Texass683

iTrader: (17)

As with most things about my car im a complete newb, I know enough around engines and stuff but not too much about brakes and suspension. I need some help on determining my next set of brakes and brake components. Mine are starting to show signs of rust and look bad behind an open wheel. Im also thinking about doing a C5 conversion to clean up the overall look too. My questions is this: Whats the difference between slotted and drilled rotors? Will one do better then the other? Who makes the best quality for an overall price, for front and rear, of around $500? I saw brembo, but dont know a thing about this and wanted to get some info on the situation. Also is a C5 conversion the best thing to clean up the look, or is there something better/not as expensive? I have been told yes, on the C5, but that was by a friend of mine who has about the same car IQ I have so.....

I know this is long sorry but want to get as much info as possible heading in. I tried a search but after about eight pages I gave up. Thanks for the help guys.

Here is a picture so you can see what im talking about:


Monroe

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/353903-brake-faq.html

https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/366446-brake-reviews.html

https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/604066-what-s-best-flat-washer.html

JD_AMG

^ after reading that, if you want to just improve the look of the brake rotor/caliper you can paint it.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/733036-koni-sa-strano-springs-ss-brake-lines-brembo-rotors-hawk-pads-install-my-review.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/appearance-detailing/710401-what-color-should-i-paint-my-caliper.html

1 FMF

iTrader: (1)

i just did a caliper polish job on mine. i don't think i'm cut out for metal polishing but they came out ok. I went with a set of drilled/slotted & zinc plated rotors on ebay for < $200 shipped. My goal was polished calipers, and i wanted drilled rotors to complement the look but wasn't about to spend $500-1000 on a name brand rotor and I didn't want to spend extra money on a conversion that I really don't need.
What you want is zinc plating, or cadmium plating, on the rotors. That's what will prevent the rust look, which is probably your biggest concern.
As for the calipers, you have the oem's like me. When I cleaned mine up, you won't believe what just a wire brush on a drill will do. They're aluminum and shine up real nice. How long they'll last like that is another story, the alternative is a caliper paint kit which you can pick up in most auto part stores fairly cheap.
I'll try to post a pic of my wheels if I get a chance.

bradl1982

iTrader: (9)

Buy some rotors off of ebay and paint your calipers. I've had a set of ebay slotted and drilled rotors on my car for a few years and they still look and work great.

Texass683

iTrader: (17)

after reading a lot more into it and doing a ton of research basically all day today, I think Im just going to buy a set of slotted/drilled rotors off of ebay and then try and paint mine calipers black. I think black would like best with the SOM. Red in my mind would clash too much. What do yall think? Or is there another color out there to go with.

chavez885

iTrader: (12)

black would look good,red would be BLEH IMO

1 FMF

iTrader: (1)

with SOM and your wheels are the gray/silver painted clearcoat, either black or a matching silver/gray color paint for the calipers. r1concepts on ebay has some nice looking rotors where they powercoat the center black, they look real nice but were more than i wanted to spend (but still cheap for all 4). you could probably caliper paint the center hub black, and with the caliper black would look nice with a drilled/slotted rotor