So I am in need of a brake job, and as usual on a budget... What are the pros/cons of "performance" rotors (srilled, slotted) compared to blanks, as far as daily drivability, pad consumption, reliability, and durability are concerned?
Get the slotted rotors from Rotora. They work well... don't warp... and have a high temp rust prevention coating between the platters and on the inner and outter hats.
The slots prevent buildup one the pads, cementite adhesions, and water under the pads causing issues with sudden stops in the rain.
If you go to the national prelude meet website, they are a sponsor and might have a group buy on them. I got them last year and they were very cost effective.
xdrilled/slotted stay cooler, but almost always crack or warp. maybe not very soon, but eventually. (Eventually all rotors will)
something I heard: blank rotors actually brake on a film of gases for a short period of time, and xdrilled/slotted dissipate the gasses and its direct pad to rotor contact.
there is a guy on either hondatech or honda-acura.net that sells crossdrilled/slotted for 50-54 a peice.
The following explaination is from Mike95Lude, one of our vendors. I think it is helpful. Contact him for more details.
Brembo OE "blank" rotors offer better performance than Cross-drilled rotors. Cross-drilled rotors might look "cool", but what are they really doing for performance? Brake rotors were first "drilled" in the 40's and 50's because early brake pad materials gave off gasses when heated to racing temperatures, which is called "gassing out". These gasses then formed a thin layer between the brake pad face and the rotor, effectively lowering the coefficient of friction. The "cross drilled" holes were implemented to give the gasses a place to escape. Today’s brake pad materials do not exhibit the same gassing out problems as these early (old) pads. Also, there are many companies that sell "cheap" cross-drilled and slotted rotors. They do this by purchasing Brembo blanks and having them cheaply altered by a third party. Doing this sacrifices the rotors structural integrity, and can be a huge safety risk. If you contact Brembo, they will not recognize these discs after they have been altered. These rotors are known to crack and warp very quickly. If you want the actual Brembo cross drilled and slotted rotors you will be paying much more. That's why these blanks are perfect; they perform better, do not tear through pads, are priced much lower, and are much safer.
^^ I have read that before... I don't autox or do any **hard** driving, so I'm not TOO concerned with cracking/warping, since I won't be stressing them that much.
I wouldn't MIND getting drilled and/or slotted rotors, and it seems like they arn't much more than OEM replacements. so, a couple more questions;
FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH DRILLED/SLOTTED ROTORS:
1. Do you eat thru pads much faster than with blanks?
2. Are there good inexpensive D/S rotors available (other than already mentioned), and are there any I should stay away from?
And to all;
Post up what kinds of rotors you bought last, where, and for how much, and if you are happy... Let's see what we got!
I actually got my Cross/drilled brembo rotors for 120 for all 4 on Ebay.I have them with Axxis Ultimates pads. The whole set up is great and I have had them on for about year and half. I recently painted my calipers and took a look at the rotors and they still look new except the outer edges which became rusted from rain. FYI, the pads dust alot.
Buddy of mine has an IS300 and he doesn't Auto-X or race or whatever. He had his rotora cross drilled / slotted for a little over a year and they warped.
__________________
=Damon
2005 Diamond Graphite/Graphite G35c: Fully loaded + navi || 2000 Diamond White SS Demodded/SOLD
^^ I have read that before... I don't autox or do any **hard** driving, so I'm not TOO concerned with cracking/warping, since I won't be stressing them that much.
I wouldn't MIND getting drilled and/or slotted rotors, and it seems like they arn't much more than OEM replacements. so, a couple more questions;
FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH DRILLED/SLOTTED ROTORS:
1. Do you eat thru pads much faster than with blanks?
2. Are there good inexpensive D/S rotors available (other than already mentioned), and are there any I should stay away from?
And to all;
Post up what kinds of rotors you bought last, where, and for how much, and if you are happy... Let's see what we got!
I got the Rotora's - all 4 for about $225... I also got the Axxis pads...
The pads do where faster... but they are supposed to...
The cheapest thing you can do is get chinese no-name rotors and have them cryotreated. It might work out for you.
My experience is that the OEM type rotors tend to warp in the front.
My original rear rotors lasted for about 105k without issue.
there are no benefits to drilled rotors, only a few for slotted rotors keep the pad from glazing. thing is, pad glaze isn't an issue in daily driving. pad life is significantly diminished with both slotted and/or drilled rotors. In general, slot/drill rotors tend to warp and crack quicker because they have features cut into them weakening the overall rotor (if they are cast into the rotor it might be better, but it's still not as durable as a blank).
just get your OEM rotors resurfaced for $8-15/pop and send the money you save to me.
You can buy blanks for cheap, even quality ones like the GS3000's that Cobalt Friction sells for $30-35 a piece. There's no "performance" benefit to slots or holes other than if you run an agressive brake pad that touches a rotor surface that's hot enough to instantanously vaporize the brake pad it prevents the brake pad from hydroplaning. The only other reason to get them is if you're rallying and you want the slots or holes to remove any debris that gets inbetween the pad and the rotor. But there is zero benifit to having either if you want to have shorter stopping distances or improved brake feel.
Thanks for the replys, guys. I figured the blanks were a better decision, but I was looking for an excuse to get the "cool" ones....
I WISH I could just resurface, but when I bought the car they changed the pads and refused to turn the rotors (already nearing limits)... SO now I'm dragging a wear indicator on the right-front. I figure I might as well do it all while I'm at it.
Damn you all, time to go do the price-check phone marathon.
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