SOLID vs. SLOTTED rotors for track (experience, please)
 

For those who have ACTUALLY USED BOTH... Is there any distinct advantage to slotted rotors for the race track?

I have been perfectly satisfied with my stock rotors with Hawk HP+ pads. Well, I could maybe use more pad now that I'm on R-comps, but the rotors are fine.

Is there any justification for the higher price of slotted rotors? I don't care at all about the looks. I know cross-drilled rotors can crack with track use, so I don't want those. Are slotted rotors succeptible to the same thing, or will they wear out faster?

Qquick responses would be appreciated, as I plan to order tomorrow
THANK YOU!!

You want a rotor with the most mass for performance and least brake fade.

The slotted rotors are for gassing, when the pads reach their operating temps or higher they start to gas or breakdown and the slots are there to allow the gas to escape.

however they are more prone to cracking... as opposed to a solid rotor.

Yeah, I know the function of a solid vs slotted rotor.

My question is whether anyone has experience with both and if they've experienced any differences with race track use.
HAS anyone had a slotted rotor crack during track use?
HAS anyone experienced more rapid wear on a slotted rotor during track use?

Thanks.

i had a crack develop in my stock rotor.

btw, 'solid rotor' means to me thats its not vented.

james

whether on the street or on the track... a slotted rotor will have a tendency to crack easier than the stock rotor.

Alright, guys. Thanks for the comments. And, yes, a "solid rotor" would be unvented. I should've said a "blank" rotor. I'm glad you knew what I meant.

Anyway, I ordered 2 full sets of HP+ pads and a full set of slotted rotors from www.rx7store.com. Jason hooked me up and I got a good deal on the package so it was a little cheaper than splitting my order to get stock rotors. It was still just over $600 with shipping! Although it was a good deal.... Ouch!
I'll probably put these slotted rotors on before the next track day and keep my stockers on hand (which are showing the results of hard use) as emergency replacements, just in case.

Thanks again, guys.

rx7store.com <-- closed out

What signs of hard use are on your rotors? Cracks? Gouges/excessive wear?

My bad... RX7Store.NET

Blue coloration on the outer half of the rotors and light surface cracking (not functionally impeding).

i also have a heavily pulsating pedal (causes by uneven thickness of rotor resulting from uneven transfer layer) any slight imbalance will be greatly enhanced by heavy use/high heat.

james

Can you comment on HP+ noise level on the street? Another RX-8 buddy owns HP+ and
has yet to do the proper bed-in procedure. His car can be heard from 16 blocks away, LOL.
Wondering if the bed-in will cure the noise, or if it is to be expected due to the shift of
effective temperature range to higher level as compared to stock pad.

Stick with the stock discs. The slotted ones are good in theory but you're giving up contact area for minimal cooling advantage.

I had HP+ on my 325is and they were fine. A little bit of sqeal on the street. Just enough where someone who doesn't know any better may say, "get your car fixed!". However, I took great satisfaction in knowing that it was because they were high performance :boink:

On the RX-8, though, they're REDICULOUSLY loud!! It's almost insane how loud they were. I didn't much care about it during the summer, between driving schools, but I swapped back to stock pads for the winter months. Now I think I'll mostly be swapping back and forth for the driving schools. The HP+ work awesome on street tires, though, and they're so (relatively) cheap. I go through a full set in 1 weekend at the track, so cheap is important. When I went to R-compound tires, I thought I could now use a little more pad. These are still adequate, though. With the slotted rotors, I think they should be perfectly adequate, still. Their initial bite is fantastic. Fade resistance is very good. I only got the slightest hint, on the R-comps, with several, several VERY hard laps.

Thanks, but too late. I got a good enough deal that it was cheaper to get everything from Jason at www.rx7store.net than to split my order (and pay more shipping).
Hopefully they'll be ok. I'll have my stockers with me as back-ups :p:

Just seeing this thread.

You will probably notice a big difference in the weight of the stock rotors and any aftermarket ones.

I have seen a slotted rotor crack on an RX~8 at the track....it is good to have a backup.

When I switched to the slotted rotors, I did the stainless lines, and switched to hawk HP Plus pads.

After bleeding them correctly, which was tricky, I noticed a huge difference in stopping power. Plus I had renewed confidence that I could brake harder, later at practically every corner....I switch the pads out sometimes, but often squeal around town. I like it that way.

Like everything else, marketing specs (slotted, plain, drilled, drilled and slotted, etc.) are spiffie advertising words. The meat of the matter is the quality of the materials (quality of steel), engineering done on the design, the quality of the manufacturing, dynamic balancing (if any) done, finishing and coating applied, heat treatment, etc., if any... that make the product either cheap and therefore appealing to some, or expensive, and therefore appealing to others. Then there are those products that are expensive, but made cheaply to maximize profit.

Blindly saying slotted is bad, plain face is bad or good, drilled will weaken the rotor, etc. will last longer, provides better braking, all these depend...that depends is the crux of the problem...and what you pay for... not the advertising words.

Caveat emptor, roughly - best to know exactly what you're buying and why you're paying what you are, or you will get something you might regret later.

Were you able to invoke ABS before you changed rotors? If so, then your stopping power was limited by tire traction, not your brakes. If that's the case, you may have noticed a huge difference in your brakes' "grabbiness", but you won't have experienced any improvement in actual stopping power.

:werd: :werd: :werd: well said Spin :)

drill & slot rotors are no use, just get some new stock rotors with some hawk blues, SS lines, and ford brake fluide.

Yeah, man. HP+ pads are soooo grabby. I love them for street tires. Now on R-Comps, I could use a little more aggressive pad, but I'm sticking with the HP+ cause they're so inexpensive.

True story. I have little to go on other than the brand reputation. I believe that these are Brembo, but I'm not sure. RX-7store.net. It says Brembo in the window header, but not in the description...

I got a little buildup on my slotted rotors, so I switched back to the OEM ones, but good either way.

You were using them on the track, right?
What pads were you using? Which rotors did you buy (and from where)?
Did you ever try light sanding or using different pads, or something, to remove the build up?
What effect did the build up have?
Did you notice any difference in pad life?
Could I possibly ask any more questions?! :crazy:

Thanks!