TorchRedRocket

I've always wondered this, and my logic and reasoning would lead me to believe that drilled and/or slotted rotors would be more fade resistant than standard rotors, but they would actually have a decreased stopping power. Wouldn't blank rotors have a stronger stopping power seeing as there is more surface area for the pads to contact? Any thoughts?

ScottJ97

IIRC as the pads get hot they release a gas, which can reduce braking power if that gas gets trapped between the pad and the rotor. The slots are there to let the gas escape.

SoDiezl350

Modern pads don't really do that anymore. These days slots are for increased bite and removing glazed material from the pads. Drilled holes are for looks and crack when the rotors get hot.

04 commemorative

If I put them on it would be for looks

ricknyc23

i have them because they look better

Jistari

You will find thousands of posts on this, it comes up a lot. Let me spare you from reading them all. The top two answers you will find to be:

1) Yes

and

2) No



From what Ive read my opinion (which is worth about what you're paying for it) is that the braking system is not really about friction per se, its about the heat generated from the friction. The kinetic energy from the motion of the car is converted to heat by the friction of the pads which is then absorbed into and then dissipated off the rotors. The mass of the rotor as well as the design effect how readily it can absorb then get rid of heat.

Drilling holes in them decreases the mass (as well as being problematic in that cracks often appear at the holes due to unequal cooling between the solid/drilled areas.

Cutting grooves decreases the mass less, but also decreases the contact area (and so the friction), so while they may heat up less, thats not the point, we want them to heat up as quickly as possible and still maintain the ability to dissipate that heat as rapidly as possible.

Its not like putting water on a fire, in that case you are trying to stop the fire. If you carry that analogy to braking, you get less energy converted to heat and so you get less reduction in the kinetic energy (slowing) of the vehicle (thats why the brakes aren't water cooled ).

Slots may help shed water better, which in that application should work better, I have no idea (Damn it Jim ! I'm a paramedic not an engineer).

I personally go with solid rotors.

If you are not tracking it, or pushing it down the mountain often, you are probably never going to notice any of the difference between all three types, and the slotted/drilled ones do look way better.

It goes without saying that with slotted/drilled rotors and "so called" dustless ceramic pads you will have less braking power particularly after repeated applications.

If you ever run out of a bank and need to commandeer a getaway vehicle, look for filthy front wheels. that will steer you towards a vehicle that converts motion to heat a whole lot better than a clean one

dbaker

I prefer Slots....and have 'em on all my cars.

Many race cars have slots.Not too many have drilled.

\db2
carolina

Vetteman Jack

When I had them on my '00, I did so for the looks - wasn't really concerned whether they performed any better than the stock rotors. Never had any cracking problems with the drilled/slotted ones I had (Baer Eradispeeds).

'Shifter

Quality drilled rotors will probably not crack on a street car, but since the only quality rotors made anymore are high-end (Baers, et al), they shouldn't anyway. But to answer your question, yes, they are for looks, but I also doubt that 90%+ pf street cars would ever notice a difference between drilled, slotted, drilled and slotted or smooth anyway...

jrose7004

I have them for looks.

Rockbridge

Anyone have pictures of the stock rotors and the drilled and slotted ones? Thanks!

BLKWDWZ06

looks mostly, and I can tell you that I have felt a negligible difference with my cross drilled slotted....