Do drilled rotors crack?

F

Fire0nic3FX

Member
I'm planning on buying new rotors for my FX and G and was wondering do drilled rotors really crack?

Ive done so much research on this and its like a 50/50 thing. Some say they crack and others say they don't. People say they don't if your doing just normal street driving and only crack under tracking (which I don't do). While others say they all crack. I have seen some pictures of cracked drilled rotors.


I don't know who to believe. I want to know for sure before I shell out $400 worth of rotors and pads that could eventually crack.

Im buying centric drilled/slotted a parent company of stop tech. Or should I just stick with slotted only. People have also told me they are much noiser.
 
In my research I never found an example of a slotted or blank rotor cracking under normal circumstances. Drilled - tons of examples.

In my experience with blank, drilled, slotted, and drilled+slotted, I've found almost no differences in performance...again, under normal circumstances. Drilled rotors can be noisier though, and sometimes you can feel them in the pedal. Like a slight mid range vibration. Pad life is also lower with drilled vs slotted or blank.

I currently have slotted rotors on both cars because there is no performance difference (for me) and they look cool.
 
How many miles you had on them?

By the way whats up man! I love the headrests I bought from you lol

---------- Post added at 04:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:14 PM ----------
tchuck said:
In my research I never found an example of a slotted or blank rotor cracking under normal circumstances. Drilled - tons of examples.

In my experience with blank, drilled, slotted, and drilled+slotted, I've found almost no differences in performance...again, under normal circumstances. Drilled rotors can be noisier though, and sometimes you can feel them in the pedal. Like a slight mid range vibration. Pad life is also lower with drilled vs slotted or blank.

I currently have slotted rotors on both cars because there is no performance difference (for me) and they look cool.
Click to expand...


Thanks man! I guess I'll go with slotted then. I don't wanna take any risks and waste money.

I'm going after the same thing which is just looks.
 
For normal everyday driving you will be fine, they need to get very hot to start cracking unless the blanks used were garbage to start with. Technically, you should not see any performance increases with drilled rotors as the holes really only allow for excess heat to escape easier which you will never see in everyday driving. Slotted rotors are supposed to give a nudge in the performance area by doing a 'swipe' of the brake pad surface area and will not crack under heated conditions. There are both slotted and drilled rotors out there if you want both worlds. I have had drilled rotors and slotted rotors on my Z32 which I have tracked and cannot say I noticed a difference in performance on one vs. the other. You benefit more by going with a more aggressive brake pad if it is performance you want and perhaps going to stainless steel brake lines for a better feel. Personally on a street car I like the EBC Red Stuff brake pads, bites great with low dust and noise.
 
I have slotted & drilled from StopTech. I had them for about 8 months. I racked up lots of mileage since moving from NY. My ave miles per day is about 70-80 miles. So far no issues.


Sent from my iPhone

---------- Post added at 11:06 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:05 PM ----------

And I am a fairly spirited driver.


Sent from my iPhone
 
Drilled rotors I would not run, maybe cast holes if it could be proven to help. I run blanks, but would run slotted if I wasn't going OEM. Apparently drilled helps in the rain?
 
I researched the same information about drill and slotted rotors as the posters above. I read that the drilled and slotted rotors are more prone to cracking and warping due to losing their structural integrity from the metal loss during the drilling/slotting process. The articles I read implies that drill/slotted rotors are better suited for race cars that are used on track days than they are being used on a daily driver car. Race car owners would swap the drill/slotted rotors out during a race if they crack or warp,however many non-racing car owners can not afford to change rotors that often. I use to own a 2002 Mercedes E55 AMG that had drilled rotors from the factory and they were prone to cracking and warping after about 60K or so. Sooner if the owner used the brakes hard often. Not bad until you factor in the $250.00 a rotor price tag.:eek.: I had to change my brake pads and rotors at about 60K due to a shudder when braking due to my front rotors warping. I noticed a few cracks in the rotors near the drilled holes when I removed the rotors as well. However, I used to drive it in a lot stop and go traffic here in Atlanta which puts a lot of work on the brakes. So, I would not use slotted/drill rotors on my everyday driver or recommend anyone else to do it.
 
Last edited:
Fire0nic3FX said:
What about noise? Do you get any vibrations and such from drilled rotors?
Click to expand...

You may hear some noise and feel vibration as soon as you put them on until the brake pads embed in. After that, you should feel no difference.

http://zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.html

I have used drilled/slotted on a daily driver before as well with no problems and plan to again with my FX when the time comes. Again, I think as long as you use a reputable supplier it will be fine. I have always trusted StopTech myself but there are other good ones out there as well.
 
found it on Honda forum, the official reply from StopTech:

StopTech provides rotors slotted, drilled or plain. For most performance applications slotted is the preferred choice. Slotting helps wipe away debris from between the pad and rotor as well as increasing the "bite" characteristics of the pad. A drilled rotor provides the same type of benefit, but is more susceptible to cracking under severe usage. Many customers prefer the look of a drilled rotor and for street and occasional light duty track use they will work fine. For more severe applications, we recommend slotted rotors.
Click to expand...
 
Hey I've been running drilled rotors on my 99 Isuzu Vehicross 4wd for 2yrs with no problems no cracking,warping or stopping issues great sporty look,i,am put some on my 09 Fx with my new 20''s soon as the weather gets nice.
 
I have drilled and slotted rotors & dont have any noise or vibrations. I think that mostly depends on what type of brake pads you use. Now Ive never had any crack on me or never heard of that happening but I also wouldnt rule it out.
 
Yeah like I said I wouldnt rule it out, I guess it all comes down to how hard you drive and brake.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top