Slotted and drilled rotors

[Lefty]

Some of you may remember me asking about them. I have installed a set made by Detroit Axle. I just thought to mention that they feel pretty much the same. I took the Ranger out on a quiet road and tested them by slamming down on the pedal. A seat-of-the-pants test didn't seem to make a noticeable difference, but I would imagine that there is aomewhat less fade as well as a shorter stopping distance perhaps even measurable, when coming to a stop from higher speeds.

The one thing I noticed is that they seemed to work much better in the rain. It makes sense of course. Those slots and holes probably help to whisk the water off the rotors. That's enough to make the effort worth the while.

Someone mentioned that the pads might wear out sooner. They may be right. If so, I would think it's a sign that they are doing their job.

Many thanks for all your comments.

 

[sgtsandman]

That was me on the accelerated wear.

The contact area lost due the slots and cross drilling are made up for by the extra cooling and the cleaning provided by the holes and the slots. Under normal driving conditions, you shouldn't notice much of a change. Where they shine is when there is a lot of braking, braking while going down a steep hill, and when you are carrying or pulling a load.

I've yet to find slotted only rotors that don't cost a limb. So, I ended up just replacing rotors with factory ones.

Enjoy.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

For 99% of typical drivers, drilled and/or slotted brake rotors make no discernable difference. The ricer crowd installs them for showing off and bragging rights.

If you regularly race your Ranger, that's a different story. I could also see the possibility that someone who regularly hauls really heavy loads or pulls heavy trailers might benefit. But notice that even on dually full-sized pickups you don't normally see drilled/slotted rotors as factory items.

 

[Lefty]

That was me on the accelerated wear.

The contact area lost due the slots and cross drilling are made up for by the extra cooling and the cleaning provided by the holes and the slots. Under normal driving conditions, you shouldn't notice much of a change. Where they shine is when there is a lot of braking, braking while going down a steep hill, and when you are carrying or pulling a load.

I've yet to find slotted only rotors that don't cost a limb. So, I ended up just replacing rotors with factory ones.

Enjoy.

And also for emergency stops... I looked for slotted only. I believe at your advice. I may have found one set but they were way too expensive. I think I paid $120.00 for mine. I needed to do a brake job anyway. The upgrade cost less than having a regular brake job done at a garage.

Slotted and cross drilled, especially on wet roads, make good use of oversize all terrain tires too.

I've loaded mine to maximum capacity with the old rotors. The difference was indeed noticeable. I'll be doing the same again this summer. I hope for an improvement.

Cross drilled might crack, I'm told. We'll see.

 

[superj]

you should notice a difference under heavy continuous braking, and probably when you have the truck loaded.

since they clear the gases produced by the pads when heating during braking, it gives bite over time as the system heats up.

drilling, meh, i prefer slotted only but like you said, they are more expensive since the crowds that just use them for looks and bragging sound cooler say "drilled and slotted". (say it like james bond, shaken, not stirred, ha ha ha)

 

[sgtsandman]

And also for emergency stops... I looked for slotted only. I believe at your advice. I may have found one set but they were way too expensive. I think I paid $120.00 for mine. I needed to do a brake job anyway. The upgrade cost less than having a regular brake job done at a garage.

Slotted and cross drilled, especially on wet roads, make good use of oversize all terrain tires too.

I've loaded mine to maximum capacity with the old rotors. The difference was indeed noticeable. I'll be doing the same again this summer. I hope for an improvement.

Cross drilled might crack, I'm told. We'll see.

If the holes are champhered, the likelyhood of a rotor cracking is greatly reduced. When I had them on another vehicle, they never cracked.

 

[Lefty]

you should notice a difference under heavy continuous braking, and probably when you have the truck loaded.

since they clear the gases produced by the pads when heating during braking, it gives bite over time as the system heats up.

drilling, meh, i prefer slotted only but like you said, they are more expensive since the crowds that just use them for looks and bragging sound cooler say "drilled and slotted". (say it like james bond, shaken, not stirred, ha ha ha)

It's no big deal, but slotted and drilled tend to stay cleaner I've got old school billet style wheels which really don't show the rotors, but a friend of mine noticed and liked them so much, he bought a set of four for his Dodge Challenger. He thought they looked cool. They're still sitting in my garage, but he will be putting them on soon. Yeah, "shaken, not stirred"

 

[Ranger850]

The upgrade cost less than having a regular brake job done at a garage.

THIS ^ is also why I went with slotted and drilled rotors on my family SUV. The holes are chemphered/beveled. I figured for the price, I'd give the rotors a chance. Wife hasn't noticed a difference, and that's OK, "as long as it's not worse than before", she says.

 

[Lefty]

THIS ^ is also why I went with slotted and drilled rotors on my family SUV. The holes are chemphered/beveled. I figured for the price, I'd give the rotors a chance. Wife hasn't noticed a difference, and that's OK, "as long as it's not worse than before", she says.

Yeah. Not worse.

 

[97RangerXLT]

dont have them on my Ranger, but did get a set for my 2010 Buick Lucerne. did not notice any great performance increase, maybe a bit better stopping power in hard / emergency stops. since I did these several years ago, I have already went through one set of pads, and I do think the life of the pads is decreased on the slotted/ drilled rotors.

other than teh cool looks factor, my driving habits probably don't warrant the extra cost.

AJ

 

[Lefty]

dont have them on my Ranger, but did get a set for my 2010 Buick Lucerne. did not notice any great performance increase, maybe a bit better stopping power in hard / emergency stops. since I did these several years ago, I have already went through one set of pads, and I do think the life of the pads is decreased on the slotted/ drilled rotors.

other than teh cool looks factor, my driving habits probably don't warrant the extra cost.

AJ

That sonds about right. Emergency stops are the reason why.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

My thoughts...
If you can lock up a wheels as the vehicle is now, then upgraded rotors will do nothing extra in an emergency stop. Its the rubber on the road that does the stopping.
Maybe a towing situation would make a difference, but trailers I use have brakes.
Extended down mountainside use of brakes... definitely WILL help.
As will use during racing.
Spend the money on good tires.

 

[SenorNoob]

I like to think I'm pretty close to balanced now. There is just a slight squeal from the tires as the truck comes to a stop. Assuming everything is in A+ shape.

 

[Lefty]

If you should ever install slotted and drilled rotors, you might not really notice any difference driving an empty truck around town at lower speeds. I have noted that they work well in rain.

I'm not sure what this load weighs, but I hauled this much on the highway before. The new rotors work better. I wish I could give you some numbers, but the difference is significant. Loaded or not, the same is true for making emergency stops.

 

[SenorNoob]

I'm not saying I haven't done it. (I've done plenty of stupid stuff. It's a miracle nobody was killed.) But that looks overloaded to me.