nmpath Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 My rotors are warped badly and I cannot decide if cross drilled or slotted rotors are worth the extra cash. I have the AC lift and 32x11.5x15 BFG All Terrains on a steel wheel. With all this extra weight will the cross drilled rotors help? Has anyone actually tried them? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 (edited) My rotors are warped badly and I cannot decide if cross drilled or slotted rotors are worth the extra cash. I have the AC lift and 32x11.5x15 BFG All Terrains on a steel wheel. With all this extra weight will the cross drilled rotors help? Has anyone actually tried them? Thanks. I have a set of powerstop cross-drilled and slotted rotors installed on my truck, which runs 32x11.50R15 GY MTRs on steel wheels, and the new rotors with high-performance Akebono ceramic pads work much better than the OEM brakes did. Prior to the upgrade, the brakes could not apply enough force to engage the ABS under severe braking. Afterwards, the brakes had no problem getting the ABS to engage. Here's a pic: I bought the brakes several years ago from a website that appears to no longer exist, so you will have to do your own research on where to get the best deal. Edited November 11, 2008 by XPLORx4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arcano Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Last year I installed Stillen Brake Pro drilled rotos and metal matrix brake pads, as well as Goodridge stainless steel brake hoses on my '98 SE, which has no ABS, a mild lift (OME lift + front strut spacers) and 31" BFGs on black steel wheels. The result was a significant imporvement in braking performance. Before the upgrade, the brakes felt very "mushy" and I could hardly control or modulate the brakes. It was very difficult to lock up the tires even under very hard braking, but when they did lock up they did so unexpectedly and suddenly...definetly not very safe. After the upgrade I feel like I have a lot more control over braking. Braking power increases gradually and smoothly as I apply more pressure to the brake pedal. I can definetly lock up the tires now, but only if I want to. Under hard braking I can stop the truck much quicker without locking the tires up. Overall, I think the upgrade is very much worth it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbolt Posted November 12, 2008 Share Posted November 12, 2008 I bought mine on ebay 6 months ago and they work much better than the stock one did. here is the item number: 220294776892 R1 Concepts, not bad for a $137.99 with free shiping. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissandoms47 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 I wonder if the extra inch in rotor circumference that the VQ r50s have over the VG r50s make that big of a difference. I have the stock pads still but just replaced my rotors with some duralast 33 dollar ones and I can engage my abs and lock up the tires (if wanted) and im running 33 bfg km2s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 I wonder if the extra inch in rotor circumference... Do you mean rotor diameter? If so, the extra surface area would make a big difference in braking performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 I suppose he could mean the extra approximately 6.28318 inches in circumference. LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laxman0324 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 I suppose he could mean the extra approximately 6.28318 inches in circumference. LOL. Could contribute to keeping the rotor cooler under heavy breaking... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissandoms47 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Yes diameter... i was writing this at like 2 am my time lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vengeful Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 Could contribute to keeping the rotor cooler under heavy breaking... Eh, not really. More braking surface area creates more friction. More friction creates more stopping force. More stopping force stops the vehicle faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shift220 Posted November 14, 2008 Share Posted November 14, 2008 Increasing the rotor diameter has more to do with leverage the caliper has on the wheel to provide more braking power. On my Sonoma, the biggest difference was when I swapped out the stock drums for some 12" rear discs from an LS1 Camaro. And before that I did the slotted rotors, SS brakelines and Hawk Pads on the front and it didn't really make a difference. I had to put a proportioning valve on the rear brakes to stop them from locking up all the time. The improvement was incredible over stock. Now i'm not sure how this would apply to Pathfinders as my 96 has drums in the back and i'm not sure what options there are to upgrade the brakes or if newer model's came with rear discs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted November 15, 2008 Share Posted November 15, 2008 The more surface the rotor provides for the brake pads to grab onto, the greater the breaking ability. One needs to keep in mind that slotted and drilled rotors are hard to impossible to turn if damaged or warped. Hard to get a lathe to cut them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissandoms47 Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 Someone should try swapping in some wd21 rear discs onto an r50. Everything should be exactly the same and bolt up if you just swap out the axle shaft for the r50 33 spline unit. As far as having it bolt up. you'd need custom brake lines and ebrake cables obviously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverlion Posted November 16, 2008 Share Posted November 16, 2008 Would there not be any issues with mud getting into the holes/ slots and damaging components or rendering the holes useless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reno Posted November 17, 2008 Share Posted November 17, 2008 My rotors are warped badly and I cannot decide if cross drilled or slotted rotors are worth the extra cash. I have the AC lift and 32x11.5x15 BFG All Terrains on a steel wheel. With all this extra weight will the cross drilled rotors help? Has anyone actually tried them? Thanks. I just put the cross drilled ebay rotors on my R50 a few weeks ago. It does grip better - I've had to get aquainted to the brake pedal again. I changed mine out not because of brake wear, but because of warping like you, my R50 has stock tires and no lift however. Since the cross drilled ones don't cost any more then a regular set of rotors I figured why not? So far so good. This was the first time I changed out the rotors on a 4x4 and boy, was it a pain compared to a regular car! With the new brakes and a new set of Nokian tires I'm hoping that stopping my pathy will go better this winter then last winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted November 18, 2008 Share Posted November 18, 2008 Someone should try swapping in some wd21 rear discs onto an r50. Everything should be exactly the same and bolt up if you just swap out the axle shaft for the r50 33 spline unit. As far as having it bolt up. you'd need custom brake lines and ebrake cables obviously. If I can afford it by next spring, you might have a taker! BTW, would R51 discs or Titan/Armada discs be easier? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nissandoms47 Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Titan ones might work but are expensive r51s wont because of the bolt pattern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekazgtr1984 Posted November 19, 2008 Share Posted November 19, 2008 Titan ones might work but are expensive r51s wont because of the bolt pattern. R51 isn't a 6x5.5 bolt pattern? That's odd... Oh well, that's clearly not an option at all then. As for the Titan/Armada approach, I had a feeling it'd be pricey. Maybe just going the wrecker and finding a WD21 rear set would be best. I have yet to install cross-drilled/slotted rotors but it goes without saying a brake upgrade is a good investment, especially when other mods are in place (suspension, drivetrain, etc.). If only Brembo made a R50 brake kit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piste Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 (edited) I know this is an old thread but I prefer not to recreate the wheel...pun intended. I am in need of new rotors on my '97 SE OR..no lift, new 31" Revo 2's...I am original owner and current rotors are orig ones. Despite all my best searching I cannot find much in the way of clear opinions (and facts would be even better) with regard to what type of rotor to get. For reference most of my driving is paved roads but I do some light offroading now and then ...lots of camping in summer and skiing in winter....and am seeking good performance. What I've been able to determine so far is that a few folks recommend avoiding drilled rotors due to 1) potential issues with cracking, and 2) cannot...or should not...turn them on a lathe. Alternatively there doesn't seem to be any dissenting opinions on slotted rotors. So here's my questions... 1) Should drilled rotors be avoided? even if they are cast? If so...why are they put on high performance vehicles costing 6 figures? 2) Can drilled rotors be turned when doing a brake job? 3) Can slotted rotors be turned when doing a brake job? At the moment I am thinking of Powerslot alloy cryo slotted rotors and Hawk Performance Ceramic pads..links are below. Thanks for any and all opinions, facts, thoughts.... http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brakes.jsp?make=Power+Slot&model=Power+Alloy+Cryo-Treated+Rotor&group=Power+Alloy+Cryo-Treated+Rotor&autoMake=Nissan&autoModel=Pathfinder+SE+4wd&autoYear=1997&autoModClar= http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brakes.jsp?make=Hawk&model=Performance+Ceramic+Pads&group=Performance+Ceramic+Pads&autoMake=Nissan&autoModel=Pathfinder+SE+4wd&autoYear=1997&autoModClar= Edit to add: Bonus Question: Are stainless braided brake lines worth bothering with? I don't mind dropping the $100 if I'll get at least some perf benefit..but no need throwing money away if that's what I'd be doing. Edited August 12, 2010 by piste Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnm Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Drilled and/or slotted rotors can not be turned. Drilled rotors serve 2 purposed. Increased cooling, and lighter rotating mass. Unless you are doing some SERIOUS braking that you routinely encounter brake fade, you don't need them. Slotted rotors are intended to keep the pad surfaces from getting glazed (which reduces braking capability). Glazing happens when pads are overheated. Unless you are overheating your brakes you don't need slotted rotors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piste Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Drilled and/or slotted rotors can not be turned. Drilled rotors serve 2 purposed. Increased cooling, and lighter rotating mass. Unless you are doing some SERIOUS braking that you routinely encounter brake fade, you don't need them. Slotted rotors are intended to keep the pad surfaces from getting glazed (which reduces braking capability). Glazing happens when pads are overheated. Unless you are overheating your brakes you don't need slotted rotors. Appreciate the reply. If drilled or slotted rotors can't be turned...doesn't that significantly diminish their useful life? I mean... I had my front brakes done at least 2 if not 3 times in the 13 years and SOP is to turn the rotors. So I guess with drilled or slotted a brake job is just a pad replacement? On the other comments...with both drilled and slotted there seems to be no question that there are some performance gains to be had and that's the benefit I'm after. I'm just trying to be sure I know what I'm trading off (the "cost") for the anticipated benefits. "Need" is a very relative term!! Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XPLORx4 Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 The slotted rotors should work fine for you. Do this only if your current rotors are in need of replacement or resurfacing/turning. Otherwise, just replace the pads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 http://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brakes.jsp?make=Hawk&model=Performance+Ceramic+Pads&group=Performance+Ceramic+Pads&autoMake=Nissan&autoModel=Pathfinder+SE+4wd&autoYear=1997&autoModClar= My 2 cents: I put those brake pads on my pathy and they were noisy chattery things! And that was with a new hardware kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnm Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Diminish useful life? That's kind of a hard answer to define. Performance parts, whether it brake rotors or something else, generally have less useful life, the trade off is higher performance. But like I said, unless you are doing a LOT of heavy breaking, the added performance isn't going to be noticeable to the everyday use. I would suspect that new rotors, pads, drums and shoes, along with a good fluid flush should renew your braking system quite adequately. Oh, I forgot, stainless steel brake lines are meant to eliminate the slight (read: barely noticeable) loss of braking performance from regular brake lines. When I was autocrossing, I replaced the ones on my car...the only difference it made was a slight difference in the feel of the pedal...I didn't notice any difference in performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 for optimal performance, if you are running with cross-drilled or slotted rotors, you should get matching cross-drilled brake lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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