Performance Brakes

[doubleN0alero]

Found this on another site and its a good question, so I thought I'd post it here and see what you guys think....

Hey all,

The subject was actually brought up elsewhere on this board, but I thought I'd ask a seperate question rather than 'jack the thread.

What are y'alls opinions on the performance and durability difference between cross-drilled, slotted, and drilled and slotted rotors?

Thanks in advance.

C.J.

[eag182]

There are as many threads on this here as their are opinions about the different types of brake components.

[Fast Eddie]

:worthless:

Brad you are fired. MFuller, and others, have addressed this Q so many times its trite. Dare I say "SEARCH BUTTON"?? :smack: LOL

[doubleN0alero]

dare i say, didn't find the information i was looking for? you seem to have enough time to point out that i didnt search, why dont you do it and get back to me.

[green99gls]

A lot of peoples' concern with the cross drilled brakes is that if not properly bored the rotors will warp and crack under heat and pressure.

I know many alero owners have recommened the powerslots that are available through retailers such as PFYC but I found those to be a little steep in price.

When I was upgrading my brake system I decided to give the combination of cross drilled and slotted a try and figured worst case scenario some of the concerns expressed would come true. I had about 6k miles on the rotors and pads that I installed last summer and they were amazing. It was night and day between the new setup compared to the factory components. I have never noticed any issues with the rotors tearing up the pads and what I was concerned about the most, the rotors show no signs of warping or cracking.

I plan on also upgarding any car that I own to cross drilled/slotted rotors with ceramic brake pads. Incredible braking power. The one thing I was still wanting to have done ws upgrade the brake lines to braided steel.

[Alero2k4]

^What brand did you go with???

[green99gls]

I bought some race concepts rotors. Like I said they were slotted/cross drilled. I saw them on ebay but when i went to their site I did not see them listed. I called to verify that they were in fact for the Alero and the model #'s matched. The number was 714.894.3581 last I called and Im pretty sure they carry them just dont have them listed on the web.

The brakes were the performance friction silent ceramics from PFYC. I dont know if the wrong pads were in the box or if the design was messed up but there were a couple of tabs on the front pads that needed to be ground down before they would fit properly as well as the top portion needed to be almost ground down by about a cm before they would fit properly.

I had a thread that talked about the problems I will see if I can find and link so you can understand what I mean. After all was said and done the cars stopping power was much better and I was only out about 300. Around 170 for rotors and 120 for pads. Much cheaper then going with the powerslots.

Old thread (http://invision.aleromod.com/index.php?showtopic=12516&hl=)

[Redog]

PowerSlot II in front (Slotted and dimpled)
Powerslot in the rear (Slotted only)

Raybestos QS pads all around

Car stops quick.

It takes a few miles for the new rotors and new pads to break in however, the pedal will go to the floor, but the car will stop.

New brake pads on the used powerslots will shake like crazy at high speeds but will work itself out after a while. Just did new pads on my front Powerslots. ;)

[-Alero-]

i always thought it went i na certain performance ladder like so:

dimpled, slotted, cross drilled, and then drilled in slotted.

cause like, others radiat heat better, and different coatings make a difference, like zinc coating, or a titanium coating.

[Alero2k4]

In the auction for the r1Concepts rotors, it says 99-03....I assume that it will fit my 04, but I just want to make sure... Can someone tell me FOR SURE whether or not they will fit?

Thanks, Robert

[Str33tRacer]

RedDog, when i see the Powerslots they look like the stock rotors with slots really. The cross drilled look alot more agressive and look like they would supply more stopping power

[mfuller]

Originally posted by Str33tRacer@Feb 8 2006, 09:09 PM
RedDog, when i see the Powerslots they look like the stock rotors with slots really. The cross drilled look alot more agressive and look like they would supply more stopping power
Quoted post

Drilled rotors actually have less surface (or swept) area than slotted rotors, which in turn have less surface area than plain rotors. Less surface area = less material for the friction surface (the pad) to rub against = in general, worse braking.
My Baer rotors are neither drilled nor slotted.;) (That's an old picture in my sig, and was the result of a screw-up at Baer. After 3 track days, I had miniscule cracks around the holes on the rotor. :eek: )

[green99gls]

Like matt said, the drilled/slotted rotors have less surface area then other rotors which does make for less surface area for the pad to grab. the biggest design reason behind both types is to allow trapped gas that forms during hard braking to dissipate faster preventing the rotors from becoming so hot that they warp. Anything is going to work better then the stock rotors and everyone is going to have their own opinion on what works better but I dont think anyone disagrees with the statement cross drilled/slotted rotors look badass

[-Alero-]

its not about the style of your rotors, what matters the most is how much braking force is provided by the pistons on your calipers.

the material of your rotors maters alot, because it can add to weight and strength.

look at it this way, when high end car companies put drilled rotors on thier cars do you think that they think the drilled rotors have less surface area, for worse braking power? no..... it dissapates heat, and almost everything in the world looses efficiency through heat.

also, take my bike for example, it coems with very thin heavily slotted rotors, but 3 piston calipers on each side in the front. and they make Wave rotors that provide even more stopping power, and even less material is there.

its really all about disc float.

http://img426.imageshack.us/img426/8716/zz7gc.jpg
http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/2056/19209wz.jpg

[derek_ski99]

yeah drilled arent that good in that they dont last long. they have a tendency of cracking. dimpled and slotted are the more cost-efficient route

[Fast Eddie]

They just wear your pads faster and provide less surface area, and thereby less stopping force.

[Fast Eddie]

Originally posted by -Alero-@Feb 11 2006, 06:10 PM
its not about the style of your rotors, what matters the most is how much braking force is provided by the pistons on your calipers.

the material of your rotors maters alot, because it can add to weight and strength.
http://img426.imageshack.us/img426/8716/zz7gc.jpg
http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/2056/19209wz.jpg
Quoted post

Since most everyone has the same, stock, calipers and master cyl. that is not really a factor in this discussion. Also given more pistons they will have the same force on each piston. So the only thing that increases is the effective surface area of the pad against the rotor. This increases the stopping power of the setup. Any time you increase the surface area you will also increase the braking power of the system.

The material of you rotors is more important for longevity and weight than it is for performance. Lightweight and longevity usually don't come together too often unless you want to pay dearly for it. Titanium rotors anyone? :hide: