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C-Brakes (on eBay) Kit Review by liv4God
Started on: 05-17-2016 03:15 AM
Replies: 7 (851 views)
Last post by: liv4God on 12-07-2017 06:00 AM
liv4God
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Report this Post05-17-2016 03:15 AM Click Here to See the Profile for liv4GodSend a Private Message to liv4GodEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
C-Brakes lists Fiero brakes on eBay at a pretty good price. 4 rotors, and all 8 pads for $150-200, depending on the year and pad selection. I got semi-metallic pads and the rotors for my Formula for $150. They also have ceramic pads for about $30 more. The rotors are cross drilled, and slotted and have silver zinc coating.
According to their store they machine the rotors in their shop in Orange county CA.

I was a little nervous to buy from an eBay store at first especially with the good price, but I figured if they were good it can be a great source for brakes especially for those of us who have multiple Fieros to care for

So I went for it. The brakes were shipped promptly and everything was correct for the car. The pads' metal backing is coated with a thick black coating which I had to sand some off so that it would slide in the caliper easily. Other than that installation was as expected. I've been very happy with them so far (about 2500 miles on them). Stopping is better than my previous brakes (although that may be due to the old ones being worn). They look great, I've gotten several complements on the brakes already. Not much noise either. I didn't realize they had a ceramic pad kit until after I bought mine, but I would expect the ceramic pad kit to perform better, but overall I'm very pleased.

On a 1-10 scale, 10 being best:
stopping: 6.8
installation: 8.9
noise: 8
fade: 7.4
price: 10
looks: 10
overall: 8.7
durability: TBD

Final Consensus: These brake kits are an excellent choice for Fieros with a stock brake set up. Installation was easy enough and they stop the car as intended. They look great and you can't beat the price! For high performance Fieros and race applications, these may not be a first choice, but for daily drivers and weekend cruisers, these will be hard to beat.

Here's are the links in case anyone is interested:
88 rotor and ceramic pad package: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pon...t-Rear-/331856843503
88 rotor and semi-metallic pad package: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pon...-Fr-Rr-/331853110710
pre 88 rotor and ceramic pad package: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pon...t-Rear-/311613155725
pre 88 rotor and semi metallic pad package: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pon...-Fr-Rr-/331853110652

They also have just the pads or just the rotors.
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liv4God
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Report this Post05-17-2016 03:17 AM Click Here to See the Profile for liv4GodSend a Private Message to liv4GodEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
I'll try to post some images later this week.
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liv4God
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Report this Post05-25-2016 01:44 AM Click Here to See the Profile for liv4GodSend a Private Message to liv4GodEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
A few images. Overall image and closeups, all after being installed.








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guitarfreak235
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Report this Post12-04-2017 08:47 PM Click Here to See the Profile for guitarfreak235Send a Private Message to guitarfreak235Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
Any updates on how the rotors and pads work? I am considering the same set of rotors but not sure about the quality of the included pads.

Looking for a set of slotted rotors and some decent sport pads. I autocross and daily my 88 GT so looking for the best brakes that work in many conditions

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Report this Post12-04-2017 10:04 PM Click Here to See the Profile for liv4GodSend a Private Message to liv4GodEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by guitarfreak235:

Any updates on how the rotors and pads work? I am considering the same set of rotors but not sure about the quality of the included pads.

Looking for a set of slotted rotors and some decent sport pads. I autocross and daily my 88 GT so looking for the best brakes that work in many conditions


Yes, After about a year and a half now the rotors and pads are still working great. I've put on about 15k miles or so. The pads hardly show wear at all. This car has been my daily driver and the brakes have been perfect for that. I live on a hilly, curvy road and do enjoy spirited driving along it and have never felt the brakes having difficulty slowing or stopping the car. For autocrossing you may prefer the ceramic pads over the semimetallic that I got. But I have been impressed and satisfied with them nonetheless.

Here's a picture of the pads. They are still very thick like when they were new.

[This message has been edited by liv4God (edited 12-04-2017).]

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guitarfreak235
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Report this Post12-05-2017 12:58 AM Click Here to See the Profile for guitarfreak235Send a Private Message to guitarfreak235Edit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by liv4God:


Yes, After about a year and a half now the rotors and pads are still working great. I've put on about 15k miles or so. The pads hardly show wear at all. This car has been my daily driver and the brakes have been perfect for that. I live on a hilly, curvy road and do enjoy spirited driving along it and have never felt the brakes having difficulty slowing or stopping the car. For autocrossing you may prefer the ceramic pads over the semimetallic that I got. But I have been impressed and satisfied with them nonetheless.

Here's a picture of the pads. They are still very thick like when they were new.




Good to hear! is there any rust on the rotors? i believe they were supposed to be zinc coated.
also, I can't tell for sure from the pictures but the rotors are vented in addition to being drilled/slotted correct?

I think I may go for these rotors, and 7 bucks extra is worth the pads but Im tempted to go all out with something like EBC yellow stuff which are great for street/track use, only downside being dust (and $$).

What pads/rotors are these being compared to and what sort of driving do you do?
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theogre
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Report this Post12-05-2017 03:13 PM Click Here to See the Profile for theogreClick Here to visit theogre's HomePageSend a Private Message to theogreEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
Above link(s) are "dead" but Vendor have other pages. Vendor can't even bother showing correct Fiero brakes pics. The web site has been "under construction" at least since 2009 and only pushes Ebay "store."

ebaydesc.com is funny... Like "All CBrakes rotors are approved by the International Standard of Quality" is .

See also https://www.manta.com/c/mrylhfz/c-brakes
"Business Address" is a Home... google maps

I've seen many vendors on Ebay saying US seller etc still selling same crap from china and elsewhere. Ebay has little interest stopping crap and counterfeit products because they get Billions of $ even after big companies sue them for counterfeit items. Most buyer have no clue or don't care.

Drill/Slotted rotors often have stress fracture and other problems and such rotors can break even "explode" w/o much if any warning often leaving you in a wreck.
God knows where the pads are made...

Just use Wagner ThermoQuiet pads. improves stopping over OE pads/shoes for most vehicles, have better warranty and cost a lot less.
Wagner TQ for Fiero have return to the market w/ new Low Copper (OE21) compounds. example: https://shop.advanceautopar...pad-mx261/20609086-P I use them on Fiero and other cars/trucks and never had problems.

------------------
Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)


The Ogre's Fiero Cave

[This message has been edited by theogre (edited 12-05-2017).]

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liv4God
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Report this Post12-07-2017 06:00 AM Click Here to See the Profile for liv4GodSend a Private Message to liv4GodEdit/Delete MessageReply w/QuoteDirect Link to This Post
 
quote
Originally posted by guitarfreak235:


Good to hear! is there any rust on the rotors? i believe they were supposed to be zinc coated.
also, I can't tell for sure from the pictures but the rotors are vented in addition to being drilled/slotted correct?

I think I may go for these rotors, and 7 bucks extra is worth the pads but Im tempted to go all out with something like EBC yellow stuff which are great for street/track use, only downside being dust (and $$).

What pads/rotors are these being compared to and what sort of driving do you do?


I have had the rotors out in the weather for a few weeks while working on an engine swap. surface rust developed on the areas where the pads rub since any coating is long gone from there. The rest of the rotor had little to no rust. Mine are for an 88 so they are vented as well as drilled and slotted. I would not expect the pre 88 rotors to be vented.

I normally get oem quality pads and rotors from the local parts stores. I can't recall the specific brands, but these were comparable if not better than anything else I've used. I do mostly daily commute driving, but I also often enjoy spirited driving on the hilly curvy country roads near the family ranch.
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