speedemn

iTrader: (14)

I will need new rotors to replace my OEM ones, within the next year and a half or so. My research has led me to the following conclusions:

X-drilled: cools the brakes 25%-30%, no warpage or brake fade

slotted: for h/p street and track, self-cleaning so that it does not glaze over, keeps the brakes at a higher operating temperature

x-drilled + slotted: just LOOKS! since the x-dilling would try to cool the brakes while the slotting would try to heat the brakes...

I am thinking that x-drilled would be the best for all street application, under relatively heavy braking sometimes. Slotted would be better suited for a person who brakes very mildly (thus causing glazing over)

Tell me what you guys think.

Anish

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

Some cross drilled rotors have been known to crack under heavy use. Also, the drilling rmoves mass, which is bad for a brake rotor. I think slotted or dimpled would be the best all around.

speedemn

iTrader: (14)

I realize that some x-drilled rotors crack under heavy use which is why people tend to shy away from them.

But if I bought any rotor, I would only buy brand-name like Brembo or KVR or Powerstop.

In that case, would my best option be x-drilled? Or should I still try to get a solid rotor/dimpled rotor?

I don't see why any performance driver would pick slotted, since if you do heavy braking, there is no chance of it glazing over (which is what slotted rotors self-clean). Also slotted rotors try to keep a higher operating temperature... why would you want that?

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

Some high performance pads only work well at higher temps. If you are using these kinds of pads on the street, you need to keep some "heat" in the brakes. I know my Performance Friction Carbon Metallic pads work much better when warmed up. On cold mornings, they barely stop the car at all.

All in all, for a streeet car, blank rotors are the best. Drilling or slotting does not affect performance enough to be worth the money. These kinds of rotors are essentially a cosmetic mod.

I know, I know..."But, Porsches and Ferraris use drilled rotors" These cars offer race level performance on the street. Thus they are in a different catagory than the average street car. Besides, the Porsche rotors aren't drilled. They are cast with the holes in them. This gets rid of the durability issues.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

You don't want the pads to glaze over, the slots help prevent this, always leaving fresh material in contact with the rotor. Too much pad transfer from heavy use transposed to the rotor can cause fade, vibration and eventually warping issues. Does this self cleaning cause a little extra heat? Yes. However it is still better to run at the slightly higher temperature than have the pads glaze over, which would drastically reduce performance.

X-Drilled are mostly looks too. Very little cooling, with the extra issue that there is less surface area of the rotor to act as a heat sink.

There are bunch of excellent articles posted about this issue already.

Here's one of the better one
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....7&pagenumber=5

Nealoc187

iTrader: (23)

Slots ensure that fresh pad material is available and gasses are evacuated from between the pad and rotor. My Hawk HP+ pads that I use on the track are pretty weak at low temp, a little unnerving. Once you lay on them and get them HOT they just dig in and STOP, they need to be very very warm to work optimally.

BTW if you look at the brake rotors on touring cars, you will see just as many rotors that are only slotted as you see that are cross drilled.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

How did you get HP+ pads? Does the backing plate look normal, or is it square?

deezo

iTrader: (3)

I thought I was the only one to notice that.

speedemn

iTrader: (14)

I got the KVR carbon (semi-metallic) brake pads. I purposely didn't get the Hawk pads because living in Canada, I didn't want to have to deal with warmup times for that pad, for them to work.

So given the fact that I have semi-metallic pads that do not need to run as hot, I wonder if I would be better off with drilled or slotted or just a solid rotor (or dimpled??).

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

I think you are putting too much thought into this. Your needs (as long as you are not racing) will be more than met by blank rotors. Plus, they are the least expensive option. Put your mental energy into choosing which pad is best for you. Then, put the money you saved towards getting your new rotors cryo-treated so they will last forever.

speedemn

iTrader: (14)

I was going to get cadium plating on the rotors. KVR recommended it to slow down the rusting process with our Canadian winters and salt. Is cyro-treatment the same deal?

mzmtg

iTrader: (11)

No.

speedemn

iTrader: (14)

Whoa that sounds like an expensive process for brake rotors for a "street car," as you mentioned earlier! Does anyone here actually get that done and how much does it cost?

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Weren't you ready to plunk down some serious $ one some x-drilled rotos that can't be turned if necessary? Yes, people have had excellent durability results from this process.

And on the stree, I can't see justifing x-drilled rotos. As I doubt (or you should be) driving that hard to take full advantage of them.

speedemn

iTrader: (14)

Well I'm not really sure how much normal rotors cost. I do know however that KVR cross drilled rotors cost $121 CDN each for the front. I assume that OEM rotors cost more. Are you suggesting that I stick with OEM rotors or should I get KVR/Brembo blank rotors for cheaper?

As for cyro-treatment, where can I get that done and how much would I expect to spend on it?

But I think I am convinced that normal rotors would be better than cross drilled for even heavy street application (eg, the occasional street race), right? Or maybe I should get dimpled? I didn't think about that option before.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

Your best bang for the buck: High quality blanks and a nice set of pads. I track my car frequently and the blank rotors work fine for me. Video

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Doesn't that cryo link include a phone or email #'s? Do a search for rotor pricing or check the FAQ/Stickies.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

If you poll the orgy, you'll see our biggest complaint is warped rotors.

Stillen has Brembo blanks, Cross Drilled for cooling & CAD plated for looks.

Poll the orgy again and see if anybody has ever had a Stillen X-Drill rotor warp on them.


If you want smooth brakes that don't warp and look good, the Stillen Rotors are the way to go. Combine them with the Metal Axis Pads and you have some really nice brakes!

Trust me, I know!

speedemn

iTrader: (14)

Cadium plating also slows down the rusting process does it not? Well worth the $15 I think!

I think KVR or Brembo would be up there with Stillen if anything. Don't they all make rotors for each other anyway or something?

xHypex

iTrader: (1)

I don't have as good of a picture as njmaxseltd, but slotted rotors have served me well with my Axxis pads.



Overall it serves not only as a cosmetic mod, but also a practical one. If you shop around you can get pads, rotors, and SS lines for under $500.
www.eatricezone.com
www.fastbrakes.com
-hype

deezo

iTrader: (3)

My stillen rotors used to look like that.

95Max

I recommend going with raceconcepts.net. Wood is great and the prices are also great. See here http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....readid=132897. I have them on my Z with Axxis pads and man can I stop. FYI, be aware that slots and/or x-drilling will make a some noise when you brake.

JAY25

iTrader: (38)

NJmax like the way you didnt paint your calipers and the stillen rotors look nice and yellow I am about to call Paul or Phuong and see who can get me the rotors, my brakes are squeeling so I am getting tired of that noise!!

deezo

iTrader: (3)

I tried to get Tom to get the Performance Friction pads before he got the Metal Matrix but I guess he got a deal on everything. Not that the Metal Matrix are bad but I found the Performance Friction to be a hell of a lot better stopping from high speeds. Go with Performace Friction on the fronts(of course you don't have to listen to me but these pads are great when hot).

araffio

iTrader: (9)

I was going to be buying these Brembo Cross Drilled/Slotted rotors from SouthWest AutoWorks in about a month or so. They are $150 for the front pair and $140 for the rear pair.
For me, its mostly cosmetic because with my 18" Evo5's, you can see A LOT of rotor. It's also due to the fact that my front rotors are extremely warped. It's so bad that when I hit the brakes doing over 40mph, my steering wheel shakes violently.
Any thoughts on this purchase? I'll probably get them no matter what, I figure if I can afford them, why not get them?

deezo

iTrader: (3)

Others will disagree but I think the slotted or crossed drilled rotors are not just for cosmetics. I believe that these rotors will reduce heat build up between the pads and the rotor surface.

speedemn

iTrader: (14)

Would dimpled rotors be better?

MAXSRB

www.frozenrotors.com
Same deal different comapny. Maybe cheaper.

SLC I30t

iTrader: (1)

I am curious but as I was just watching a rerun of the DC grand prix and a F1 highlight on speedvision I do notice and pay attention to the brakes that they show(when they show them) I've noticed a good majority with x-drilled, I have a hard time believing that they would be used if the holes are just for show. I also noticed that Porsche and other exotics come with X drilled and not slotted. I know that they are not the same material as our rotors. But to say that the holes only serve for looks doesn't make much sense. For street use, I think that Iwaanabmw is right that a good pair of pads and freshly turned blanks serves (exceeds)most peoples needs.

voltman

iTrader: (1)

Keep in mind, the pads are rotors are carbon in F1.

Vinipux

can you support your believes?

at least on the track, the slotted ones made more sense, and most were using either blanks or slotted, the reason already stated earlier by iwannabmw, the slotted clean out the rotors instead of having the pad build on on the rotor and not being able to brake (which is what happened to me) because I have blanks, Greg had slotted and he had experienced none of that, now in terms of the x-drilled, even if they do keep the rotors cooler, the fact that you are reducing your surface area is more important then keeping the pads cool, and surface area is what gives you that great braking power, hence, BIG BRAKE KITS, have much bigger rotors===> bigger surface area, because if you can't keep the surface area it doesn't matter what the temp is

but then again, that's just my opinion from the limited track experience that I have

Vinipux

here's a little article I found, and these people sell rotors too

http://www.myroadster.net/rotor_differences.asp

this article is someone's thoughts of the two and most will agree w/ him

http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/...l#crossdrilled

good luck with your search for a perfect race car

95emeraldgxe

that site stresses that cyrogenically freezing stuff alot. but good reading - thanks

deezo

iTrader: (3)

Not sure but could be. Like in a prior post above, crossed-drill removes mass which makes them weaker when extremely hot but dimpled would keep a lot if the mass to keep the rotor rigid and remove gases as well.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

How would a dimpled rotor help remove gasses as well? Wouldn't the gas pockets build up in the dimples just the same as with a blank? Maybe my idea of what a dimpled rotor is is different than yours, I've never seen a picture of one.

deezo

iTrader: (3)

Well after thinking about how it would work, I figured that the surface doesn't touch the pad would release the hot gas but I can't tell you that my opinion is true.

I guess it depends on how the dimples are cut. I know I saw some drilled rotors in a mag that were drilled but not all the way thru the rotor. I imagine it would work just like stotted rotors but may not remove the same amount as slotted.

deezo

iTrader: (3)

I will just say that over stock, they do a hell of a job. I was racing my cousin one day and we both took the Maximas up to about 100. We were on a long strip (in which we shouldn't have been speeding anyway) and there was a light that turned red quickly and we had to lay on the brakes hard. Let's just say that he was scared out of his mind because his stock pads and rotors heated up and faded to hell. He almost ran thru the intersection because he couldn't stop. Me on the other hand, was able to stop well before the light. Yes, I also have carbon/metallic pads and they probably do more of the work to stop my car but I think the drilled and slotted give some advantage when it comes to keeping things cool.

95Max

Yes the pad does most of the work but slots are important as they "refresh" the pads allowing them to bite better.

iwannabmw

iTrader: (3)

Yes, but the point is is that a real factor in normal or high performance street driving? I couldn't agree more with you if we're talking repeated high speed use, but for the stop Deezo described, did the slots or the pads help him stop faster?? Is that extra "cooling" capacity really evident on the street, or does it only come into play when we're talking elevated temps. on the track??

Vinipux

that just shows that you have better pads then he does, you could do just as well with the non-x-drilled rotors, when I had Axxis Metal pieces of $hit I could smoke them going from 60-0 one time, after I got portefields track/street application it took me some time to heat them up on the track to see fade. trust me, it's not the rotors that helped you stop, listen to what iwannabmw says

also, concerning the rotors with large dimples, that's the WORST IDEA in the world, as you heat them on the track, the HOT pressure would just build up and would seem that it apply the pressure opposite of the force that the pads are applying, so it would wosten the braking
or something like that

K