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As consumable components, brake disc replacement is a necessary part of regular vehicle maintenance, but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck using OE rotors with your stock brake system. Derived from the company’s proven Sport line, Baer’s new Claw rotors offer enthusiasts a means of getting upgraded performance and enhanced aesthetics without the cost and complexity of a big-brake-system retrofit.
“We wanted to provide an economical option for folks who are looking to upgrade the appearance of their vehicle and improve brake system performance while keeping things simple,” says Mark Fowler of Baer Brakes. “While these are direct bolt-on rotors that utilize the existing hardware on the vehicle, it’s more than just a stock replacement disc.”
Offered for a wide range of domestic and foreign vehicle platforms ranging from 1960s muscle cars to today’s full-size trucks and sport-utility vehicles, these one-piece rotors are made of durable, machine-cast steel and are mill-balanced to minimize vibration and noise.
“We’re offering these for everything from early GM A-bodies and F-bodies to late-model Dodge Challengers and Chargers, along with GM and Ram trucks, Ford F-150s and F-250s, Nissan Titan, Toyota Tacoma, and many others,” Fowler explains. “It really runs the gamut of popular applications.”
Although these rotors utilize the same dimensions and thicknesses as their factory-stock counterparts, their design is aimed at drivers who are looking to get more out of their brake systems and upgrade the visual appeal of their rides in the process. Let’s take a closer look at how Baer Claw rotors can take a vehicle’s factory brake system to the next level.
Since Baer Claw rotors utilize the same diameters and thicknesses as their OE counterparts, installation is as simple as swapping in new factory rotors. There aren’t any brake lines to remove, relocation brackets, or other hardware that needs to be adapted – just remove the old rotors and swap these in their place.
“The most common application for these is daily-driven vehicles,” Fowler says. “It’s for folks who want to improve the look of their vehicle and enhance brake system performance without needing to make significant changes to their brake system. Installing these rotors is just like doing regular maintenance – they fit just like the factory rotors.”
But in contrast to typical factory-supplied one-piece discs, Baer Claw rotors feature a premium casting with zinc plating for added durability and a sharper appearance. They also have a vented vane design that allows the rotor to cool efficiently for safe, consistent stopping power even in extreme conditions. In addition, Baer Claw rotors boast several other performance-enhancing design elements that you’re unlikely to find on factory-supplied one-piece rotors.
“All Baer Claw rotors are slotted and cross-drilled,” Fowler notes. While these treatments inherently give the rotor a more performance-focused look, these features have an important functional purpose as well. When the vehicle is braking, the friction between the rotor surface and brake pad causes ‘outgassing,’ which is essentially the release of dust and other debris as a result of those surfaces being pressed together. This debris can get trapped between the pad and rotor surface, which can in turn lead to inconsistent pad wear and other problems on rotors that don't have features that are designed to address this issue.
The slots and cross-drilled holes in Baer Claw rotors provide an escape route for that debris. And because these features don’t allow material to get trapped between the pad and rotor, the two are able to make even contact across the pad surface, which promotes better wear characteristics as well as more consistent pedal feel.
As a general rule of thumb, whenever you’re replacing brake rotors it’s a good idea to also replace the associated brake pads at the same time, as this promotes an even wear surface and helps restore that like-new pedal feel. While Baer Claw rotors are compatible with any replacement pad that’s designed to work with factory rotors, Fowler says that those using Claw rotors should consider pairing them up with Baer’s Claw brake pads.
“As the name suggests, these pads were purpose-built for the job. These are high-friction ceramic pads that were developed to achieve a solid balance between performance and drivability. They’re a low-dust, low-noise design, but they deliver better bite than a factory pad, which means you’re going to get stronger, more immediate brake response at the top of the pedal without sacrificing civility. As a general rule, stock brake pads are designed with long life and low noise as two of the main priorities, but they end up having a narrow operating temperature threshold and they don’t have as much initial bite as a performance-minded pad will.
“On the other end of the spectrum, you have super-aggressive, high-metallic pads,” continues Fowler. “Those have a high temperature threshold, but they’re often noisy, create a lot of dust, require getting heat into them to perform at their best, and they can be too grabby at the top of the pedal for comfortable daily driving. So, our approach with the Claw pad was to find the right balance between performance and drivability while also providing a higher threshold for brake fade than a stock pad would.”
Brake fluid should also be flushed and replaced in regular intervals. Unlike motor oil and most other vehicle fluids, brake fluid is hygroscopic. That means even if a car sits unused for months on end, the brake fluid continues to absorb moisture over time, a process which gradually degrades the brake fluid’s boiling point.
“That’s why you have a ‘dry’ boiling point and a ‘wet’ boiling point for brake fluid,” Fowler says. “But the recommended frequency of changing out the fluid is highly dependent on the application and how the vehicle is being used. There are folks who will flush and replace the brake fluid after every weekend at the track. But on a street application like the Claw rotors and pads are geared toward, this should be done once every two years or so to ensure the fluid is up to the task.”
