Hope Brakes - compatible with non-Hope rotors?

KonaKurt

A quick question here about Hope brakes (in my case, Tech X2).

Is there any reason why Hope brakes will perform any worse with NON-Hope rotors (like Hayes or Shimano rotors for example) instead of Hope's own rotors?

Mine are performing OK with some old Hayes rotors, but a shop told me "I really should fit the matching Hope rotors to get the best out of them".

I'n not sure why...??

KK.

peter413

Hope rotors are thicker than other rotors I think looking at my hayes rotor against my hope one.

The Hopes are obviously designed around the thicker rotor but it should be fine to run them as is

rottitera02

Considering that you can get custom rotors that will run with branded brakes i wouldn't have thought this a problem.......the only concern is the fact that some calipers are not adjustable regarding the distance between pads and rotor, therefore if you fit a thicker or thinner rotor then this may have an adverse affect on the power/operation of the brake, i personally would be inclined to measure the thickness of another manufactures rotor to make sure it is the same thickness as the rotor that was intended for that particular brake.

A brake with an adjustable gap between pad and rotor would be an ideal setup for using other rotors.

Another point is that if you use a slightly thicker rotor any warping due to excess heat would be more noticible given the smaller gap between pads and rotor.

Anonymous

I ran non hope rotors with hope breaks once.
Then the world exploded and my head fell off.
I won't do it again.

KonaKurt

rottitera02 wrote:

if you fit a thicker or thinner rotor then this may have an adverse affect on the power/operation of the brake, i personally would be inclined to measure the thickness of another manufactures rotor to make sure it is the same thickness as the rotor that was intended for that particular brake.

Another point is that if you use a slightly thicker rotor any warping due to excess heat would be more noticible given the smaller gap between pads and rotor.

Silly me! Of course, it is quite obvious really! Pad gaps!!

But as you point out, you can either have reduced pad gap for more braking power, OR you can opt for more pad gap to allow for any slight rotor warps. I guess it's personal preference as to which matters most.

I will measure my Hayes rotor thickness. Does anyone know the exact thickness of the matching Tech X2 rotor (160mm)?

KK.

W00DENT0P

Some folk do talk some sh*te on here ...
They'll be absolutly fine, as long as the discs are the same diameter.
I'm running some Aztec rotors on my Mono M4's without any issues, even if the rotors do differ in thickness slightly, the brakes are an open system so they will adjust to suit anyway.
Only thing to check really is the size of the braking surface, if the rotors your gonna fit have a smaller surface area than the origionals then the pads could contact the spoke sections of the discs, not a major issue but best to try avoid it, also if the discs do differ in diameter (have seen various discs stated as a certain size differ slightly, even just by 1mm or so) then the pads could sit above the edge of the rotor, resulting in that small section of pad not wearing, so eventually the unworn section of pad will meet at the top and not clamping on the disc ! Just check the pads tho, could soon sand that bsection of the pad off if needed.

KonaKurt

W00DENT0P wrote:

I'm running some Aztec rotors on my Mono M4's without any issues, even if the rotors do differ in thickness slightly, the brakes are an open system so they will adjust to suit anyway.

Woodentop, when you say that hydraulic brakes are "an open system" do you mean that the pads will eventually bite and contact the rotor with sufficient lever force? If so, that much is obvious, and yes, they will contact and work.

But I was refering to the fact that a difference in rotor thickness requires slightly more pad travel, extra pad travel which must come from somewhere, ie a higher bite point....?
In other words, if Hope have calculated a good powerful 'bite' based on their standard rotor thickness and standard pads, surely using other 'thinner' rotors must be less power efficient....?

My Hope X2's are set to maximum bite point and minimal lever travel, yet still lack a bit of power in dry weather. (And I just had them freshly bled too!).

I'm not sure I have the confidence to use them offroad down a 1:3 slope!

KK.

W00DENT0P

'Open system' as in they self adjust for pad wear.
What do you think happens when your pads / rotors wear ? the system adjusts to suit, regardless of what rotors are used, the intial pull on the lever (when the pads / pistons are fully retracted) will set where the pads / lever are.
Unless the rotors are that thick that they rub on the pads with them fully retracted then they'll be absolutly fine, i've mixed and matched loads of discs / calipers in the past without any probs.

W00DENT0P

Just looking at the X2's on the Hope site, they have adjustment for the bite point !!! So your gonna be able to set them however you want, its not gonna be an issue !!!!

peter413

W00DENT0P wrote:

Just looking at the X2's on the Hope site, they have adjustment for the bite point !!! So your gonna be able to set them however you want, its not gonna be an issue !!!!

Bite point adjustment is different to pad adjustment though isn't it

The bite point only controls how far the lever travels before it bites I thought

KonaKurt

Yes Peter, absolutley correct.
I got in touch with Hope about this, and they have replied tellingme pretty much what I expected. That their brake systems may be compatible with other brands of rotor, but that they can only guarentee optimum performence when used with matching Hope rotors. And by the way, Hope rotors ARE slightly thicker than my current Hayes ones. And as I already mentioned, the 'bite point' of my X2's is already set to maximum bite but seems to be pretty useless when adjusted with little effect on brake lever.

Oh well, at least they work and stop me in the dry.

KK.

nicklouse

so back the bite point back off adjust the lever reach out and let the pistons reset.

then adjust to suite.

PeteO

I run hope mini's with aftermarket alligator discs fine!
Run these now for about 6 months with no issues at all!