Rotor advice, DBA vs ECS vs Ebay
08-26-2007, 08:54 AM
#1
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Rotor advice, DBA vs ECS vs Ebay
Hey all, I am going to be buying new front rotors in the next day or two. I am torn between the DBA 4000, the ECS Tuning Drill/slot, and the cheapies on ebay. The ebay ones appeal for price, obviously. But what is my best bet amoung those 3 options? Are the name brand ones that much better? And between DBA & ECS, whats my better option?
Any help is appreciated.
Any help is appreciated.
08-26-2007, 09:27 AM
#2
AudiWorld Super User
DBA's, absolutely. No way ECS's store brand--piece of junk.
DBA's have much better cooling than stock. I installed them and had a chance to look at them side by side vs. stock that came off. Much better and more open internal cooling vanes. I will buy again for any car for which they are available.
I had a couple of ECS doorstops. I buy a lot from them given their Audi stock, but never again their rotors. I bought their slotted ones for the rear of the 4.2 to match up with front slotted DBA's I got from AWE tuning. Rear DBA's are now available via the S6 part number on a 4.2 by the way. On the ECS's, poor machining quality, poor weld quality and really poor plating quality, to the point where aesthetically you just wouldn't want to put them on your car and actually safety wise you had to think about it--incomplete welds at the point where it sandwiches together. First time I have ever run into that on ANY rotor I have ever purchased, whether low end or high end. And I called them and frankly just got attitude and non-responsiveness. They wouldn't pay for return shipping for a defective product which was plainly visible. Piece of junk product bottom line. Cost them a lot of goodwill with me and I can't possibly recommend their product from what I saw, and that they actually seeemed to think it was normal and okay.
Oh yeah, and did I mention ECS shipped them together with liter cans of Ate brake fluid in the same box w/out packing? Had it ruptured they could have had a nice discussion with UPS. That was the real topper that told me no quality control and no supervision that day anyway. Quite an experience. By the way, that was the only thing their manager type on the phone seemed to pay attention about. Quality of the rotors basically went down the "that's tough, bozo" path.
I had a couple of ECS doorstops. I buy a lot from them given their Audi stock, but never again their rotors. I bought their slotted ones for the rear of the 4.2 to match up with front slotted DBA's I got from AWE tuning. Rear DBA's are now available via the S6 part number on a 4.2 by the way. On the ECS's, poor machining quality, poor weld quality and really poor plating quality, to the point where aesthetically you just wouldn't want to put them on your car and actually safety wise you had to think about it--incomplete welds at the point where it sandwiches together. First time I have ever run into that on ANY rotor I have ever purchased, whether low end or high end. And I called them and frankly just got attitude and non-responsiveness. They wouldn't pay for return shipping for a defective product which was plainly visible. Piece of junk product bottom line. Cost them a lot of goodwill with me and I can't possibly recommend their product from what I saw, and that they actually seeemed to think it was normal and okay.
Oh yeah, and did I mention ECS shipped them together with liter cans of Ate brake fluid in the same box w/out packing? Had it ruptured they could have had a nice discussion with UPS. That was the real topper that told me no quality control and no supervision that day anyway. Quite an experience. By the way, that was the only thing their manager type on the phone seemed to pay attention about. Quality of the rotors basically went down the "that's tough, bozo" path.
08-26-2007, 09:58 AM
#3
AudiWorld Super User
Whatever you buy, ensure that you purchase ONLY something as good as OEM rotors...
The metallurgy for a rotor is extremely important to endure the heat that occurs when braking, especially to resist metal fatigue due to repetative loadings. For that reason, I use Brembo or ATE rotors, who make OEM rotors, for replacements. But as 40v-V8 states, Statis (or another reputable brand) is a good choice.
Don't buy "Made In China" rotors (or anything else if you can help it), which are listed alot on eBay, as their products don't measure up for quality. Real cheap prices are a dead giveaway for these parts. Besides, would you risk you and your family's safety for $100 or less? IMHO, not worth it.
Don't buy "Made In China" rotors (or anything else if you can help it), which are listed alot on eBay, as their products don't measure up for quality. Real cheap prices are a dead giveaway for these parts. Besides, would you risk you and your family's safety for $100 or less? IMHO, not worth it.
