Before you buy drilled and sloted rotors-watch this!

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[dond]

Drilled rotors usually crack between the holes over time because they cool so quickly. Race cars use them but they get changed often.

[supertrucker]

if you knew how my wife drives in traffic you'd understand why I need the best brakes I can get 😂😂

[littlehuey]

A couple things I noticed with my drilled and slotted rotors was they were better in wet conditions, they stopped better when moving extra heavy loads and the biggest thing was that the brake pads lasted almost twice as long !

[ron]

I got my drilled rotor turned once, they took them like my regular rotors no complaints.

[John-uwnc]

The biggest thing that I’ve noticed was switching my wife’s 2014 Toyota sienna over to drilled and slotted is that we don’t have the constant rotor warping that we used to. That drives me and her absolutely crazy so they are worth the investment for that one reason alone.

[billybob]

I was a delivery driver for 3 years and drove my 2017 Nissan Rogue many miles every day. When I needed brakes I bought drilled and slotted rotors. My son, who is an auto mechanic, gently laughed at me because I spent the extra money and he thought I certainly didn't need the extra performance. I was thinking more long term. I believe that if the rotors stayed cooler they would last longer and I would not have to replace them nearly as often. The car has 234000 on it now and the brakes are still good so the long term thinking worked as far as I'm concerned. You know what? My son just replaced his wife's brakes on her car and he put drilled and slotted rotors on it. Maybe he learned something from his old man. Go figure! LOL

[dennisbelk]

i have a comment on the drilled and slotted rotors.. I agree on your statement ....racing or everyday driving. You should be able to grind your rotors ...slotted or not or blanchered grind will work best thanks

[jeffl]

I love seeing the comments on these videos from armchair experts. In reality, you're absolutely correct that you want more surface area.

Years ago, brake pads were made of material that would gas off as they wore down. Under heavy braking and high heat, this gassing would inhibit braking power, so they started drilling and slotting rotors for race cars. These days, brake pads are made of superior material and this gassing doesn't happen, so drilling and slotting is only reducing the surface area of your brakes.

That being said, I do think they look cool. As long as you buy high-quality drilled and slotted rotors, it's unlikely you will ever overwork the brakes in a daily driver.

[Slking]

Yes, you can absolutely turn drilled/slotted rotors still. However, you don't want to turn them beyond the minimum thickness same as solid rotors. Though most shops no longer have brake lathes, many parts stores such as Smyth and O'Reilly will still turn rotors. Keep in mind that new rotors are made a bit thinner on some vehicles, and you are better off just replacing those that are like this. Also, cheaper rotors may already be near to the minimum allowable thickness (I am talking about you AutoZone and Advance Auto). Slotted rotors many times have wear indicators in the ends of the slot. Once the rotor wear down, or is turned down to this wear indicator, you should replace the rotor. If for some reason you groove the rotor below the mininum thickness, just do youraelf a favor and buy new rotora.

If you are changing brake material, you definitely want to turn as little as possible off, or purchase brand new rotors. The reason is the transfer layer created by the old pads.

Brake rotor transfer layer is very important. No matter what rotors you have, you need to bed-in your pads to the rotor.

1) 4-6 aggressive stops from 40-45 mph down to 10 mph.

2) Drive for roughly 1/2 a mile, 35-50 mph, with minimal braking to allow components to cool.

3) 4-6 moderate brake pressure stops from 35 mph down to 5 mph.

4) Drive for roughly 1/2 a mile, 35-50 mph, with minimal braking to allow components to cool.

5) Finish with 4-6 normal to pressure stops from 60 mph down to 0 mph.

6) Drive as normal for about 5-10 minutes to allow breaks to cool naturally.

After the bedding process you may still hear some minor noise from drilled and slotted rotors. Many of these noises will disappear within the first 250-300 miles (roughly 1 week of driving for most people).

If rotors were bedded with a different brake material than the new pads, this can cause brake squeaks. That is why it is suggested to turn the rotors as minimally as possible to remove the old transfer layer, or replace the rotors entirely.

Drilled and slotted rotors are NOT any weaker than solid rotors when manufactured correctly. Yes, they are more prone to cracks, but this is largely due to rapid dissipation of excessive heat.

Rotors are NOT what your brakes contact to stop the vehicle. The friction between the pad, and the material deposit on the rotor from the pads (transfer layer) is what actually stops the vehicle. The rotor is merely a heat sink for this process, and carrier of the transfer layer. Drilled/slotted rotors dissipate heat faster than solid rotors. The rapid heating, paired with the rapid cooling, is what causes the cracks.

Yes, drilled/slotted rotors will indeed wear out pads a bit faster than solid. They are essentially high speed cheese graters... 😅... However it is very imported to pair them with a high quality ceramic or carbon-fiber ceramic brake pad. These types of pads do not shed dust near as much as more traditional pads, dissipate heat faster, are quieter, and last much longer. From my experience, drilled/slotted rotors wear quality pads, as stated, at about the same speed as solid rotors with traditional semi-mettalic pads. I would suggest NEVER pairing drilled/slotted rotors with organic brake pads. You will eat them up very fast.

What is super important to note is that most drilled/slotted rotors are directional. Think of the top of the slots as an arrow. If that arrow is pointed to the rear of the vehcile then the rotor is on the correct side. Some of the rotors will be stamped or molded to specify which side they on;

(R) or (P) for Right/Passenger side.

(L) or (D) for Left/Driver side.

If they are not labeled, follow the arrow method.

Some rotors are also directionally vaned. The vanes are meant to throw heat outward as they rotate forward. They are generally directionally marked in the same manner as stated above. You may also turn the rotor so it faces you edge-wise. The vanes, like slots, will be open to the rear of the vehicle. If they are grabbing air, they are going the wrong direction.

Radial or straight vane rotors, which are most common, can be placed on either side of the vehicle.

I hope this helps folks.

[jack]

I've had drilled and slotted rotors for over 10 years never had any problems with them I run carbon metallic pads best combination you could possibly get never had any issues trying to stop a $6, 500 lb trailer

[LeeCountySpeedShop]

The advantage of a drilled, slotted and drilled & Slotted rotors is when you are in wet conditions they will expel the gasses via the slot, hole or slots and holes improving your wet braking performance. Also drilled and slotted rotors help to keep the pads and rotors from glazing because the slots and holes will expel the brake dust instead of trapping it like a solid rotor does.

In normal driving you will likely never have a problem with a slotted, drilled or drilled & slotted rotor, if you track the car and get the rotors really hot the multiple cool downs from being so hot can cause them to crack, but then again a solid rotor can and does crack as well.

[Golfr]

I own high performance VW Golf R, plus stage 2 tuned.
The rotors on mine are huge and perform very well. I pondered about slotted rotors, hence me watching this.
From the comments it pretty much confirms what i already anticipated myself. Honestly. Many buy slotted because of looks first off rather than being concerned about breaking power 😅
My std rotors perform just fine. 👍🇦🇺

[Great_America]

Slotted and cross drill rotors actually do make a difference in braking performance - obviously when combined with the right brake pads. More so with heavier vehicles. And they also offer better braking in rainy weather conditions by allowing for water to flow off the rotors more efficiently. For me, it’s worth the difference since I also drive more aggressively.

[toooldforgaming]

drilled/slotted rotors what they do is prevent catastrophic brake failure by allowing your brakes vents to wisk away heat, you stop the same full rotors vs drilled/slotted rotors, you will however chew through brakes like nothing as all those holes and slots create depressions in the brake pad material

That said however you mentioned how you wanted "Full rotors for maximum braking power" when almost any braking system can easily fully lock up a wheel on any vehicle with a fraction of it's output force, most non boosted hydraulic brakes output well above 1000PSI let alone boost assisted braking and you can easily lock up brakes at around 500-700PSI, if you had enough weight in the back of the truck that even above 1000PSI the wheels are turning you would likely have the wheels disintegrating, let alone the wheels being ripped off their mounts

A better question for driving a work truck and what rotors you buy is "How much hill driving with a load will I be doing?" if it's rare keep the full rotors, if it's every day you're hauling stuff up and down hills you want the slotted/drilled rotors, keeping in mind you'll have to replace the brake pads more often yes with slotted/drilled rotors, but brake pads are cheaper to replace than entire trucks heading down a hill in an uncontrolled state

[basilfabian]

When it comes to drilled and slotted rotors, one thing that many people overlook is the buzzing sound that is produced during braking. Through the process of heat energy conversion, brakes enable the car to stop by friction. Tiny pockets of air become trapped beneath the pad as a result of the friction and heat. On plain and slotted rotors, the air is usually forced out of the pad by the slot. But in drilled rotors, the air is forced out of the drilled rotors through their tiny holes. This produces a buzzing sound, the frequency of which varies with speed. This is normal and won't have any effect on brakes but just something people should know about so they don't get worried 👍

[adrianmacedo]

Im doing slotted rottors on mine, im only going to be driving it for the weekends so im cool with that!

[rabbitfootedkitty]

Replacing your brake fluid every year or two or so instead of this kind of thing is a much wiser thing to do to a vehicle

[josephthomas]

Bought my drilled front rotors and I’m still going at 120000 miles. My stopping is just fine.

[Arrozconchopsticks]

Tbh i use them only for the aesthetic. With powder coated calipers and open spoke wheels, it really transformed the look of my car. Less pedestrian looking.

[rshapiro]

Chattanooga Lookouts 👀 hell yes!!! I love them!!
Great video!!