| It is pretty well
accepted that current pad technology do not outgas substantially anymore. Note also
that it is more difficult to "turn" the rotors once they warp (from excessive
heat).
On the other hand, those who favor drilling/slotting
argue that even though surface area and mass is slightly decreased, cross drilling
enhances cooling for lower rotor tempertures, thereby reducing brake fade and rotor
warpage, enhancing rotor life, and resulting in shorter stopping distances, especially in
wet weather as water now has an easy escape path. As for the difficulty in
"turning" warped rotors, they'll claim that a properly sized rotor that
dissipates heat correctly will not warp in the first place! We must agree with them
on this point!
As for slots, there are some manufacturers/experts who insist upon
"sharp" edges to enhance the initial bite of the pads, essentially skinning off
the top layer on every brake application and never allowing a glazed coating to establish,
while others dismiss this as just a way to eat up brake pads in a hurry!
So who do you believe? We honestly can't come to a definitive
conclusion, and must admit that we lack the necessary equipment to correctly perform
scientifically controlled tests to substantiate any claims. We do note however that
all true racing machines used solely for track competition have drilled/slotted rotors, as
do motorcycles. The only production street cars that have drilled/slotted rotors to
our knowledge are a high performance Saab, some Porsches, and Ferrari.
So, based on the above confusion, we're keeping out of this argument
and offering these purely on their looks alone, and we must admit, they do look very good
- hey, that's good enough reason to need a set on our car! |
