Brake Rotors

[MoN]

Im interested in knowing what the drilled and slotted rotors do? Is that for performance or looks? Pics?

[xxthat girlxx]

Original Article (w/ more on motorcycle and truck brakes): How Brake Rotors Work - HowStuffWorks.com (http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-parts/brakes/brake-parts/brake-rotors.htm/printable)

Brake rotors are an import­ant component in the braking system that stops your vehicle. Brake rotors (they're also called brake discs) are what your vehicle's brake pads clamp down on to stop the wheels from spinning. Some people may be surprised to learn that the brake rotors are just as important to stopping their vehicle as the brake pads are. Like other brake parts, there are several different types of brake rotors available.

There are two major types of high-performance brake rotors -- drilled and slotted.

Drilled brake rotors, as the name implies, have holes drilled in them. Having a holes drilled into any of your brake parts may seem counterintuitive, especially the brake rotors -- after all, a rotor full of holes means that there's less surface area for the brake pads to grab and stop the car -- but there are a few reasons drilled rotors make sense.

The first is heat. When the brake pad grabs the rotor, it creates friction, which creates heat. If that heat can't escape, it leads to brake fade, which reduces the brakes' stopping power. The second reason is gas build up. This actually isn't much of a problem any more; however, the materials used in some older types of brake pads caused gas to build up between the rotors and pads. That gas also limited stopping power. The last reason is water. If a car drives through a puddle, a carwash or even a rainstorm, the brake rotors can get wet. A wet brake rotor is slippery and difficult for the brake pads to grab. Having drilled holes on a brake rotor makes it easy for heat, gas and water to be quickly moved away from the rotor surface, keeping the brake performance strong.

The downside of using drilled rotors on your vehicle is that all of those holes tend to weaken the rotors -- just like punching holes in the wall of a house would weaken the wall. After repeated stressful driving, the rotors can even crack.

But what if you're into driving performance? Are drilled rotors right for you, or should you consider another kind of brake part for your spirited driving? Keep reading to find out.

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MICHAEL LATZ/AFP/Getty Images (http://howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=brake-rotors.htm&url=http://www.gettyimages.com)
A lot of high-performance brake rotors are drilled, like these rotors, on the Audi R8.


Slotted brake rotors u­se slots carved into the flat metal surface
to move gas, heat and water away from the surface of the rotors.
You can think of the slots as irrigation ditches that move the unwanted materials safely out of the way.

Slotted brake rotors are popular with performance car drivers because the type of driving they do puts a lot of stress on the rotors. As we mentioned on the previous page, drilled rotors have been weakened, which makes them prone to cracking around the holes, particularly when they've been repeatedly driven hard. Because they tend to be a little more durable than the drilled brake rotors, slotted brake rotors may be a better brake part choice for some performance car drivers.

Of course, slotted brake rotors aren't perfect, either. They tend to wear down brake pads very quickly. Because of this, the most common type of performance brake rotors found on production performance cars are of the drilled variety. While that type of construction is seen as too weak for racing applications, most everyday drivers should have no trouble with drilled rotors on their street cars and can save the slotted rotors for cars that are racetrack-bound.

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/brake-rotors-3.jpg
Brent Melton/iStockphoto (http://howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=brake-rotors.htm&url=http://www.istockphoto.com)
Slotted brake rotors are great for high-performance braking; however, you'd better be ready to change the brake pads more often.


Performance Brake Rotors
­Some brake parts get less attention than others. That's just the way it is. For example, high-performance brake pads tend to get a lot more attention than high performance brake rotors. As we mentioned earlier, when you're talking about high performance rotors, slotted, not drilled, rotors are the choice of most racers. The benefit of the slots is that they allow hot gases, water and other debris to move off of the face of the rotor; however, they do tend to wear the brake pads down faster. That's likely not a problem for most performance drivers. Most probably already have ceramic or carbon fiber brake pads which are pretty long-wearing anyway.

High performance brake rotors are also vented to allow even more heat to dissipate away from the braking system and prevent brake fade. While the slots in slotted brake rotors are carved into the face of the rotors, the vents run around the edge of the rotor. As the rotor spins, the heat escapes through the vents. Without the extra heat, there's less of a chance for brake fade, which makes the car perform better on the track.

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JOSE LUIS ROCA/AFP/Getty Images (http://howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=brake-rotors.htm&url=http://www.gettyimages.com)
High-performance brake rotors are used on the street by enthusiasts and on the track by professionals.

[xxthat girlxx]

Original information found at Nitrofreeze Cryogenic Services (http://www.nitrofreeze.com/racing.html). They are out of Worcester, MA and cryo treated my front Brembo Blank Rotors last year.

Cryogenic Treatment of Auto and Racing Parts

Cryogenic treatment is the ultimate competitive advantage for any racer or motor sports’ enthusiast. Cryogenic treatment refines the microstructure of the metal in your racing parts. These changes will benefit you.

Cryogenic treatment utilizes liquid nitrogen to bring the temperature of your racing parts down to -300°F. The parts are then kept at this temperature for 24 hours. This relieves the residual stresses and produces a more consistent and uniform material. The benefits of this process are increased part life, less wear, and improved performance. The most popular applications in motor sports include: brake rotors, engines, rear ends, transmissions and bearings.

Brake Rotors: Rotors experience several significant improvements. They will warp less and dissipate heat better. The change in the microstructure of the rotor will allow an increase in pad to rotor contact, an increase in lifetime, and a higher resistance to cracking. Now, your brakes will last longer and perform better while improving safety.

[turbo_turtle]

Slotted or drilled rotors will make no difference if you drive your car on the street. They are considered a higher performance design and should only be put on a car that will be tracked. Even auto-x'ers do not use slotted or drilled rotors as you only have an increase in braking performance above 80 mph (with repeated heavy braking).

Cyro treating rotor also has no improvement in braking performance on a street car. However, cyro treating will make the rotors last much longer than a non-cyro'ed rotor. You will get about double the life out of a cryo treated rotor and some improvements for racing applications.

So the best rotor to get really is a blank rotor (not slotted or drilled). Even in motorsports and track oriented cars use blank rotors sometimes. Blank rotors will get you the best braking performance on the street because they have the highest amount of surface area.

~Dan

[xxthat girlxx]

Thanks for adding more info Dan.

[MoN]

OOo interesting... I had no idea, so unless i'm tracking, no need for any of these upgraded rotors. TX :)

[SassySTi284]

slotted rotors look pretty sweet and work out well for the weekend warrior track days