I know this has been covered before but I can't search and I need some suggestions. Here's the deal, I warp the front rotors on every car I've owned. I am hard on my brakes, I drive fast and brake late. I know this is a problem and I'm going to therapy to try to work it out but until then, I need to get good rotors.

I can't afford a big brake kit so stock size is all I can work with. My last set were raybestos, better than stock I think but still, I have warped them. I'm trying to decide between x-drilled and slotted, but I can't make up my mind. Any thoughts? I've heard so many different things its confusing (x-drilled will crack, you don't need anything better than stock for daily driving, etc).

I need a rotor than can take some abuse without warping, I'm leaning towards the x-drilled for the fact that they can dissapate heat faster.

Please help.

 

Bump. Anyone? Please?

 

well im not sure what to tell you regarding your warp factor. I would get some brembo sports slotted rotors from www.tirerack.com

 

I would get the $30 dollar rotors from Autozone if you plan on destryoing and warping them anyway. No reason to go out and buy an expensive drilled or slotted rotor that might be hard to get turned because the few places I have talked to said they won't turn them to smooth them out.

Adam

 

stillen has x-drilled on sale, $104 for a pair of front rotors

 

maxed up sells rotors good prices too

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/342829/4

 

Well I'm not planning on warping them, I just drive hard. Thats why I'm trying to get a set that will take some abuse. There have got to be other people out there who drive hard (auto cross maybe) that can make some suggestions? I don't want to have this warping problem and I am trying to be easier on them but it is hard to break a habit.

Has anyone had problems with warping x-drilled rotors? The Stillen prices seem to be pretty good, I was thinking about going the Stillen route, but usually their prices are high.

 

You should be able to find some rotors for about $20 each at a local parts store. I am not really easy on my brakes and mine have laster over a year now.
The reason I am saying this, is you can warp cross drilled or slotted rotors too. Then, you are out $100 rather than just $40.
It really depends on your pads more than anything.
I would recomment the EBC Greenstuff pads, because they have great stopping power. With the way it sounds like you drive, you are not going to be able to use a low dusting pad because it will not have the stopping power you need.
I would go with that, and total you would be out like $90 rather than $100 plus pads.
Try it out.

 

Thanks for the tips. I am using the Raybestos Quite Stop pads right now and they seem to be OK. I have never really had much of a problem with fade or lack of stopping power, just the warping, maybe its something else I'm doing, or not doing like torquing the lug nuts to spec? I don't know. I just figured that the x-drilled would be able to cool faster and help protect against warping, I'm so lost. I see both sides of the argument (blank price, vs. drilled performance) so I guess I just need to make a decision.

I may try the x-drilled, since that is something I've never used before, if those warp as fast as blanks, I'll either go back to blanks or look to go BBK.

 

CC - Question...are those slotted rotors quiet? I have drilled rotors that seem to be noisy when braking at low speeds. I'm considering replacing with blanks or slotted, but only if I can verify that slotted are quiet. Any info would be appreciated!

 

RacingBrake TPM rotors are really good check them out:

Front: http://www.ultrarev.com/ecart/shopexd.asp?id=11829

Rear: http://www.ultrarev.com/ecart/shopexd.asp?id=36241

 

I vote for cheapie Aimco rotors ($30) from Autozone. Last time, I shelled out for Brembo blanks and they warped faster than OEM...just 12k miles. I'm starting to think Porterfield pads generate a lot of heat from the superior stopping properties.

 

People!!!!! torque your wheel lugs down properly and break the brakes in properly and you wont have any warpage problems.

 

mdMaxDrvr, Unless you are hitting some puddles after a hard braking session or something, I don't know why you would be warping the rotor with Raybestos QS so quickly.
I have QS on right now, and I like the brakes. The stopping power is good to me.
I don't know what else it could be.

 

I've had at least two sets of Porterfields on my Stillen cross drilled rotors and they haven't warped yet.

In general, I think warping is mainly from the following sources: 1) overtightening lug nuts, 2) improper break in, 3) hard braking followed by a complete stop and brakes resting on rotors in one place, and 4) running hot rotor thru water puddles.

 

OK, so I may be tightening the lugs too hard, that I can fix. How do you 'properly' break in your pads? I can honestly say I have no idea. Also, if I decide to go with x-drilled (I see a brembo group deal) what are pad recommendations? Like I said, I don't have any problems with the performance of the Raybestos QS, but it is better to go with a different pad for x-drilled?

I really do appreciate all the posts on this, I need brakes in a bad way and this is very helpful.

 

I hate to say this to you, but to properly break in the brakes you need to drive like a grandma( which is very hard in a maxima) and avoid panic stops and hard breaking unless nessasary for the peiod of 200 miles.

 

That is not how you break in some pads.

1. you want to get going to about 30:
2. brake down to like 10mph, but never stop
3. go up to about 40
4. brake down to like 10-15mph, but never stop
5. go up to like 50
6. brake down to about 15
7. go up to like 70mph
8. brake to like 15

What this does is allows the heat to be disappated throughout the whole pad, not just one section. It allows the brakes to be broken in more evenly.

post #17 had it right after that. For the next couple of hundred miles, you want to try to not slam on the brakes too badly. After that, you should be good to go.

 

question: the brembo sports slotted rotors are gold looking. with that color wear off with some time and breaking?

 

Personally, I wouldn't take the advice of the folks who suggest using cheap rototrs. I tried a set of Wagner rotors (imported China) rotors and a set of the slightly better looking NAPA (US made) rotors. Both were warped after one test drive based on feel and dial gauge readings.

I end up with a set of factory rotors. No warping, no problems. I'm not saying that factory rotors are best for your application, but the cheapies are not good for anybody. If you buy something, make it quality.

MHO, after a lot of wasted time swapping and measuring rotors.

 

If you want to pay $60 per OEM rotor, be my guest. Don't suggest that all cheap rotors are bad though. I got some for $20 each at a local parts store, and I have had nothing but success and great braking out of them with aftermarket pads for over a year now. I live in a very rainy state too, Mississippi.

"These cheapies are not good for anybody," is narrowminded and patronizing(that means talking down to someone). Part of what makes the .org so good is that we can all learn to save $$$ by asking others what they have done to do so themselves.

 

ditto. man we come from the same breed because i go thru rotors like thier free. my last three sets were x-drilled and i warped and cracked them. in jan i brought a pair of stillen cross drill chamfer hole rotors and let me tell you what a difference. i put over three thousand miles and not one crack or warp. the trick is to replace front and back at same time to relieve some of the pressure you put on the front rotors and get the chamfer ones. im running over three hundred hp and so far so good.

 

whats CHamfer dude/

Is there any way to avoid cracking? No water on the hot rotor obviously. Can it just happen from a bad drill job?

 

A good article on brake rotors: http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers/...otors_myth.htm

 

http://www.irotors.com

 

Great article. Thanks! It looks like I have a lot of problems to overcome with my brakes. I know I've never broken them in like that before.

 

they have a deeper lip around the hole to prevent it from cracking i have a pic on my car site on page 3 if you can see it. if not i can post a better pic later http://members.cardomain.com/whoamax