I am in need of new brake rotors for my 2000 Nissan Maxima SE. I was
considering upgrading to cross-drilled/slotted rotors. Does anyone
have any experience with these? Are they worth the money? What are
the pros and cons of using these rotors?
Also, I have seen these rotors for sell on Ebay. Is anyone familiar
with the quality of these products?
TIA
David - 03 Jun 2004 17:53 GMT
> I am in need of new brake rotors for my 2000 Nissan Maxima SE. I was
> considering upgrading to cross-drilled/slotted rotors. Does anyone
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Also, I have seen these rotors for sell on Ebay. Is anyone familiar
> with the quality of these products?
I would look for a review of the specific rotor you want to buy (although I'm sure you'll
do fine with Brembo). I've read reviews where people had increased fade/stopping distance
from an aftermarket rotor that you would expect to be better.
I guess if I had to choose between drilled & slotted, I'd go slotted. Still tests/real world
results are better then my guess.
Whatever you do, if you buy/borrow a G-Tek or similar meter, let us know how it really
affects stopping distances. Seat-of-the-pants feel or "butt dyno" is often deceptive.
Monte - 04 Jun 2004 01:49 GMT
>I am in need of new brake rotors for my 2000 Nissan Maxima SE. I was
>considering upgrading to cross-drilled/slotted rotors. Does anyone
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
>TIA
Brembo blank rotors are a good upgrade to OEM (about $50 from tirerack.com).
Slotted MAY help if you have heat problems generated from repeated hard stops,
which is an unlikely demand on a street car. Drilled rotors are unnecessary for
street vehicles and actually remove mass from the rotor so that it can't deal
with heat as well as a blank (smooth) rotor. Drilled/slotted are substantially
more expensive so save your money for good pads.
http://maxmods.dyndns.org/index.php?MaximaBrakePads
JM - 06 Jun 2004 00:28 GMT
> Brembo blank rotors are a good upgrade to OEM (about $50 from tirerack.com).
I love Tirerack, no doubt about that... but,
www.nopi.com has even cheaper blank Brembo rotors for about $90 total,
shipped, at least for my '96 (or slotted/drilled for more $).
Drilled rotors are simply not as strong as blank or slotted. Under
extreme hard use, you can get cracks at the holes, leading to
replacement or total rotor failure & a very bad day.
Slotted if you really use your brakes hard, blanks if you're a normal
driver.
Use the money for upgraded pads, if you don't use Nissan's best pad
(which is pretty good itself).
Brembo's are better made than the OEM version. It seemed to me that
they had more mass, in addition to more ventilation holes in the
sides.
JM
David - 06 Jun 2004 02:33 GMT
> Brembo blank rotors are a good upgrade to OEM (about $50 from tirerack.com).
> Slotted MAY help if you have heat problems generated from repeated hard stops,
> which is an unlikely demand on a street car.
Actually I think a need for increased heat dissipation and improved gas venting at the rotors is
very likely for a street car. At least if you drive in the mountains, or do spirited driving on twisty
highways.
I've seen many cars and trucks smoking their brakes at the bottom of one very popular
road in the Sierra Nevada (US, not Spain). Smoked 'em pretty badly there myself.
I've also smoked the brakes of a couple of cars while driving on the coast highway.
Of course venting the gas buildup between the pad and rotor, and increased heat dissipation
from the rotor reduces brake fade in general; it doesn't just help keep the brakes from smoking.
I'm sure lots of people experience occasional brake fade.
Steve T - 06 Jun 2004 06:36 GMT
>> Brembo blank rotors are a good upgrade to OEM (about $50 from
>> tirerack.com). Slotted MAY help if you have heat problems generated from
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> very likely for a street car. At least if you drive in the mountains, or
> do spirited driving on twisty highways.
Drilled rotors in and of itself isn't going to make an already vented rotor
any cooler, removing the backing plate will.

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David - 06 Jun 2004 17:15 GMT
> Drilled rotors in and of itself isn't going to make an already vented rotor
> any cooler, removing the backing plate will.
What's the downside?
Steve T - 07 Jun 2004 01:55 GMT
>> Drilled rotors in and of itself isn't going to make an already vented
>> rotor any cooler, removing the backing plate will.
>
> What's the downside?
What I've read is water can get on the rotor and can make braking in wet
weather touchy till the rotor dries off. I think it's to help keep dirt off
the rotor as well? I've run several cars for years like this personally and
never noticed any problems like this -and- the brakes ran MUCH cooler.

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Steve T - 04 Jun 2004 03:21 GMT
> I am in need of new brake rotors for my 2000 Nissan Maxima SE. I was
> considering upgrading to cross-drilled/slotted rotors. Does anyone
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Also, I have seen these rotors for sell on Ebay. Is anyone familiar
> with the quality of these products?
First off drilled rotors are noisy, did you realize that? They make a
"buzzzzzz" noise when stopping hard. Secondly, some are made from junk
rotors so IMHO, it's not worth it. Mountain and Brembo are good aftermarket
brands I've used.
I'm also a fan of "metal master" brake pads, I think Axis is making these
now, used to be repco brand. Have to warm up before they start stopping
good but they don't fade, they don't squeel and rotors don't seem to warp
as easily with them either. That will give more of an "upgrade" that
drilled rotors will.

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