LPE 403

iTrader: (6)

Brake newb looking to upgrade the brake system (just received my V-Brembos ) and looking for a quality cross drilled rotor. Car is an '01SS and I know I can simply order the GM Z06, but was curious in what some of you guys would recommend in terms of aftermarket.

1. Plan on a matching set at all four corners. Is there a larger than stock rear rotor kit?

2. Car will be show and go - no track time though. Lots of ponies so she needs to stop while looking good doing it.

3. Hub finish? Will probably powder a hub that would otherwise rust...multi-piece rotors out there to avoid the secondary process?

Thanks all...

Killer_Z

iTrader: (1)

i have no complaints about R1 concepts cross drilled rotors. they are nice quality. and plus theyre a sponsor on here. and they gave me one hell of a deal since i mentioned ls1tech, as well as another forum they sponsor.

LPE 403

iTrader: (6)

Just checked them...might be exactly what I'm looking for. Thanks!

Element

iTrader: (5)

Why do you want cross-drilled? They have absolutely no performance benefits, and actually reduce the amount of thermal heatsink the rotors can provide (meaning they'll heat up more quickly and be more prone to warping). Do you just want them for appearance? If you want good performance rotors, pick up ATE blanks. Pretty driveway bling ones, can't help there.

LPE 403

iTrader: (6)

Understand the heat dynamic argument, but these guys seem to get by with it... My little SS will probably be fine .







Driveway bling is cool...not an AutoX'r, but I appreciate the advice.

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

<sigh>
Some folks get it ... some folks spend it

wrencher

iTrader: (2)

There is a big difference with porsche/lambo & Ferrari's brakes.
They are large & have enough mass to be drilled slotted & vented.

They'll take some quick blast the owners dared to push on an open road.
But for continuous hard braking events not the ideal set up for a stock style system.

LPE 403

iTrader: (6)

Wow...tough crowd . Its like being in the Internal section asking about a cam that ONLY makes power on the steet and get all the 1/4 miler and dyno-don's .02 on why everyone should run their cars over 7k. I love it...

All the "function" advice is great. As I mentioned, I understand...maybe not to the level of most the "twisty" experts, but I get it. And yes, I'm going to spend it. If we can step away from the 'tunnel vision' for a second and re-read my initial request. I was simply looking for a rotor that was cross-drilled serving a couple purposes - primarily quality, appearance and of course function but without the prerequisites needed on the track.

Wrencher....I'm more in the quick blast club. Not to split hairs but I've read about exotic rotor sizes anywhere from 14"-18". With the Z06 rotor on the low end of that range where are the lines drawn?

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

I apologize. The bolded segment of your "needs" gave me that tunnel vision.

I guess your definition differs significantly from mine.

Element

iTrader: (5)

Cross-drilled rotors are pointless - pads you use on a car that gets street use don't outgas, which was the reason for cross-drilling in the first place - to eliminate the gas buffer between the pad and the rotor that track cars were getting when their brakes got toasty. The big European names more than likely (I don't want to say definitely) use them for driveway bling, too - cant have a $600,000 Lambo with ugly brake rotors.

You can get decent cross-drilled rotors, but even the good ones are prone to cracking - that's just physics. Put holes in metal that sees constant expansion and contraction and you create differential stress, which has to be relieved somehow, and sometimes that means cracks, and cracked rotors are bad. Slotted rotors aren't as bad (even though they're just about as useless on a street car as cross-drilled rotors and can cause aggravated pad wear, due to what slots are designed to do - keep a "clean face" on pads during track events).

Rotors that have the holes cast into them, rather than being drilled into them after being cast, are less prone to cracking...I don't know who makes rotors and actually casts the holes, rather than drilling, but you could probably contact the manufacturer (like iRotors) and ask. I checked their site, but it sucks absolute *** and wouldn't even render for me.

LPE 403

iTrader: (6)

Thanks Element. I know the cracking was always going to be a possibility with the cross-drilled. Appreciate the insight...I'll keep your advice under consideration in looking for what I want.

Mitch...lighten up.

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

Damn ... I apologized ... how much more light can I get?

LPE 403

iTrader: (6)

Sorry Mitch, I know you're one of the good guys around here...over analyzed your response.

LOL, do I dare ask anyone about front suspension upgrades?!? K-members, frame connectors, upper and lower control arms - adjustable? non?

The car is going through a complete overhaul from motor to rear end. Looking to improve damn near every mechanical function on the car so my interests are multi-faceted. Probably never heard this from another fbod owner, but I want my cake and eat it too...

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

Opinions vary ...

JD_AMG

I don't think there would be as many people against drilled rotors as there are if they didn't crack like they do...
This is off a Porsche 911. The rotor is much bigger, and thicker than what you would be using...

Honestly you can have your bling with slotted rotors that are less prone to cracking...

With the right parts (not just picking every part from the catalog and throwing it all on the car) you can built a hell of a car. Search and realize that some parts are going to hurt some performance aspects while benefiting others, and there are parts out there that are not going to to anything for you (a STB for example).
You can have your cake and eat it too if you do things right.
These cars have pretty simple bolt-ons and as you can see are not to be taken lightly (as they pass the $100,000+ Porsche GT3 driven by the track instructor)

Heres the white Camaro:
http://www.gmhightechperformance.com...aro/index.html
Notice how many stock parts he still has, and what type of suspension and brakes hes running.

ssorange

Since we are on topic of the science of brake rotors, what about slotted rather than x-drilled? Is the function the same, to expel gas buildup? Or do they help with cooling? Do they have the same issue with cracking as x-drilled?
So is it best to just get the biggest, thickest solid vented rotor one can find?

Thanks!

wabmorgan

Brake pads no longer produce off gassing.

With that said.... blanks are best... but if you must... dimpled or slotted rotors are better than cross drilled.

ATE sells these... you might want to consider them...


http://www.ate-na.com/generator/www/...rotors_us.html

Element

iTrader: (5)

Nope, the slots were designed to "clean" the surface of the pad and keep it from fresh for each brake application, nothing to do with gas venting.

They don't help with cooling...again, since you're removing rotor mass, you're removing heatsink mass, thus actually hurting potential cooling. Whether you'll actually get to that point on the street depends on driving habits. They're not prone to cracking (at least that I know of), but you're not really going to see any benefit from the slots, either.

The ATE blanks have a sort of slot, but per Sam (in a recent thread), they're not as deep as the typical slots in slotted rotors, and aren't really considered as such. I ran Brembo blanks and never had a problem with them; switched to ATE since that's what Sam was/is selling when I bought my brake stuff from him. I can't speak for any other rotors, but both have worked great for me (although Brembo quality has supposedly slipped quite a bit recently; something to keep in mind).

wrencher

iTrader: (2)

Well I'm sure engineers of those systems spent a lot of time figuring out that.
They make a nice looking rotor, between the weight of vehicle & rotor mass plus it's cooling. They can get away with it in nominal conditions.
But if it's truly driven hard they just wont last, it's been proven again & again.
We're all just offering our honest opinion.
But they'll look good doing it.

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

I run Wagner blanks on my race car. They last all season with Carbotech XP10s. $40 each from O'Reilly's.

I do run Blaine Brake ducts, though.