Searching for the right brake setup, Brakes Options

[94celi757]

So i did some searching on the forums and came across a little info on slotted vs cross drilled and slotted rotors, now before i have this thread in a war going back in fourth between the two, now i know that many say to get a slotted rotor with some nice pads, and some say they have drilled and slotted, me asking around it looks liked drilled and slotted are more for looks although the holes are great for wet weather and the slots emit gases, but i hear that these are more prone to cracking and they are the least reliable. Im looking into getting slotted rotora rotors with some ebc pads, between the red pads or the ultimax pads, let me know what your experiences have been with the two, i know i will save money if i get some brembo blanks and get some nice pads.

[Fastbird]

I'm ordering the Red Stuff pads soon, so I'll report back. I will say that you're talking about a NIGHT AND DAY difference between the EBC Red Stuff pads and the EBC Ultimax pads. The ultimax are a OEM quality replacement, the Red Stuff is a kevlar/ceramic pad that's far and beyond better than the ultimax, but the price reflects this too.....

[94celi757]

Sounds good yeah i heard nothing but good feedback on the red pads but everyone is different when it comes to there car, yeah let me know your experience with these pads. What do you think about the rotors, slotted or drilled and slotted.

[Fastbird]

Slotted. Save the drilled for show cars. You WILL get cracks with a drilled rotor no matter who makes it.

[Galcobar]

Well, Porsche has its rotors cast with holes -- they're what drilled rotors aspire to be, except drilling greatly weakens the structure of the rotor.

The offgassing issue is a non-issue, unless you're using 1950s brakepads. Modern pads as a rule do not offgas. Glazing, which is the point of slotted rotors, is also much less of an issue. Actually, if you're getting glazing, you're using the wrong type of pads for your application (e.g. street pads while on the track).

[Fastbird]

Well, Porsche has its rotors cast with holes -- they're what drilled rotors aspire to be, except drilling greatly weakens the structure of the rotor.

The offgassing issue is a non-issue, unless you're using 1950s brakepads. Modern pads as a rule do not offgas. Glazing, which is the point of slotted rotors, is also much less of an issue. Actually, if you're getting glazing, you're using the wrong type of pads for your application (e.g. street pads while on the track).

They do, but they develop cracks too. Heck, my best friend has a Baer Track setup on his Z28, and those came drilled/slotted from Baer along with being cryogenic treated. Guess what? They were stress fracturing in 5k miles at the holes. Cross drilled are more for dedicated track cars that are looking for reciprocating weight savings that don't depend on the rotors for daily run of the milll driving. And the show crowd. Stick with a slotted or even a good quality blank, you'll be fine.

[blu94gt]

I vote for some Brembo blanks, if you were to drive your car with those and a set of slotted rotors to compare, you wouldn't know the difference. Our little cars don't need that kind of braking power, especially if you're just driving on the street. Invest the money in good pads, those will be VERY noticeable.

[cardshark525]

I currently have Brembo blanks and EBC Ultimax and I'm quite satisfied with them. I was also looking to get the red stuff pads but I was afraid that they might eat up my rotors. Does anyone have any idea whether this is a legitimate concern? The other reason I didn't get the red stuff was that they allegedly have a shorter life than the yellow stuff. Anyone actually running yellow stuff pads that can comment on their performance?

I would definitely go with the red stuff pads if your looking for added performance, but the new rotors much as you might want them (I do too), might only cause problems if they go to crap after 5k miles like others have said. I personally would go with a Brembo blank and EBC red stuff setup, but as asked earlier... would those pads eat up the rotor? Would the yellow stuff be a better choice?

[Fastbird]

I currently have Brembo blanks and EBC Ultimax and I'm quite satisfied with them. I was also looking to get the red stuff pads but I was afraid that they might eat up my rotors. Does anyone have any idea whether this is a legitimate concern? The other reason I didn't get the red stuff was that they allegedly have a shorter life than the yellow stuff. Anyone actually running yellow stuff pads that can comment on their performance?

I would definitely go with the red stuff pads if your looking for added performance, but the new rotors much as you might want them (I do too), might only cause problems if they go to crap after 5k miles like others have said. I personally would go with a Brembo blank and EBC red stuff setup, but as asked earlier... would those pads eat up the rotor? Would the yellow stuff be a better choice?

Shouldn't be a concern unless you're REALLY looking to abuse stuff.

I am waiting on my pads to come in, though at this point I'm not sure if they'll be here before I try to get the GT4 front calipers on my car.

[k-weaver]

I'm running a set of EBC OE pads all around. Only issue here is they seem to produce alot of brake dust which in turn leads to alot of noise. Other than that they work well. I also just put on a set of Hawk HPS pads on my fiance's 99 grand am. I must say that I like these alot better than the EBC OE pads and they were cheaper.

I got the Hawk pads on ebay for $24 free shipping. Check them out here - http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Hawk-Performan...p;submit=Search

[nics]

I'm running a set of EBC OE pads all around. Only issue here is they seem to produce alot of brake dust which in turn leads to alot of noise. Other than that they work well. I also just put on a set of Hawk HPS pads on my fiance's 99 grand am. I must say that I like these alot better than the EBC OE pads and they were cheaper.

I got the Hawk pads on ebay for $24 free shipping. Check them out here - http://stores.shop.ebay.com/Hawk-Performan...p;submit=Search

Great info! thanks