I have heard that the drilled rotors have a tendency to crack around the drill holes. I have been looking around and noticed most companies have drilled and slotted, not just slotted???

What have people on here gone with, and has anyone gotten the cracking everyone I talk to says eventually happens to the drilled?

 

my fronts
HP F1 drilled/slotted
no issues yet
Power slot rears
no issues yet

have 6 techs at work that auto-x heavily, all with drilled/slotted rotors all the way around, have had no issues on them, or heard of issues with them

 

That's what I figured. I just have some idiot friends who think they know everthing.

 

i dont know everything, im going by what they have told me or have experienced

 

Well, there have been instances of cracking and such, but not enough for you to worry about.

There are slotted only rotors available if you are concerned that much.

The best advice would be if you are worried about the quality of the drilled rotors, don't be cheap.

 

You mean don't buy the e-bay special JDM rotors....

 

when it comes to ur safety, dont be cheap

 

The only prob i have heard with drilled rotors is if the company that drills them does not know what they are doing. Either they drill to many holes or drilled them in the wrong places on the rotor. The mecedes sl 500 only has drilled rotors front and back. So drilled can't be that bad.....as long as it is done correctly.

 

Porsche Cayman S only has drilled rotors front and back as well.

There are instances where your friends are correct, that drilled rotors have cracked, but all faulty or heavily abused equipment will fail or break at some point.

 

kinda off topic, but do they sell all black rotors??? ive seen the powerslot plus that are all black, but do they have oem sized rotors that are black??

 

A drilled rotor will usually only crack under track conditions with very high heat levels. At those temperatures, any rotor will start to crack but the better quality rotors will take longer to develop. On a street only car you do not have to worry about drillied rotors cracking unless they are of very low quality.

As far a as an "all black" rotor, its not going to happen. Any coloration you see on rotors has been applied to the surface and will wear away where the pads meet the rotors. The closest thing you would be able to find would be carbon ceramic rotors which have a charcoal color, but unless you have up to 20 grand to spend on your brakes it probably inst going to happen.

 

I use the Brembo cross-drilled rotors front and rear and they use a much better procress than the cheap ebay brands. They have specific venting characteristics, just like the StopTech upgrades that show you the quality of the disc.

 

kinda off topic.. but are rotors hard to install?i just bought some... wondering if i can install them myself?

 

yes, as long as you ahve the right tools

 

ok. i have plenty of tools, do you know of any tech articles or sited thet would tell me what to do step by step? please?

 

The only issue you may have with getting the rotors off is if rust has formed between the inner hat portion of the rotor and the hub itself. Save yourself some trouble and spray some WD40 around the hub snout and wheel studs to loosen everything up. Sometimes the rotors literally fall off the car after the caliper is removed and sometimes you need a big hammer to knock them off. Also, be sure to disengage the parking brake when changing the rear rotors or you wont be able to take them off.

 

^^^yup

 

Don't skimp on rotors. I'm not saying the most expensive one out there is THE best, but I'd stay away from kits on eBay, and/or kits that sell you complete front/rear kits for under $120

 

Hey guy's , Just a question? I'm not meaning to bash anyone here.

I hate to see someone spend money un-necessarily. Why cross drilled or vented discs? Are you running a high friction pad on the track? Unless you are, keep your money and apply it to another mod. Your speeds in the braking zones of the occasional off ramp will most likely never require you to vent the gasses that quickly. I run stock brakes with Hawk HP-Plus pads at driving schools and have no issues braking. Depending on the track I'm seeing consitant braking zone entry speeds of 80-100 MPH. As far as big brake kits go a stock tC will never be fast enough to need four piston calipers. Spend the money on tweaking your suspension geometry first. Sways, strut bar, springs, bushings, etc... If your going to go boost then think bigger brakes, but IN conjuction with the suspension. 250 HP on stock suspension is a death wish, regardless how well you stop. Braking doesn't matter when the rear end is pushing around when your apexing a corner.

Be safe guys, lots of stuff looks cool. But it's way cooler to have the knowledge and the ability.

 

There are some serious flaws in your arguments which I will address.

Firstly, a slotted or drilled rotor is not used to "vent gasses" or even aid in cooling. These days the machining done to rotors is to increase bite by introducing leading edges which cause higher friction. In the past the drills or slots were used to reduce fade caused by the outgassing of pads but newer compounds do not do this after the initial break in process. A drilled or slotted rotor can also aid in wet weather braking by allowing water to evacuate from the disc surface and help to maintain the bite of the pads. More often than not, a slotted or drilled rotor is fitted more for improved appearance than any other reason.

Your statement about using Hawk HP+ pads and not having any problems means you are not overheating the system which may be a tire related issue but the bottom line is that the HP+ is NOT a track pad and has a relatively low maximum operating temperature (MOT). The HP+ is a high bite street pad designed to run at lower temperatures which makes it ideal for autocross and very light track use or in the rear of some track applications. If you are not fading an HP+ pad in a matter of 5 laps your tires are not very good or you simply arent pushing very hard.

In my experience tracking my tC at Streets of Willow, 3 laps with Axxis Ultimate pads on stock tires and rotors meant noticeable fade requiring me to slow down and let the system cool for a few laps. The Axxis Ultimate has a higher MOT than the HP+ by a couple hundred degrees.

Your comment about the tC not being fast enough to require a big brake kit is also flawed. The amount of brake heat that can be generated is largely related to the tractive capacity of the tires. The better tire you run the more braking potential available and the faster heat will be generated. With a good set of tires, most cars can generate around 1G or slightly more under braking. In a matter of 2 laps, brake temperatures on a car can easily exceed 1000 degrees F and only go up even on stock tires. Pad fade usually happens first and is usually followed by boiled fluid. If track pads are equipped which can handle upwards of 2000 degrees F the fluid will likely boil befire the pads will fade. In order to manage the extreme heat which is developed, large amounts of outside air must be ducted to the system and/or a larger brake setup will be necessary to absorb and dissipate said heat more effectively. I will agree that a street only driven car will not be able to utilize the added heat capacity of a big brake kit, but will benefit from improved pedal feel and responsivenes, better pad selction and the improved appearance aspect.

Im also not sure what you are referring to in this comment:

Are you referring to oversteer brought on by too stiff of a rear sway bar or shock/spring setup or possibly tires which are not able to handle the cornering loads being applied? Majority of braking should be done in a straightline unless the driver is trying to rotate the car by trailbraking in which case tha brakes and their front/rear balance is of utmost importance since on overbiased rear brake setup can cause snap oversteer in extreme cases.

Im not discounting your experiences but as someone whose job it is to know, understand and educate about all aspects of braking systems, it is hard not to correct gross generalizations about brakes based on some seemingly limited experience.

Im happy to discuss and debate thse point so dont take my post as an attack. If you feel I am wrong please let me know and I will be more thn happy to back up my points with more information.