Drilled and Slotted Rotors are some of the the best Brake Rotors in the industry. SP Drilled and Slotted Rotors stand above the rest, with no sharp edges on the brake rotor surface, there is little to no risk of cracking or heat checking. The ACDelco Gold brake rotors (formerly ACDelco Professional) are premium quality and one of the best aftermarket rotors around. They can be used on either the left or right side of your vehicle. These rotors have undergone numerous tests and have been proven to provide superior balance and smoothness in its braking performance. The substantial improvement in braking you will feel and the warranty that is included with every performance drilled and slotted brake rotor, is worth the upgrade over stock replacement rotors. The Difference Between Semi Metallic and Ceramic Brake Pads. When deciding what brake pads are best for your vehicle, there are many factors to consider. Power Stop K6407-36 Rear Z36 Truck & Tow Brake Kit, Carbon Fiber Ceramic Brake Pads and Drilled/Slotted Brake Rotors 4.8 out of 5 stars 76 $274.49 $ 274. 49 $435.82 $435.82.

Different PowerStop brake kits come with different types of rotors. It’s good to know the differences in the modifications on the rotors and how they may benefit you.

The Science Behind Heat Transfer in Rotors

Drill holes and slots in rotors can both improve braking, but under different braking scenarios. To understand how these rotor modifications can improve stopping power, it is first necessary to understand the three forms of heat transfer:

All three methods of heat transfer occur when you apply the brakes. During a typical stop, the heat transfer is about 25% conductive, 35% convective, 40% radiation. For a high temperature, high speed stop, the heat transfer is about 15% conductive, 40% convective, 45% radiation. At high speed, convection heat transfer is very important. This is why drill holes can help reduce the brake temperaure. The drill holes help air flow through the vanes. The brake temperature can drop up to 180 degrees. Brake pads work better at lower temperatures, and you reduce the risk of pulsating brakes as well.

So, Drilled or Slotted?

Slotted rotors do not improve any heat transfer. However, the slots can improve brake output by removing gas and dust that is trapped between the pad and rotor. This gas and dust reduces the friction force by preventing the pad from fully contacting the rotor.

Given the choice between drill holes and slots, the drill holes will give you better braking power over slots for normal city/highway driving. This is why high end BMW, Porsche, Corvette, and Mercedes rotors are drilled, not slotted. However, for track racing (high speed stops), slotted rotors are the better choice.

To find the right brake kit for your vehicle: www.powerstop.com
PowerStop brake kit installation videos: Installation Videos
More PowerStop video content: www.youtube.com/user/PowerstopMedia/
For more helpful Tips and How To: www.powerstop.com/info/how-tos/

Remember, Don’t Just Stop…PowerStop!

So, your vehicle is due for a brake pad and rotor replacement.

The question is, how do you know which style of brake rotor is right for your vehicle and driving style?

Do you just commute to and from work, or are you planning on towing heavy loads or doing the occasional track day?

The amount of different rotor options out there can leave your head ‘spinning’ (because the rotors spin, geddit?).

Solid rotor

The first option is the solid brake rotor.

This is a simple design and, as the name suggests, is a solid design usually made from iron.

These are the cheapest rotors you can buy but are less effective at dissipating the heat caused from multiple hard stops, so are only suitable for the inner city runaround.

Solid rotors are fitted to the rear of some vehicles as the rear brakes only account for roughly 30% of the combined braking effort.

Vented rotor

The next, and most common form of brake rotor, is the vented rotor.

These are a similar design to the solid rotor, apart from they have cooling veins located between the two surfaces.

When brake pads are pushed during multiple hard stops, they release gases which prevent proper contact with the disc rotor.

What Kind Of Brake Pads For Drilled And Slotted Rotors

This is the main culprit of the phenomenon known as ‘brake fade '.

The veins in vented rotors allow the hot gases to dissipate, increasing the service life of the rotors and brake pads.

Most modern cars will have these rotors on the front of the vehicle with solid rotors on the rear, and this will work perfectly fine for your daily commute and even towing smaller loads (a box trailer, jetski etc) where there is additional weight to bring to a stop.

Drilled rotor

The next step up from the vented rotor is the drilled rotor.

Drilled rotors are designed to dissipate the gases created by constant hard stops using a number of small holes drilled into the faces of vented rotors.

While this is good to reduce brake fade, drilled rotors can be structurally compromised due to the weakening of the faces.

If you’re only driving on the street and towing infrequently this isn’t a problem, but if you are tracking your car and pushing the brakes as hard as they can go, it might be worth moving onto the next style of rotors.

Slotted/grooved rotor

These are known as slotted or grooved rotors.

Again, these are based on vented rotors but instead of drilling holes, diagonal slots are machined into the faces.

These slots, or grooves, do not go the whole way through the rotor, so they do not affect the structural integrity like drilling does.

They provide the same function of removing the gases produced under hard braking, and the slots also ‘clean’ the face of the pad, removing any built-up brake dust.

Best Brake Pads For Slotted And Drilled Rotors Ford

The downside to these style of rotors is the increased pad wear. The edges of the slots increase friction, which in turn increases the wear on the brake pads.

So which rotors are right for your vehicle and driving style?

For 90% of the population, and depending on what your vehicle was fitted with from factory, standard vented and solid rotors will be more than up to the task of what you can throw at them.

If you're planning on towing frequently, live in a mountainous area where your brakes build up heat on the descent, or like to take your pride and joy to the track and pretend you’re a world class racing driver, it may be worth upgrading your rotors to a drilled or slotted set.

It might also be worth looking at different brake pad material to ensure your brakes bring you to a halt consistently and safely, time after time.

Finding a passion for cars from a young age, Joel carried out work experience as a mechanic whilst at school before starting an apprenticeship after finishing year 12.

After almost 10 years on the tools and in customer service, he moved into the IT realm as a Data Analyst and In-House mechanic at AutoGuru.