Wilwood replacement rotors

[Lucid Moments]

Okay it is time again to replace my brake rotors. I never can remember the right part # so I was looking at Wilwood's site. Here is the trick. I'm looking at two different rotors and can't see that there is any difference in them except for about $50 each.

 

The part #s are:

 

160-0277 which Wilwood lists at $35.63 each

 

http://www.wilwood.com/RotorProd.aspx?itemno=160-0277

 

160-5843 which Wilwood lists at $87.90 each

 

http://www.wilwood.com/RotorProd.aspx?itemno=160-5843

 

Look Here for the prices. If you want to narrow down the search they are 12.19" diameter, 0.81" thick on a 8 X 7" bolt pattern.

 

http://www.wilwood.com/RotorList1.aspx

 

I have an e-mail in to Wilwood tech support as I honestly can't see any difference. Maybe the material they are made of, but other than that I don't see any possibilities.

[Lucid Moments]

Got this response

 

Michael,

 

Thank you for the inquiry and use of Wilwood Disc Brakes. Wilwood rotor part number 160-0277, is a 12.19" x 0.81" straight vaned rotor. The 160-5843 is dimensionally the same, but is more heavy duty, offering better endurance and drivability. The 160-5843 is known as the Wilwood ULHP Rotor and the 160-0277 is the standard UL rotor.

 

Regards,

 

MJ

 

Are they serious? Do they really expect me to buy that two rotors that are dimensionally almost identical, and are made from the same material but that one is "more heavy duty"?

 

Someone on another forum may have found the answer.

 

UL series rotors are production machined and will provide excellent service for many applications. ULHP series rotors provide the additional performance and smoother operation of precision machined faces with less than .001" variation in flatness, parallelism, and run-out.

 

So maybe one is machined to tighter tolerances than the other. That would make a certain amount of sense. Any opinions?

[dakota guy]

The machining tolerances probably aren't the only differences. The "heavier duty" one will probably weigh more to handle the thermal loads better. There may also be a difference between the venting in the center of the rotor (straight vs. directional). Both will probably work fine for your situation ,depending on how hard you are on brakes. The heavier duty one will probably last longer before warping or cracking but it's hard to say if they would last long enough to justify the price.