honda quality parts advice

The cheaper the rotors, the worse the steel. You pays your money and you
takes your chances.

The cheap Chinese shit is the worst. I've seen big potholes flaked off the
friction surfaces of one year-old rotors. Makes the most horrendous
vibration.

Brembo is supposed to be good. Never used them, though.

The Honda-branded ones are probably Sumitomo (it will say on the back).
Honda also uses Akebono and Nissin depending on the application.

Nissin is now owned by Ferodo.

If you're referring to NISSIN, Nissin is an OEM to Honda. It's possible the
"premium" pads you list are a similar composition to OEM.

At least some Accord calipers are Akebono.

If it were me, I'd go with Nissin and get the most expensive ones, guessing
they're probably closest to OEM.

 

The cheaper the rotors, the worse the steel. You pays your money and you
takes your chances.

The cheap Chinese shit is the worst. I've seen big potholes flaked off the
friction surfaces of one year-old rotors. Makes the most horrendous
vibration.

Brembo is supposed to be good. Never used them, though.

The Honda-branded ones are probably Sumitomo (it will say on the back).
Honda also uses Akebono and Nissin depending on the application.

Nissin is now owned by Ferodo.

If you're referring to NISSIN, Nissin is an OEM to Honda. It's possible the
"premium" pads you list are a similar composition to OEM.

At least some Accord calipers are Akebono.

If it were me, I'd go with Nissin and get the most expensive ones, guessing
they're probably closest to OEM.

 

Already posted a correction.

 

Already posted a correction.

 

I think what was causing my confusion here is Denso's penchant for putting
their "ND" logo on everything. That has not changed since I can ever
remember. For some reason I started thinking the company name itself was
ND.

Oops.

 

I think what was causing my confusion here is Denso's penchant for putting
their "ND" logo on everything. That has not changed since I can ever
remember. For some reason I started thinking the company name itself was
ND.

Oops.

 

My original, 1991 oxygen sensor was stamped ND. The new,
Denso one (purchased in 2004) was not.

 

My original, 1991 oxygen sensor was stamped ND. The new,
Denso one (purchased in 2004) was not.

 

Not to nitpick too much, but aren't rotors made of cast iron?

 

Not to nitpick too much, but aren't rotors made of cast iron?

 

there are more different kinds of "cast iron" than you can shake a stick
at. add to that the differences in casting quality, machining quality,
material quality, heat treatment quality, etc., and suddenly, yes, you
pays your money and you takes your chances.

 

there are more different kinds of "cast iron" than you can shake a stick
at. add to that the differences in casting quality, machining quality,
material quality, heat treatment quality, etc., and suddenly, yes, you
pays your money and you takes your chances.

 

rotors are cheap lifetime brake pads are cheaper! im still running
the OEM pads (51k miles) on my 98 civic hatch. dunno what ill go with
when its time.

been using the lifetime pads on the girlfriends tacoma. she gets about
30k miles out of em, which is bout average for HER style of driving, and
that its a RWD truck w/ A/T.

they seem a little noisier, and make that "grunch" sound easier when
slipping the brake at a light. lots of brake dust, but her OEM pads were
kinda dusty too.

last time i changed em, her brakes were making noise. after taking the
wheels off and pads out they still had some meat on em. called autozone,
they said theyd swap em out regardless. had the receipt, but all they
needed to look up her info was her phone #.

it was a nice feeling getting a set of new brake pads handed to us. they
kept the box for the old ones, of course. but yeah... OEM are a bit better.

over the course of 300k miles, its $400 for OEM vs. $20 for aftermarket.
doesnt factor in the cost of rotors, and if the OEM only lasted 30k and
these still have some meat after 30k, then im guessing theyre a harder
compound.

but after 30k, the OEM ones were cracked and worn down to the backing
plate.

 

rotors are cheap lifetime brake pads are cheaper! im still running
the OEM pads (51k miles) on my 98 civic hatch. dunno what ill go with
when its time.

been using the lifetime pads on the girlfriends tacoma. she gets about
30k miles out of em, which is bout average for HER style of driving, and
that its a RWD truck w/ A/T.

they seem a little noisier, and make that "grunch" sound easier when
slipping the brake at a light. lots of brake dust, but her OEM pads were
kinda dusty too.

last time i changed em, her brakes were making noise. after taking the
wheels off and pads out they still had some meat on em. called autozone,
they said theyd swap em out regardless. had the receipt, but all they
needed to look up her info was her phone #.

it was a nice feeling getting a set of new brake pads handed to us. they
kept the box for the old ones, of course. but yeah... OEM are a bit better.

over the course of 300k miles, its $400 for OEM vs. $20 for aftermarket.
doesnt factor in the cost of rotors, and if the OEM only lasted 30k and
these still have some meat after 30k, then im guessing theyre a harder
compound.

but after 30k, the OEM ones were cracked and worn down to the backing
plate.

 

That's right, rub it in.

Ha ha.

for aftermarket.

Oh, I get it...

My 91 Civic's original, OEM pads were gone after two years,
43k miles.

I hear you about the rotors. We had this discussion with
Steve H. and others not too long ago. I checked then at the
online parts sites and saw that OEM rotors were expensive
but aftermarkets were not, and a few people have since said
aftermarket rotors are just fine. So go ahead and take a cut
on an old rotor; t'ain't nothing to replace them. That was
ultimately my feeling after the whole thread, anyway.

'Course, I'm thinkin' my 91 Civics rotors are going to the
grave with it, given the way I drive (lotta braking with the
manual transmission and engine). I know some here do not
approve.

I paid $42 for "lifetime warranty" Raybestos pads in 2002.
Still have them. I don't think that means much. I would have
paid about the same for Honda OEMs then, but maybe they
wouldn't have lasted as long.

I reckon next brake pad change, and another 50k miles or so,
I'll have more to say, as I do plan to go OEM then.

My Civic's rotor thickness is still plenty in spec, after
173k miles. The other rotor specs (evenness, runout,
scoring) are off or I'm sure a bit off.

 

That's right, rub it in.

Ha ha.

for aftermarket.

Oh, I get it...

My 91 Civic's original, OEM pads were gone after two years,
43k miles.

I hear you about the rotors. We had this discussion with
Steve H. and others not too long ago. I checked then at the
online parts sites and saw that OEM rotors were expensive
but aftermarkets were not, and a few people have since said
aftermarket rotors are just fine. So go ahead and take a cut
on an old rotor; t'ain't nothing to replace them. That was
ultimately my feeling after the whole thread, anyway.

'Course, I'm thinkin' my 91 Civics rotors are going to the
grave with it, given the way I drive (lotta braking with the
manual transmission and engine). I know some here do not
approve.

I paid $42 for "lifetime warranty" Raybestos pads in 2002.
Still have them. I don't think that means much. I would have
paid about the same for Honda OEMs then, but maybe they
wouldn't have lasted as long.

I reckon next brake pad change, and another 50k miles or so,
I'll have more to say, as I do plan to go OEM then.

My Civic's rotor thickness is still plenty in spec, after
173k miles. The other rotor specs (evenness, runout,
scoring) are off or I'm sure a bit off.

 

I don't know how to tell the difference between cast iron and cast steel.
Any tips?

 

I don't know how to tell the difference between cast iron and cast steel.
Any tips?

 

ugh, that's hard except for one big thing - there's not much "cast
steel" about compared to cast iron. usually, the word "steel" is
reserved for low carbon iron/carbon alloy, with other stuff thrown in
for various reasons, and which has been worked, like rod or sheet or
strip & so on. but there are cast steels, and they're usually used for
complex shapes as an alternative to machining and where cost is less of
a factor. cast iron is high carbon [lower melting point, castability,
etc.] and used where CHEAP is the order of the day. but there's no easy
differentiator unless you have a microscope - you need to know what
you're looking for and know the component's application.

 

ugh, that's hard except for one big thing - there's not much "cast
steel" about compared to cast iron. usually, the word "steel" is
reserved for low carbon iron/carbon alloy, with other stuff thrown in
for various reasons, and which has been worked, like rod or sheet or
strip & so on. but there are cast steels, and they're usually used for
complex shapes as an alternative to machining and where cost is less of
a factor. cast iron is high carbon [lower melting point, castability,
etc.] and used where CHEAP is the order of the day. but there's no easy
differentiator unless you have a microscope - you need to know what
you're looking for and know the component's application.