Brake Discs, Most Bang For The Buck?

[turbocruiser]

I find it funny how many people slam the drilled rotor deal when they don't even drive with them - sure some cheap chinese knockoffs with holes drilled have no improvement in performance and they prolly warp really wildly, etc., but we're talking poor metallurgy, poor machining, poor quality control, whatever.

Since I'm apparently one of the few who have the drilled and slotted DBA's I am the proof that they tend to last well over 75K so far, have superior stopping performance to the stock setup, have much less fade and have much less warp and all in all are wonderful.

Ohh, on the note of clogging with crap, that is true - I've had mud stuck in those holes after an all day mud run but we're talkin mud to the top of the tire and lots and lots of time to get clogged. A simple squirt with the hose will soften it up and wash it out. I also have had half the entire rotor sunken into loose gritty granite gravel over and over and over again and have never had anything get stuck so as to actually harm the rotor or the pad. Again 75K with NOOOO problemos so the conjecture can stop here.

Either way OEM or DBA will work well, if yer not lookin for higher performance than stock, well, go with stock. Ohh and the stainless steel brake lines make a major difference as well. Hope that helps. Ohh, lastly, I already have my replacement rotors ready in storage for whenever these DBA's do wear out and guess what they are the DBA slotted only with the kangaroo paw pattern or whatever that Steve was mentioning above. Got the drilled & slotted ones from Slee and got the slotted only ones from Man A Fre. Hope that helps.

 

[rgsiii]

I had my DBA drilled and slotted warp at about 20 K on my 1994 80. I then went with oem rotors and 100 series pads.

On my 1997 80, I put DBA's on just prior to the previous problem. They have about 15K on them now.

 

[cruzizzle]

I failed physics.

How can a rotor with less surface area under the pad provide "superior stopping performance" ?

How can a rotor with holes in it be stronger and less resistant to warping than a solid or slotted one? Maybe we should all drill holes in our frames ala Swiss Cheese Catalinas. They would never bend!

The fade part I may buy, IF you are regularly towing down 6 mile long, 8 percent grades. Still, meh.

Rotor life depends on the hardness of pad used, the condition of the caliper,how many times you turn them, and the foot stepping on the brake pedal. Any old rotor should last through 4-5 sets of pads given the proper surrounding conditions.

:shotts::shotts::shotts:

 

[bjowett]

Drilled rotors are obsolete, they are for looks..... Spend some time on google, it's all out there.

 

[turbocruiser]

Drilled rotors are obsolete, they are for looks..... Spend some time on google, it's all out there.

Okay, instead of google, I spent some time on real world comparison, back to back between my 80 and my father's two 80's I could care less what the googlers say, I've taken the tests and learned the lessons.

 

[NaterGator]

Thank you formula 1.

no nonsense... no drilling, slotting, etc.

 

[turbocruiser]

Thank you formula 1.

no nonsense... no drilling, slotting, etc.

Ahh, no metal either! Not really apples to apples. I guess I'm wondering why so many mudders are so against quote/unquote "bling" that they will avoid adding some performance to the rig just to avoid that label of being blinged out. I mean I'm right there with you when it comes to chrome sliders and chrome wheels and things like that ... but what I'm asking from all the fine folks here naysaying, "have ya tried testing these rotors or are ya avoiding the bling factor at the expense of some additional performance?" Also are all of you who are saying that these things are obsolete, useless, whatever really willing to put your engineering skills against say Porsche, Ferrari, et al? Sheesh. I'm not talking about some cheap chinese knockoffs here folks, I'm talking about DBA's that have more than proven themselves to me. Anyways, just one man's opinion. Laters.

 

[bhaines]

I have a Nissan 350Z and when I replaced the OEM pads/rotors I got DBA Slotted and Cross drilled rotors the gold type and honestly I have not felt a single bit of difference between them. As I live in Australia the OEM rotors were more expensive than the DBA.

 

[NaterGator]

I honestly believe the best thing you can do is increase the size of the rotor, and more importantly duct airflow to it. Other than that you eventually reach a point where the tire cannot physically grip the road any harder and you are wasting your time with 16 bazillion pistons and super cold forged cross drilled etc.

Brake fade is the enemy. Short stopping distances aren't gonna happen in a cruiser... just worry about repeat stopping distances.

 

[LX_TREME]

It's 3 years already and never replaced it and still brake like new truck, I'll check sometimes this year before X'mas

- DBA 4000 series cross drilled and slotted
- JDM KOC calipers
- JDM SHUEI SS brake lines
- JDM Ganlock brake pads

Now if you willing to spend $2500.00 - $3000.00 USD get real 80s JDM Brembo caliper kit but at least you need 18 in rims (The kit same as last pic except those for 100 series application)

 

[cary]

Okay, instead of google, I spent some time on real world comparison, back to back between my 80 and my father's two 80's I could care less what the googlers say, I've taken the tests and learned the lessons.

Not to rain on the parade, but you have to filter out the improvements because of pads versus rotors. A drilled rotor will only improve performance in the case where the pads are so hot that they are outgassing to the point it affects their ability to clamp. Any pedal feel improvement you get or initial stop improvement will be purely a function of pad composition.

 

[NeverFinis]

It isn't just outgassing, but heat removal. Braking creates friction which creates heat. The faster you can remove heat, the faster you can brake. This is the reason why vented rotors work much better than solid rotors. The drilled rotors allows faster heat dissipation.

Oh, I have the drilled and slotted DBA rotors and my LX450 can stop really quickly. I use ceramic pads.

 

[cary]

It isn't just outgassing, but heat removal. Braking creates friction which creates heat. The faster you can remove heat, the faster you can brake. This is the reason why vented rotors work much better than solid rotors. The drilled rotors allows faster heat dissipation.

Oh, I have the drilled and slotted DBA rotors and my LX450 can stop really quickly. I use ceramic pads.

Drilled rotors do not "remove" heat faster. They have less thermal mass which allows them to heat up and cool down faster. The only way to remove heat faster from a rotor is to improve airflow over the rotor (i.e. ducting, removing the backing plates, etc).

Removing heat faster does not necessarily equate to better braking. Every pad has an optimal temperature range. Take a race pad that is designed to function best from 600-1400f and it will never work properly if you have to much cooling and they can't reach operating temperature.

In street use, under most conditions the pads never get very hot. Most of the time when you make a stop, your starting rotor temperature is going to be close to the ambient temperature. Even in a panic stop from 60mph, you are not going to see rotor temps over 600f (most basic street pads are good to 900-1000f). At these temps, braking is purely a function of pad composition.

 

[Mace]

You guys do realize that you arenot talking about a race car here right?

 

[jaysdead40]

Back to the original question sort of. How do Brembo rotors compare to OEM or DBA.

Jay

 

[ssbob]

brembo

I have always heard that Brembo "Blanks" are pretty good, bout the same as OEM and are of really good quality ... should be pretty equal from what I have heard on other vehicles.

 

[cary]

Back to the original question sort of. How do Brembo rotors compare to OEM or DBA.

Jay

In the case of BMW's, the aftermarket Brembos were inferior to the OEM rotors. I would go with OEM.

 

[NeverFinis]

Drilled rotors do not "remove" heat faster. They have less thermal mass which allows them to heat up and cool down faster.

We will disagree...

Real world...brakes work fantastic while towing a 6000lb trailer.

 

[Mace]

In the case of BMW's, the aftermarket Brembos were inferior to the OEM rotors. I would go with OEM.

Do you actually have an apples to apples comparison?

Because my Superduty stops the same as stock with a set of Autozone rotors on it..

Brembo is a good company. I would be suprised if they were any worse than stock..
Any quality rotor will get you what you need.

 

[cruzizzle]

...Drilled rotors do not "remove" heat faster.

...Removing heat faster does not necessarily equate to better braking. Every pad has an optimal temperature range. Take a race pad that is designed to function best from 600-1400f and it will never work properly if you have to much cooling and they can't reach operating temperature.

x2. There is an optimal temperature at which all brake pads operate regardless of the intended application.

The beaten horses are beginning to turn to glue.