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Brake Pads & Rotors, Stick with Volvo or Aftermarket? S80 2000

Greetings,

I have a 2000 S80 T-6 with 44,000 miles, standard 17" wheels, that will soon need new front brake pads and rotors. I've received quotes from 300 - $650 American dollars to change both. (these quotes include the pads, rotors and labor). I was looking at tirerack.com and see that they have Brembo Rotors, Zimmerman, etc and some EBC Greenstuff Road/Sport disc brake pads. Is it best to stick with the Original Volvo replacement Rotors and Pads or would these aftermarket ones provide better and or similar results for the money? If Aftermarket is okay or better, what brands do you recommend? Anything special I need to look out for? Many Thanks for all responses!

Jethro








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    Brake Pads & Rotors, Stick with Volvo or Aftermarket? S80 2000

    My comments about the Green Stuff pads:

    http://www.jimrothe.com/volvo/ebc_green_stuff.html


    Make a point of reading the linked pages, too, in particular the Caroll Smith article and what I had to say about the PBR Deluxe pads.
    --
    Jim Rothe, '99 S70 T5M,
    http://www.jimrothe.com/volvo/index.html








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    Brake Pads & Rotors, Stick with Volvo or Aftermarket? S80 2000

    You will find many opinions on this board where brake pads and rotors are concerned. Many go aftermarket on pads only to find they squeal or whatever. I read about more complaints with aftermarket addons than anything else.

    If you wish to keep your stuff stock, here is one suggestion of the many you will recieve:

    www.fcpgroton.com

    Get a set of Zimmerman rotors (oem)and oem Volvo pads for under $100, and they are easy to install. All you need is the spider socket to take off the cailper and a pair of visegrips to squeeze the brake pads to the caliper to loosen the pads and then remove them.

    To get the rotors off, tap the backside with a hammer and they pop right off. Install is easy. Just put the rotors on, and then put the caliper on, tighten the bolts and you are done.

    Go to bay 13 for pictures and instructions.








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      Brake Pads & Rotors, Stick with Volvo or Aftermarket? S80 2000

      Thanks for eveyones responses.

      I spoke to the folks at fcpgroten.com as Rick suggested and they couldn't tell me if the rotors and pads they sell are the original OEM ones or not. They do offer some Zimmerman rotors for $86.00 a pair (Front) and Mintex front pads for $36.00. There also is some confusion on the size of the front rotors. I see some folks on Ebay selling Zimmerman front rotors with a size of 305mm outer diameter and others through websites stating a size of 302mm. My vehicle has the 17" wheels. Does that make a difference? Can someone please fill me in on the exact OEM info for front brakes and rotors for a 2000 S80 T-6? After doing further research and reading folks comments, I'd like to stay 100% original. If you know the brand, size or part number or any other pertinent info, that would be great. I even spoke to my local Volvo dealer and they don't know. Can't figure out what the big secret is. :) Many Thanks!








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      Brake Pads & Rotors, Stick with Volvo or Aftermarket? S80 2000

      I don't think there are any rotors that provide any measurable improvement over the stock Zimmermann ones. The stock pads are also good, but quite dusty. Unless you're dissatisfied with the current performance, I'd stick with stock stuff.

      I would also bleed the brake fluid too since you have the wheels off. You can buy a pressure bleeder from iPD for about $30, plus a quart of DOT 4 fluid (kind of hard to find) for $10. All you do is fill the bottle with new fluid, put the special reservoir cap on, connect the hose to one of your tires, and bleed. You simply connect the included hose to the bleed screw (it has a little rubber hat on it) and open the screw. Fluid will come out, stop when new fluid is coming out. The only thing to be careful of is that sometimes the bleed screws sieze to the caliper and you can snap them when you're trying to loosen them. Spray some penetrating lubricant on them the night before, and again about 30 minutes before you do it. I had no problem. Oh, you also must do all four calipers at the same time. I had 45K on my 2000 S80 T6 when I had to replace all the brakes and rotors, and I bled them at the same time. Volvo reccomends bleeding them every two years, and this car was 3 1/2 years old, so I did it. I noticed a significant improvement in brake pedal feel. It seemed much firmer and more 'linear'. It's also good preventive maintenance as brake fluids attracts water, and with time, water buildup can equal trouble.







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