i'm looking into upgrading the rotors and pads all around on my 2002 s2k and have been looking at drilled and slotted or just slotted rotors. i wanted everyones advice on brands and which type to go with based on your experience. i have heard that drilled rotors have a tendency to crack if they are not very high dollar like wilwood or brembo. i also want to know how realistic it would be to try and get a set of upgraded rotors turned or if they can be turned at all. the car is my daily driver but is driven hard from time to time and i want a set up that is performance oriented but has longevity.

 

High-dollar does not change basic material science. Holes and slots are stress concentrators, and whether you pay big bucks for them or not, they will lead to increased propensity for cracking. Whether they actually crack or not depends on how much stress you put them under. Normal street use should be no problem. For track use, you would be a fool to use them.

 

I wouldn't consider Wilwood "high dollar"... or in the same category as Brembo's.

The rotors can still be turned regardless up to a certain point.

I wouldn't worry about cracked rotors for either application, but if you can't let it go, the slotted rotors would be the safer choice.

 

if you want to have performance and longevity, and its just going to be driven hard sometimes. then just get a pair of oem blanks or brembo blanks. u dont need slots, u dont need drilled, unless you really want the look. its been discussed that slots nor drilled are benefits for cooling or more performance, they are definately just cool looking.

what you need to focus on for braking is your pads and tires. if you MUST have slots or rotors, just got some slotted ones as drilled are more prone to cracking.

 

I concur with the above and offer some visual aids....


Picture 1 - shameful oem rotors off my car only a week and less than 100 miles. Despite much debate, Honda said "they look normal". So much rust on the wheels (and bits of ??) I replaced them.....


Not the best pict, but the only one I could find....standard issue mail-order slotted and cross-drilled. Worked fine for a couple years, even after a day at Sebring using stock pads. They rusted a bit too, but not bad.


Fast forward a few track events, add Carbotech pads up front and this is the end result on both front rotors....


I went with cryo'd and coated rotors from Tire Rack since the price was less than oem from Honda (about $70), they are finished off a bit nicer than most and seem like they should remain a bit more rust-free than some of the others. So far so good. I might sound like I'm dwelling on the rust issue too much but all things being equal among solid rotors, I'm more than happy to pay a few $$ more and have them NOT rust all over the place - especially if I'm not driving the car immediately after washing it!

 

Well, they do look normal. Rotors are just cast iron, you know. That rust has no effect on performance of the rotor.

As for looks, I guess that's totally in the eye of the beholder. I'm glad you found something that met all of your criteria, but there's nothing "shameful" with those OEM rotors in your picture (IMO).

 

Well, I guess I respectfully disagree, at least in part Mike. I have learned a ton from your many posts but while I agree 100% on the performance aspect, I disagree completely on your assessment of the visuals. Those rotors were effectively brand new in those pictures and washing bits of rust off the wheels in not right. There is a difference between surface oxidation on the swept area and bits of metal faking off. Even the basic casting looks very rough.

Since I'm on a picts kick, here is a pict of a rotor on my wife's 18 month old, 11k mile Acura I took 2 minutes ago. Virtually no rust. There is no reason whatsoever the S's rotors (or any car's) shouldn't look like that right out of the box and look that way until whatever coating the have wears off with heat cycling.

Again, no argument on the rotor's ability to act as a proper heat sink or provide a true surface for the pads.....

 

As I said, that's entirely a matter of the eye of the beholder.

As for the Acura, perhaps they have some sort of anti-rust coating. I do know my Element rotors are at least as rust-prone as my S2000 rotors.

 

 

And one further point is that the rusty OEM's will perform better that most slotted or drilled rotors out there. I have heard good things about the set you picked up from the Tire Rack. I plan to use them as replacements on my 2005 fairly soon. Hawk pads used on the track tend to cut through rotors fairly quickly.

I would appreciate any updates on your replacement rotors!