# ATE PowerDisc vs. plain OEM rotor



## ottoman (Feb 19, 2005)

I did a little search last night on the forums to see some user opinions of the ATE PowerDisc. I ran across several members that recommended upgraded pads over the ATE PowerDisc. Members wrote things like it doesn't have an effect on my braking and some people said all it was good for was wearing down your pads faster than the oem rotors. The search engine is currently down so I would just like to get some more opinions before I place my order online for some new rotors.
NOTE: Here is some background cause I know this may affect which rotor is best for my situation. Drive a 2002 Jetta 2.0 and about all of my miles are highway miles in the DC metro area with lots of stop-and-go traffic. I drive fast and spirited on the road but do not participate in events/races. I have already bought the pads, they are ATE pads. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


_Modified by ottoman at 10:40 AM 2-19-2005_


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## dcomiskey (Mar 13, 2002)

*Re: ATE PowerDisc vs. plain OEM rotor (ottoman)*

ATE pads? Never heard of them...
I would probably stick with the stock ones unless the ATE rotors are cheaper. You won't notice any difference in performance or wear between the two.


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## ottoman (Feb 19, 2005)

*Re: ATE PowerDisc vs. plain OEM rotor (dcomiskey)*

Thanks for the info, I was leaning towards the OEM anyways.
On a side note, can't believe you haven't heard of ATE pads. ATE and Pagid were the big names back when I lived in Europe. ATE was the OEM pad and disc manufacturer for the 97 Jetta Trek II that I had. I think the OEM for the pad is Pagid on my 02 and for the discs, I think they are Brembo. Oh well, they are all great companies and I can't complain with any of their performances thus far.


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## thisusernamestaken (Aug 29, 2004)

just installed the power disks and mintex redboxes on my 90 b3 passat. i drive "spirited," (fast) as well, and from what ive felt, and heard, these rotors are nice. the way i look at it, if the are good for the new beetle cup car and lupo cup car, theyre good enough for me.


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## Racer_X (Jul 14, 2002)

*Re: ATE PowerDisc vs. plain OEM rotor (ottoman)*

Which ATE pads do you have? Do you know the cF and operating temperature range for them? 
Slotted rotors are hard on pads. They tend to wear pads 2 to 5 times quicker than a flat surface, stock rotor. 
If you must go with a slotted rotor, the ATE Power Discs are well engineered rotors that shouldn't cause any other issues with your brakes (other than the accelerated pad wear). And if you are pushing lower performance pads past their optimum operating temperatures, the ATE Power Discs will tend to reduce the fade probems by giving the gasses coming off the overheated pads a way to escape and keeping the overheated friction material on the rotor. But a better choice in that situtation is to get pads with a higher operating temperature range if you can.


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## ottoman (Feb 19, 2005)

The fact that they wear down pads faster than stock rotors is not as important as it would be if the slotted rotors actually helped me stop quicker and avoid a possible accident. Whats $100 on pads if it avoids me getting into even one accident? That is of course, if the slotted rotors actually help or if they are just hype.
By the way, the pads I have are labeled "Ate Original" and I purchased them from German Auto Parts. I wouldn't mind returning them and paying a little extra for better pads. Let me know of any new suggestions, or if I should just stick with the pads I have and buy some plain Brembo rotors and use the money I saved on the college fund of local strippers hahaha.


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## rabidroco (Jul 20, 2001)

*Re: (ottoman)*

slotted rotors actually reduce the amount of surface area of your rotors, creating less braking power. the only advantage is the slots keep things from overheating during heavy, constant braking, something you'll prolly only do going down a long mountain. get better tires if you want to avoid accidents, the'll stop better and steer you out of harms way better.


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## Racer_X (Jul 14, 2002)

*Re: (ottoman)*


_Quote, originally posted by *ottoman* »_The fact that they wear down pads faster than stock rotors is not as important as it would be if the slotted rotors actually helped me stop quicker and avoid a possible accident. Whats $100 on pads if it avoids me getting into even one accident? That is of course, if the slotted rotors actually help or if they are just hype.
Slotted rotors are mostly hype. The one thing that a slotted rotor can do is give gasses from fading pads a way to escape, keeping the (overheated) pad material on the rotors and giving you a little more braking action than you would have with stock rotors if you drive the pads over the fade temperature. 
Stopping shorter/quicker requires better tires. Better pads can reduce fade much more effectively than slotted rotors for most situations. 

_Quote, originally posted by *ottoman* »_By the way, the pads I have are labeled "Ate Original" and I purchased them from German Auto Parts. I wouldn't mind returning them and paying a little extra for better pads. Let me know of any new suggestions, or if I should just stick with the pads I have and buy some plain Brembo rotors and use the money I saved on the college fund of local strippers hahaha.
I would guess that those pads are roughly an OEM equivalent (possibly even the exact pads VW has used when they built the car). A more performance oriented pad will give you better grip (less pedal effort to for the same braking effort) and better fade resistance. 
Hawk HPS would be a good step up for street driving, even some spirited street driving. HPS will fade if you push it hard, but it will grip a lot better and work hotter than the stock pads (and I'm guessing better than the "ATE Original" pads). 

_Quote, originally posted by *rabidroco* »_slotted rotors actually reduce the amount of surface area of your rotors,
Somewhat true. But probably less than 2%-3% for the ATE's, and I haven't seen a slotted rotor with more than 5% of the surface covered by slots. 

_Quote, originally posted by *rabidroco* »_ creating less braking power.
Not at all. The pressure in the caliper would be the same whether the slots are there or not. So the force of the piston on the pad (in pounds of force) will be the same. That also means that the pad will exert the same pounds of force on the rotor, just over slightly less area of the rotor, so the pressure (in pounds of force per square inch) will be slightly higher due to the reduce area. The total pounds of force will, however, be the same with or without slots. 

_Quote, originally posted by *rabidroco* »_ the only advantage is the slots keep things from overheating 
No, the pads and rotors will still overheat. Slotted rotors actually will run ever so slightly warmer, due to the slightly higher pressure on the rotor surface and the slight reduction in rotor mass from the slots. It's not enough to matter much, but it is probably measurable. What the slot does is give the gasses from the overheating pad a way to escape. Without the slots, the pad will float like an air hockey puck on the cushion of gasses. With the slot, the gasses escape through the slots and the pad will stay in contact with the rotor. 

_Quote, originally posted by *rabidroco* »_during heavy, constant braking, something you'll prolly only do going down a long mountain.
Actually, if you drive properly, you shouldn't be riding the brakes down a long grade (you should select a gear low enough that you can coast without touching the brake pedal). If you ride the brakes in that situation, it can overheat and fade any braking system. 
But brakes can also overheat from repeated applications over a short period of time, with not enough time between applications for the rotors and pads to fully cool. This typically happens on road course race tracks, and on spirited drives on roads with a lot of sharp turns with short straight(er) sections between the turns, where someone driving in a "spirited" manner would accelerate hard on the straigher parts and brake hard for the sharper turns. 

_Quote, originally posted by *rabidroco* »_get better tires if you want to avoid accidents, the'll stop better and steer you out of harms way better.
That's excellent advice right there. We completely agree on that.


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## ottoman (Feb 19, 2005)

Wow, thanks for the lengthy and thorough response . I went ahead and ordered the plain Brembo rotors. They were around $100 shipped for all 4, a great deal. Local shops charge around $10-$15/rotor for resurfacing.
I will give the ATE pads a try and if they don't work out I will purchase the Hawk pads the next time around. Thanks again for everyone's input.


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## maximus_manx (Jul 16, 2001)

*Re: ATE PowerDisc vs. plain OEM rotor (dcomiskey)*


_Quote, originally posted by *dcomiskey* »_ATE pads? Never heard of them...


I don't see a location in your bio, and that statement confirms my suspicion....you obviously live under a rock.


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## dcomiskey (Mar 13, 2002)

*Re: ATE PowerDisc vs. plain OEM rotor (maximus_manx)*


_Quote, originally posted by *maximus_manx* »_I don't see a location in your bio, and that statement confirms my suspicion....you obviously live under a rock.









CT, which can sometimes be called a rock. But I stand by tha I have never heard of ATE pads, just rotors and fluid. Sorry.


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