Question about Big Brakes

[Hobbes =^.^=]

I was reading up on Big Brakes and how some have slotted, cross drilled, etc.

Alot of people say that having cross drilled and slotted rotors are a bad thing, and that it will lead to cracking and pads being worn out faster.

With that said, why do Brembo brakes have both crossdrilled and slotted rotors?

 

[2GTsiAWD]

Ok...Here is MY take on it. Look at a new high end Mercedes and a set of those Brembo rotors what's the difference? The Mercedes rotors are CAST that way and not drilled.

Regardless, the most you would ever want is slotting. The holes are strictly an appearance thing. Sure they help vent the rotors, but if you're doing any serious track stuff you're heating the rotors pretty good. Eventually, they WILL stress crack because of the temp differences at the holes.

A serious high performance rotor will not have any holes. I've spent some time at the track and most GT class cars have neither slots nor holes. For the street where you aren't gonna build up any serious temps you could get away with them, but I would just skip right on by them IMO. I have the TCE Kit on my 2G and opted for the slots, but in hind sight I could saved the cash and not even get the slots.

It's all up to you and what you want.

 

[kylemoto]

Here is my opinion on this situation.

Brembo (and others) sell slotted and drilled rotors simply because they "look cool". I have never seen any information that shows drilled and/or slotted rotors perform better than non machined. (Note: I don't consider a two inch improvement in stopping distance from 60 mph as significant!)

Drilling does two things, both bad in my view. First, they do add stress risers. As the brakes are applied, heat is added to the section of the rotor where the brake pad lies. The other areas are much cooler and therfore don't expand. The result is a large difference in temperature and stress levels. Second, the take away brake mass. Remember, a brake's basic function is to convert motion into heat. It does this by heating a mass (the rotor). The more mass you have, the more heat (or braking) you can do. So, addign all those nice holes actually reduces the brake capacity. Not good when you need to make that banzai stop from 120 mph or so!

Unless you want to really upgrade brake sizes, then I believe in the following to maximize stock brake effectiveness: non-drilled rotors, and provide as much cooling as possible. This includes removing the backing plate. The guys at the Acura NSX website (www.nsxprime.com) have done some really nice tests involving cooling rates, comparisons, etc. on brakes. They show removing the bckaing plate, even with stock brakes, results in a healthy improvement in brake temperature reduction, which means better brake performance.


I hope this info helps!

Kyle

 

[NDgsx]

The only reason Porsche uses cross driller, er cast , rotors is for weight reduction.
Slots can be helpful your pads are glazing, I'd just buy a different pad though.
Other than that it's all eye candy and throw backs from the 60s when pads actually created gas.

 

[Violater101]

On my 2g GST, I went with GSX dual piston calipers/mounting brackets, OE Quaility Rotors by Brembo (can get them at summit for like $50/per) and metal master pads from RRE as well as stainless steel lines. I couldn't believe the difference it made and how well they stop.