New rotors for the front....

billytheman1188 · 05-18-2009, 02:19 AM

Ok....well i think since i first put my drilled and slotted rotors on a few years ago i was doomed to have failure

i let air in the system and didnt bleed it for a few months, then i got two new front calipers cause they were both going to shit. so now im looking at getting new ones for the front......i dont want to get drilled ones cause i feel like they arent as good for regular brake use, i dont beat on my brakes real hard and i dont need the "high performance" for my whole 160 hp at the wheels. so i was looking at some slotted ones.....but i have a question.....will i still need to have ceramic pads for slotted rotors? look at the "rotor finish" for each one and tell me which is better and why (if possible)

but the main thing i want is to be able to use these regular brake pads i got when i bought the calipers. they arent ceramic and i dont think i can use the ceramics i have on the calipers now cause dont they wear wierd if there are issues with the rotors? i get a lot of vibration when i brake kind of hard and even when im easy on them. if it comes down to it i will get the cheap replacements but i dont want rotors that are going to rust in the middle and look like ass...... i want them to match my rear rotors.

Soooooo, any help is appreciated. i want to get this done, along with finishing my sound system and wiring some lights up before ASS. I gotta make everything work right on my baby!

here are the two rotors im looking at.....

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

Nate's Alero · 05-18-2009, 06:19 AM

mmmm i like the top ones

Daytona · 05-18-2009, 06:48 AM

I prefer the Summit brand ones better, too. Ceramic pads are recommended with these rotors but I don't like the way they wear and grab, though I think Redog loves them. Go with regular pads.

jrim · 05-18-2009, 07:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daytona

I prefer the Summit brand ones better, too. Ceramic pads are recommended with these rotors but I don't like the way they wear and grab, though I think Redog loves them. Go with regular pads.

How do ceramic pads wear?

Daytona · 05-18-2009, 07:39 AM

I don't know how from a technical perspective, but from personal experience I'm 9 months into my first set of ceramic pads and slotted/drilled rotors. The ceramic pads don't feel to me like they have the same grab that standard pads do. Maybe the different surface of the rotors has something to do with it but under normal driving conditions it feels like I have to press the brakes harder for the pads to grip enough. Once these wear out I'm going back to regular pads.

billytheman1188 · 05-18-2009, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daytona

I don't know how from a technical perspective, but from personal experience I'm 9 months into my first set of ceramic pads and slotted/drilled rotors. The ceramic pads don't feel to me like they have the same grab that standard pads do. Maybe the different surface of the rotors has something to do with it but under normal driving conditions it feels like I have to press the brakes harder for the pads to grip enough. Once these wear out I'm going back to regular pads.

THANK YOU! that exactly how mine feel.....i haaaaaate it. people say they love their drilled and slotted rotors, but i wasnt impressed. a friend of mine says they tend to warp a lot faster

05-18-2009, 12:57 PM

Everyone seems to flock to ceramic pads because they tend to dust less.....but they don't stop better, at least at this level.
I've always had the best luck with plain-faced rotors and good semi-metallic pads (and I'd wager that I beat on my brakes harder than anyone else on here).

Raybestos rotors and Hawk HPS pads are a good combination.
I'm kinda in love with Carbotech pads myself; I'd recommend the Bobcat 1521 compond for street cars or the AX6 compond for if you want an autocross or HPDE-worthy pad.

Redog · 05-18-2009, 01:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daytona

I prefer the Summit brand ones better, too. Ceramic pads are recommended with these rotors but I don't like the way they wear and grab, though I think Redog loves them. Go with regular pads.

Right now I'm on my 2nd set of Summit slotted and x drilled rotors, but this time around I'm using Bendix Semi-Metallic pads.

I didn't like how fast the Power Stop pads wore down that I had so I decieded to try a differnet set. I really did want the Cermiac pads because they disapate heat better for less brake fade. The Bendix work fine now, but took a long time to seat in IMO.

I was looking at the first set of rotors you have up there Billy. I think they will be fine, the 2nd set, PowerSlots are overpriced and overrated IMO

billytheman1188 · 05-18-2009, 09:48 PM

ok so if i go with the first set.....can i used the regular pads that came with my calipers (from autozone)? or should i get some semi-metallic ones?

cheap as possible FTW

will regular pads ruin the slotted rotors?

Redog · 05-18-2009, 09:58 PM

I really don't understand the "regular" pads comment. Brake pads are made of something. I'm pretty sure that OE pads are cermeric (sp)

The pad material won't ruin slotted rotors, but your buying these rotors, get a good pad to go with them. You never want to take the cheap route with brakes or tires

billytheman1188 · 05-19-2009, 02:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redog

I really don't understand the "regular" pads comment. Brake pads are made of something. I'm pretty sure that OE pads are cermeric (sp)

The pad material won't ruin slotted rotors, but your buying these rotors, get a good pad to go with them. You never want to take the cheap route with brakes or tires

i will put those pads on then. they are sitting in a bag in my basement. i just need to get rid of these god awful rotors

Redog · 05-19-2009, 03:09 AM

I hope these pads are new

Daytona · 05-19-2009, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billytheman1188

THANK YOU! that exactly how mine feel.....i haaaaaate it. people say they love their drilled and slotted rotors, but i wasnt impressed. a friend of mine says they tend to warp a lot faster

Slotted & X-drilled rotors actually warp LESS because they dissapate heat better. My OEM rotors would only last about 23,000 miles under normal driving conditions before seriously warping - which is about 20K miles too soon, IMO, so I switched to these rotors to eliminate that.

After the ceramic pads wear out I'm going back to the standard semi-metallics, but will keep the rotors.

The only downside to the slotted & drilled rotors is that they usually can't be resurfaced once they wear out, unlike OEM rotors which usually can be once or twice. Once the s&d's wear, you'll most likely have to replace them.

Nate's Alero · 05-19-2009, 09:29 AM

honestly, i have a tendency to warp EVERY set of brakes EVERY!!!! on EVERY single car i have ever driven.... and i dont even beat on them, i warped 120$ D&S R1Concepts rotors on my saturn in like a week, i do the speed limit, i dont jack the brakes, i push nice and softly and push a little harder until i stop.... i glide to a stop not SCREECH stopping.... why are my rotors warping like this?? i cant take it anymore!

billytheman1188 · 05-19-2009, 11:56 AM

drilled and slotted rotors are meant for hard braking. if your like me and you dont slam on them all the time, you like to take it easy on the brakes....dont get drilled and slotted.

and yes ken.....they are brand new, they came with my calipers when i bought them about 10k ago. i know not to put used ones on

05-19-2009, 01:45 PM

Do any of you guys season your rotors? If not, you should. And then bed in your pads.

http://www.baer.com/technical/brakin...-seasoning.php

billytheman1188 · 05-19-2009, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfuller

Do any of you guys season your rotors? If not, you should. And then bed in your pads.

http://www.baer.com/technical/brakin...-seasoning.php

Thanks for this link...... ive never done that/known that

BUT, when i first put my R1s on i didnt brake too hard with them cause i figured they would need a little time to break in. i definitely didnt do all the things they said on that site though

Im bookmarking that, lol

billytheman1188 · 08-12-2009, 01:30 AM

i just ordered the rotors. but i looked back at the pic on summit and it has 4 studs instead of 5 in the pic.....so that got me worried but i did a search on the car again to make sure. must be a default pic they use for all slotted rotors.

Im excited to get these on here and break them in the right way so my car actually stops good and the car doesnt shake when braking on the highway LOL

im still keeping the drilled and slotted in the back, the rotors look good, no warping. but seeing as they get like 30% of the braking power they shouldnt warp haha

anyways, just wanted to let ya guys know.

Gr1m · 08-12-2009, 07:38 AM

i think i spent about 600$ and i got full c/d slotted front and rear with the f body calipers and rotors upfront, they stop so nice

kwhauck · 08-12-2009, 07:41 AM

a little off topic, but.............

matt, have you had and experience with the bair decla rotors, listed at my local autozone for $110/pair

thanks, Kyle