Ebay (Raceconcepts) Brake/Rotor Review

[98GSXtreme07]

I had searched and searched and read review after review for months trying to figure out who had a great rotor and pad setup with my wallet in mind. I was almost dead set on VIP's kit but decided it was just too much. I had searched on ebay and found tons and tons of rotor and brake pad kits but couldn't decide on which user/company to buy from. I found a post on here about a company called Raceconcepts and saw the OP of the post was one of our own Moderators and figured, " Well, if it worked great for him, it should for me too." The post is quite a few years old but the company, Raceconcepts, is still around. Here's the post: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/han...-dimple-drilled-slotted-rotors-installed.html

Raceconcepts does have their own website but they also have an ebay account. The rotors alone, on their website, go for around $270. On their ebay site, though, it costed me $227.35 for both rotors and pads. I knew I didn't want drilled/slotted rotors, so I sent a message when I bought them to send SLOTTED only. I knew they had them on their website but on ebay they only had drilled/slotted. I called them up and they said it would be no problem to send SLOTTED only rotors. About 2 weeks later I received my rotors, pads came in 2 days later, and they were beautiful. The pads were some brand I never heard of, C-Tek, but after some research they seem to be what the Chrysler 300's and Dodge Chargers use.


Here are some pictures of the new rotors and pads:

<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/4534/1001327sc1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>

You can see my greedy little fingerprints here :
<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img381.imageshack.us/img381/5918/1001322tc7.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>


<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/1358/1001328yp4.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>


<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/6991/1001325gb1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>


Unfortunately, they weren't labeled so I assume I put them to their respectful sides/corners:

<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8954/1001340lx2.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>


<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/53/1001342cu4.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>


<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/9882/1001338qq4.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>


Some before and afters:


<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/1864/1001345kz0.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>


<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img371.imageshack.us/img371/9351/1001346ge6.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>


<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8845/1001347vj1.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>

<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/4262/1001333zh8.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>

<a href="http://imageshack.us"><img src="http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/3589/1001343lv5.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us"/></a>



Now to the review of them.

<b>Rotors</b>:

Beautiful and seem to be of good quality. I believe they are Brembo blanks but I can't confirm that.

<b>Pads</b>:

They get the job done and way better over the rusted pads that were on the car before.

<b>Install</b>:

With the help of my uncle, about 3 hours and breaking a 1/2in to 3/8in adapter and 2 extensions, damn rusted bolts , they fitted great. Found out using a small steel mallet gets rotors off without a fuss!

<b>Break-In</b>:

The way I broke them in was I did 65-10mph with hard braking about 5 times, while letting them cool (NO COMPLETE STOPS!) a few seconds between and then taking the car home and letting them completely cool down for a few hours.

<b>Braking/Stopping</b>:

Definitely an improvement over the old rusted rotors and pads. Stopping now takes less of an effort and even with the new semi-metallic pads and rotors, I don't hear any kind of grinding or noise.

<b>Links</b>:

Website:
raceconcepts.net

Ebay Store:
eBay Store - Raceconcepts: Ford, Chevrolet, BMW

The actual link of what I bought:
eBay Motors: MITSUBISHI ECLIPSE 4WD 96 97 98 99 F/R ROTORS + PADS (item 170204887364 end time Aug-22-08 20:16:49 PDT)

I recommend Raceconcepts and if you don't mind waiting a few weeks for them, they are definitely worth the wait!


<b>Update: 8/12/08</b>

I decided to take off the driver-side rotor and see if I had put it on the right side. When I took it off I saw the vanes were straight. They weren't curved, which is what I was hoping because I really didn't feel like have to swap all the rotors.

<b><font size=>So when installing these rotors, it really doesn't matter which way the slots are facing. The slots can be facing toward the rear or front.</b></font>

 

[Grimis]

sweet, i want a linky, i need new shoes and rotors all the way around. Good write up

 

[98GSXtreme07]

Thanks! I updated the original post with links.

 

[brrrnntsshhhh]

awesome man your post is going to save me lots of $$$. i am in need of upgrading my front rotors/pads as well, seeing as my rotors are shot and one of my pads is loose, makes stopping a scary experience.

just out of curiosity though, since i am a brake newbie, why did you wan't slotted only rotors instead of drilled/slotted rotors??

 

[BoostedinSoFla]

Nice install but you should've put some paint on those rusty ass calipers and hubs.

 

[98GSXtreme07]

just out of curiosity though, since i am a brake newbie, why did you wan't slotted only rotors instead of drilled/slotted rotors??

I was thinking of getting the drilled/slotted rotors but decided, after reading many threads, that it was just something I didn't need for my car with the setup it has/will have. Kind of over-kill since I'm not road-racing. I wasn't worried about cracking since that isn't a problem now-a-days as well. New blanks would have been better than what was on there.

Nice install but you should've put some paint on those rusty ass calipers and hubs.

I would have loved to. I had blue calipers on the last GSX but I just didn't want to have to disconnect the brake lines and bleed the brakes, again.

 

[98GSXtreme07]

Some good information here if ever in doubt installing slotted or crossdrilled rotors.

How to properly install plain, slotted, or drilled brake rotors

 

[brrrnntsshhhh]

awesome i just recieved mine, i just took them as cross drilled and slotted. they forgot a set of my brake pads! i am missing either rear or front i have no idea, but the pads that i do have do not completely take up the surface of the rotors, does this mean i did not get the correct pads at all or is this normal?

 

[98GSXtreme07]

My pads arrived 2 days later because they would have been trashed in the box the rotors came in. If you want to be sure call Raceconcepts up. Thats what I did and he told me they would be at my door in a few days. Two days later, they arrived.

 

[98GSXtreme07]

BTW, pictures of your rotors/install would be great!

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

thank you for this review.

WAs this the cheapest for an entire set of rotors and pads? basically, can't get any cheaper than this for what you get. Looking for replacements on my beater, it is about that time.

I was looking on ebay but as you mentioned it was allll cross drilled/slotted. I was looking just for slotted, but no where to be found. now because of you I know I can just request the same thing.

 

[mavisky]

You do know you installed your rotors wrong and then posted a link to a site showing you how to do it correctly right?

What pads are those? Don't think I've ever seen that box before.

 

[98GSXtreme07]

Well, actually I didn't. The vanes on these rotors are straight. Therefor it doesn't matter how the slots are facing. They can go either way.

 

[98GSXtreme07]

Quote from the link I provided:

<i>For slotted rotors with straight internal cooling vanes, the direction of the slots is totally up to you and what you think looks best. In this case, there is no wrong answer.</i>

 

[98GSXtreme07]

Oh, to answer your other question, they are C-Tek pads. I've never heard of them as well. I didn't have a choice on pads that I wanted but if I did I would have gone with Hawk for sure. The pads are semi-metallic and they seem to be good, but of course anything was better than the rusted-up pads on the car before the install.

I researched and it's what the Chrylser 300's and Dodge Chargers use.

 

[mavisky]

Quote from the link I provided:

<i>For slotted rotors with straight internal cooling vanes, the direction of the slots is totally up to you and what you think looks best. In this case, there is no wrong answer.</i>

I've always believed in following the trends of race cars. If they've spent the time to investigate which is better, then rather then spend the time myself I'll just follow their lead. In this case though I go against the grain only because your slots don't go all the way to the edge of the rotor. It looks like they have a better chance of clearing material away to the inside rather than the outer so I'd switch them up if it it was me.

A normal slotted racing rotor would have the grooves all the way to the end so the debris has a clean path away from the surface of the rotor. To the outside. In this case though, I guess because the veins are straight it's really up to you.

 

[98GSXtreme07]

I've always believed in following the trends of race cars. If they've spent the time to investigate which is better, then rather then spend the time myself I'll just follow their lead. In this case though I go against the grain only because your slots don't go all the way to the edge of the rotor. It looks like they have a better chance of clearing material away to the inside rather than the outer so I'd switch them up if it it was me.

A normal slotted racing rotor would have the grooves all the way to the end so the debris has a clean path away from the surface of the rotor. To the outside. In this case though, I guess because the veins are straight it's really up to you.

Well, I remember from a thread that someone said they noticed that they could brake better when in reverse and so he swapped them because he had them on wrong. I brake much better going forwards than in reverse. Kind of dumb explanation, I know, but just something I would like to point out.

I was really worried the first week I had them installed that I did put them on the wrong way so I finally got the time to take them off to see that they were straight vanes.

True about how my slots don't go all the way to the edge of the rotor, so maybe the debris would clear better?

So you think I should still swap them? Including the rears?

 

[BoostedinSoFla]

I would have loved to. I had blue calipers on the last GSX but I just didn't want to have to disconnect the brake lines and bleed the brakes, again.

I managed to paint all my calipers without removing any of them. I just did some basic taping, used lots of brake parts cleaner, wire brush, scotch brite and they came out pretty well I might add.

 

[98GSXtreme07]

I managed to paint all my calipers without removing any of them. I just did some basic taping, used lots of brake parts cleaner, wire brush, scotch brite and they came out pretty well I might add.

Maybe I will do that when I have 30 bucks lying around to get the supplies for it. I appreciate it. It's good to know I can do it with out taking the lines off.

 

[doggo]

Tried to call raceconcepts at their phone number here:

raceconcepts.net

Turns out THAT phone number is wrong, the correct one is only on their eBay listings...
the correct number is 714 554 8223.

Not that it matters much. Last Friday at 2 PM eastern time, I got ahold of someone with a heavy accent. He said "oh we close shop now, you call back tomorrow before 1PM". I was surprised they were already closing at 11PM PST on a FRIDAY, but... ok.

Not surprisingly, when I called back between the hours of 10 AM and 1PM PST several times on Saturday, no answer, and the phone rang 3-4 times then goes into a busy signal, like they have their phones set to disconnect you after only a few rings. I even tried later in the day, no luck.

Been trying now to call them on Monday and Tuesday all during business hours, same thing- rings a few times, then busy signal/disconnect.

Sure seems like one of those places that if you have a problem with them, you won't be solving it over the phone...WTF

 

[Boost92awd]

awesome man your post is going to save me lots of $$$. i am in need of upgrading my front rotors/pads as well, seeing as my rotors are shot and one of my pads is loose, makes stopping a scary experience.

just out of curiosity though, since i am a brake newbie, why did you wan't slotted only rotors instead of drilled/slotted rotors??

Actually these days slotted/drilled rotors or just slotted rotors are kind of pointless. These rotors were very big back in the day when the pads would release gas. But these days pads dont release gas and hence drilled/slotted is just more for looks than anything. A blank rotor is the best to have these days is provides more stopping power than a drilled/slotted rotor.

 

[98GSXtreme07]

Tried to call raceconcepts at their phone number here:

raceconcepts.net

Turns out THAT phone number is wrong, the correct one is only on their eBay listings...
the correct number is 714 554 8223.

Not that it matters much. Last Friday at 2 PM eastern time, I got ahold of someone with a heavy accent. He said "oh we close shop now, you call back tomorrow before 1PM". I was surprised they were already closing at 11PM PST on a FRIDAY, but... ok.

Not surprisingly, when I called back between the hours of 10 AM and 1PM PST several times on Saturday, no answer, and the phone rang 3-4 times then goes into a busy signal, like they have their phones set to disconnect you after only a few rings. I even tried later in the day, no luck.

Been trying now to call them on Monday and Tuesday all during business hours, same thing- rings a few times, then busy signal/disconnect.

Sure seems like one of those places that if you have a problem with them, you won't be solving it over the phone...WTF

Yea, I won't lie. I was really worried when I bought from them. If you read the negative or even neutral reviews on his ebay account, you'll see he's kind of a...umm..how you say, "butt".

The guy I had talked to had a accent but I was able to understand him. I'm central time but just give a call sometime this week before 5ish.

 

[brrrnntsshhhh]

ok well i will try calling him, i still havn't recieved the other set of pads nad he hasn't responded to my [3] emails. grrrrr i was really hoping to have this done before school started and would have if everything came at once.

 

[98GSXtreme07]

Really? Im sorry about that. I know what you mean on trying to get something done before a deadline of some sort. Keep trying to call him. If he doesn't answer and you still have not received your pads, leave him a voice mail and send him a email telling him that you are going to file a complaint with your credit card company or paypal saying you never received the full listed items. He'll be an ass about it probably but just stick to your guns and be as polite as you can be.

My .02 cents.

 

[98GSXtreme07]

Update:

I decided today to swap the rotors around and have them like this:

<font size=17>\</font>

I will let you guys know if I notice any better braking or something. I'm thinking I won't but we'll see.