If you ever get a chance to, pick at the brains of brake engineers from AP Racing, PFC, or Brembo. Their knowledge of brakes are unsurpassed.
Pad/Rotor Replacement? Should I go Drilled/Slotted.
- Thread starter Crash Bandicoot
- Start date
If you ever get a chance to, pick at the brains of brake engineers from AP Racing, PFC, or Brembo. Their knowledge of brakes are unsurpassed.
Sure they do. They did not, until everyone started to drill rotors. You did not see drilled rotors on E39 M5, or E46 M3, but can you imagine you pulling next to BMW M with drilled rotors and that M3 has solid rotors?
So you do not think I believe brakes like Powerstop are garbage, I am running StopTech Sport pads on track in 10 days. On solid rotors though.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
Some race to sell cars - Some sell cars to race
I've done two brake jobs so far with Raybestos Element3 pads and rotors, one for me and one for a friend. For the money they're tough to beat imo.
Not to be rude but I can't figure out what you are trying to say here?
I'll be giving my brakes a run on the track at VIR in November...curious how the EBC Redstuff and slotted rotors/upgraded fluid handle it.
Either there are way too many holes and/or the holes do not radially fill the pad swept area (no overlap as you spin the rotor). Also, most of them look to be drilled without respect to where the vanes are.
As far as I know, Redstuff will not handle it well. I have them on Tiguan. They are good on street, but no one is running them on track. Run Yellowstuff if going EBC but there are a lot of complaints about them lately on track.
My choice in that price range would be Ferodo DS2500 or Hawk HP+.
That seems to be a critical component - hole/vane location.
It's a high-performance driving school so it's supposed to be "run what you brung" and not a full-bore track event or I would agree - Yellowstuff/whatever track pads more appropriate.
FWIW, from Porsche:
Cracking is acceptable to a degree and the 911 is absolutely track capable from the factory.
And the E46 M3 was available with OEM drilled rotors.
Cracking is acceptable to a degree and the 911 is absolutely track capable from the factory.
And the E46 M3 was available with OEM drilled rotors.
I can't believe people's still argue the effectiveness of drilled and or slotted rotors. They're in use in nearly every major racing league and on nearly every high-performance car.
Drilled no, slotted yes. Drilled rotors are on OEM cars because they look cool and give a car a sportier look not because they perform well.
For anybody who wants to learn more, here's a thread from the Corvette forum about brakes from the engineers of PFC and AP Racing. It's a really good read. Johnny C (the OP of that thread I linked) worked for G-Loc after PFC and now develops rear spoilers/wings for OG Racing and owns Nine Lives Racing. If you follow grassroots motorsports, you've definitely heard of it. Probably one of the fastest S2000s in it's class.
Last edited:
Horse manure. Drilled and slotted rotors accomplish the exact same thing in different ways. They clean the pads, enhance initial bite, allow for outgassing, and perform better in wet conditions.
I generally prefer slotted rotors as well, but that doesn't mean that drilled rotors are not effective.
AP Racing, Brembo, Wildwood, etc... ALL sell rotors that are drilled, slotted, or both.
AP Racing has drilled rotors but they have specific pads that are used for the drilled rotors. Essex (the primary seller and R&D partner for AP Racing) doesn't even sell drilled rotors and if they do, it's with the J-hook pattern that they've mastered. Otherwise they'll tell you exactly what I told you; drilled rotors are garbage for track usage. Anybody who's been at the track will tell you the same thing. Drilled rotors were originally designed for outgassing asbestos pads and now they're purely for marketing. They have some legitimacy in clearing water from the face of the rotor, but nothing that slots couldn't do either. In addition, there's also less friction surface area
I'm not saying they're going to automatically crack, blow up, and send the vehicle flying 180 mph off into a rail at turn 1 at Road America but they definitely don't last as long as a slotted or plain-faced rotors but they do have the tendency to not last as long as a plain-faced or slotted rotor at track-level racing. But for daily-driving it doesn't matter if you get drilled or slotted as the brake system shouldn't see the same type of stress as on the track. You'll never see a race car at the track with drilled rotors unless maybe it's a OEM-spec class (race, not HPDE or auto-X.)
If you don't believe me ask the engineers from those companies yourself, or read the thread I linked above. Here's a link from AP Racing's website.
Prove to me how cross-drilling into a cast rotor does not weaken it?
Last edited:
Can you imagine today, in this day and age of "keeping up with Kardashians" parking your 911 next to Focus 1.8 with drilled rotors?
I also know that OE rotors for 911 are not $80 per piece, and there is a reason for that.
However, no drilled rotors are not used in every major racing league.
In the most basic sense, it does weaken it. it interrupts grain, adds stress risers and can become a shear ledge ( chamfering wont stop that).
Same thing it does on the big breaks on conveyors ( same thing just 2 ft or better diameter)
I can see the need and benefit for a race car but question the legitimate performance add to a regular driver. ( don't question it aids in cooling and possibly some cleaning and grabbing but is it really to the point where a tangible benefit is realized that's significantly better if they were standard rotors?)
For drag racing and DD the small increase in cold bite might be noting - but changing pads does the same thing too. Although in drag racing it might be worth a bit more because of rules requiring specific rotor sizes but the holes means less mass and weight.
Similar threads
