While drilled rotors have a lot to recommend them, they can wear unevenly and may develop cracks when used in racing vehicles due to the heat and temperature extremes of a race. Drilled brake rotors also tend to wear in concentric grooved styles, which can look funny when the rotors are aged if the drilled hole patterns are not staggered. While this does not impact the performance of the brake rotors, it can affect the vehicle aesthetic and sensitive drivers may prefer to select a different style of brake rotor or else change out their rotors more often.
Drilled rotors are also a poor choice for race cars. They cannot withstand repeated heat and cool cycles very well, and will fail sooner rather than later as a result. Drilled brake rotors are fine for general use in street vehicles. Why Choose Slotted Rotors? Slotted rotors work very well for heavy trucks, SUVs, off road vehicles, tow trucks, and competition cars.
It is particularly important to choose high quality brake rotors when picking a slotted style. If the brake rotors are not properly machined, from the inner to the outer edges, they can crack sooner than they otherwise would or should. This style of brake rotor delivers improved consistency with every stop, by reducing the friction in the brake pads. Over the long run the slotted rotors also perform well: As the slots shave down glaze from overheated brake pads, they expose fresh material every time you brake.
As a result, you can rely on these pads to deliver effective braking even in heavy duty vehicles. Slotted brake rotors are not without their disadvantages: They tend to have a shorter life compared with other types of brake rotors, and may shorten the life of brake pads as well.
When you are coming to a stop from a high speed, you can feel a rumble from the rotors. They will still perform safely; you may just find the noise unpleasant. Like drilled rotors, they work well for wet climates where frequent rain is a consideration. They perform well, although not necessarily better than other styles of brake rotors. These newer brake rotors are starting to appear on some luxury cars, including Mercedes and BMW. That includes towing and racing. Drilled rotors have the same benefits as slotted rotors, but to greater extent.
The holes keep the pad and rotor surfaces clean and clear of dirt and moisture. This increases brake bite and helps keep the brake performance in tip-top shape. Some drivers feel that drilled rotors perform better in wet conditions than any other rotor design.
Drilled rotors are lighter than traditional smooth rotors. Because of this, drilled rotors have lower rotational inertia. That means your vehicle can accelerate and stop faster with drilled rotors. Drilled rotors maintain cooler operating temperatures, as well.
Drilled rotors have the same drawbacks as slotted rotors. You can avoid this problem by buying high quality drilled rotors from us. We only carry drilled rotors from reputable brands. Check out our selection here! At a glance, a vented rotor looks like a traditional smooth rotor. It has a smooth surface. Traditional smooth rotors are just solid discs. Vented rotors have hollow channels between the front and back surfaces.
This design brings a couple of great benefits:. Read this comparison guide to learn more about the differences between solid rotors and vented rotors. Another drawback of using vented rotors is that the vents can pick up contaminants, such as road salt, from the road. They can then spread the contaminants to the calipers. Here are a few examples:. Vented rotors are good for daily drivers.
Outfitting a daily driver with slotted or drilled rotors is overkill. The drilled holes in your disc brake rotor allow the moisture and brake dust to escape. This keeps your brake rotors dry , helping you achieve consistent braking performance even in wet weather conditions.
Doing so can increase the temperature of your brake system, and this causes your brake pad surface to smoothen and harden known as glazing. Over time, the pad surface starts to mirror the brake rotor, and the pad material becomes incapable of generating sufficient friction. Fortunately, in drilled and slotted brake rotors, the grooves on your rotor chip off the pad material to slow down glazing.
Although a drilled and slotted rotor offers many advantages over a plain rotor smooth rotor , it does have some downsides. Here are some limitations of slotted and drilled brake rotors that you need to watch out for:. It usually happens because the same areas of your brake rotors are in contact when you apply the brakes, resulting in uneven wearing. The high temperature and repeated stresses that these rotors encounter could cause them to develop cracks and wear down over time.
With that being said, if you encounter harsh driving conditions regularly and are likely to engage in heavy braking , your drilled and slotted brake rotors will wear out even quicker and might need replacing as often as your brake pad set. On average, you can expect to replace your slotted and drilled rotors between 25, to 35, miles. When that happens, your hole patterns get disrupted, and this can result in vibrations on your steering wheel.
A drilled and slotted brake rotor affects how much braking power your car generates, so driving around with a defective drilled and slotted rotor can be a significant safety hazard. If you notice any of the symptoms below, consider getting your drilled and slotted rotor inspected and replaced by a mechanic :.
When this happens, take your car to an auto repair shop , or have a mechanic come over and inspect your rotor surface and other brake parts such as the brake pads, brake calipers , brake fluid lines , and more to identify the underlying issues. If you start to feel irregular vibrations on your brake pedal or through the vehicle chassis, it could be because of damaged slotted and drilled brake rotors. Warping rotors tend to generate a pulsating effect that ripples through your car.
However, if you do manage to see unusual grooves or scoring marks on your rotor surface, your slotted and drilled rotors might undergo imminent failure. These marks, which develop over time from repeated contacts with your brake pad, can significantly weaken your brake system and can cause brake pulsations that you can feel on the brake pedal.
In such a scenario, request a brake system inspection. The most convenient way to get your brake rotors inspected and replaced is to have a mobile mechanic come over.
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