Brake Rotor/Pads Recommendations?

[Lancer1993]

Unless you can test tyres back to back its hard to judge which is truly best, thats why they have tyre tests in magazine (remember those) and online. But it also depends on the car they are fitted to, a tyre that works on a small car might not work on a big sedan or wagon.

[ReeceCozaa]

That’s true, I can say now my Achilles are pure garbage, the stock nexen drove better :/

[fearfulmaster2]

Since you are in Sydney, just get something decent from Tempe or Tyresales. Both have sales from time to time. In June, I got a set of run out FK453 215 45 R18 for $118 each when Tempe had a 15% off sale on ebay. Tyre was 2 or 3 years old but I already anticipated it won't be new stock. A week after I bought the tires and the sale ended, Tempe brought in Eagle F1 Directional for $99. Would have been a bargain if I can get that at 15% off.

Do spend time researching tyre test (not tyre reviews). Getting stuck with the wrong tyres is painful and throwing them away early is such a waste. When Nitto Invo came out, some people paid good money for them. They are almost as bad as Hi Fly.

You went with Achillies because of the price. If you want something decent at a good price, Have a look at the kumho range. Right now, KU39 and PS71 / PS91 is good value. It maybe something else when it is your time to change tyres.

[Lancer1993]

When I got my CJ used the dealer checked on some Kumho KU39s, not bad but I do think the RE003s are better and quieter but they do cost $209 each, I got mine on a 4 for 3 deal.

Really depends on how much you want to spend.

[ReeceCozaa]

Yeah that’s true; I’m still researching won’t change them for a while if not I’ll end up selling the car with them on still. Just slightly annoyed I cheaped out in tires as these achillies understeer and their wet grip is rubbish

[Lancer1993]

Thanks, the JTYPE are the style I want.

[burfadel]

Yeah that’s true; I’m still researching won’t change them for a while if not I’ll end up selling the car with them on still. Just slightly annoyed I cheaped out in tires as these achillies understeer and their wet grip is rubbish

That's not surprising. I'd be very wary of all these cheap imported brands, there's no guarantee that they actually meet Australian requirements even if they claim to. They'll probably just wear quicker, so they aren't as cheap as it seems, they may not work well in the wet, may have less braking performance, may be noisy, and may be inconsistent over the life of the tyre. Reviews are generally done on new tyres and don't consider consistency and wear. Brand names are generally fine, although reviews may not reflect the tyre truly. People have a higher expectation of brand names, so scoring can be negatively skewed. Likewise the higher price can negatively skew results. Many reviews may also be paid advertisements, something which they're meant to disclose but don't. Cheap tyres may also puncture more easily, either through the contact surface or sidewall. Cheap rubber compounds may behave differently in really hot or cold weather, due to softening or hardening.

Cheap unknown tyres simply aren't worth the risk. True comparison can only be done with similar driving, distance covered, and say, 70 percent wear. The 70 percent wear is about driving dynamics, the brand name tyre at 70 percent may have travelled twice as far. I'd bet a set of say, Michelin Primacy 4 would trounce these cheap brands after say, 20,000 km.

I'm not suggesting buying the most expensive tyres as they are favouring performance over other characteristics. I'd suggest just a good all 'round tyre. Going 18 inch is a bit more tricky, the trend is actually starting going back towards 17 inch for SUV and 16 inch for smaller cars, so 18 inch may be more difficult to get.

[Lancer1993]

I don't consider $200 per tyre expensive, even paying full price and not getting a 4th one free. Most will last at least 2 years, maybe 3. So at 2 years thats about $8 a week for the set, that not much when we are paying over $1.50Lt for fuel at the top of the cycle.

My RE003s on sale cost me about $650 for the set including an alignment, hope they last 3 years so that works out to about $4.15 per week for the set!

Back to the Brakes, I looked on the www.vmaxbrakes.com.au site, found the rotors I want, bit over $400 for the set of 4 but could not find pads to match, should I send them a message to ask?

[burfadel]

$200 a tyre isn't expensive, and you're right about the cost per week with a known mileage. It's probably better to consider cost per 100 km though. It's important to consider if looking at cheaper tyres if you don't care so much about consistency, wet preformance, braking distance etc, this cost is an important factor since as you're likely needing to replace it sooner.

No point having good brakes or rotors if your tyres are fecking shite!

Cost per 100 km is an interesting number. It should include average fuel cost, tyre cost, average standard service cost, and depreciation due to mileage. You can also factor in replacement of parts if you know the numbers. It doesn't make the fuel cost seem so bad!

You can extrapolate depreciation via Redbook with the mileage and value figures. For a random model I choose a base 2011 MY12 automatic. Average distance 120,000-200,000 km. Average price private and dealer varies between $1600. So, 80,000 km difference gives you $1600 depreciation. That works out to be $2/100 km, which isn't too bad compared to many vehicles! If you have to pay $50 extra per tyre, it's worth it if you get 40,000 km instead of 25,000 km, with the added bonus if chosen right, of being quieter and handle better etc. Tyres can also have a small 1-2 percent difference in fuel economy.

[ReeceCozaa]

Can confirm again the Achilles are absolute crap tires... don’t ever cheap out on tires unless it’s a daily car that does A to B driving. The under steer and turn in response has been ruined by these cheapos

[Lancer1993]

Tyres like the RE003 are more than enough for the FWD Lancer as a daily drive which can actually go around a corner.

A year on and I have no complaints about them or the Bridgestone service, had a free checkup just a few weeks ago and was expecting an alignment to be done but they said it wasn't needed to nothing to pay. They rotated them, and checked the balance for the ones they put on the front. So far its had 3 checkups and its cost me $0.00.

[bumblebee]

Have put goodride SL369 under the lancer last week. Can confirm that inexpensive tyres can stick like glue in both wet or dry. Buy them from tyresales.com.au and avoid getting ripped off from the big tyre shops.

[bumblebee]

As for brakes / pads have bought from these guys
http://rapidrs.com.au/
Got the slotted rotors with either stock or semi metallic pads and had zero issues not only for the lancer but a number of other vehicles manufacturers as well and know a lot of people who have done the same with zero issues

[bumblebee]

Tyre fitted
http://imgur.com/a/hLlrMsc

[Lancer1993]

As for brakes / pads have bought from these guys
http://rapidrs.com.au/
Got the slotted rotors with either stock or semi metallic pads and had zero issues not only for the lancer but a number of other vehicles manufacturers as well and know a lot of people who have done the same with zero issues

Thanks, should have around $800 to spend on them soon.