YACT: Are EBC or Brembo Slotted Rotors a Worthwile upgrade for a street/daily driver

[tnitsuj]

I need to change my rotors anyway, and I was wondering if it was worth the extra money to go to EBC or Brembo Slotted rotors:

Honda OEM: $90
EBC Slotted: $150
Brembo Slotted: $200

(All prices for a pair)

I am not going to be going racing with my damn Honda, but I want the best possible braking, and was wondering if those rotors were indeed an upgrade. I will be using OEM honda pads with whatever I get.

 

[Mutilator]

Slotted is definately better for braking... but I wouldn't spend $110 more/pair.

 

[HokieESM]

In all honesty, it probably won't make a difference. Here's the BIGGEST question to ask yourself--how easily can you lock up the brakes now? If its relatively easily, then I wouldn't invest in "more rotor".... brake lockup occurs when your TIRES can't take any more deceleration. I think (if you're planning on running the stock wheels/tires) that you should just save your cash.

Now, if you have non-stock tires, you might benefit from bigger rotors. If all you're looking at is stock-sized slotted rotors, then pass. Slots are usually there to help vent gases that build up from extremely hard braking and to help cool the rotors. Driving on the street, neither of these should be a problem. Bigger rotors can help--but then you have to work at calibrating them--you don't want your brakes to lock up the instant you touch the pedal.

Anyways.... good luck!

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Not worth it, unless you're purposely going for the boy racer look. Slotted and cross-drilled rotors are supposed to be great at dissipating heat after intense use around a race track - not stopping quicker. For street use, just stick with the OEM, or better yet, get your current rotors turned and reused.

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: KnightBreed
Not worth it, unless you're purposely going for the boy racer look. Slotted and cross-drilled rotors are supposed to be great at dissipating heat after intense use around a race track - not stopping quicker. For street use, just stick with the OEM, or better yet, get your current rotors turned and reused.

<--- what's wrong with the boy racer look?

but yeah they're right ...its gonna be one of those feel good but more than you need things if you get slotted rotors for daily driving.

 

[Howard]

Originally posted by: HokieESM
In all honesty, it probably won't make a difference. Here's the BIGGEST question to ask yourself--how easily can you lock up the brakes now? If its relatively easily, then I wouldn't invest in "more rotor".... brake lockup occurs when your TIRES can't take any more deceleration. I think (if you're planning on running the stock wheels/tires) that you should just save your cash.

Now, if you have non-stock tires, you might benefit from bigger rotors. If all you're looking at is stock-sized slotted rotors, then pass. Slots are usually there to help vent gases that build up from extremely hard braking and to help cool the rotors. Driving on the street, neither of these should be a problem. Bigger rotors can help--but then you have to work at calibrating them--you don't want your brakes to lock up the instant you touch the pedal.

Anyways.... good luck!

Good post. And I'm not sure I agree with KnightBreed. Slotted and/or cross-drilled rotors only have a minimal advantage over standard rotors in surface area.

 

[tnitsuj]

well since I don't care how it looks and it seems as if the consesnsus is that it will not really improve things for day to day driving...OEM it is.

 

[RayH]

Better pads will make a bigger difference. Check out the Porterfield R4S.

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Originally posted by: Howard

Originally posted by: HokieESM
In all honesty, it probably won't make a difference. Here's the BIGGEST question to ask yourself--how easily can you lock up the brakes now? If its relatively easily, then I wouldn't invest in "more rotor".... brake lockup occurs when your TIRES can't take any more deceleration. I think (if you're planning on running the stock wheels/tires) that you should just save your cash.

Now, if you have non-stock tires, you might benefit from bigger rotors. If all you're looking at is stock-sized slotted rotors, then pass. Slots are usually there to help vent gases that build up from extremely hard braking and to help cool the rotors. Driving on the street, neither of these should be a problem. Bigger rotors can help--but then you have to work at calibrating them--you don't want your brakes to lock up the instant you touch the pedal.

Anyways.... good luck!

Good post. And I'm not sure I agree with KnightBreed. Slotted and/or cross-drilled rotors only have a minimal advantage over standard rotors in surface area.

Advantage in surface area? By cutting slots or holes into the rotor you're losing surface area. If you want to stop quicker, get larger rotors and pads or stronger calipers (better calipers will kill the wear time of the OEM pads/rotors). Using slotted or cross-drilled rotors is a waste of money unless you spend your days racing around a test circuit.

Supposedly, the slots help prevent gases getting trapped between the pads and rotors, but this is a non-issue for street use.

edit: fixed some grammar mistakes

 

[Mr.IncrediblyBored]

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: KnightBreed
Not worth it, unless you're purposely going for the boy racer look. Slotted and cross-drilled rotors are supposed to be great at dissipating heat after intense use around a race track - not stopping quicker. For street use, just stick with the OEM, or better yet, get your current rotors turned and reused.

<--- what's wrong with the boy racer look?

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

 

[KokomoGST]

Knightbreed's right... it's mainly a non-issue for street use. For one thing, if you're in a Honda, then you might still be on the puny stock calipers and puny stock tires. So you'd prolly be tire-limited or brake force limited. The rotors have very little to do with shortening the braking distance, using OEM pads will increase your stopping distance. An aggressive aftermarket pad will reduce your stopping distance.

I have slotted Brembos on my car... but I have 235 series tires and dual piston calipers up front with 11.7" rotors. Reason why I have slots? They channel away water in the wet and they help keep my rotors from retaining too much heat on an autocross. BTW, slots do decrease the pad life a tad, those gaps act like knives under hard braking. BTW, whenever it rains... I have orange rotors... definitely not boyracer. More like EWWW...

 

[HokieESM]

Originally posted by: KokomoGST
Knightbreed's right... it's mainly a non-issue for street use. For one thing, if you're in a Honda, then you might still be on the puny stock calipers and puny stock tires. So you'd prolly be tire-limited or brake force limited. The rotors have very little to do with shortening the braking distance, using OEM pads will increase your stopping distance. An aggressive aftermarket pad will reduce your stopping distance.

I have slotted Brembos on my car... but I have 235 series tires and dual piston calipers up front with 11.7" rotors. Reason why I have slots? They channel away water in the wet and they help keep my rotors from retaining too much heat on an autocross. BTW, slots do decrease the pad life a tad, those gaps act like knives under hard braking. BTW, whenever it rains... I have orange rotors... definitely not boyracer. More like EWWW...

Good points, KokomoGST. I had a modified Civic hatchback for quite awhile (although, it was only a race-car... I didn't drive it on the street). The stock wheels/tires on a standard Civic are the weakest link there--they're made to last a long time, have good tire-wear, and not cost a fortune. The stock brakes on the stock wheels/tires are more than adequate (you can still lock them up with ease). Now, switch to a stickier tire (even the same size) and it starts to change--even more so if you go wider. THEN the stock rotors/pads are inadequate.... and you can benefit. But the first thing I'd recommend is getting BIGGER rotors (not slotted/cross-drilled)... or bigger AND slotted (if you want to pay the dough). Keep in mind that its hard to get much more than 12" of rotor on a Civic, no matter what you do.

Anyways. if you're looking for better stopping power, buy some new pads. Also, I think you'd be surprised how much you could learn in a few days at the track about the stopping ability of your car--most people aren't stopping as fast as they could be, even on the stock stuff. Good luck!