spdfreak

I searched alittle but didn't find any results so..

Has anyone drilled their oem rotors on a 5th Gen.? Some one told me that it can be done on a turn-table, but i'm not sure if its worth the risk of damaging them. Please post pictures of your OEM drilled rotors if you've had it done to your car.

Also would anyone know how many holes can be made, before the rotor becomes un useable.

Puppetmaster

iTrader: (48)

Why would you want to drill them?

lex3015

yeah just take them off, put them in a vice and drill a few holes as necessary with your cordless

SoonerFan

iTrader: (5)

come on joel, everyone knows that drilled rotors are "mad tight yo"

you think your rotors warp bad now.....

Digital

iTrader: (1)

That's a mod I WOULDN'T DIY

trigger005

iTrader: (8)

1. messing with your rotors like that is a bad idea
2. being cheap on braking system is a bad idea, just buy them drilled

otherwise, i'll b looking for your next post "custom drilled rotors threw me into a semi"

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

Drilled OEM/OEM-replacement rotors are and do not help the performance of the car in any way, shape or form.

trigger005

iTrader: (8)

I'm really not sure about how they effect performance. I do believe that they do effect performance somehow, seeing as you're changing the contact surface of the rotors. Just not sure if it's for the better or worse.

For better?
Well, lots of bikes have disc brakes on them... and they all have drilled holes in the rotor part.

For worse?
less contact area = less stopping force due to friction
rotors less durable, more prone to stress cracks/warping?

SilverGLE

iTrader: (21)

^ I think irish means that anything modification to an OEM rotor are a terrible idea... Which I completely agree with. If you want slotted and/or drilled, just by Powersolt or Brembo or whatever brand you prefer. Those are made specifically to be drilled. Drilling a rotor that wasn't made to be drilled is a bad idea...

SEmy2K2go

iTrader: (10)

As they are, the 5/5.5th gen rotors are not all that great. Your time and money would be more wisely spent going aftermarket or with the 6th gen rotor conversion.

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

no, I meant that any cross-drilled rotor using stock-size rotors and calipers will make not difference in performance in a street car.

Bikes have them drilled primarily because of weight and the fact that a bike has alot less mass to stop than a car.

Nothing wrong with quality drilled/slotted rotors, as long as you can admit that you're doing it for looks. But DON'T drill your own OEM rotors.

spdfreak

Thank you (everyone) for replying, I thought about it only because I thought that I would be able to avoid ruining rotors incase I start autocrossing, not for the looks. If I wanted looks, I woild have done alot of things before drilling rotors, as you can see on my cardomain, my rotors are hardly seen through my 16 inch stock alloys.


I already knew that, just thought that it would be a good and safe alternative.

Your wrong, they're not terrible at all.

No..I try to do things right the first time.

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

go check out the autocross section here. There are VERY few maxima autocrossers using drilled or slotted rotors. There are only a couple guys who autocross their maximas more than I do, and I'm pretty sure those guys all use blanks (as do I)...

Nathan

iTrader: (28)

Actually, if you read through just about any feedback on 00-01 or even 02-03 rotors you will hear only bad news. Just about everyone with an '00-'01 has had them warp, I could be wrong but I think Nissan even knows about this issue?

Drilling them would just be looking for trouble.

trigger005

iTrader: (8)

ugh.... you just restated the 2 pts i made b4?

sorry, irish, not gettin this... wouldnt happen to be just making it up?

They punch out those holes to save 3oz of weight?
A lot less mass, yes... but you have to look at it proportionally... theres also a lot less of the disc.

I'm just really curious because they must do it for a reason since punching out those holes is an extra machining procedure = $$.

foodmanry

iTrader: (15)

Yes...weight is everything on a bike. The stopping power of front brakes on a bike is more than sufficient, if you panic brake you can easily send yourself over the front bars.

frankd121

iTrader: (1)

drilled rotors are not worth it IMHO. you decrease their amount of contact area with the brake pad. additionally, drilled rotors are more prone to cracking and distortion.

The temperature distribution on a drilled rotor will be different from that of a non-drilled rotor. You'll have greater thermal gradients around the holes, making the rotors more prone to distortion if the rotors were not designed properly.

ravens2552

I've heard that brembo cross drilled rotors are pretty good is that true?

bigfatty

iTrader: (1)

Before everybody reads this, make sure you read the last part twice. If the rotors were not designed properly. If you buy correctly drilled/slotted Brembos that were drilled from the factory, or in a kit from good quality big brake kit maker, you will not get cracking and distortion due to the holes or slots. This a common myth becuase of all the yahoos on ebay that do it in the garage with a drill and then charge you extra.

Irish sums it up perfectly. I bought my Brembo cd/s rotors because for the extra $35, compared to the blanks, I liked the look of them.

Fat

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

Actually, "just about everyone" has THOUGHT that they had them warp (including me, before I did an experiment and found out the truth). Actually, almost all of these people actually just had uneven pad material transfer/glazing on the rotors, thanks to the OEM pads (and some aftermarket) that don't have sufficient heat ratings for a car this weight.

I'm sure a few people have actually warped the rotors, but alot of times that has to do with not torqing lug nuts correctly (or using an impact to put wheels on)....IMHO, it is not a design flaw in the rotors by Nissan - but it IS a pad material design flaw by Nissan/whoever makes them.

see foodmanry's comments for explanation.

making it up? Remember that bikes' (motorcycle) rotors are different from car rotors, in material, overall design, etc. My old mountain bike had drilled disc brakes on them, but they were different from a motorcycle as well. Basically = invalid comparison.

And no, I have no need to make anything up. If I don't know the answer, I won't comment on an issue in the first place.

callkiss

iTrader: (2)

irish I will have to disagree about this commit . No I don’t feel a huge difference in the stopping power except when doing slower speeds, but braking at high speeds has yet to warp my rotors.

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

what pads are you using?

SoonerFan

iTrader: (5)

whats the best intake?


whats seafoam?


can i install an auto climate control?

SEmy2K2go

iTrader: (10)

Morning Jason

callkiss

iTrader: (2)

I believe it is Matrixx brake pads. Stillen suggested that this will work or my money back, LOL! But let me double check. I will get back with ya.

MaxDom03

What's a good exhaust? (although I think I asked that once myself )

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

paint black dots on them





you can always reapply them everytime you stop better than driving with cracked ones

philsmax00

Irish (and any others withs opinions on this),
I'm trying to decide whether to put out the moola for Power Slot Cryos or just go with Brembo blanks at half the price. My braking is normal, no racing. I read the stuff below and wonder if its worth it. Why is it you say these slotted or drilled rotors are a waste of cash or are you talking about only OEMs that have been drilled? Convince me so I can save some bread.


from: Brakewarehouse.com FAQs

I have a problem with rotor warpage, will a cross-drilled rotor solve it?

While cross-drilling will reduce rotor temperature thereby reducing the possibility of warpage, there are many reasons for warped rotors. Many floating calipers need to have their guide pins regreased each time the pads and/or rotors are replaced. Failing to do this does not allow the caliper to float properly causing it to constantly ride on one side of the rotor causing warpage and increased pad wear. Other causes of warpage include poor quality rotors, improper break-in procedures, worn wheel bearings, caliper pistons sticking, excessively worn brake pads and a rotor that has been turned beyond manufacturer specifications.

I’ve heard that cross-drilled rotors are prone to cracking. Are cross-drilled rotors prone to problems?

Some people prefer slotted rotors because of problems that came about when cross-drilled rotors first came to market. At that time, quite frequently, the holes were drilled too large, penetrating the cooling vanes and were not radiused or chamfered. The end result was that the rotor lost its structural integrity and tended to crack, so slotted rotors were developed. They do help dissipate the hot gasses, but not to the same degree as cross-drilled, usually lowering operating temperatures about 100 degrees. We always recommend cross-drilled unless you are particularly concerned with structural integrity. In some cases, only slotted rotors are available.

Which is better: cross-drilled or slotted rotors?

We recommend cross-drilled rotors for most street applications due to greater heat dissipation (up to 40% larger cooling capacity) resulting in less brake fade, more responsive wet weather performance and enhanced initial bite. Most exotic sports car manufacturers (Porsche, Ferrari, etc.) equip their cars with cross-drilled rotors as standard equipment.

Slotted rotors are the minimum we recommend; they are far better than standard OE rotors. Gas-slotted, while helping cool the rotor slightly, mainly help by letting the hot gases produced in braking escape. This helps to keep the pad in better contact with the rotor and also allows water to escape in wet-weather conditions.

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

Look, their FAQ's are nice and all, but the bottom line is that they want to sell you something. You can get blanks at the Nissan dealer, but you can't get XD or slotted rotors. Therefore, it's in their interest to make you think that XD/slotted are superior to blanks so you are more likely to buy from them, as opposed to a dealer or Pep Boys or Autozone....

geez....I mean, WHO IN THE WORLD would be concerned with the structural integrity of their brake rotors??? I personally prefer rotors that crack or fall apart while I'm driving

Yes, and those cars also have much larger, higher quality 2-piece rotors and 2/4/6-piston calipers. Their braking systems are made for higher performance driving than you can ever attain in a maxima. Apples and oranges, IMO.

all three of these things - fade, responsiveness, and bite, are far more affected by the choice of pads than by the rotors.


water to escape? please....your braking in rain is limited by tire grip/traction - NOT your freakin' rotors

As to the "hot gases" part...I think I mentioned earlier that this is a myth, which only applies if you are using organic brake pads, which emit a great deal of "gases" when applied. Semi-metallic pads do not release enough material/gases that it cannot escape using blanks.

My advice: get the Brembo blanks and Hawk HPS pads. Make sure you bed the pads correctly, lubricate all the caliper hardware with appropriate grease, and make sure you TORQUE the wheel lugs in a star pattern, and to spec torque settings (use a torque wrench, not a lug bar or impact gun).

That's just my advice.

vsamoylov

i have a set of 5.5 gen rotors that are cross drilled using a waterjet machine. i drove with them for around 1k and then removed them because i was installing a bbk. the rear that i have right now are also oem and they are drilled and i am still driving with them. the front rotors need to be resurfaced though. i resurfaced them once already after they were cross drilled and they drove perfectly fine as well.There are no cracks in them at all. I inspected the front when i removed them. The rear are in the same condition with no cracks where the holes are.