ExRedRacer

Besides looking great behind the wheels, is there any practical purpose for having drilled/slotted rotors?

When/if I get them, I'd like to be able to wax eloquent on their purpose on my car besides enhancing the looks of the wheels.

GS Diva

I have no idea what the "true" purpose is for drilled/slotted rotors (except maybe keep the brakes cooler??)...we put them on our two Vettes simply for looks!

Elaine

JACKAL0PE

The purpose is to make them lighter and cooler...supposedly.

However, given that nobody races with them, the true purpose is probably bling-bling.

Oh, btw, the "dimpled" ones are that way so they'll LOOK like they've been drilled without actually weakening the rotor by drilling it.

WolfeBros

The slots were originally for cooling.
The holes were for allowing the outgasses that came from the epoxies that held the pad material to the metal backing plate to escape. This is not a problem for todays pads. Most people put them on their Corvette for the bling bling factor. If you autocross you can't beat the stock rotors because they are cheap and easy to change.

my .02 anyway
PS
I have the slotted / drilled rotors from Sportsbrakes.......bling bling

Vetteman Jack

I did mine mostly for looks.

sxeC7

They look nice. What more do you need. Plus the C6 Z51's have them.

diyguy

As one put it.. Compare the drilled and slotted rotors to a cheese grinder from the days gone by - the kind you clamped on to the kitched counter.... They look similar.. Probably react similar as well, well ....not really...but it looks more damning to the pads than a solid rotor.

Bling Bling...

yellow viking

It's primarily for bling but, it is also nice the rotors don't rust after washing your car.

p1999b

Sometimes it just HAS to be for the Bling

pb

csexton

I put zinc washed slotted and drilled rotors on for two reasons: 1) I like the look and 2) they don't rust after a wash.

Evil-Twin

Drilled and slotted rotors are designed to have the slots ( called scrubbers) scrub the surface gases from the fire path, the holes are strategically placed to help the internal vanes cool the fire path evenly... the even heat up and cool down is what is behind quality rotor design. Even the design of the chamfers plays an important part in the surface temperature// a non chamfered hole will create a heat signature around the hole causing stress at the hole.. a 45 degree chamfer creates much less of a heat signature and less internal stress...
I sinus curve chamfer ( a chamfer with a radius ) has almost no increase in surface temperature around the hole...which allows for more even heat dissipation and heat up..

Z0SLIK

C5naples

The price was right for me and my original rotors were warped. They do look good. Please don't make me use bling in a sentence.

leaftye

Almost all drilled rotors, if not all drilled rotors, are for bling. Solid rotors are more reliable under extreme conditions. Like ET said, if the holes are chamfered or radiused (better), it'll help. Porsche has rotors with cast-in holes, and those seem to be the best. I believe StopFORCE still sells retrofit Porsche rotors for the C5.

Stock Man

The zinc coating is great and looks good too.

Touch of Fast

Huh????

ExRedRacer

Thou doest wax most eloquent. I am and shall always be most grateful for the enlightenment that thou hast seen fit to bestow upon me.

I dig the bling stuff too...

CAJUNY2KC5

What he said.....

FiberglassFan

Refreshing to find someone else who knows the real story.....This IS correct!

AU N EGL

Information from StopTech, Wilwood, AP Racing, Brembo and PBR ( manufacture of Corvette Brakes)


StopTech
Which is better, slotted or drilled rotors?

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. http://www.stoptech.com/faq/

Wilwood
Q: Why are some rotors drilled or slotted?
A: Rotors are drilled to reduce rotating weight, an issue near and dear to racers searching for ways to minimize unsprung weight. Drilling diminishes a rotor's durability and cooling capacity.

Slots or grooves in rotor faces are partly a carryover from the days of asbestos pads. Asbestos and other organic pads were prone to "glazing" and the slots tended to help "scrape or de-glaze" them. Drilling and slotting rotors has become popular in street applications for their pure aesthetic value. Wilwood has a large selection of drilled and slotted rotors for a wide range of applications. http://www.wilwood.com/Centers/Infor....asp#question7

AP Racing ( now owned by PBR )
Disc Face Types
Disc grooves and sometimes cross drilling are frequently used on racing brake discs to clean the surface of the pad and allow gases produced to escape.
In doing so the friction characteristics are modified, different groove and & drilling patterns affect the friction characteristics in different ways, some affect overall friction and others the bite or release characteristics and therefore the best solution is not necessarily the same for each application.
http://www.apracing.com/car/brakedisc/face.htm

Brembo
Ventilation gap
It is a popular misconception that the slots or drillings in a disc determinate the direction of rotation. In truth, for an internally vented disc, the geometry of the vanes dictates the direction of rotation.
http://www.brembo.com/ENG/Performanc...yStandard1.htm

PBR Brakes
What is the best way to take heat out of the brakes?
A. The most basic way to manage increased thermal energy in brakes is to increase the ability of the rotor to absorb and then dissipate heat. To absorb more heat it is necessary to increase the mass (weight) of the rotor in contact with the pads. This can be done with a larger outer rotor diameter, with greater rotor thickness, increasing the cheek thickness of vented rotors, and by increasing the radial depth of the pad lining. To improve heat dissipation it is generally necessary to increase the surface area of the rotor and again that can be done by increasing rotor outer diameter. Another way to improve cooling is to use vented rotors, or wider vents to allow more cooling air through.

Q. Do cross drilled or slotted rotors improve cooling?
A. Cross drilling or slotted surfaces do not improve cooling greatly. They do, however, assist the removal of gasses produced by the disc pads which in turn reduces the incidence of brake fade.

http://www.pbrperformance.com.au/qanda.htm

Modern brake pads technology no longer requires out gassing. Glazing of pads is also old technology of non ceramic pads. Ceramic pads are still subject to some glazing from repeated hard use. This does cause brake fade and partily why ceramic pads are not recomended for road race or track time.

New Carbon Metalic Ceramic brake rotors and pads are being developped by several manufacutres, Ferrari, Porsche and Brembo. These brake combination are used in racing and are very very expenisve. Do these CMC brakes last longer? Not really but they are very veyr light and significalty reduce unsprong weight. Do they brake better, yes much better. do they have brake dust. Well carbon brake pads on carbon rotors will give more dust then an Oklahoma dust storm. Just look at the F1 cars after a race.

Raybestos Video
Some like it HOT Video http://www.raybestos.com/usa/rotorsvideo.htm