Brake discs - Factory vs Aftermarket

[IanM]

Are there any differences in quality between original and aftermarket brake discs like Zimmerman?

I'm amazed how cheap the discs are from places like Design911 or Heritage (rears are £75 each) but from looking at the pictures it seems to me that the aftermarket ones are not balanced. I think the original ones were balanced as they had weight clips in the back.

Is it worth paying the premium for genuine Porsche discs?

[911hillclimber]

I've been through 3 sets of discs in my 34 years with my 911, all aftermarket from various places.
All have been good, none had balancing clips but i think that is down to superior manufacturing techniques in recent years.

Currently have drilled discs from Design911 but can't recall who made them.

Certainly, they do not surface rust after a car wash like my Boxsters do!

[Nine One One]

First check the price of original genuine discs.

Like everything else nowadays there are a lot of cheap Chinese copy parts available. The metal used is not tempered the way it once was, and the first sign of this is how quickly they rust. Discs of old never had this issue.
I bought a pair on Mintex discs, and within 4 weeks they had warped. (from Ebay but a decent seller). Complained to Mintex who confirmed they were fakes, even the packaging was a bloody good copy. There is a reason some of these discs are cheap..........they are crap! The metal is cheap and nasty.

Four things keep you safe on the road........Tyres/Steering/Suspension/Brakes do not scrimp on them, it is not worth it.

[Nige]

For brakes discs and pads I tend to always buy from ECP, CarPartsforLess or GSF, whoever has the best discount codes. Usually stock Sebro or Pagid for Porsche, never had any problems and easy returns.

[IanM]

First check the price of original genuine discs.

From OPC:
Front £131 + VAT each
Rear £173 + VAT each

Like everything else nowadays there are a lot of cheap Chinese copy parts available. The metal used is not tempered the way it once was, and the first sign of this is how quickly they rust.

Even the brands like Zimmermann and Sebro?

Four things keep you safe on the road........Tyres/Steering/Suspension/Brakes do not scrimp on them, it is not worth it.

I agree.

[Gary71]

I would concur that OPC will be best (obviously!) but Pagid etc often make the OE parts.

With our relatively low powered cars buying a known aftermarket brand from a reputable supplier should be enough. I’ve used Brembo pads and discs from Eurocarparts on all my non Porsche cars and have never had an issue.

Once you start getting to power levels where you can actually bother the brakes then it’s OE all the way.

[IanM]

Thanks everybody.