Slotted rotors are also modified solid vented brake rotors at heart, Autoguru reports. But why would you want to deliberately remove parts of your brake rotors?
Turns out, there are a few good reasons. But rotor thickness is just one aspect of braking performance. Even more important are the brake pads themselves and the heat they produce. When you press the brake pedal, the pads clamp down on the rotor via the caliper. And through friction, your vehicle slows down. However, that friction creates heat and wears away at the pads and the rotors.
This releases dust—from the rotors mostly, not the pads, Car and Driver reports—as well as hot gases. Plus, they let water escape more easily from the braking surface, The Drive reports.
While that seems dangerous, it has a practical purpose. As a result, you can rely on these pads to deliver effective braking even in heavy duty vehicles. Slotted brake rotors are not without their disadvantages: They tend to have a shorter life compared with other types of brake rotors, and may shorten the life of brake pads as well. When you are coming to a stop from a high speed, you can feel a rumble from the rotors.
They will still perform safely; you may just find the noise unpleasant. Like drilled rotors, they work well for wet climates where frequent rain is a consideration. They perform well, although not necessarily better than other styles of brake rotors. These newer brake rotors are starting to appear on some luxury cars, including Mercedes and BMW. Drilled and slotted rotors do work particularly well for tow vehicles, trucks, and other cars that carry heavy loads.
Heavier vehicles require more energy to come to a stop safely, and this type of brake rotor excels at delivering it. Far and away, most new cars come with blank rotors installed both for maximum effectiveness across driving conditions and for cost effectiveness.
If you do not drive aggressively, have a luxury car, or seek a brake rotor that is quiet above all, smooth rotors can be the right choice for you.
A top choice for endurance racers who need a brake pad that can hold up through a long race, as well as an overall inexpensive brake rotor choice, smooth or blank brake rotors can work very well for many needs.
They tend to be the longest lasting overall, while also produce very little dust and are quiet to operate. It is precisely the plain nature of these brake rotors that makes them last longer: Without any drill holes or slots there is little room for cracks to develop. There are not many cons to having a blank rotor. Some drivers have a misconception that they should choose slotted or drilled rotors over blank rotors for superior performance.
This is not necessarily true, so do not feel the need to select a particular type of brake rotor over the misunderstanding that it is better than another style of brake rotor. It all depends on how you drive your vehicle and how you would like it to stop.
If you are happy with the type of brake rotor currently used in your car — which you should be able to view after removing the wheel — it may make sense to just replace the rotor with the same rotor. The quality of the metal from which a rotor is cast has a major impact on rotor life and performance. The better the metallurgy in the rotor, the better it will perform on the vehicle. Economy rotors are typically made from the cheapest scrap iron.
Quality can be very inconsistent from batch to batch and even from one rotor to the next. This can create hard spots that lead to warping and pedal pulsation problems later on as the rotors wear.
Rotors that are too soft may wear quickly, while rotors that are too hard may increase pad wear or be noisy. Poor-quality castings that lack the proper hardness and strength are also more likely to warp or crack at high temperature.
An economy rotor may appear to be nearly identical to a premium-quality rotor, but the metallurgy is often far different. There are many different grades of cast iron, and some make much better brake rotors than others. The specific metallurgy affects its sound qualities, the hardness and wear-resistance of the rotor, and even its friction characteristics. Some economy rotors also have thinner facings than standard or premium rotors to reduce weight and cost.
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