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R1 Concepts Brake Rotors

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1.6K views 25 replies 12 participants last post by  nbndtrain  
#1 ·
#7 · (Edited)
R1 posted on here a few times, people were all excited by them when they first showed up on eBay.

General consensus is to avoid them. They warp and wear quickly. Cross-drilled is kind of a waste anyway.

GS's slotted Brembo's are pretty much the best option for Saabs. Cost-wise, it makes no difference if they last two or three times longer than the R1's.

http://saablink.net/forum/showthread.php?t=12538&highlight=concepts+rotors

http://saablink.net/forum/showthread.php?t=12885&highlight=concepts+rotors
 
#8 ·
Cross drilling is a waste. There is only one correct way to do cross drilling that is done at the time of the casting of the rotor thus the holes or "cross drills" are cast into the rotor. If the rotor is drilled after being cast you weaken the structure of the rotor causing it to be prone to failure. These correctly cast units can be quite expensive!

Generally cast grooved or dimpled rotors are the best overall option. Next best after that is drilled grooved or dimpled rotors.

Don't forget the tried and true larger rotors, braided lines, higher temp break fluid, and better pads. Or even update the calipers to give you more clamping force.

Tires also play a HUGE role in braking and often the tire lets go of traction before your breaks reach their limits.

Start with the basics and move-up as you need it.
 
#9 ·
FWIW, I autoX my 9-3 (and occasional trackday). I have the GS slotted rotors front (Viggen size) and rear, Hawk HPS pads front and rear, and Goodridge SS lines. The upgrade is huge over stock. I put everything together for about $700 (counting the Viggen caliper carriers) all said and done. Not bad for a quasi-BBK and performance upgrades.
 
#10 ·
lol, i'm not looking to start another discussion on whether or not to use slotted/drilled rotors.

considering the most i'd ever do is a very occasional autocross, and my rotors aren't even visible past the rims, i'll be sticking to stock vented rotors anyway.

i was just wondering if it's worth paying 25% more for brembo rotors & Axxis pads from eeuroparts or going with the R1 rotors and w/e ceramic pads they offer. and yes, i took into account free shipping from eeuroparts already.

so far i've gotten slightly more negative responses towards R1 than positive... but not many.

oh yea, FWIW, i drive a stock '88 900S... not like i'll be flying down the straight-aways 100mph
 
#11 ·
If it were me, I'd go with the know rotors and pads. Cheap, Chinese rotors with no-name pads will just lead to disappointment. Brakes are just not an area to skimp in...I'm not made of money, so I understand looking for value...but I don't think the cost-benefit of the R1's makes sense.

C900's do have a lot less options out there. Is Group9 still in business? I think they used to have a performance brake option.
 
#12 · (Edited)
8valvegrowl.. get them they are worse the money from all the reviews on saabcentral and saabnet. I have seen reports with 40k and another one with 15k including track time and both were excellent and said that they still look just like new. I installed a set of them on my viggen ( slotted and drilled) and the car stops way better than before. I used POSI QUIET CERAMIC PADS which they offer for an extra $16 however had them include the ceramics for no additional cost. Call them for best prices. And btw for all of those braging about Brembo.. bembos are trash now, they are made in mexico and brazil and one of my brake parts dealers that is a brembo dealer told me how bad the quality has dropped on brembos since they have been made in mexico and brazil. Again By R1 concept . you will be so happy that you saved and got quality. always look for reviwes from actual users and not just guessers Good luck
 
#14 · (Edited)
900AERO said:
And btw for all of those braging about Brembo.. bembos are trash now, they are made in mexico and brazil and one of my brake parts dealers that is a brembo dealer told me how bad the quality has dropped on brembos since they have been made in mexico and brazil.
Click to expand...
Sorry, but wrong. Some Brembo discs are made in Brazil and Mexico, but not all. The ones I got from Nick at GS were made in Germany.

Ask the guy at R1 where his rotors are made. All bets say either China or Latin America.

Several people on here have used them and said they were junk. Simple as that. Seth took them to 1 track day and they were toast. I've autocrossed multiple times with the slotted Brembos and Hawk pads. There isn't even any visible wear on my rotors.

**Update**
Back in the day R1 only offered the E-Line rotors (which are Chinese) for Saabs, I see they now have a "Premium" line which states is a better casting, with better steel...anyone try those out? I'd think a blank or slotted one of those would be competitive with ATE and Euro-Brembos, but the pricepoint is higher than the E-lines (in the same class as Euro brakes).
 
#13 ·
http://www.group9performance.com/

Yep. Looks like they have some neat stuff. The SS brake lines are sure a good deal. $109 for a full set. Nooot too shabby. Unfortunately, that's the only thing that isn't sky rockets pricy it looks like. Aluminum flywheels though! :D

I didn't see anything but $400 (full set) rotors though
 
#16 ·
People need to forget the idea that any size for size replacement of a rotor is going to make their car stop better. Nobody should expect that. You want to buy a rotor that will stay together and not wear excessively or unevenly. Holes, slots, etc will not bring your car to a halt quicker.

Get decent blanks, whatever brand you feel good about, then get some GOOD pads.

I buy brembos because they are cheap and they have worked well for me. I've tried and cracked various cross drilled and economy rotors...not a fan. Then I get the most aggressive pads I can find.
 
#18 ·
the purpose of bigger brakes has nothing to do with stopping faster. it has everything to do with better heat dissipation. your stock rotors, until they've overheated, already have more than enough power to lock the tires up. you cannot stop any faster than that. unless you're doing track days with 20+ minute sessions, don't waste your money upgrading to bigger brakes. good pads and good fluid, along with good tires, will make a much bigger difference.
 
#19 ·
I am going to have to say yes and no. Bigger brakes obviously offer more heat disipation, and more thermal mass. But they DO have to work less hard to slow the car as well (more leverage). Working less hard builds less heat, but we've already determined that they will take more heat anyway. So it is two fold, really.
 
#20 ·
A larger rotor can increase effective braking torque (use a lever analogy). So a bigger rotor is not a waste as long as you up the coefficient of friction along with it and approach it in a balanced manner (don't crank up one axle and neglect the other.)

Tires and pads matter more than anything.

I could overheat my stock rotors in one mountain pass drive.
 
#22 ·
And even though there is enough power in the stock stuff to lock up the brakes, there is something to be said about brake modulation that does not require a TON of input to brake hard. Although being able to lock them up too easy and proper front/rear biasing, as mentioned already, is very important as well.
 
N
#26 ·
I had the premium, slotted only ones on my 04 9-5 Aero for over a year with Akembono pads and they were great. The car was totalled and I really wanted to transfer them over to my new 05 9-5 Aero, but didn't have the stock ones to reinstall, nor the time. They lasted, and still looked great. Don't buy them on eBay, call them. It is worth the cost savings, but get the premium ones.
 
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