Slotted/drilled myth?

Legendary · Sep 29, 2004

I was thinking about doing the slotted and drilled rotor look front and back. I did a search but didn't really turn up anything. I was told a number of things.

-do it just for looks because performance is no different
-they crack easy and don't last at all
-they will help keep braking temps down
-they are lighter which will help braking

What is truth about them? How about the ebay rotors? I was looking at these: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/e...&item=7924576930&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT

I don't have alot of money at the time but I don't won't rotors that I'll have to replace in 6 months.

stang22 · Sep 29, 2004

This topic will be debated forever, with nothing ever solved. I used cross drilled and slotted and haven't had any problems. F1, NASCAR and the rest alike all use them. Them guys know their stuff and there is a reason that they use them.

There was like a 10 page discussion on this on Corral with some good points. It was in the Road Racing/Auto X forum. Good stuff.

Tim

Smokedawg · Sep 29, 2004

I have used them for 2 years with absolutly no complaints..

-Smoke

Andres2882 · Sep 29, 2004

On those ebay rotors, does it say how big they are? I'd think you'd want to up the size if you could, no?

stang22 · Sep 29, 2004

Andres2882 said:
On those ebay rotors, does it say how big they are? I'd think you'd want to up the size if you could, no?

It all depends on what spindles he has. Stock spindles and stock calipers = stock rotor size.

N8Miller · Sep 29, 2004

good post... subscribed.

Daggar · Sep 29, 2004

Without trying to open up a 291 post thread, I can tell you what my experience has been. Maybe that will help. I used ot have a Taurus SHO that was notorious for warping the front rotors. I went through 3 sets of OEMs before deciding to try something different. I went with the ProStop slotted rotors and never had the problem again. They vented enough of the heat away (appearantly) to keep those rotors from heat warping. They also ate up pads a little bit quicker than the OEM rotors but who cares? Later I decided to try those same brand of rotors on my 86 Stang. There was a noticeable decrease in brake fade when I ran my back country road course that I used to do for fun. Again, I attribute that to their ability to disipate heat more readily than the stock pieces and again they did wear pads a bit quicker than than the stock rotors (still didn't care... (the Stang gets new pads annually wether it needs them or not). Both vehicles are obviously street cars so the pads I use are regular ole' performance street pads (no metallic race pads etc). For me, they are worth what I paid for them. I should also note that the ProStop rotors are manufactured to much better and closer tolerances than the OEM and that could account for some of the noticable performance improvements. I'll put it this way... I had allot more available stopping power after getting everything nice and warmed up with the ProStop rotors than I did with the OEM rotors. I noticed no difference either way in stopping ability when all of the parts were cold. As for cross drilled rotors: I've never tried them and don't have any experience to offer your thread where that goes. Personally, I'm a little leary of running a cross drilled rotor for daily driving due to their reputation for cracking when/if they heat unevenly. Hope this helps.

nito88stang · Sep 29, 2004

ehh i got them for the looks. At the very least i have a fresh pad surface with my slotted rotors, that way i dont get that annoying squeel when the brake pads glaze.

BlackFox5.0 · Sep 29, 2004

They were designed to vent gasses emmitted by brake pads (at extremely high temps) which under normal street driving (and even some types of racing) you will never see, unless your using pads from the 60's, or Road Race on open tracks, then I would go with them. if you want them for just looks then get whatever you want.

If you want good brakes, stick with solid rotors and good pads.

Scorcher2005 · Sep 29, 2004

by good pads...does that include ceramic pads? My uncle says he just started using them over the top performance pace-setter/napa type pads. He says they work better, dont squeal at first, and no brake dust.

BlackFox5.0 · Sep 29, 2004

I'm thinking more on the lines of Performance Friction, and Hawk pads.

HISSIN50 · Sep 29, 2004

Scorcher2005 said:
by good pads...does that include ceramic pads?

a straight up ceramic set up requires too much heat to work decently on a street vehicle. when not at high temps, performance lacks.

could he have been talking about carbon metallic pads? im running those on the 4th gen camaro and like them.

good luck.

RydeOn · Sep 29, 2004

Ehhh, alot of people dont know what they are talking about. They just regurgitate things. Slotted rotors are just awesome. They are meant for a street car. They wont crack or warp and you can stomp on them harder without the brakes fading. Cross drilled is the best performance wise. They resist fade better than slotted and they work great when heated up. There is only a couple drawbacks about cross drilled. They dont work nearly at all when the rotor gets wet (be careful in the rain). You have to stomp the hell out of the pedal to wipe the water off and they slip, and dont grap for a few seconds. Also, you can get cracks, but it is very hard. It takes many abusive miles for cracks to form. If you drive on the street every day, they wont form for at least a few years. They might not form ever if you dont drive like a maniac. But its not to big of a deal if you know what to expect. The results are worth it, for sure. They dont stick brakes like these on Porches and Ferraris for nothing. Id think that Porsche knows what they are doing before some guy you heard online about these brakes.

Matt90GT · Sep 30, 2004

RydeOn said:
Ehhh, alot of people dont know what they are talking about. They just regurgitate things. Slotted rotors are just awesome. They are meant for a street car. They wont crack or warp and you can stomp on them harder without the brakes fading. Cross drilled is the best performance wise. They resist fade better than slotted and they work great when heated up. There is only a couple drawbacks about cross drilled. They dont work nearly at all when the rotor gets wet (be careful in the rain). You have to stomp the hell out of the pedal to wipe the water off and they slip, and dont grap for a few seconds. Also, you can get cracks, but it is very hard. It takes many abusive miles for cracks to form. If you drive on the street every day, they wont form for at least a few years. They might not form ever if you dont drive like a maniac. But its not to big of a deal if you know what to expect. The results are worth it, for sure. They dont stick brakes like these on Porches and Ferraris for nothing. Id think that Porsche knows what they are doing before some guy you heard online about these brakes.

"Ehhh, alot of people dont know what they are talking ":

Now moving from myth to reality. Lets simply clarify this from a quote off the Baer Brakes FAQ:

"What are the benefits to Crossdrilling, Slotting, and Zinc-Washing my rotors?
In years past, crossdrilling and/or Slotting the rotor for racing purposes was beneficial by providing a way to expel the gasses created when the bonding agents employed to manufacture the pads began to break down at extreme temperatures. This condition is often referred to as “green pad fade” or “outgassing”. When it does occur, the driver still has a good firm brake pedal, but simply little or no friction. Since this normally happens only at temperatures witnessed in racing, this can be very exciting!

However, with today’s race pad technology, ‘outgassing’ is no longer much of a concern. When shopping for races pads, or even ultra-high performance road pads, look for the phrases, “dynamic surface treatment”, “race ready”, and/or, “pre-burnished”. When these or similar statements are made by the pad manufacturer, the pad in question will likely have little or no problem with ‘outgassing’. Ironically more pedestrian pads used on most streetcars will still exhibit ‘outgassing’, but only when used at temperatures normally only encountered on the racetrack.

Although crossdrilling and/or slotting will provide a welcome path to expend any gasses when and if they develop, it is primarily a visual enhancement behind today’s often wide-open wheel designs.

Crossdrilling offers the greatest gas relief pathway, but creates potential “stress risers” from which cracks can occur. Baer’s rotors are cast with crossdrilling in mind, from the material specified, to curved vanes, behind which the holes are placed to minimize potential crack migration. Slotted surfaces are what Baer recommends for track only use. Slotted only rotors are offered as an option for any of Baer’s offerings.

Zinc washing is then done to provide a barrier, which resists development of surface scales or rust."

http://www.baer.com/Support/FAQ.aspx#1

.

nito88stang · Sep 30, 2004

Matt90GT said:
"Ehhh, alot of people dont know what they are talking ":

.

That picture is of a rotor that had the slots cut into the rotor after. That SEVERLY compromises structual integrity of the rotor and of course it will crack. No one should buy that type of rotor. If you are considering slotted rotors it should be with the slots molded into the rotor, not cut. The slots should not go to the edge of the rotor.

RydeOn · Sep 30, 2004

Im not understanding how bears statement conflicts anything I have said. And as for the photo, who knows what happened to cause those cracks? The person was most likely racing the car and if you read my post youd see that I was referring to them being great on the street. So I have no idea what your talking about, or your point.

nito88stang · Sep 30, 2004

the more desireable slotted rotors i was talking about look like this.

compare this which has teh slots molded in compared to the cheaper and weaker ones which have them cut in.

nito88stang · Sep 30, 2004

Even Baer sells rotors that are slotted and cross drilled. This is a set for sn95 mustangs. Again the bad rep gain from slotted rotors are the ones with cuts. Notice the Baer set also has the slots molded in.

Matt90GT · Sep 30, 2004

RydeOn said:
Im not understanding how bears statement conflicts anything I have said. And as for the photo, who knows what happened to cause those cracks? The person was most likely racing the car and if you read my post youd see that I was referring to them being great on the street. So I have no idea what your talking about, or your point.

This is what conflicts with your previous statement:

"They wont crack"

Proof is in the picture there. And that is a name brand unit = Powerslot

As the Baer FAQ states, there is no performance reason. It is all for LOOKS. The reason the factory supercars have them is to lessen the weight of the rotors. Even with the cobra 13" rotors, the drilling can lessen up to 1lb of weight off the Brembo designed units. That is 1 lb of unsprung weight off the car.

millhouse · Sep 30, 2004

nito88stang said:
the more desireable slotted rotors i was talking about look like this.

compare this which has teh slots molded in compared to the cheaper and weaker ones which have them cut in.

Does the company claim that those are cast into the rotor? It sure looks like a ball nose mill.

And...a stress riser is a stress riser. It doesnt matter if it's cast, forged or machined. One might fail before the other...but they all will eventually fail.

Slotted/drilled myth?

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