Brembo OE Front Rotors

My brakes have been squeaking for a while and based on visual inspection i do feel that the wear on the brake pads and on the disc rotors are uneven. The more clearly I look into my X the scarier it becomes as I come to realize how much abuse the previous owner has given it. Skimming it would have saved but then I've no clue of the existing rotors.

In order to replace the rotors, I've searched high and low for every possible economical replacement means. I must be kidding right? Economical? :-) I found the following sources.

1. Rotor from Tan Chong - RM800++ a piece. After discount RM630+
2. Same Nissan rotor from Double Champion - RM450 a piece
3. Compatible Taiwan rotor from Double Champion - RM 220 a piece
4. Brembo OE rotor from Lowyat - RM480 per pair.

Now the Brembo OE rotors definitely look like a bargain. There was a risk that these could be fakes. After much hesitation I took the risks with the Brembo OEs. According to the technical sheet, the material used are just normal cast iron and it is manufactured according to the OE specification. Based on research they should be manufactured in Brembo's OE factory in China. 

Now when the package arrived and un-boxing it. They definitely looked very original. The discs are wrapped nicely in anti-rust paper. Product documentation from Brembo were in the package. The workmanship visually looks good and does not show any signs or shabby manufacturing. Identification markers for the rotors are also found on the vent side of the rotor.


Now if these were indeed fakes. They are definitely very high quality fakes. My attempts to obtain guides from Brembo to identify fakes so far have yielded no response.


Along with the new rotors I installed new brake pads as well. I wanted some Sumitomo but Double Champion only has the Nissan original pads from Japan. These cost me RM320. I won't complain so long as it doesn't dust up on me.

Fuel Subsidy

Our beloved minister reported that there will be 2 price structure for petrol from May 1st 2010. The little revelation that he provided was that the subsidy will be based upon the engine capacity of the vehicle. Such smart and shallow decision. Here's the news stub at The Star.

For Malaysians, the price of petrol will also be based on engine capacity, which means that not all would be entitled to subsidised fuel, he added.

“Not all Malaysians will get the fuel subsidy, which should by right be given to those earning less,” he said.

Ismail said those eligible for the fuel subsidy would be able to buy fuel based on the current prices while those who are not eligible for it, will have to pay the market price.

“For RON95 petrol, the Goverment’s subsidy is 30sen per litre now. The current price of RON95 petrol is RM1.80 compared to the actual price, which is RM2.10.

“So, Malaysians who are not eligible for the subsidy and also non-citizens will have to pay RM2.10 or more,” he added.

A moment of craziness

The other day I wanted to take a quick trip to Cameron. Got in the car and punched in Bharat and the GPS came up with a "Ulu Geroh to Bharat Tea Plantation" point. Without thinking much I just followed it blindly.

Reaching the normal Simpang Pulai - Cameron Highlands exit the GPS said to continue further instead of turning in. Since I was curious I decided to follow it (without checking my destination point again). Took me into the heart of Gopeng and had me veered on into Kg Sungei Itek.

Then the roads got narrower and narrower and bumpier.... perhaps a sprinkle of craziness and stupidity was in the air. Crossed a wooden/metal bridge (see picture above) and the trail leads deeper into the hearts of the a palm oil estate passing by Adeline's Place and Riverbug.

I think I did another 15 minutes before finally giving up in the palm oil estate roads. The trails are starting to look really bad and it would be disastrous to be stuck in the middle of nowhere with no backup to tow me if i got stuck.

So it was about 30 minutes of craziness before I finally backtracked the GPS trail and headed back into civilization. Had any of my friends and family been in the car with me, I probably would have not made it past the bridge. haha...

Note:

Navigation by Garmin Nuvi 200 with MalsingMap 3.2 Gold

Fuel Consumption Improvements

Its been a couple of weeks since the tyre change. So far I've done about 3 refuels and mileage has gone up to between 8-9km/litres. And this is for town driving only. I wonder what highway would feel like will it be the 11.xkm/litres or better?

I can only guess that this improvement is due to the fact all tyres have the same thread run ins. Compared to previously the front left was less than the right.

Oil Change and Tyres

In the last few weeks, went for an oil change. Decided to go back to the standard mineral oil. The semi-synthetic Magnatec costs about RM90 changing to the standard mineral saved more or less RM20 as I opted to use the drum type. They pumped 3.9 liters of the Castrol GTX which cost RM66. No doubt running mineral the engine feels a little bit heavy especially when you floor it but for day to day traffic jam use it doesn't really show. I'm thinking of Idemitsu mineral for the next round. Maybe I could get the bottled one out at the spare parts shops for cheaper. ^_^

Finally got rid of those Dunlop RV70. Got myself a nice set of Yokohama Geolander G044 for RM290 a piece. I should have done this earlier. The new rubber is so smooth and quiet on the road. Also there is this 'imaginary' steering pull during braking that seems to have disappear after the change. I suspected pull as the front tyres have uneven wear on both sides. Now that all the tyres are nice and even, I wonder if fuel consumption will improve ?