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Ordered new wheels and redoing brakes,should I go back with solid or slotted,drilled rotors.
There's always a tradeoff - the slots are designed to provide channels to evacuate gas and dust produced by the pads when they are pressed against the rotor, which reduces heat, and excessive heat is what generally leads to brake fade under consistent extreme braking.
The tradeoff is that edges of those slots act kind of like a knife edge against your brake pads, so you won't get the same longevity as you would a solid rotor. Slotted rotors look cool and are probably a better choice if you are planning to frequently engage in aggressive driving or autocross, but for normal street use, I personally don't see the advantage other than the aesthetic.
Solid rotors allow you to take advantage of 100% of your brake pads and rotors, and don't really have any downsides for normal use. They don't look as cool as slotted (or cross-drilled) rotors, though.
My buddy is the crew chief for an off road pro 4 truck they have Wilwood for a sponsor. His wilwood tech guy put my braking system together this is what I got
He said drilled and slotted were for looks mainly he was not a fan.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
are you going to do an closed course or track racing...if no, then no you dont need drilled or slotted. WHen I was going to try and do a lot of tracks back before covid the solid rotors would heat up fast and begin to fade after a long day. I also spent one day with organic pads. they were okay that day but the next day were as solid as a rock and wouldnt stop the car any more. You need ceramic pads as well.
If you arent racing, and 1/4 mile doesnt count, then you dont need them..... unless you just like the look, then definitely you need the drilled rotors...
I would still use ceramic pads as they are the best thing since sliced bread
are you going to do an closed course or track racing...if no, then no you dont need drilled or slotted. WHen I was going to try and do a lot of tracks back before covid the solid rotors would heat up fast and begin to fade after a long day. I also spent one day with organic pads. they were okay that day but the next day were as solid as a rock and wouldnt stop the car any more. You need ceramic pads as well.
If you arent racing, and 1/4 mile doesnt count, then you dont need them..... unless you just like the look, then definitely you need the drilled rotors...
I would still use ceramic pads as they are the best thing since sliced bread
I have agree that there is no reason for drilled or slotted rotors unless you like the look.
People do not realize, and you may want to consider:
1) Match your pads to the application. You can call the technical reps at any number of brake companies. Tell them your car use and tell them your requirements and they will recommend a compound for you.
2) Bleed your brakes. Old brake fluid could have moisture built up. This will cause the brake fluid to boil. If you store your car for the winter, it will also rust the insides of your calipers.
I used to do Time Trials at Bridgehampton before they closed it. I will never forget the first time I gassed my pads. I drove into the paddock and luckily the chain link fence stopped me. I of course went overboard in my youth and purchased a full racing pad material. Big mistake. The hotter they got, the better they were. But try stopping the car when the brakes are cold. I finally called a technical rep. I have never had brakes fad again.
As far as brake fluid, I went to Summit Point motorsports park in 2021 with my son to do a HPDE. The instructor popped open my master and had a device that measured the moisture in my brake fluid. He was surprised to find none.
Yep! Put a dial indicator on the hub face. Probably should go with solid rotors and put money towards new *properly machined* hubs. The original hubs on my car were .006" run-out which resulted in like .013" at the rotor. Ideal would be .000", and that's a long way apart. I bought two more original hubs off ebay and they too were about the same out of spec too. GM did a quickie maching on these hubs, then trued the rotors up on a machine AFTER they were permanently riveted to the hub. If yours are off a little you might be able to shim a bit, but new machined hubs are the answer. If you take the hubs to a brake place they don't (can't) spin the hubs independently on their bearings to true them up. They spin them static ...On a spinning spindle. Not the same thing. I tried that and they still came back out of spec. If you drive with wobbling rotors, it'll pump air into your brakes and the pedal will soon go to the floor. It's a famous C2/C3 condition.
Check the run-out and get as close to .000 as you can.
Personally I'd stay away from drilled rotors, as there have been a lot of problems with drilled rotors cracking. Normally cracking is more likely to occur in rotors used for track days or racing, but it's likely that it will eventually happen on the street too, especially with some of the cheaper, generic drilled rotors out there. We switched to slotted rotors on our Corvette vintage race cars years ago because of the issues we had with drilled rotors developing cracks.
The holes causing premature pad wear really isn't an issue with most modern drilled rotors. The holes in most drilled rotors are finished with chamfered edges to both strengthen the hole's edge and to eliminate any chance of a rough edge causing pads to wear quickly.
Drilled rotors do have some advantages over solid or slotted rotors. The holes allow them to remain cooler, so they're less likely to cause pad glazing, warped rotors or hot spots.
Like so many things, drilled rotors are a trade off and you need the weigh the advantages of a quicker cooling rotor, with the possibility of a shorter rotor life due to cracking. Plus the need to occasionally check them for cracks.
