Brake Rotor Questions

[BLK03SVT10TH]

What are the Pros and Cons of using Brake Rotors like these?

I've been looking around and have found these different types.

1. Drilled

2. Slotted

3. Drilled and Slotted

4. Dimpled and Slotted

What Brake Pads would be the best to use with these?

Here are the Brembo Dimpled and Slotted I was checking out.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2477687434&category=33564

 

[vipergts281]

Here is what I know..........I've done some research so I believe it to be pretty true................

1. I always read that they can crack. Although I've yet to hear one story from someone who has actually done this. If you are going to buy them, I'd make sure they are casted with the holes in them, rather than them starting out as a plain rotor and then XYZ company drilling them. They are not as strong if they are drilled using a plain rotor. Although, I was at a Mercedes dealership today and all of the AMG cars had drilled rotors. And Porsche's have drilled rotors. So things like that make me wonder how true the "Drilled rotors will crack" theory.

2. From what I understand, these are the way to go. I almost bought them for my car. But I couldn't find a pair I wanted. Brembo makes them but they are only available in gold. The gold will wear off for the most part, but it will still be visible in the center and on the outside edge's....not something I wanted. And I've only heard this once so I don't know how true it is.........you want the slots to stop before reaching the edge of the rotor. If you notice, Brembo and Roush Slotted Rotors do this. So I would think it is true since I trust those two companies. Tirerack.com has Brembro slotted rotors for about $280 for a front set. EDIT-- Brembo does in fact sell a "Sport Drilled Rotor".

3. A Brembro spokesperson said Drilled and Slotted rotors are the worst you can get. Don't know why, but that's what I heard.

4. I don't know any info on dimpled rotors, sorry.

Side Note- From what I understand, Brembo does not make a cross drilled rotor. But at the same time I saw a rotor on display in a tire shop that was cross drilled from Brembo. Basically, just be cautious if you see someone selling a rotor that they say is Brembo.......like the one's on ebay for example. And alot of the ebay cross drilled rotors are the ones that were drilled AFTER the rotor was cast......not a good thing.

Another Side Note- I heard cross drilled and slotted rotors can only be resurfaced once. Obviously if you take too much of a slotted rotor, it defeats it's purpose. Just something to consider since you will most likely be buying new rotors everytime you do a brake pad change.

 

[vipergts281]

And btw, I just went with Brembo plain rotors for the time being. And I have EBC Greenstuff brake pads I will be putting on. I just need to get around to doing it. Rotors were $120 from Tirerack.com. Pads were about $80 if I remember correctly.

I hear people saying Hawk pads squeal. But I had them on my 2000 GT and never had a problem with them. I guess it depends on how you break them in. You have to "bed" them with the rotors after install.

I'm sure you can't go wrong with either EBC or Hawk.

 

[vipergts281]

Originally posted by BLK03SVT10TH
Here are the Brembo Dimpled and Slotted I was checking out.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2477687434&category=33564 [/B]

I don't think Brembo makes a slotted and dimpled rotor. Although it does say they are CNC machined. So that may mean the person/company selling them put the slots and dimples on there. Also, they are not gold. All Brembo rotors are gold.

I'm going to email the seller and ask him about them. If they are real, I'd like a set.


I just sent an email to Brembo asking a few questions. I'll let you know what I find out.

 

[RossSVT]

Please do. I'm interested in the results. Especially the E-Bay answers. I think the one's on E-Bay are done after casting. Seems that $259 for cross-drilled is a little low for 1st quality Genuine Brembo rotor's front and rear.

 

[vipergts281]

Originally posted by RossSVT
Please do. I'm interested in the results. Especially the E-Bay answers. I think the one's on E-Bay are done after casting. Seems that $259 for cross-drilled is a little low for 1st quality Genuine Brembo rotor's front and rear.

Exactly, $259 is dirt cheap for 4 Brembo cross drilled and slotted rotors.

I'm 99.9% sure that they are done after casting.

I already sent the email to Brembo asking about 6 questions. I'll post back my findings.

:beer:

 

[Nuclrslug]

I have a set.
They are Brembo's
they are cross drilled/slotted post-cast.
they are zinc plated.
The zinc wears away on the pad contact surface but the rest of the surface without any contact won't rust.

OPINION: I bought a set from this exact company. I would do business with them. If the rotors aren't real brembo's they took the time to counterfeit Brembo boxes and etch The name, symbol and a part number on the outside edge of the rotor EXACTALLY like the front set that came with the Cobra. I've drilled and slotted a few sets myself and I've never had a set come apart on me. The dimpled rotors shown above should be stronger.

 

[vipergts281]

Originally posted by Nuclrslug
I have a set.
They are Brembo's
they are cross drilled/slotted post-cast.
they are zinc plated.
The zinc wears away on the pad contact surface but the rest of the surface without any contact won't rust.

OPINION: I bought a set from this exact company. I would do business with them. If the rotors aren't real brembo's they took the time to counterfeit Brembo boxes and etch The name, symbol and a part number on the outside edge of the rotor EXACTALLY like the front set that came with the Cobra. I've drilled and slotted a few sets myself and I've never had a set come apart on me. The dimpled rotors shown above should be stronger.

Well if they are etched with the word Brembo then they are probably real. I just worry about how strong they are since they were drilled post cast. Most likely they are fine if done right. But then again, the brakes are a very important part of a car and your safety. So it is not really a place to cut corners even in the smallest amount.

 

[BLK03SVT10TH]

Anyone Familiar with These Brake Pads

Axxis Ultimate Brake Pads

The AXXIS Ultimate is the newest high performance street pad to be introduced into the North American market from Bendix Mintex in Australia. Building on years of success with their world class Metal Master pads, Bendix Mintex formulated the Ultimate pad compound to compete with the best performance street pads in the world. The AXXIS Ultimate pads feature a special Kevlar® and ceramic strengthened formula with a high co-efficient of friction and very high temperature fade resistance. As with all AXXIS pads, the Ultimate pad is a non-asbestos formula.



PBR Metal Master

Depending on your driving style, the life expectancy of Metal Master pads exceed other conventional semi-metallic pads by 200 to 500 percent. Fade, squeal and unsightly brake dust have been virtually eliminated. Containing no asbestos, Metal Master pads provide the ultimate in stopping power under all driving conditions - wet or dry.


http://www.sportbrakes.com/id1.html

 

[ShelbyGuy]

bottom line:
anything you do to remove mass from the rotor detracts from its ability to dissipate the heat.

drilling promotes cracking. porsche are cast with the holes in them.

if bLiNG, y0! is what matters go for all the holes and slots you can get! if stopping is what matters, gas slots, and then only if your brake pads call for it.

and, just becuase its a one piece brembo, doesnt mean its immune to abuse...

 

[coleman]

BLK03SVT10TH, I'm sure these are the exact same ones that I bought indirectly...

I have slotted/drilled and after one event, most of the zinc has flaked off & one rotor has hairline cracks.
They are replacing mine with just slotted, but that warranty is only good for 30 days.
Check on warranty - YMMV!

Now, if you don't plan to do any open track racing, then you may be fine with any of the above.

 

[Cobra-R]

Originally posted by ShelbyGuy
bottom line:
anything you do to remove mass from the rotor detracts from its ability to dissipate the heat.

drilling promotes cracking. porsche are cast with the holes in them.

if bLiNG, y0! is what matters go for all the holes and slots you can get! if stopping is what matters, gas slots, and then only if your brake pads call for it.

and, just becuase its a one piece brembo, doesnt mean its immune to abuse...

I agree 100% :rockon:

Brian

 

[KOOY]

Originally posted by BLK03SVT10TH

3. Drilled and Slotted

4. Dimpled and Slotted

What is the difference?

 

[vipergts281]

Re: Re: Brake Rotor Questions

Originally posted by KOOY
What is the difference?

Drilled and slotted are just that.....they drill/cast holes in the rotor and put slots in them. Dimpled are the same except instead of holes that go all the way through the rotor, they are just dimpled.

And I got a few answers back from the guy who is selling those rotors on ebay. Copy and Paste from the email.......

"We purchase the blank brake discs from brembo and dimpled/slotted them ourselves".

"You are correct in many aspects.
brembo do not have dimpled/slotted, they only have cross-drilled or slotted rotors".

"In order to meet our customers preferences, we decided to just purchase the blank brake rotors from brembo and custom made for our customers. any designs our customers need we do, usually cross-drilled, slotted, drilled/slotted, dimpled, and dimpled/slotted.
the reason why w/ zinc plated our rotors silver, is due to the rims/wheel on most cars are silver.
i didn't think i would look right if you have gold cadium behind a silver 18 or 20 inch wheel".

"There are so many rumors about the cross-drilled brake rotors that are prone to crack".

"We have been doing the cross-drilled/slotted rotors since 1998, and we never once had any complaint or return because of the crack rotors. if the cross-drilled rotors are prone to crack, why would the best auto maker, Porsche and Mercedes Benz installed cross-drilled brake rotors on their brand new sport car straight out of the assembly line".

"Correct, the full set (4 drilled/slotted brake rotors) is for $249.00 plus shipping.
Brembo sells the same exact rotors (manufactured by BPC in the US and Canada) but w/ Brembo big red boxes for double the price".

FYI, the guy I spoke with was very helpful and polite and answered my e-mails quickly. Seems like a good guy to do business with.

I just bought Brembo plain rotors off of Tirerack.com for $130 a piece. So as you can see, $249 for all four is a steal. You just have to decide whether or not you want to risk running rotors that have been drilled/slotted after they have been cast.

I also e=mailed Brembo. But they never got back to me. Good service there.

 

[ShelbyGuy]

the brembo rotors are $65 from tireschwack. that $130 should have gotten you the pair.

 

[vipergts281]

Originally posted by ShelbyGuy
the brembo rotors are $65 from tireschwack. that $130 should have gotten you the pair.

You're kidding. They were real Brembo 13" rotors for $65 each?

 

[BenD]

Opinion on Slotted Rotors

I had the same dilemma a while back whether to go with slotted or drilled. I finally decided on slotted. I did buy them from "Tire Rack" and so far so good.

I primarily Road Race and they are holding up just fine. I am using "Ceramicool Pads in front and at this point in time are satisfied. As far as drag racing brakes are not a big issue, but road racing is an entirely different story. I think slotted would probably be a better long term buy than drilled, but they are not as impressive looking as drilled rotors.

Interesting enough most all 911's, Modena Ferrari's and M-3's that are on the race track that I race against do have drilled rotors. maybe they can afford to change them like most of us change socks, but I can't so slotted is my rotor of choice.

 

[vipergts281]

Re: Opinion on Slotted Rotors

Originally posted by BenD

Interesting enough most all 911's, Modena Ferrari's and M-3's that are on the race track that I race against do have drilled rotors. maybe they can afford to change them like most of us change socks, but I can't so slotted is my rotor of choice.

I noticed that as well. And all of the AMG Mercedes I saw at the dealership had cross drilled rotors. Makes you wonder.

 

[RossSVT]

I have an 03 Boxster S and it came with the Brembo Big Brake kit with cross drilled rotors from the 911 as standard equipment. 2800 miles on it and no issues but I don't really drive it that hard either.

 

[RossSVT]

I had an 03 Boxster S and it came with the Brembo Big Brake kit with cross drilled rotors from the 911 as standard equipment. 2800 miles on it and no issues but I don't really drive it that hard either.