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...I use sintered pads?
Has anyone tried this and is still alive enough to comment?
(And more to the point, what is the difference in the manufacturing process which means brakes can't be used with sintered pads and is the cost difference such that it justifies manufacturers cheaping out their bike builds??)
My understanding is that the cheaper ones are made from a lower grade of steel which is softer. If you run sintered pads, they will wear faster.
That's what I figured too - my older kid is currently running these discs as they came on a replacement centrelock wheelset. I didn't see any point in changing the discs until they wear out. He's having no issues and certainly no screechy noises.
... this bunch of weirdos couldn't really agree.
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/shimano-rotors-and-resin-only-will-i-die/
I believe the difference is the resin only discs haven't been heat treated so they'll probably warp/wear easier than the more expensive heat treated ones.
I’m sure I read that rotors marked “Resin only” don’t have an aluminium layer so aren’t as effective at dissipating the extra heat generated by metal pads. This leads to glazing/warping/noise or something like that anyway…🤷♂️
I believe the difference is the resin only discs haven’t been heat treated so they’ll probably warp/wear easier than the more expensive heat treated ones.
That is my understanding as well.
Ive done it in the past. It just wears the disc really quickly. Like dead in a couple of months.
That is my understanding as well.
+1
Aren't they stamped from a sheet rather than laser cut then milled flat? IIRC you can tell the "resin only" rotors because the edges are smooth rather than sharp.
Either way the risk is they warp if they get too hot and/or wear quicker.
Annoyingly I had similar with EBC after upgrading the brakes on the MG. They used to age the disks by machining them, then leaving them on the shelf for months to de-stress, then machine them a final time before sale. But modern business practices and cashflow don't allow for that anymore so they just machine them and ship them accepting that a (historically) high number will warp and get returned. Fine if the disk is just mounted on the wheel studs, a PITA if you have to pull the hubs to get to the disk. They're basically doing a shimano, but not telling you.
Resin disc rotors? As in not metal? A no from me.
Resin disc rotors? As in not metal? A no from me.
The rotors are steel, but they're intended for resin pads only. As above, they seem to be stamped from cheaper, softer grades of steel so they are cheaper to make than laser cut rotors. They'll wear out faster than regular rotors.
Annoyingly I had similar with EBC after upgrading the brakes on the MG. They used to age the disks by machining them, then leaving them on the shelf for months to de-stress, then machine them a final time before sale.
I remember reading a magazine article about the old BMW turbo F1 engine from the early 80s. They were based on the road car 4 cylinder engine block. BMW apparently bought up old taxis which had huge mileages so the engine block castings had been destressed. The journalist who wrote the story talked about going out the back of the workshop and there was a huge tank with engine blocks stacked in it. That was the urinal, they just pissed in the tank and the nitrogen in the urine reacted with the cast iron and apparently helped further with the destressing. After a good soak in piss, the blocks were then pulled out and remanufactured as an F1 engine putting out 1300 to 1400 hp in qualifying trim.
This seems like a suitable placeto ask - I have big boy brakes on my trail bike but bog standard Deore 2 pots on my XC hardtail, 160mm rotors. They feel great (and havent leaked) but the overall power is just a little underwhelming.
Size for size - if I change the standard 'resin pad only' cheap rotors and standard resin pads out for a set of decent (XT, RT86 etc) rotors plus some of the higher end pads from Shimano - reckon this will give any noticeable extra bite?
200 mm rotors will give noticeably more power. It's worth trying different pad compounds but the rotors will make a huge difference.
IME non-resin (i.e. sintered) pads on resin-only rotors HOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWLLLLLLLL like a bastard
I've heard a similar story of the BMW F1 engines, although I heard they were just left in the air to oxidize and pissed on.
As for upgrading rotors, it'll be marginal at best. The 'resin only' rotors aren't bad (like some of the super light aftermarket ones are). If you want more power just get Shimano 180/203mm rotors and adapters.
Pad choice can be as much personal preference as anything else. Some pads feel squishy, some pads bite hard then tail off, some pads aren't so good untill you really apply pressure, some pads like to run hot, some wear rapidly in wet/grit, some survive better etc. There's not an inherent upgrade between resin and sintered. Depends on the conditions (and the specific resin and sintered pads). People really rate the SRAM sintered pads, but the superstar ones less so for example.
I’ve heard a similar story of the BMW F1 engines, although I heard they were just left in the air to oxidize and pissed on.
Quite likely. I read that story decades ago, the details are all lost, I just remember the pissing on them to season the blocks bit.
[ just remember the pissing on them to season the blocks bit. ]
Maybe I'm misreading this, but....if I piss on my rotors and pads when they're hot, will it improve my brake performance....?
How can you tell which is which? I recently bought some OE Shimano discs that just came in a plastic bag. They were cheap though so probably resin only?
How can you tell which is which?
It's written on the rotor
I'm pretty sure the resin only rotors have that stamped on them.