OEM, Slotted, Drilled and Slotted?

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wtf lol

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2007 MazdaSpeed3
So, I think my rotors are warped. I'm experiencing the steering wheel shaking upon braking and driving. I'm gonna change my pads first just to see IF that's the problem, if not I'll look into buying some new rotors.

I've heard mixed reviews on both slotted rotors and drilled and slotted rotors. People say there's no reason to have slotted, others say they'd never touch drilled and slotted, and some are all for either one. I need help knowing which is the right type to go with.

I don't do AutoX or go to any tracks but I run late for work a lot and so I use my brakes frequently while I'm racing to work. I would say that I should get slotted rotors, but I'm not quite sure. Any help would be appriciated.
 
The only purpose to get drilled or slotted rotors is to help "scrape" the glazing that your pads get from being over heated, also to allow the gas build up between the pad and the rotors to escape therefore reduces the chances of brake fade.

Personally I always go drilled/slotted mated with ceramic pads whenever the time comes to replace rotors/pads, simply for the fact that you can get them online for cheap compared to alot of the OE parts, sides they look great.
 
Yeah, a month ago I finally got my drilled+slotted rotors and HawkHPS front brake pads (and some new metaceramic as rear pads) along with stainless steel break lines from CS. Pedal feel is improved (I guess it's brake lines which do the job) and now I'm not getting "swimmy" feel after some hard stops and starts in hot weather.
Anyway, good pads and break lines are a must. Should you go for drilled+slotted? Well, it depends. I don't think also they will improve breaking dramatically, I believe it's more for a sharp look. There are so many stores over US (even some privately owned) which can sell you whole rotors set (drilled+slotted, front and rear) for 170$ or so, even with free shipping. I got one like that and I can say it was a very good buy :)
 
Yes indeed, so I think I'm safe to say we all agree that for the money you can't go wrong with getting drilled/slotted rotors for the MS3
 
You don't need drilled/slotted, period.

What you want is the biggest rotor you can get inside the wheel well for the best heat dissipation. And good pads.

Of course, drilled/slotted look better, but that's about it. If you're getting them in stock size, they won't even brake as well as stock (from experience). Tried stainless lines... no difference either.
 
May be you're right, niky. But I didin't notice anything bad with drilled&slotted.
And yes, they look better - that's why I got them :)
 
niky said:
You don't need drilled/slotted, period.

What you want is the biggest rotor you can get inside the wheel well for the best heat dissipation. And good pads.

Of course, drilled/slotted look better, but that's about it. If you're getting them in stock size, they won't even brake as well as stock (from experience). Tried stainless lines... no difference either.
Click to expand...

At last someone with some sense.

Plain rotors + Quality pads + Quality Fluid = WIN
 
^^ Agreed. ^^

Unless you track your car, there is no need to get drilled and slotted rotors. You can liken this to the aftermarket BOV argument. Its pointless unless you are seriously modded.

The whole purpose of brakes is to dissipate the natural expression of energy... heat. The reason that race cars run drilled and slotted rotors is to maximize heat dissipation. You don't need that kind of efficiency for the street. As a matter of fact, brakes are a lot like your car, they gotta get hot to work really well. With "race" brakes, you have to get them up to "race temps" before they are working in their efficient ranges.

You'll never get your brakes to race temps on the street (or at least you should never). Drilled and slotted is definitely over-kill. Get some quality solid rotors, quality pads, brake fluid that won't boil, and some stainless steel brake lines. Thats all you need for consistent, reliable, efficient stopping power.

Drilled and slotted rotors on a street car is 100% for looks imo
 
Last edited:
niky said:
You don't need drilled/slotted, period.

What you want is the biggest rotor you can get inside the wheel well for the best heat dissipation. And good pads.

Of course, drilled/slotted look better, but that's about it. If you're getting them in stock size, they won't even brake as well as stock (from experience). Tried stainless lines... no difference either.
Click to expand...

freeflyfreak said:
At last someone with some sense.

Plain rotors + Quality pads + Quality Fluid = WIN
Click to expand...

These folks have it nailed. There is a long brake FAQ post in the RX8 FAQ in my sig if you have more questions. Read it, it will answer them and explain why the answers quoted above are on the money.
 
Mid_Life_Crisis said:
Then the question becomes, if you like the look and find a sweet deal, is there any downside to them?
Click to expand...

Ya, if they're cheap and not a quality product. Holes drilled into the rotor will weaken it and make it less structurally sound. Drilled holes doesn't do anything for performance. Stick with blanks. Drilled rotors are 99.9% for looks. (the .1% is for the weight reduction (lol2))
 
Mid_Life_Crisis said:
Then the question becomes, if you like the look and find a sweet deal, is there any downside to them?
Click to expand...

Besides the cross-drilling weakening the discs... which... oddly... is a big issue if you drive really hard... which is probably the reason you want the brakes in the first place... cross-drilled rotors eat into pads and just don't have as much bite as similar sized "blanks".

Of course, most quality cross-drilled rotors have chamfered holes, so they're not as bad, but I don't think they could ever be as gentle on pads as stock.
 
I'd go with blanks, as mentioned above, although these new rotors from Racing Brake look temping:

1000-2.jpg


They're almost 4lb lighter, each, than OE blanks. Too bad they're slotted, but they do feature convergent vanes, which cool the rotors better than straight vanes.

convergent_rl.jpg


They're $115 each. This is what I "may" go with over blanks when that time comes, but mainly for the weight savings. I'm not crazy about slots or holes in my rotors for 98% street use.

I would also recommend not screwing around with your brake lines (ie: SS lines), if you have that idea in your brain. It's very dangerous to have one of those fail from wear and unlike rubber lines, dirt can make it's way into the SS braiding and accelerate wear on the teflon inner lining causing them to burst under pressure. NOT GOOD. It's not common, but it does happen and just not worth the "firmer pedal" that some people claim they provide. Unless your car has 15 year old brake lines, I doubt they really make your pedal that much more firm and I'd still go with an OE brake line over aftermarket. Like others have mentioned, just flush your system with fresh MOTUL.
 
FrequentFlyer said:
I'd go with blanks, as mentioned above, although these new rotors from Racing Brake look temping:

http://www.racingbrake.com/v/vspfiles/photos/1000-2.jpg

They're almost 4lb lighter, each, than OE blanks. Too bad they're slotted, but they do feature convergent vanes, which cool the rotors better than straight vanes.

http://www.racingbrake.com/images/convergent_rl.jpg

They're $115 each. This is what I "may" go with over blanks when that time comes, but mainly for the weight savings. I'm not crazy about slots or holes in my rotors for 98% street use.

I would also recommend not screwing around with your brake lines (ie: SS lines), if you have that idea in your brain. It's very dangerous to have one of those fail from wear and unlike rubber lines, dirt can make it's way into the SS braiding and accelerate wear on the teflon inner lining causing them to burst under pressure. NOT GOOD. It's not common, but it does happen and just not worth the "firmer pedal" that some people claim they provide. Unless your car has 15 year old brake lines, I doubt they really make your pedal that much more firm and I'd still go with an OE brake line over aftermarket. Like others have mentioned, just flush your system with fresh MOTUL.
Click to expand...

Can't say I've ever heard of anyone's stainless steel brake lines exploding.
 
A quick Google search reveals:

http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Brake_Lines

http://www.acura-legend.com/vbulletin/f2/stainless-steel-brake-line-failure-121501/

http://www.parksoffroad.com/tacomamods/frontbrakelinefailure/linefailure.htm

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-1419835.html

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/gr-braking/153439-stainless-steel-brake-lines-dangerous.html

Granted, they have different causes and it's probably widespread, but I'd rather not mess with my brake lines because I know I can get a pretty hard pedal by using good fluid and a good bleed without adding SS lines and risking failure.
 
FrequentFlyer said:
A quick Google search reveals:

http://www.nsxprime.com/wiki/Brake_Lines

http://www.acura-legend.com/vbulletin/f2/stainless-steel-brake-line-failure-121501/

http://www.parksoffroad.com/tacomamods/frontbrakelinefailure/linefailure.htm

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-1419835.html

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/gr-braking/153439-stainless-steel-brake-lines-dangerous.html

Granted, they have different causes and it's probably widespread, but I'd rather not mess with my brake lines because I know I can get a pretty hard pedal by using good fluid and a good bleed without adding SS lines and risking failure.
Click to expand...

Good reads. Thanks for the info.

So basically don't get DOT approved ones with bad crimped connectors? Funny how counter-intuitive "DOT approved" is in this case!
 
I had an SS brake line go from rubbing against the mounting. Not fun when you lose all brake pedal pressure at 90 mph. Good thing I'm a chicken and I brake early. Otherwise, my goose would have been cooked.

I've heard of SS lines go because of crimping and other damage, too.

(Cured rubbing issue by wrapping the lines in rubber... can never be too careful).
 
Last edited:
niky said:
I had an SS brake line go from rubbing against the mounting. Not fun when you lose all brake pedal pressure at 90 mph. Good thing I'm a chicken and I brake early. Otherwise, my goose would have been cooked.

I've heard of SS lines go because of crimping and other damage, too.

(Cured rubbing issue by wrapping the lines in rubber... can never be too careful).
Click to expand...

It happens. I don't want to make this a generalization, but my experience with aftermarket components or "upgrades" is that they usually provide short term thrills followed by deterioration or failure of some sort over the long haul. Sad, but true. Staying stock may be boring, but for the most part, the car is more reliable. There are risks I'm willing to take with other aftermarket components, but when it comes to bringing the car to a stop safely from high speed, I don't like fooling around.
 
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