I'm having problems with mine rusting when they touched rain for the first time. These are the ones from GMPartsdirect and it's my understanding that rotors should be "zinc" plated? I know these are not but does anyone know what I can buy to put on the ones I have or any shops that provide this type service? Thanks.

 

I have the same problem with my stock rotors when I wash the Vette.

One application of the brakes and it cleans up.

 

Mine always looked like heck after washing, but like said above, 2 or 3 hits on the brake and they look clean again.

 

probably easier just to buy a set of zinc coated sportbrakes rotors for $250.

 

Is the rust on the "Hat" ( area around the bolts) or in the fire path ( area under the pads) ? Zinc coated do nothing for the fire path as the zinc wears away shortly after installation. The Zinc coating is to keep the "Hats" rust free.

 

The zinc coating is more for preventing rust bleed from the inside of the vane area. It bleeds through the holes from the inside and makes a mess of the rotors.

Everything needs to be coated except the fire path. The rotors are cast iron and rust.

Eradispeeds 2 piece rotors have aluminum hats that are powder coated, zinc coated inside and out...

I know little about this topic.

My car has 60,000 + miles and no rust... How can that be?

 

Thanks for the help guys. The rusting I have is on the hats, not the fire path. I went with the cheaper rotors from gmpartsdirect (sacrificing a little of the look) instead of the previously mentioned ones but I guess that's why they're cheaper. :-( Apparently there's no protection for the hat! I wish I would've known that beforehand.

 

This is what I used (from Pep Boys) to cover the hats before installing Delco rotors. I DID NOT paint the fire path.

I've only put about 2,000miles on the new rotors since installation. The coating still seems to be holding up very well; no discoloration, peeling or bubbling.

..rickko..

 

High School Chemistry. Iron + Water = rust

 

Fe +H2O = FeO2

You cant see the rotors from the drives seat.

 

I have the same problem. Put drilled/slotted rotors on this past summer. Painted the "hats" and vains and fins with hi-temp paint and still have rust. So I now have on order silver zinc coated rotors. The hats are powder coated shin black. They are from rotorpros.com $260.00. I found out from forum members to stay away from ceramic pads. Use the OE Delco brake pads. My $.02
Here are mine:
Front:

Rear:

Good luck..
Rsty

 

Iron + Water + Zinc Plating = no rust? :-)

Thanks for the chem lesson but I guess there's no way to put that to use if you don't know all the ingredients. For example, not knowing they didn't zinc plate the hats.

 

 

actually, It's pretty easy to use - rotors are made from cast iron. If you drive your car in the rain and you don't have something to prevent the iron rotor from getting wet, it'll rust. Zinc works and looks pretty good. You could also paint them as long as they don't get too hot, or never drive your car in the rain and put plastic bags over the brakes when you wash the car. However you do it, you've got to keep the iron dry or it will rust.

Personally, I use NAPA rotors and hit the hat with a quick coat of paint before I put them on. When I go to the track, the rotors get hot and the paint starts to bubble and melt off. about the time the paint starts to really peal off, the rotors start cracking so it's time to replace them. A lot cheaper than Zinc coating and works just as well and if you're not tracking the car or use High temp paint, you won't have to worry about the pealing and for those of you that need the extra bling bling, you can paint the slots and edges of the holes and the edges of the rotor so those areas won't rust either.

 

Are the hole for looks or does it help stop the car faster ???? curious

 

oh boy...here we go again

Some how 30 year old out of date racing technology has become a popular "Hi performance" style.

the short story of the holes/slots is that years ago high performance pads would generate gas and would create a layer between the pad and rotor so the holes gave the gas a place to go. Of course with modern properly bedded pads this doesn't happen anymore so they are not needed. The down side of the holes is that they create a stress point in the metal. There are 2 ways to get the holes. most of the holes are simply drilled. It's cheaper and easier to do, but also makes the rotor very prone to cracking around the holes. The better way to do it is to mold the holes into the rotor when it is cast. I know for sure that OEM Porsche rotors are done that way. Unfortunately, this also makes a stress point, just not as bad as drilling. In lighter cars the drilled rotors can be beneficial because of the reduced mass, but with a 3200lb car the advantage is minimal if any at all, and you can see the disadvantage in the pictures below (borrowed for AU N EGL). Of course on a street only car, you don't work the brakes nearly as hard and the rotors are not stressed nearly as much as on a road course, so it doesn't really matter much, but they are a show mod at best.




I can tell you that the Nurburgring Ring Taxi (BMW M5) uses drilled rotors and they are replaced every 10 laps when my cheap NAPA rotors get between 15 and 20 with no cooling ducts (now installed, so rotor life should go up some)

 

 

Thks lancer for the reply.....I know I learn something new on here everyday. Great place.

 

Would you use Napa rotors if you were driving your car on the street? Also, what's a good pad to go with Napa rotors? I'm not looking for bling, just a set that doesn't warp. My stock, non slotted, non drilled are warped and it's time for a break job.

 

Yep, they are might fine rotors!