Rotors

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Ok before I get hounded, I tried to search this topic already b/c I'm sure its been asked somewhere before but I couldn't find anything on the forum. Anyways, does anyone know the difference (other than the obvious appearance) between the slotted rotors versus the drilled rotors? Which is better or is there really a difference? I've read that the drilled reduce heat better but I have yet to find anyone who compares the two. Also, what exactly do big brake rotors do? I've never really gotten into the brake or suspension stuff yet so any accurate info would be useful. Thanks guys.
 
cross driolled rotors are pretty much worthless for anything other than looking "cool"

they dont reduce heat enough to bother mentioning it... all they do is give the gasses that shitty pads produce a place to collect away from the surface of the rotor so the pads dont float (no friction = no brakes)

the only true benefit of cross drilled rotors is reduced weight

but they are more prone to cracking and warping than any other type of brake


slotted rotors also do little to nothing for heat... but they do scrape the surface of the pads every pass and remove any glaze from the surface (shitty pads glaze up under hard braking... glaze = less friction = less braking force) and like the slotted rotors they give the gasses that shitty pads produce a place to escape off the surface of the rotor

slotted rotors do not have the cracking problem that cross drilled rotors do


now seeing that good pads only cost a few dollars more than the cheap ass ones... you might as well use the good ones.... using good pads makes cross drilled or slotted rotors pretty worthless.... proper care will keep blank rotors from cracking warping or anything else... blanks also cost 1/2 or less than cross drilled or slotted rotors... the more agressive the pads the faster they will eat up rotors... so theres another reason to run the less expensive blank rotors

another way to reduce fade is to use a high temp brake fluid (dot 4+) that will not boil untill a much higher temperature (when the fluid boils you get air pockets in the brake line... air compresses... so you dont get the pressure to the brake piston... no pressure = no friction = no brakes)


"big brakes" are exactly what they sound like... larger rotors (more surface area = more friction = more braking power, more heat dissipation = less fade)... big brake kits often come with larger calipers as well... larger calipers alow for larger pads... multi piston calipers put more consistant pressure over the surface of the pad... (more friction = better braking)


ive been racing road course all year on Brembo blanks, Hawk HP+ pads, ATE Super Blue fluid, Goodridge SS lines.... i have never gotten brake fade during 25-30 min track sessions, and the car stops VERY well from pretty much any speed

if you have any more questions feel free to ask
 
Ok, thanks. So I should just go with big blank rotors and decent pads? I want better stopping power because Honda's are notorious for shitty factory brakes and I was told this past week that the rotors need replacing (apparently all turned out) and that my drums need adjusted so I wanna do it all in one weekend. Just looking for the best way to go.
 
what E said.
get some autozone $20 rotors and some hawk HPS pads, you're set for the front, use stock for the rear drums/shoes
 
you cant simply put bigger rotors on
you would need a kit that alows you to

but for the most part (unless you are seriously road coursing the car) simply upgrading the rotors and pads will be plenty

if you do decide that a big brake setup is right for you then look at the fastbrakes.com kit (uses wilwood calipers on 11" rotors and still fits under 15's unlike the regular wilwood kit) i have heard from everyone with wilwood brakes though that the pads blow ... so burn through those and get some hawks :)
 
Originally posted by E_SolSi@Sep 15 2003, 08:57 PM
i have heard from everyone with wilwood brakes though that the pads blow ... so burn through those and get some hawks :)

:werd:
i can vouch for that, 1 track day and my pads (only 2 weeks old) were completely gone, down to the metal plate. hawk to the rescue
 
So is it really worth it to upgrade in order to have bigger rotors? By course racing, you mean autocross right? So these hawks are the way to go huh? Can I pick these up at a local performance shop (advanced, nopi) or is there a website? Sorry for all the questions, I really don't know shit about brakes and anything that has to do with the wheels (other than rims and tires). Thanks again guys.
 
road course != autocross
road course racing is much faster than auto crosss, and you're not dodging cones :)
for you i think just some new blank rotors and hawk pads will be more than enough for you.
http://www.hawkperformance.com is their site, you can get the pads from http://www.tirerack.com get either the HPS or the more aggresive HP+
 
road course != autocross
road course racing is much faster than auto crosss, and you're not dodging cones
for you i think just some new blank rotors and hawk pads will be more than enough for you.
http://www.hawkperformance.com is their site, you can get the pads from http://www.tirerack.com get either the HPS or the more aggresive HP+



** :doh: i was just saying that

theres a few of us on here that dont "live our lives one 1/4 mile at a time" and are more interested in handling, braking, exit speeds, etc :) .... we'll be happy to answer any questions you have
 
Originally posted by E_SolSi@Sep 15 2003, 02:23 AM
cross driolled rotors are pretty much worthless for anything other than looking "cool"

they dont reduce heat enough to bother mentioning it... all they do is give the gasses that shitty pads produce a place to collect away from the surface of the rotor so the pads dont float (no friction = no brakes)

the only true benefit of cross drilled rotors is reduced weight

but they are more prone to cracking and warping than any other type of brake


slotted rotors also do little to nothing for heat... but they do scrape the surface of the pads every pass and remove any glaze from the surface (shitty pads glaze up under hard braking... glaze = less friction = less braking force) and like the slotted rotors they give the gasses that shitty pads produce a place to escape off the surface of the rotor

slotted rotors do not have the cracking problem that cross drilled rotors do


now seeing that good pads only cost a few dollars more than the cheap ass ones... you might as well use the good ones.... using good pads makes cross drilled or slotted rotors pretty worthless.... proper care will keep blank rotors from cracking warping or anything else... blanks also cost 1/2 or less than cross drilled or slotted rotors... the more agressive the pads the faster they will eat up rotors... so theres another reason to run the less expensive blank rotors

another way to reduce fade is to use a high temp brake fluid (dot 4+) that will not boil untill a much higher temperature (when the fluid boils you get air pockets in the brake line... air compresses... so you dont get the pressure to the brake piston... no pressure = no friction = no brakes)


"big brakes" are exactly what they sound like... larger rotors (more surface area = more friction = more braking power, more heat dissipation = less fade)... big brake kits often come with larger calipers as well... larger calipers alow for larger pads... multi piston calipers put more consistant pressure over the surface of the pad... (more friction = better braking)


ive been racing road course all year on Brembo blanks, Hawk HP+ pads, ATE Super Blue fluid, Goodridge SS lines.... i have never gotten brake fade during 25-30 min track sessions, and the car stops VERY well from pretty much any speed

if you have any more questions feel free to ask

:werd: couldnt agree more..
 
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