Dragaholic

iTrader: (180)

So if pads these days dont experience that problem anymore and the slottled and drilled rotors are just for looks, then do performance rotors exist? If so, what makes them performance? I too need a set of new rotors because Im tired of them warping. I too thought that the slots and holes were for heating purposes, but I now know they are only for looks. So I dont necessarily need slots or holes to improve my braking? How does holes and slots shorten the length of the life of the rotors? Even if pads dont experience that problem anymore, wouldnt slots and holes still cool or keep the rotor cooler than ones without? Thanks

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

For racing applications you will find rotors with directional cooling vanes to be an improvement over standard rotors with straight vanes. Most of your rotors intended for high performance use are going to be directionally vaned and possibly a 2 piece design (aluminum hat, iron rotor). There are slight differences in alloys and casting processes, etc.

Any rotor that does the job you intend for it to do while giving reasonable wear and without warping is "performance" enough for that application. As I've said before, Brembo OEM work great for my abuse and they are reasonably inexpensive. They are straight vaned rotors, but they work extremely well. Are they pretty? Not really. Do they work for me? Absolutely!

Not really.

It is due to a reduction in surface area. Think of it this way. Everyone likes to use the widest tire they can to make traction. This is done to increase surface area and grip. When you drill holes in a rotor, you are asking the remaining surface of the rotor to do the work that would have been done by the whole rotor. Unfortunately, "holes" don't stop your car. A hole in the rotor generates no friction (we can get into an arguement about pads deforming into the holes and the resulting shearing action causing some braking performance....but it also wears pads and is a whole different and more complicated discussion if anyone cares). So, everywhere there are holes and slots, that part of the brake pad is not producing friction, this wears the rotors by increasing the demands placed on the remaining rotor surface.

Not really. The more mass (weight) a rotor has, the more energy it takes to heat it up. Once it gets too hot, performance suffers. Most pads have a maximum temp that they will work at. By drilling holes in a rotor (slots as well), we are actually reducing the mass of the rotor. It takes more energy to heat 5 lbs of metal to 1000 degrees than it takes to heat 3 lbs to 1000 degrees. (it takes longer to boil a pot of water than it does a cup of water....). So, basically, it is not a cooling benefit to drill the rotors.

Just my thoughts.

maddboost

iTrader: (11)

Just my two cents but two of my friends swapped stock rotors to the Baer Eradiaspeeds upgrades and both said there was a noticeble difference in braking performance. Both of them are still running the stock pads. One runs a Supercharged Z06 the other a H/C SS both people are well versed enough with aftermarket parts to be able to "feel" a difference as opposed to being "tricked" into a difference.

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

maddboost, SOTP feel is subjective, at best.

Not trying to discount the expertise of your friends, but it wouldn't be the first time that someone's SOTP feel was driven by the weight reduction in the owner's wallet.

I've run blanks, slots, holes, veined, directionally veined and most combinations ... but never a 2 piece.

Maybe that's the difference ...

Dragaholic

iTrader: (180)

I like the slotted and drilled rotors for look purposes, but theres no gain with them. However, they do affect the life of the rotor in a negative way.
1. Can slotted/drilled rotors be turned? About whats the life expectancy for a slotted/drilled rotor?
2. Will even a decent set of drilled/slotted rotors be an upgrade from the factory ones?
3. Would I be better off using a solid rotor?
4. What are viens and does anyone have any pics?
I know that the braking is terrible and theyre "out-of-whack", so I'd like to put on a decent set. In most cases, the better something performs, the more it wears.
5. Does this apply to rotors?
6. Will you really be able to notice the wear on the rotors? I mean...theyre not going to wear out in 6 months are they?
Well, dont want pile all the questions in one reply so...Ill stop here...for now! Thanks

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

Generally speaking, no. (you may be able to have a machiene shop grind them, which is the correct waay anyhow....but I can't verify that).

Baer once told me it was about 20% less than a solid (non slotted/drilled) rotor (all things being equal).

Depends, It seems there are several guys on here that have had waarpage problems with some of the brands. I'd stick to the brembo or eradispeeds if you "just have to have them".

In my opinion, based on life span and performance....yes.

When you look at the edge of a rotor, you see square "holes". Something has to hold the rotor facings apart (the part the pads contact). Those are the vanes. A curved vane works like a fan to pull air through the rotor for improved cooling.

Generally, no. Most rotors are made of the same material (or materials that are similar enough to have the same characteristics for hardness, etc), so they seem to wear at the same rate (or nearly so). Rotor wear is more dependant on your choice of pads. I run race pads and I chew up rotors. Stock pads will probably take 150,000 miles to wear out a set.

Back to pad choices. I run race pads and don't change them for autocross, so I drive them all the time. I got 16-18,000 miles out of my last set of pads (and several autocrosses, etc) and had worn .212 off the rotors. (the rotors are 31.5mm thick to start and the minimum is 30mm, mine were at 26mm). So, I wore them out in less than a year, but with stock pads, I'd still be running that set of rotors. It's the price you pay for good brakes.

My thoughts....

Dragaholic

iTrader: (180)

If slotted/drilled rotors cant be turned...then when they warp, what do you do to fix it? Or once theyre bad, theyre bad?

What are some/all the brands that people are having trouble with warpage and other related problems?

All rotors have veins, but do all of them have directional or curved viens?

Do you consider ceramic pads race pads? I wanted to try out a set because Ive got a set of performance frictions from Autozone and they suck! They put out so much damn dust its crazy. Do you have a particular brand that you prefer on pads? Oh...is ceramic the way to go? I hear that they put out little dust and stop noticeably better than factory pads. What kind of life for the rotors can you see with ceramic?

So...if thats true, what makes a set of aftermarket solid rotors or even ones with slots/holes an upgrade from stock ones and how does it decrease the chances of warping?

What makes Brembo and Eradispeeds different from all others? Thanks

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

Unless you find a machine shop that can grind them, they are pretty much junk if they warp.

There have been many threads, since I didn't have first hand experience, I don't want to list names (I'd hate to be incorrect and name a wrong company).

Unless it is a solid rotor (one thick plate, no vanes at all) it will have one or the other. Most rotors for F-bodies will be straight vaned rotors. There are exceptions, eradispeeds use a koala paw directional venting system that looks to be reasonably good. This will only be a benefit if you are running the car hard enough to heat the rotors to a temp that causes "pad fade". Where you overheat the rotors and pads. For street use, it is not an issue.

I am running ceremic race pads, but they are race pads that happen to be ceremic. There are ceremic street pads. GM used ceremic pads on some f-bodies as stock pads (as far as the GM recommendtions go, some call for ceremic pads). So, it depends on the design and use.

There are subtle differences in the alloys used by each manufacturer. The hardness will be very similar, but subtle differences do exsist. Those differences can be important. The second consideration is the quality of the casting, is it a uniform thickness throughout? Was it poured into the mold at the correct temperature? If it was poured at a temperature that is too high or too cool, you can get inconsistent products. Too cool, you may have parts of the rotor that cool before they reach the little places in the mold. Too hot, you may have extra time for the core of the mold to "float" and this can cause one side to be thicker than the other, etc. So, casting technique and quality play a very large part in the results (I worked in a foundry in college....don't ask....).

I wouldn't say "all others". Eradispeed rotors are based on castings by DBA (Disk Brakes Australia). DBA makes a fine product and it shows in the reliability. I'd gladly buy DBA "blanks" to use on my car, I just don't want the holes, slots and markup that Eradispeeds demand. Rotors are a wear item, I hate to junk $800 in rotors every so often. Brembo has been making performance rotors since the dawn of time (or so it seems). It seems to be a case where the techniques used for the race parts makes its way down to the standard level. Even a cheap Mercedes is still a Mercedes.

My thoughts....