the $ it sounds like they are a good buy

[Videlov]

Subscribed!

This is a great deal! Wanna see what others have to say about these.

[blmlozz]

the only issue I would be concerned about is cracking around the drilled holds area, I've used eBay rotors before, they all crack given time. Those were even brembo's.

[ThePaintballGuy]

these are for stock s4 calipers right?

Yes these are OEM fit.

Josh

[tike0rz]

Very cool. Please keep us updated with the condition of these brakes over time. I'd also like to see some pictures of your wheels in front of these

[Johnnys4]

I bought them about 6 months ago. I have NOT had a single problem with them. They look great and work even better. I got mine off ebay as well ,was like 265.00 and included low dust brake pads.

[tike0rz]

I bought them about 6 months ago. I have NOT had a single problem with them. They look great and work even better. I got mine off ebay as well ,was like 265.00 and included low dust brake pads.

Impressive. Can you show us some pics close up?

[TheDarkness]

There is a package with semi-metallic brake pads. How are those dust-wise / performance? Better than ceramic?

[WMi_S4]

come back and talk to use after one cracks at the track one day... don't ever buy cross-drilled unless u are going for asthetic looks

[hyperlight944]

ive never seen a cross drlled rotor crack and have used quite a few never on my s4 though ... do you have any supporting pictures or articles about this issue?

cheers

--daniel

[Das General]

How much do they each weigh?

[highPSI-S4]

I've heard about when tracking a car crossed drilled is not the way to go, but alot of highend made for the track cars use crossed drilled rotors so who knows.

[ThePaintballGuy]

How much do they each weigh?

I don't know how much they weigh each but all 4 were 65lbs.

Josh

[WMi_S4]

Yes, I have had issues w/ cracked cross-drilled rotors, I can find u my pics. It is very possible tracking and can be done on the street as well. But it is very possible, so please don't say I haven't ever seen this or heard that.

[bryzf1]

I bought these rotors as well and have not had any problems with them. I think that they perform very well... much better than stock. I drive very aggressively, but I do not take my car to the track. I'll have to post up some pics later... I think that I have some closeup shots on my laptop.

[hyperlight944]

Yes, I have had issues w/ cracked cross-drilled rotors, I can find u my pics. It is very possible tracking and can be done on the street as well. But it is very possible, so please don't say I haven't ever seen this or heard that.

sorry if i came of wrong man im speaking in first person as in I (me) have never seen that didnt mean to tel you what you have seen

cheers

--daniel

[ThePaintballGuy]

Bump for new wheel picture.

Josh

[bryzf1]

This is all that I could find... I you wanna see another picture just click the link below in my signature section...

[jesterekim]

Thanks for the write up, Josh. Greatly appreciated.

I want it now, I'm sold.

[Illusive90s]

IMO these rotors are strictly an aesthetic upgrade and offer no real improvement in performance. They appear to have straight vanes therefore the rotors will not cool any better than stock.

Regarding cross-drilled holes in rotors: I'm pretty sure Porsche rotors have dimples cast into them to alleviate the stresses created by the holes. Once, the dimples are drilled out, the rotors are less susceptable to cracking at the holes compared to rotors that are strictly drilled. You may never see the cracking unless you track the car, and I find it hard to believe that someone can punish their brakes on the street as much as on the track.

[s42k5b]

Where could I find these rotors? I looked on ebay and they dotn appear to be on there anymore. Also, does anyone kno anywhere to get good quality rotors for a good price? Any help would be much appreciated.

[WMi_S4]

sorry if i came of wrong man im speaking in first person as in I (me) have never seen that didnt mean to tel you what you have seen

cheers

--daniel

No problemo man, i just didn't know if u were trying to be one of the guys that comes in here swinging there nuts thinking they know everything about cars Its all good

[WMi_S4]

Where could I find these rotors? I looked on ebay and they dotn appear to be on there anymore. Also, does anyone kno anywhere to get good quality rotors for a good price? Any help would be much appreciated.

talk to adam at spp!! he usually has great pricing on slotted/dimmpled rotors for i think $300 shipped or something

[Johnnys4]

he ya go www.r1concepts.com I`ll put up some pics this weekend to show you how they look after some use.

[Knight_Rider]

MUAHHAHAA...

great write-up!

you installed them and they work!!! YAAAAAAY!

now go REALLY TEST them!!!

go hard for one 30 min session at the track and then tell me how they run at the end of the session. and after you sit for a while, let me know how they do in the next session...

That's the real test... run em hard and put real heat intot he brakes... then see what happens. fading... maybe even warping... then CRACKING!

you know what they say... CRACK KILLS!

[ThePaintballGuy]

MUAHHAHAA...

great write-up!

you installed them and they work!!! YAAAAAAY!

now go REALLY TEST them!!!

go hard for one 30 min session at the track and then tell me how they run at the end of the session. and after you sit for a while, let me know how they do in the next session...

That's the real test... run em hard and put real heat intot he brakes... then see what happens. fading... maybe even warping... then CRACKING!

you know what they say... CRACK KILLS!

I'm pretty sure these rotors are not designed for a hardcore-30 min race. These are more for high-perfomance street rotors and some track use (IE Autocross or something). But thanks for the insight.

Josh

[Knight_Rider]

I'm pretty sure these rotors are not designed for a hardcore-30 min race. These are more for high-perfomance street rotors and some track use (IE Autocross or something). But thanks for the insight.

Josh

dont matter what they were designed for. i was asking you to do my test, bc cross-drilled/slotted rotors are all known to crack in time.

furthermore, all that drill/slot stuff is just hoopla. its supposed to cool, but that makes no sense, as less surface area will heat up quicker, and help lead to failure.

in the end, they look great, but keep your eye on em, bc i fear the worst. hope for the best, prepare for the worst... esp w this car. =/ ;-P

[Videlov]

Has anyone used these for a longer period of time and miles... Let's say 5000 miles? If so let us know how they stand.

[ThePaintballGuy]

well I have been putting miles on the car decently quick so I will update every 1k miles or so.

[CONTROL ONE]

Great write up.

Is there a link somewhere as to how to change your rotors? All I can find is for swapping brake pads. Do you have a write up of that?

Thanks!

[bryzf1]

Has anyone used these for a longer period of time and miles... Let's say 5000 miles? If so let us know how they stand.

I installed them over 6 months ago and i've put about 6k miles on them so far. I haven't had any problems and they still perform great.

[ThePaintballGuy]

Just thought I would give an update on how the rotors are working.

I have put a little over 1K miles on them now (yes I know that was quick but I do a LOT of driving and went to and from seattle (600 miles).

So far they are still holding up! Now that the pads have fully set in the car stops so well and I still have yet to get brake fade. I was doing 100-120+ mph and hitting the brakes to slow back down to 60 or so many times in a row just to get them hot. And yes they were smelling and all that fun stuff so I know they were hot but still I never had them fade out on me.

So far I am very happy with the purchase. More updates to come.

Josh

[BastardS4]

fade is a function of the pad temperature range and has little to do with your ebay rotors.

although the chinese can make some very dandy cheap rotors these days.

[ThePaintballGuy]

Well on my A4 I had the same mintex red pads with the solid rotors and would get brake fade all the time. So unless they recently changed their pad formula I have to say that the rotors do help.

josh

[hyperlight944]

No problemo man, i just didn't know if u were trying to be one of the guys that comes in here swinging there nuts thinking they know everything about cars Its all good

no sir thats not me i have a vast knowledge of cars but im always comming here as a student to learn and maybe teach when need be ( theres always someone who knows more .... for now hehe)

cheers

--daniel

[Tiluleshpingen]

have any rusting issues with these?

[SurferD]

Looks like a great alternative to expensive brake upgrades. As others have said, the real test is long term.