Slotted/Drilled Rotors

Was wondering if anyone has upgraded to slotted or drilled rotors? Any which brand. And can you use the stock calipers.

 

you want to stay away from drilled because they have a tendency to crack. i would go with slotted if i were you.

 

Which are the better brands. I was looking at power slot. Are they any good.

 

I think I have decided on the EBC dimpled/slotted rotors. Any one used these? Feed back would be great. Also I thinking I should get new pads too. I was looking at the EBC green or yellow. Also any feed back on which is better.

 

Had ATE PremiumOne slotted rotors and Satisfied Pro ceramics on my Corolla. Predictable, fade free, smooth unbelievably good braking. Plan on doing the same on the truck next upgrade round.

 

I bought drilled and slotted rotors from iRotors on ebay for dirt cheap... worked well and I had zero complaints while looking great... then again we all know that Toyota pick up rotors are oh so much more important to put expensive rotors on vs the Brembos I had on the G35 using iRotors.

Rotors are not a place where you gain braking performance, nor lose it. They are mostly just a cosmetic item. To upgrade performance you get a little change with pads, but not that much. If you want a bigger change you need larger brakes and better calipers, which is very expensive. The tires on your truck will be the limiting factor though, not the brakes themselves. If you want performance Id dump the drums in the rear and get a big brake kit up front... then again if you are considering slotted rotors we know this is for show... and iRotors is very nice looking, inexpensive, and as reliable as stock.

 

Rotors are not a place where you gain braking performance, nor lose it. They are mostly just a cosmetic item. To upgrade performance you get a little change with pads, but not that much. If you want a bigger change you need larger brakes and better calipers, which is very expensive. The tires on your truck will be the limiting factor though, not the brakes themselves. If you want performance Id dump the drums in the rear and get a big brake kit up front... then again if you are considering slotted rotors we know this is for show... and iRotors is very nice looking, inexpensive, and as reliable as stock.

That is 100% incorrect information.

 

Really? Personal experience in my C5 Corvette I had from 2000-2004 and my G35 with Brembos from 2005-2009 tells me otherwise. Id appreciate your detailed explanation of why instead of repeating marketing garbage. I got the CHEAPEST rotors I could find and they were just as good as $1000 Brembos (Infinity wanted for 4 new rotrs and pads installed) from thedealership or Powerslot rotors. Guess you must have some experience with Ferraris or Lambos or something because up to the $40Kish price range in sports cars its not an issue... at all. Its metal, the brake pads rub it... thats it. There are no special metals or decreases in stopping distance from having dimples or slots. Steel or iron does not matter. Slotted ro dimpled does not matter... unless you race youtr truck cross drilled wont wear out on you. Either works to vent gas and prevent fade. Heck the C5 used some cheap ass cast iron garbage for their rotors they were cheap as HELL for construction and that thing stopped like a BEAST. Well, it had large brakes and low weight with grippy tires. Damn, imagine what some powerslot rotors would have done for that thing... oh wait... they didnt do anything at all... well there goes that idea.

You guys can live in a fantasy world and imagine expensive rotors shorten stopping distances. I will let you return to your fantasy world now. Sorry for disturbing your fantasy with some actual experience.

FYI iRotors used to be cheap... they now are expensive. Get whatever is cheapest I say... it all performs the same.

 

Hey DevL,

You are right to a point, I used to have a 97 Camaro SS, 30th Anniversary Edition, 320hp. It's not the braking thats so much the issue, almost everything out there can handle day to day driving and braking. But when your doing 243 km/h and a tractor trailer cuts in front of you on the highway and you have to slam on your brakes so hard that your generating so much heat your brake pads glass over, you realize the difference between pads. Rotors, just made sure you DON'T get cheap chinese built ones. My buddy did and they are machined so poorly that there is a vibration in the pedal from the surface depth discrepancies.

I'll NEVER cheap on pads.

 

Yea i have some slotted rotors with ceramic brake pads. No complaints so far.

 

Well, gee, thanks for letting me return to my fantasy world, where I have nothing but marketing crap to base me facts on!

He's right. Slotted and dimpled, material make no difference. Hell just ask Fred Flintstone, bare feet work great too!

OP do your research.

 

Well allow me to post some quotes from Baer brakes. Then again these guys dont know anything about brakes right?

Will slotting or cross-drilling my stock rotors improve my car's stopping performance?

DEFINITELY NOT! Cross-drilled or slotted rotors do produce a strong visual appeal behind a modern open wheel, and they do have a performance edge when pad outgassing occurs. Outgassing occurs at extreme temperatures when the bonding agents that hold the pad material together break down into a gas form. This gas creates a pneumatic barrier between the rotor and the pad, reducing friction. Cross-drilling or slotting creates a path for the outgassing that occurs during extreme braking conditions. However, these conditions can virtually never be reached on the street! Short of a complete system, performance brake pads, a proper Teflon lined braided stainless steel hose set and quality brake fluids are the only direct replacement upgrades that can be combined to deliver measurable stopping improvements in the context of direct replacement components on the OE brake system.

Thats sounds a lot like PADS do something and rotors dont and the cross slotting and cross drilling are for LOOKS. Rad that last sentence again

Short of a complete system brake pads, lines and fluid are the ONLY way to get MEASUREABLE improvements.

Buy rotors based on looks and price... they all perform the same if they are the same size and general construction.

I like cross drilled or dimpled with or without slots. I ike a zinc wash cause its silver and not gold. I like cheap... thats how I make rotor buying decisons.

What are the benefits to cross-drilling, slotting, and zinc-washing my rotors?

In years past, cross-drilling and/or slotting the rotor for racing purposes was beneficial by providing a way to expel the gasses created when the bonding agents employed to manufacture the pads began to break down at extreme temperatures. This condition is often referred to as "green pad fade" or "outgassing". When it does occur, the driver still has a good firm brake pedal, but simply little or no friction. Since this normally happens only at temperatures witnessed in racing, this can be very exciting! However, with today´s race pad technology, “outgassing” is no longer much of a concern. When shopping for races pads, or even ultra high performance road pads, look for the phrases, "dynamic surface treatment", "race ready", and/or, "pre-burnished". When these or similar statements are made by the pad manufacturer, the pad in question will likely have little or no problem with “outgassing”. Ironically more pedestrian pads used on most streetcars will still exhibit “outgassing”, but only when used at temperatures normally only encountered on the racetrack. Although cross-drilling and/or slotting will provide a welcome path to expend any gasses when and if they develop, it is primarily a visual enhancement behind today’s often wide-open wheel designs. Cross-drilling offers the greatest gas relief pathway, but creates potential "stress risers" from which cracks can occur. Baer´s rotors are cast with cross-drilling in mind, from the material specified, to curved vanes, behind which the holes are placed to minimize potential crack migration. Slotted surfaces are what Baer recommends for track only use. Slotted only rotors are offered as an option for any of Baer’s offerings.



Note: out gassing occurs at RACE temperatures... which a Tacoma will never see. Any method works. Baer offers cross drilled. I have never had a cross drilled rotor fail. Also outgassing is common on a NEW pad... not a broken in pad unless you are racing.

 

Ceramic pads cost a little friction but you get no squeal, long life, and HUGE reduction in brake dust. I might not use the ceramic on my next pad change when I get some teflon coated wheels... hopefully the dust will not stick from a performance pad.

 

Baer has a kit for some vehicles (not ours) that uses a 1" larger rotor for increased leverage on the factory calipers. That would be worthwhile for our trucks... that and a rear disk conversion that still worked with TRAC/ATRAC and parking brake would be a great upgrade... unfortunately we dont have this option.

This does bring one question to mind... is it POSSIBLE to swap Tundra front and rear brakes to a Tacoma? That would be a rear swap to disks, increase the front disk by just over an inch and the 4x4 Tundra is TRAC/ATRAC capable. I will have to look into this.

 

You can post until your fingers fall off from typing. Fact is funny cars, dragsters, NASCAR cars, oval track cars, hi-po street cars, F1 cars, Indy cars, motorcycles, bicycles, go-karts, snowmobiles use drilled or slotted rotors. Fools, they could have just gone with whatever was cheapest! Me too, really, the incredible difference on my last car when I switched from factory Toyota to ATE and SP, well, that was just MY (and everyone who drove the car) fantasy.

I am not a fan of drilled rotors. They WILL help with brake fade. But the drilling can cause stress cracking. Slotted rotors, I will be the dumbass who doesn't listen...I will spend the 30 dollar per side difference and buy them. I KNOW they work.

 

If you read my post I say it does not matter if they are drilled, dimpled, or slotted... any will stop outgassing. Our brakes will seldom outgas. If you dont have gassing you dont use the slots, dimples or cross drills.

If your rotor is not larger it wont increase friction or braking power... slotting, crossdrilling, and dimpling has no effect on braking performance other than for outgassing. I never said the three methods to shuttle away out gassing did not work... only they wont make your brakes stronger... like you notice your brakes suck from the first application on broken in brakes on the freeway becasue you have larger wheels and tires after a lift. Material and construction techniques dont matter. If they dont fail and have generally similar construction they all are the same if they are the same size... only ROTOR SIZE and the area of cover age of your pad and the pressure applied by your caliper pistons will increase performance the way people want.

These are just non disputable facts. It is math and science. There is no debate here.

 

Interesting information, I put race style rotors on my civic and brake fade went away when cruising through canyons.


The only benefit I could see using drilled/dimpled/whatever rotors on a Tacoma that is not on a track, would probably be while towing to reduce brake fade from a heavier load, or if you ride the brakes going down hill.

 

Didn't read the whole thread. But just want to say that we sell a lot of Cross-Drilled rotors to guys with F-250s and F-350s because it gets rid of their warpage issues. Modern Cross-Drilled rotors do NOT have cracking issues.

 

I think you should get slotted rotors and ceramic pads. yeah that sounds like a good combo

 

I replaced my stock rotors on my '06' Taco with Sure Stop Cross Drilled Slotted Rotors and Heavy Duty Pads. Brakes better now and looks alot better since the rotors are plated AND besides they look cool also.

Cost was right at $300 for rotors and pads. Easy install.