[goren420]

...and let's let Brembo clear the air a little bit...

Why use drilled or slotted discs?
Drilling or slotting discs aids the disc in several ways:

* The edges of the slots or holes continuously clean and refresh the pad surface as well as providing increased brake "bite". Additionally, they prevent gasses from collecting between the pad and disc interface.
* The disc is lightened, thereby decreasing its rotational inertia.
* Improved ventilation increases the disc's ability to shed heat, resulting in cooler operating temperatures


What are the advantages of drilled and slotted discs?
The main advantages of drilled and slotted discs are the same: increased brake "bite", and a continuous refreshing of the brake pad surface. Drilled discs have the additional advantage of being lighter and running cooler. However, there are certain pad materials that should not be used with a drilled disc.


Why are there so many holes in a cross-drilled disc?
The number of holes in a cross-drilled disc is part of the engineered system. Brembo has done extensive testing with regards to the number of holes, their size, their location and their chamfering. This attention to detail is what truly sets Brembo apart in the world of braking. The same attention to detail that is delivered to the Ferrari Formula One effort is a component of the high performance program. The number of holes in a disc is in part a function of the size of the disc and the internal venting (if it is a vented disc).

[mooses]

anyone saying cross drilled rotors run cooler is smoking crack.

First I'd like to say that the weight savings claim is true, although that is a stupid place to be trying to save weight. It's like cutting holes in toilet paper in order to use less.

Drilled rotors were developed and used back in the day when our pads would produce gas that would act like a layer between the rotor and pads. If the gases weren't carried away, the brakes wouldn't have the proper friction to stop properly. Marketing feeds on people who don't understand why they were used back then. The brake pads were horrible, and the use of drilled rotors was actually an upgrade.

Today, it is not. The brake pads no longer produce a significant layer of gas between the pad and the rotor, and even a slotted rotor would be good enough to get rid of that minimal gas while not compromising the integrity of the rotor.

The brake rotor is like a giant heatsink. The most beneficial part of upgrading to a larger brake rotor is gaining the extra heat capacity. When you start drilling holes in the rotor, you lower the amount of heat that the rotor can absorb. So now you've got a brake system that cannot handle as much heat as a blank rotor.

the cooling claim. More holes means more cooling!@! woooo. Today's rotors are vented and do almost all of the heat dissipation between the rotor and atmosphere. The rest is done by the face of the disk to the air. Please tell me how drilled holes through the rotor makes it cool faster? Take a course on fluid dynamics and get back to me. That way I don't have to hear shit about the air actually moving through the drilled holes: it doesn't unless it's stagnant air(you're stopped). In other words, whenever the wheels are spinning, there is no extra air movement through the rotor due to drilled holes. Remember how I said the 'face' of the rotor does a small part of the heat dissipation? The only thing the holes do while moving is reduce that surface area that dissipates the heat.

It is marketing hype. The average person doesn't understand fluid dynamics, friction coefficients, and what a heatsinks do. This means the average person doesn't even know how a brake system works.

[Arsenical]

Originally Posted by goren420 Larger diameter rotors (like the Cobra brakes, as mentioned). Also calipers with more pistons (like the Cobra brakes, as mentioned). Most likely for a six just having nice, unwarped rotors and healthy pads (not of the cheapest brand) will suffice. Unless you put down some good power or do a lot of track driving, stock components, so long as they are in good shape, will be fine. Drilled/slotted rotors in my opinion are an upgrade, whether looks are the selling point or not. Maybe this is the start of some road testing comparing stock brake performance to some drilled/slotted. Some 60-0's and slolam(sp.) for fun? I think moose does give some good points about the reduction of surface area, and as I said, for a near stock sixxer the stock components pack plenty of braking power. Look into R1 concepts, my roomate has their rotors on his Expo and loves them. Drilled & slotted I think all 4 wheels for $150 at their ebay store. Hawk pads are a good combo, I think R1 still sells them too.

I'll look into upgrade to the cobra brake system more, but having to get bigger wheels isn't really within my price range yet. I recently got my pads changed at brakes plus, I'm assuming the pads they sell probably aren't the best of quality.

[mooses]

Originally Posted by Arsenical I'll look into upgrade to the cobra brake system more, but having to get bigger wheels isn't really within my price range yet. I recently got my pads changed at brakes plus, I'm assuming the pads they sell probably aren't the best of quality.

If you ever do get around to buying larger wheels, definitely look into the cobra(or mach1) brake swap. I haven't heard of anyone who wasn't overly satisfied with the results.

[9986paulk]

I'd actually like to look into the covra brake upgrade too. And I agree with mooses. Oh and if you want to paint your calipers if you haven't already you can do it really cheap using black or red(or any other color) engine enamel and then clear coat them for like $15.

[mooses]

Originally Posted by 9986paulk I'd actually like to look into the covra brake upgrade too. And I agree with mooses. Oh and if you want to paint your calipers if you haven't already you can do it really cheap using black or red(or any other color) engine enamel and then clear coat them for like $15.

Also a good idea. If he decides to buy better pads(Hawk, like goren suggested) instead of upgrading his calipers/rotors, then it would be a good idea to paint his stock calipers. I believe it turns out looking good.

[Stang808]

is the whine loud n annoying if not dont worry about it mine had a loud whine n it turned out to the power steering pump had to replace it...

[goren420]

I agree Moose, I read thru a bmw forum, an alfa romeo one, and I think mazda too, all talking about this brake rotor subject. basically all of them came down to our same conclusions here. Yes, vented (and subsequently drilled & slotted) rotors came about in the late 60's and 70's because the quality of the other brake components (mainly pads) wasn't up to par as it is today, and as you said moose, the gases just did not escape easily, so venting, drilled, slotting helped these gases escape. Everyone jumped on the bandwagon of these better brakes, and as time went on, and pad tech and materials got better, many people stuck with the drilled/slotted look, even if it didn't mean better performance or wasn't necessary at all. We can all agree that the drilled/slotted style looks better, and I haven't found any evidence that RESPECTED BRANDS have less braking ability or crack easily. So in conclusion, no, the things aren't necessary, but they look nice, and if you can buy them for damn near the same price as stock replacements...then why not?

...and yeah, OP your whine is the steering pump. Flush/replace the fluid first, if that doesn't help then replace the pump. Autozone or advanced or wherever will have one, relatively cheap, easy fix.

[Arsenical]

Thought id add an article a friend of mine showed me when I brought this topic up to him

HowStuffWorks "Drilled Brake Rotors"

Basically, says that drilled rotors aren't used on super performance vehicles only because of their diminished durability