Replacing brakes but I have drilled & slotted rotors- advice?

[Gearheadvr4]

I'm overdue to replace my brakes but i'm not sure where to go for the rotors. Auto parts stores generally don't want to turn them and 5 machine shops I called couldn't do them either. Need a special machine?

I'd like to save them since they were expensive and also I have none of the cracking associated with the the cheap made rotors.

[R/T93]

Why cant you re-use them? Is your concern a new brake pad compound? Are they wearing unevenly? You can sand the rotors with some rough steel wool and/or 150 grit sandpaper to remove most of the bedded brake pad material from your old pads. You can then re-use them confidently and bed in the new pads properly.

Disc Brake Rotors & Pads | R1Concepts.com

The R1 concepts seem to have a decent rep in the 3/S world. I personally wouldnt ever buy cross drilled rotors, ever, because I track my car. Also, today's pads don't outgas like pads 20 years ago did, cross drilled is an extra option for the brake manufacturer to make money on, reduce the surface area of your brake rotor, and crack (when raced hard). However, you have not had problems, and you probably like the look, so getting them again shouldnt cause you any problems at all. If I never tracked or raced my car hard I wouldnt have any problems with cross drilled rotors.

As for a machine shop cutting slotted and drilled rotors, good luck, in the commercial brake world slotted/cross drilled rotors are not to be machined at all.

If you have any other questions about brakes just ask here or PM me, hope this helps you some.

[wingnut]

+1 for R1, got 70,000 on mine

[Gearheadvr4]

Well the rear brakes wore down too fast on my trip for me to stop and change em. It cut into the rotor a bit. I could get them somewhat smooth again by sanding but last time I tried that it was still uneven and braking made the front wobble to a stop. That darn track at NG was so fun I killed my front pads. Had to swap them in the parking lot.

So you think I cannot get anywhere to machine them flat? I really want to reuse them If these are toast, recommend the R1 blanks? No slotted or drilled? I track the car very rarely. Maybe twice a year.

[wingnut]

yep, if you track at all RT has the right idea with running the blanks...

[R/T93]

Yes, Gearhead, a good set of quality blanks will wear better and stop the same as any other rotor. Slotted rotors are good for the track becuase they wear away the pad faster, revealing fresh material, but they still have the same braking friction as blanks.

Unless you know a friend or something at a car repair place, I doubt you will get anyone to machine your current brakes
If the wear mark isnt too wide (> 1/16") it is probably OK.

If you want to get a good upgrade but don't mind spending 1000 dollars, the WIDE brake rotor setup that Supercarengineering.com sells (Thats Philip) is really nice. They are 5mm wider than stock, and are 2 pc. They utilize the stock caliper, even. I have that on my car and it performs very well.

[Gearheadvr4]

$1000! If I went to the track a lot, maybe. Not in the budget with all the other stuff going into the car now. But the R1 seems like a good option.

The outside. Not sure on the other side yet.

[R/T93]

If you are able to measure the overall thickness of the rotor you would be better able to determine if you are going to keep them or not.

I know the fronts are 30.0mm and if down to 28.6mm it is recommended you change them. I am unsure of the thickness of the rears, but if you remove them there may be a stamped MIN. THICKNESS value on the inside somewhere. Or check in a manual or do a search, I am on travel right now and dont have my book otherwise I would look it up for you.

Or, see that band on the inside of the rotor, where the brake pad doesnt touch, if that step is substantial (it doesnt look like it) its time to replace the rotor.

The pic looks OK, I can tell there are some wear marks but they dont look bad at all, maybe another pic with a flash that hits the rotor and not the wheel? lol. Or use a flashlight.

[UTRacerX9]

Crossdrilled and slotted rotors can be turned just fine, I've done it personally. I'm guessing most companies just don't want the liability associated with it if the rotors crack shortly after service. If you have a friend working for an auto shop somewhere, that's probably your best bet.

[Jimvr4]

Gearhead - Did you find someone to do them?

I have dimpled and slotted rotors and want to resurface them when I install new pads. In my searches I found claims that it requires the right type of lathe to do them.

UTRacerx9 - How much material would you remove if you just wanted a fresh surface and weren't experiencing any major judder? My main issue is that stopping power is just not there and I suspect the reason is moisture absorption in my Motul600 fluid. I seem to recall it has a greater tendency for this and I've been remiss in changing the fluid out on a regular basis. So, the plan is to drain all the fluid, freshen the powder coats, resurface the rotors and install new pads on the front. The rears still have a ton of wear left in them so I'll just inspect the E-brake shoes and call it a day on those.