Bendix Ultimates Suck

[75coupe]

Bloody Bendix sucks,

I changed my front rotors and pads at the same time with Bendix Ultimates and RDA slotted rotors, now after only 17000 Ks went to replace the pads (note that I am not impressed with Bendix pads at all) only to find that my slotted rotors have practically no slots left the pads have chewed away almost 3mm of metal from the rotor...

Now I have heard that Bendix chew rotors, but was very surprise to have a technician from Bendix tell me that I shouldn't be using slotted or cross-drilled rotors as they do nothing for braking they are just for show (I thought it was for water dispersion and airflow to keep the rotor cooler), and that on european vehicles when changing pads it is usual to change the rotors and pads at the same time everytime cause the pads are a similar compound to ultimates and yes they chew pads, I thought it was brakes dust on my rims from the bendix pads but hey it could of actually been rotor dust, hence when you see euro cars with a very dusty front rim.

Does this Bendix 'technician' know what he is talking about or is it just bull..?

I asked him to give what he had said to me in writing which of course he refused....

He also said I was driving way too hard for the pads as they are not up to hard driving apparantly, maybe this is why bendix has a new pad range out, called their performance range, not that I will be trying them at all......

[Hardman69]

I've done 60,000+ km on Ultimates, including 3.5 track days, all on 1 set of standard front rotors. I'm on my 3rd set of front Ultimate pads, and the discs were only machined once, 2 years ago.

Brake Pad sticky thread

Maybe talk to RDA about their (possibly) soft rotors?

Did You take it V.easy on the brakes, when You first installed them? Bedding-in has an impact on rotor life - mainly for shudder, I must admit.

[Dave32]

ultimates suck, noisy, dusty, quick wearing, and they chew rotors, use EBC or Ferrodo!

[75coupe]

Yep I bedded them in as per instructions... I made sure as I didn't want to waste the money spent...

Maybe I'm simply expecting too much from brakes, I must admit I do drive rather hard and do use my brakes I would say too their limit... and experience no fade or fluid probs.

I wish I could get that sort of mileage from my brakes..... I'm putting some rear slotteds on this weekend with fresh pads all round different brand this time. see how it goes, but now I will probably need to replace my front rotors again in less than 20000 Ks.

[negativecamber]

i have the same setup on my car mate and they are crap. the cold braking is bad and they get fade easy too.

people i know use lucas pads which are about $140 for the front AND rear set. they have better cold braking and can handle more heat, absolute dump all over bendix ultimates.

[blind_elk]

Never had a problem with Ultimates and (DBA) slotted rotors.

Are you sure it's not that the dust has filled the slots? Have you actually measured the rotor thickness?

[Omurru]

Lol doesn't everyone know ultimates chew rotors???

As far as slotted/cross drilled rotors, I was under the impression the slots help to remove brake dust from under the pad as they kinda wipe it away as the go past, and cross drilled rotors do nothing except crack...the cooling on a rotor is done by airflow through the inside not between the pad and rotor, really you want nothing but disk there to give you more contact area....

[MrStabby]

As far as slotted/cross drilled rotors, I was under the impression the slots help to remove brake dust from under the pad as they kinda wipe it away as the go past, and cross drilled rotors do nothing except crack...the cooling on a rotor is done by airflow through the inside not between the pad and rotor, really you want nothing but disk there to give you more contact area....

Gas is produced when the organic pad material breaks down, and the slots are there to provide an easy exit. This prevents the pad and rotor friction from being compromised by the layer of trapped gas. I'm sure i read that somewhere...hopefully its not BS

Ferodo DS2500s FTW

[WTF-33R]

Bloody Bendix sucks,

I changed my front rotors and pads at the same time with Bendix Ultimates and RDA slotted rotors, now after only 17000 Ks went to replace the pads (note that I am not impressed with Bendix pads at all) only to find that my slotted rotors have practically no slots left the pads have chewed away almost 3mm of metal from the rotor...

Now I have heard that Bendix chew rotors, but was very surprise to have a technician from Bendix tell me that I shouldn't be using slotted or cross-drilled rotors as they do nothing for braking they are just for show (I thought it was for water dispersion and airflow to keep the rotor cooler), and that on european vehicles when changing pads it is usual to change the rotors and pads at the same time everytime cause the pads are a similar compound to ultimates and yes they chew pads, I thought it was brakes dust on my rims from the bendix pads but hey it could of actually been rotor dust, hence when you see euro cars with a very dusty front rim.

Does this Bendix 'technician' know what he is talking about or is it just bull..?

I asked him to give what he had said to me in writing which of course he refused....

He also said I was driving way too hard for the pads as they are not up to hard driving apparantly, maybe this is why bendix has a new pad range out, called their performance range, not that I will be trying them at all......

Half True, I work on many euro cars (namely Porsche, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Rover, BMW and in the past Alfa Romeo) and On Alfas rotors were pretty much changed every set of pads (makes a full set of brakes cost over $1200) every other make I listed will do a set of rotors every 2-3 pad changes depending on the driver. As to the compound being similar I'm not sure. Unlike a Commo or falcon that will do 100000kms on a set of rotors

Gas is produced when the organic pad material breaks down, and the slots are there to provide an easy exit. This prevents the pad and rotor friction from being compromised by the layer of trapped gas. I'm sure i read that somewhere...

This is correct.

I use Bendix Ultimates, and yes I have noticed in ~15000kms of driving the RDA rotors are starting to wear a lip into them, but considering I have done 3 track days and 2 skidpan days, theres still plenty of meat left (~60%)and I'm confident that every time I stab the brakes the car will pull up. Yes they are dusty but i just wash the car.

[R TUNE]

i used bendix when i first got my car. i hated them, they didn't even hold up under normal driveing conditions, and im talking about a stock r31 skyline. then i changed to DBA sloted disc with disk tech pads front, and brakeing improved 10fold. i then put frodo exel pads on the rear with DBA sloted disc, and i couldn't complain appart from the frodos ceating a lip quiker then the disc techs. i am now useing r33 gtst front calipers with DBA 4000 sloted disc and rb74 pads. rears still the same.

so the best thing to do would get some RB74 pads (race brakes) and DBA sloted discs.

and what the bendix tech is saying bull. i will never use bendix or RDA (rda a cheep copy of DBA).

[MBS206]

I went to run Ultimates on a set of slotted rotors and got told off by my brake machinist as that pad isn't properly designed to run with slotted rotors.

A thought perhaps...

[Omurru]

hmmm interesting about the slotted rotors, I've never been able to tell the difference between using slotted and non-slotted rotors, thats only on the street though.....I'm gonna go do me some research now

i will never use bendix or RDA (rda a cheep copy of DBA).

*edit...my mistake * If you ask around you will find most of the guys that do alot of track work use RDA rotors because they don't crack as much as the DBA ones, I wouldn't really say they are that bad although I speak only from experience using them on my commodore, The crossdrilled DBA ones I have on the skyline developed hairline cracks around all the holes after only a few thousand k's of street use....

[Beer Baron]

lol, RDA make DBA? pull the other one.

to be honest this is what's happend. you have bought rotors that cost around half the price of most other brands. and pads that cost a third the price of most other brands. bendix ults are hard on rotors, and RDA rotors being half the price of DBA it's not unusual to expect they last half as long. so either buy better rotors and pads, or get used to it I say.

[Omurru]

lol, RDA make DBA? pull the other one.

I dunno I read it somwhere, i'll see if I can find where *Edit: Ok they don't, my mistake, dunno where I read it though.....hmmm*

[gslrallysport]

people i know use lucas pads which are about $140 for the front AND rear set. they have better cold braking and can handle more heat, absolute dump all over bendix ultimates.

Give the man a medal!!!

As for RDA, the number one reason why RDA are cheaper is DBA, is that they deal directly with parts outlets, and don't distribute through wholesalers like DBA ONLY do!!! When I (like anybody else) buy DBA I have to purchase through a large wholesaler like ATAP, National Parts, or BPA. When I order RDA, I deal directly with them, and they deliver it... Cuts out the middle man, and THREE lots of freight...

In just standard replacements (ie. not two piece) RDA is on par with DBA for quality, UNTIL you get over about 310-320 in rotor diameter then RDA is streaks ahead. As a distributor of both, I have far less problems with RDA, and both the local Ford Dealerships who service falcons with the 355mm brake upgrade simply refuse to use the DBA rotors that come on them standard, and are now choosing RDA. The DBA warp way to easy, even on family driven cars, and are wearing out after less than 20,000k's. The RDA have subsequently fixed both of these problems. Torque Ford in Brendale QLD if you'd really like to ring them and ask what the parts department think of DBA!

To say DBA is a better choice is just being ignorant of the fact that every company has their glitches, and EVERY rotors can warp under the right conditions, regardless of brand. Also alot of problems that people associate with 'warped' rotors (like vibrating, pulsating etc.) has nothing to do warping, but DVT, disc variation thickness, which is 99% driving habits, very rarely anything to do with the rotors itself.

And if you're having problems with pads, try QFM!

[ZENNON]

Ferodo DS2500s FTW

+1. that is all

edit: must admit i dont know what rotors i have though - but they slotted and drilled...

do r32 gtrs have slotted and drilled rotors on the front?

[Kaido_RR]

lol, RDA make DBA? pull the other one.

to be honest this is what's happend. you have bought rotors that cost around half the price of most other brands. and pads that cost a third the price of most other brands. bendix ults are hard on rotors, and RDA rotors being half the price of DBA it's not unusual to expect they last half as long. so either buy better rotors and pads, or get used to it I say.

100% agree!

if you buy cheap rotors and disc you get cheap quality!

endless, project mu, brembo, ap = the go!

ohh and bendix suck because they are the dusty pads i've used!

[75coupe]

So it could be said when using RDA rotors or if you want your expensive rotors to last more than one set of pads then use cheap ass soft pads. then have another set of decent rotors and pads just for the track days...

but of course not bendix cause they just don't seem decent... dusty as, and the guy at autobarn reckons they are a dustless pad... hahaha he said he had seen my front wheels a couple of times and just can't explain why my front rims are always dusty, he said I must be doing something wrong...

well I just found pads for my 33 for $90 all round, I'm gonna try them they can't be any worse than bendix...

[gslrallysport]

Also remember too, that a BIG PART of what you perceive is brake dust, is actually 'rotor' dust, and nothing to do with the pads at all... Its to do with how the pad interacts with the rotor itself... One set of pads can be very dusty on one set of rotors, but nothing at all on another set...

So it could be said when using RDA rotors or if you want your expensive rotors to last more than one set of pads then use cheap ass soft pads

Firstly, where's the connection between, 'cheap' and 'soft pads'??? Secondly, being a supplier to the trade, and not just a hearsay eBay shopper, I can tell you that on a weekly basis Falcon's with the factory 355mm brake upgrade are having their rotors replaced for RDA's because the standard OEM items are worn out after less than 20,000k's...

Like I said before, RDA price advantage has 100% to do with how they're distributed, and nothing to do with their quality. DBA for too long now have relied on their previous market advantage to continue to survive, and slowly people are realising this. To buy DBA you have to add a middle man mark up, and 3 extra carriers of freight... sorry that costs money, and that's why DBA's are more expensive... when you buy RDA's you're buying off the person who bought off RDA, when you buy DBA you're buying off a person who bought off a large wholesaler who bought off DBA.

Say for comparison's sake, a set of slotted rotors cost $100 to make (ok, I know that's lots more than actual, but just bear with me). The following percentages are just for the purpose of the exercise, and not real figures...

RDA

$100 -> RDA throw their 30% on $130 -> RDA deliver for nothing, and retailer throws their 30% on -> $169

DBA

$100 -> DBA throw their 30% on $130 -> DBA Freight to wholesaler $137 -> Wholesaler throws their 30% on $178 -> Wholesaler freights to retailer $185 -> Retailer throws their 30% on -> $240

$71 difference for the exact same rotors... End of story. And the reality is that's about the price difference if you actually price the same rotors...

I'll happily sell either, and it doesn't particularly worry me, as I can buy DBA off any one of the 3 largest DBA wholesalers, so on a whole, I'm fairly price competitive on them, and despite the fact that I make more money on DBA, I still prefer to sell RDA as I have less problems with them.

Edited August 17, 2007 by jetpilot1986

[75coupe]

I think RDA are great myself I have no complaint with the rotors at all in fact I just ordered new front and rear slotteds. I have had DBAs in the past and the RDA seem just the same except heaps cheaper they seem to last the same. My complaint is with the pads.

When I say soft cheap pads, I'm thinking from past experience the pads wore out without taking alot of rotor meat with em and they were cheaper, and yes a sacrifice in the feel and efficiency and so on, but I guess I would rather pay less for the pads keep longevity in the discs and sacrifice braking performance, yeah ultimates stop good, but I don't see that huge a difference from lower grade pads that don't chew rotors to justify the wear and price.