upgraded to drilled / slotted rotors ?
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StevieT4R
New member
Before getting into my 4th Gen, I had a 350z. There was alot of talk about this on their boards. From a Z POV (overall), Z's did no see a great performance improvement. The drilled and slotted rotors are only for looks. In fact, drilled rotors tended to decrease the life span of the pads. If you are thinking of improving your braking; then I would think you'd be better off with larger rotors, calipers, and steel lines instead of drilled/slotted rotors. My 2 cents is that you can spend your $$$ better else where.
gm350reratliff
New member
On my '04 silverado they did help out a lot. The stock brakes were ok but I sometimes tow heavy and they ended up warping even with electric trailer brakes. What really did them in was one time I was towing a real heavy trailer. The trailer brakes had been working all day until I reached a long steep down hill twisty road. I had to use only the truck brakes to stop it. The brakes were smoking and it boiled the brake fluid. I replaced with these: Best Brake Rotors Discs Pads Brakes
I got the slotted and dimpled rotors that are lifetime warrentied against warping and the premium pads all the way around. I had to completely flush the brake fluid but now its better than new. As for the 4runner I don't think I will tow very much with it (if ever). The stock brakes feel great so far (way better than the chevy's) so when the time come to replace I might just stick to OEM. That site has them for the 4runner as well so it might come down to price. Their customer service is top notch in my book.
I got the slotted and dimpled rotors that are lifetime warrentied against warping and the premium pads all the way around. I had to completely flush the brake fluid but now its better than new. As for the 4runner I don't think I will tow very much with it (if ever). The stock brakes feel great so far (way better than the chevy's) so when the time come to replace I might just stick to OEM. That site has them for the 4runner as well so it might come down to price. Their customer service is top notch in my book.
SkylineGTRracer
New member
Theres alot of hype when it comes to those cross drilled/slotted brakes. most aren't worth the money. powerslot is what I would recommend with upgraded brake lines and pads (pads are a different story). to really see a change you'll want to look into a BBK (big brake kit). also remember DON'T go cheap with brakes.
IanB
New member
The theory behind drilled/slotted rotors was to help disipate gasses created when old technology brake pads got hot, the gas would create a barrier between the pad and rotor reducing the effectiveness of the brakes. New technology pads don't off-gas the same way, so the drilled/slotted rotors are unneccesary.
Drilled rotors are prone to cracking, the really high $$ ones you see on supercars are actually cast, not drilled that way. Both drilling and slotting reduces the surface area the pad has to act on the rotor, and reduces it's mass, reducing it's effectiveness as a heatsink.
Save your money and get a good set of blank rotors, and good pads. Flush and bleed your brake fluid, and you're good to go...er...stop.
Krazynative
Member
Why are you considering them? Are you towing some good weight on steep hills? Is it a Bling factor you're going for?
I have Powerslots on my RX7 because I track/race it. I needed the extra heat dissapation because of the amount of braking done before every turn. If I were to never track it, I would have left the stock rotors on and just upgraded the lines with SS, put on better pads and upgraded to DOT 4 low moisture brake fluid.
I disagree. There are still resins in pads that when heated up still "Out-gas". Slotted rotors help this gas escape easier.
By having slots in the rotor, you actually create more surface area to disapate heat. You do loose some contact area, but with the extra cooling ducts the rotor stays cooler keeping the pads and fluid cooler. This minimizes brake fade. The slots also help remove brake dust and water which can disrupt contact.
Whitebeauty
New member
Hey give me some insight on what u have done to your runner i c u have a sway bar..pm or hit me up on yahoo im [email protected]...
Jeff4runner
New member
Most of the issues and benefits of slotted rotors (rain water/ heat dissapation) can be solved by the pads instead of the rotors. If you want good heat dissapation, go semi-met premium pads. For water, just make sure they have a water channel and chamfers on the pads. Slotted/drilled only wear the pad down more, and dont do much at all compared to stock. Its the brake pads you want to look at. I use the wearever discs (adv auto 30$ a piece with 40% discount they have), and OEM Semi-mets. They get burned hard in the mountains, and are doing fine.
Krazynative
Member
That is because they are drilled. If the holes were molded into the rotor, they are alot stronger and tend not to crack.
I agree for a steet machine. But as I stated above that little extra cooling makes a big difference on a track. And I don't really care about the pads wearing faster, It doesn't take but about an hour to change them out with Speed-Bleaders.
truckmike26
New member
For 90 percent of driving conditions for 90 percent of vehicles, I feel they're not worth the extra cost. My experience has been uneven wear and cracking. It seems (as mentioned in this thread) drilled/holed rotors excel in super-hot race track conditions so they may be good for super heavy towing or huge tires. Toyota trucks have always had strong brakes anyway.
