Hello Ladies & Gents,

Like many Volvo owners, last April I searched for an aftermarket upgrade when looking to replace my rotors and pads. I finally decided on the “Raceconcepts” drilled/slotted rotors and Textar pads. These were recommended on the www.volvospeed.com website.

Simply put, the rotors were a large & expensive disappointment. Right out of the gate, the rotor feedback to the steering wheel had a vibration that I couldn’t shake. The shop that installed them verified they were torqued @ 82 lb-ft. After two 4-wheel alignments and a Hunter 700 road-force variance balance on each wheel, the problem was isolated to the rotors. After 6-months of driving I knew the rotors had to changed.

I replaced them with four solid Zimmerman rotors (heavy, tough, accurate) from www.fcpgroton.com ($134) and Textar pads (soft organic compound, great pedal feel, stop-on-a-dime, dusty) from www.alloemvolvoparts.com ($75). The brakes have never made the car feel more solid. THEY ARE FANTASTIC! The difference from the Raceconcepts rotors is enormous. I didn’t realize how poorly the Raceconcepts rotors performed compared to the solid Zimmermans, and on top of that they were less expensive.

I think we can all learn a lesson here. All the engineers @ Volvo designed the 855R to perform in a particular fashion. Outside of a few minor modifications, what makes us think we are smarter in modifying this car that Volvo? Stick with OEM and stay happy.