Technical > Automotive > Stock vs Cross Drilled or Slotted Brake Rotors

Stock vs Cross Drilled or Slotted Brake Rotors

Last summer I was guest at a club event at the local roadrace course. From what I gleaned though conversation and observation, there is no money better spent than on the brakes. A close second is suspension.
Run the best you can afford. Slotting and drilling is all about shedding heat to avoid the fade and warping you mentioned.
Ask club member what their prep/maintenance budget is on a per weekend basis for brakes, tires fuel etc. The answer may surprise you.

reply to Rifleman

reply to Tig

And, in the case of drilled rotors, it reduces unsprung weight.

reply to Rifleman
What kind of car do you have? Some brakes are better than others even from the factory.
--
John M - Cranky network guy

reply to Rifleman
I have taken a few HPDEs with 2 cars and from talking to people - a general car would be FAR better outfited with brake ducts than slotted and cross drilled rotors.

Get better pads without a doubt. Do NOT go to a track pad as they will be terrible cold. Go one down from that - I use Performance Friction Z pads and like them a lot (I use them year round).
--
Brian

"It drops into your stomach like a Abrams's tank.... driven by Rosanne Barr..." A. Bourdain

reply to Rifleman
I recommend going with bigger brake rotors with larger Aluminum calipers with more pistons. 4 piston and 6 piston calipers grab harder/longer with less effort than single or dual piston calipers and are usually lighter which reduces unsprung weight which increases handling. You may also need to Plus 1 size or Plus 2 size your tire/rim combo if the new brakes are too large for your current setup.
--
What’s the point of owning a supercar if you can’t scare yourself stupid from time to time?

reply to Rifleman
Just tie an anchor to the car, and throw it out the window when you need to stop.

reply to Rifleman
Is this a dedicated track car? NO street aka daily driver use?
Or is it a daily driver now, thats being slowly converted to track only?

That answer will depend on what's best (also make/model).

For performance reasons, drilled & slotted rotors are the choice because of reasons posted above. (Less weight, gas dispersion).

On my (daily driver/weekend race car) 2005 Z4 3L I put Brembo GT 320mm kits all around and switch out the pads for track days/PCA (Porsche Club@Road Atlanta) events with track only pads. Once up to proper temps, track only pads work well, they WILL suck for daily use because you can't get them to maintain the proper temps.

@Tig: My weekend expenses (brakes, tires, fuel) are around $1000-1200 That doesn't count any entry fees, repairs, fixes, making sure it'll make it back-n-forth to work on Monday.

reply to Juggernaut

If I recall correctly, mild steel weighs .2833 pounds per cubic inch... so, depending on the drill pattern and size, it could reduce weight by a fair amount. When you apply that to the physics of the response time, it indeed makes a big difference.
--
"I fear the day that technology will surpass our human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots." ~ Albert Einstein

reply to Steve

reply to Rifleman
It's a 2005 Focus ST daily driver being converted very slowly to track car. CrashG's budget at a weekend is half my monthly income--lol.
Central Florida Motorsports has some performance parts I was planning on ordering there.
Seeing the cost is sobering though. I don't want to win---just have a good time without holding up faster cars.

reply to Rifleman
Racing isn't cheap. Even for what I spend, I'm not even close to the fastest in my class (PCA Group 3), upper/mid-pack and been racing at RA (on-off) for about 15 years.

You can still have a good time, it's really not about what you brought/how fast you went. But did you have fun?

Push yourself/vehicle to the limit, but know that limit and don't exceed it. Or you might end up with "Crash" as your nickname too.

Thanks for the advice. I'll go with slotted rotors and street--track pads.
The car is a good candidate I think because it's light--around 2800 pounds, has a flat torque output and responds easily to engine mods. The suspension comes from the Euro spec Focus----which was around 300HP I think. There's a turbo and intercooler kit out for it as well.
I'll try a few novice events and if I still think it's something I want to do----I'll leave the car here in storage and get another DD back home.

reply to Rifleman

Yeah, sounds like it could be a fun car, with plenty of options down the road.

I'm fairly sure you'll enjoy it, but it's a expensive hobby. I don't run as much as I used to, mainly due to having other event duties while at the track, but I still get out there every chance I can.

In that vid it's also VERY wet, so it'd be wise to go a bit slower.

At last years Oct. PCA Drivers Ed. Porsche brought two new Cayman R with pro drivers that you could get a track tour with. It was a blast even just riding shotgun. Riding with a pro driver showed me a few things. The driver the wife and I rode with was Cass Whitehead.


The wife was a little freaked out, she'd never been that fast (about 180 down to the breaking area for 10A at Road Atlanta) before.

reply to Rifleman
I upgraded the pads and rotors on my Fusion to EBC slotted rotors and Hawk HPS pads and even on the street it feels like the best $1,100 I ever spent on my car. Given that an AWD Fusion weighs 3,600lbs before even my lard ass is in the car, better brakes are a must.

On the track I do a yearly event to force myself to push my eyes down the track (and by extension the road) Nothing gives you a wakeup call faster than Moss Corner @ Mosport if you aren't looking ahead and planning.

NefCanuck

One of the first things I was taught was to "look where you're going to be, not where you're at". I use that in everyday driving too (one reason I hate being behind a SUV or other large vehicle). I can't see far enough up the road to suit me.

To my post above: Ha, just happened to get a good shot of the front rotor of the Cayman S. Yep, it's slotted and drilled.