Slotted/Drilled Rotors vs Solid (1 Viewer)

[IdahoDoug]

Turbo,

You're kind to say it that way and I appreciate it. Yeah, something strange was happening on this post as I knew you'd replied according to the main page, but when I went to read your post it ended with my last post. Tried a couple times - denied. Strange.

Yeah, comparisons would be tough with your rigs as currently setup.

On the jackstands - yes, those are marginal under the 80 or any truck and I'd get bigger ones. But I also wanted to suggest that whenever you put any vehicle on stands and remove wheels, that you toss the wheel/tire under the truck somewhere so it's in a position to provide a last resort of protection against a jack slip or failure.

DougM

 

[hoser]

The two most influential variables in any vehcile braking system is the type and specification of the brake pads and the tires. Contrary to popular belief, bigger rotors will NOT necessarily reduce braking distances- they only really affect heat dissipation/fade resistance.

RPG, I agree with most everything you said but wanted to ask you about rotor size. What about brake leverage? All things being equal (putting heat dissipation aside), wouldn't, say, a 15" rotor would have a leverage advantage over a 5" rotor? In our case, I'm sure the leverage advantage of going with a larger rotor is negated 10 fold by going with a larger diameter tire.

Anyway, since we are talking about slotted rotors. Check this out. The rotor has "fingers." The idea is the metal (titanium) is allowed to expand and contract reducing the chance of cracks. In other words, the slots go all the way through. I've heard very positive reviews about the ZMI brake set-up.

 

[reffug]

Looks freaking cool I'll give it that. You got any links to said reviews, or should we all just google it and than come back here to discuss later.

 

[hoser]

You're not going to care what any reviews say once you find out that those brakes are $4k a pair.

 

[RPG]

Hoser: Leverage is not really an issue. Any OEM brake system (in good condition) can lock a tire easily. Adding additional leverage only makes locking the tire easier (i.e. probably more sensitive), which is not what your looking for.
The limiting factor again is the ability of the system to stop the forward motion of the vehicle- in 99% cases it's the tires that will give way first (and lock up). When you get to the point where the tires can handle any deceleration forces you throw at it [think racing slicks], then the additional leverage of a larger rotor/offset caliper can be used to shorten the distance.

There are so many variables involved in any braking system that you really need to know (or buy
from someone who knows) what the affect of any change will be. The best example I can give is the person who puts on larger rotors and calipers and thinks his brakes will 'feel' better. They won't; the additional rotational mass coupled with the increased fluid requirements of the larger pistons will require higher fluid pressure to stop at the same rate. In many cases, the original master cylinder is too small to support this, causing the need for increased pedal pressure which some people interpret as 'worse brakes'.

 

[reffug]

You're not going to care what any reviews say once you find out that those brakes are $4k a pair.

s***, DAMN, AND HELLFIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


You would be correct sir.

 

[WolfpackTLC]

Whew... I need the Cliff's Note's version of that....

Lemme help you guys out.

Cross drilling is NOT for weight savings, and neither is slotting.

Cross drilling and slotting resulted from OLD STYLE race pads, that would emit a vapor under use, and make the pad vapor " float " off the rotor under high/hard use.

Cross drilling and slotting allowed the rotor to " out-gas " i.e. clear that vapor out.

You won't see any cross drilled or slotted rotors on ANY pro-race cars, unless they're CAST and cryo'd. I still doubt you'd see many of them.. I know I don't. And I road race... A LOT.

As for the drilling/slotting and clean up the pad " glaze "... sure.. it does help, but that wasn't the initial intent, so much as it's more of a side-benefit.

Bottom line is this...

Your braking system is nothing more than an extension of your motor. How? Remember physics... matter isn't lost, only changed in form.

All that HP and weight energy of your cruiser is transferred into your braking system, via force/friction. The larger mass/area you have to store that energy (i.e. a SOLID and/or larger rotor) the better your braking system will work, and the more resistant to fade it will be.

That's why even the BEST race teams out there worry about boiling brake fluid in high HP, low-weight cars... the brakes eventually heat soak, and the energy starts to heat up other critical components, including the brake fluid. Not only does your rotor serve as a place to store that energy produced by your rig, it's also it's own heat sink, that serves to prevent brake fade.

So... the IDEAL setup would be a large, cast rotor, SOLID, with internal cooling vanes/stators (much like OEM) and a balanced-force system.

Cross drilled = bling.
Slotted = semi-functional bling
CAST slotted and/or cross drilled = semi-functional but not as durable.

 

[concretejungle]

Just wanted to correct my earlier post. I returned to the race shop Saturday, and the front rotors on the Toyota Tundra Craftsman Truck Series race trucks are slotted, not drilled.