Re: Slotted vs Cross Drilled Brakes

["Ron Buchalski" <rbuchals@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Richard,

The best way to keep your front rotors from warping (under street and 
average track driving) is not slotted or cross-drilled rotors.  You need to 
improve your braking technique.  Coming down to a stop from 120 mph will 
generate lots of heat, but if your brake application technique is:

1) "apply brakes for a long time, progressively firmer"

you'll generate too much heat and warp the rotors.

If your brake application technique is:

2) "firm quick squeeze" (threshold braking)

you'll scrub speed off quickly, and won't generate the heat to warp your 
rotors.

On the E36 M3, people have tried the Euro floating rotors, and even had 
these rotors slotted, and still warped them.  Once they learned the correct 
braking technique, the warping stopped.

It's not an easy technique to learn, and practicing it on the street can get 
you into trouble if you're in traffic, because the car behind you will be 
using technique #1 (and it's associated longer stopping distance), and they 
can end up saying hello to your trunk lid!

The point is, slotting or cross-drilling may provide you with some gain, but 
learning the proper braking technique (threshold braking) will provide you 
with a larger gain.

- -rb

>
>Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 12:06:16 -0500
>From: "Richard R. Coker" <richardcoker@domain.elided>
>Subject: Slotted vs Cross Drilled Brakes
>
>Ok, another question for you guys which we probably don't have an agreement 
>on but let me ask which the list prefers, cross drilled or gas slotted 
>rotors???  I do not have any track time but hope to go to one track within 
>the next 6 months.  I have had the original rotors which I burnt through 
>real quickly and I burnt through some cross drilled rotors in about 9-10K 
>miles. I was ready to get some slotted rotors from Jeff Krause and his 
>follow his advice but then due to some of length of time in response from 
>Jeff and his not accepting credit cards I became a little more weary of his 
>organization and his belief that slotted rotors are the best.  What does 
>the list think?  What direction should I go if I have been having problems 
>warping my rotors.  (I admit, I drive WAY too fast on city streets and the
>slowing down from 120 or so kills the rotors) Thanks for the help
>
>96 328iS

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