Upgraded brakes

[drivemusicnow]

Here is my point.. You prefer drilled and slotted with axxis mm's over WHAT???
not saying you haven't, but to make a fair comparison, have you ever used the same pads on solid rotors??

First, why people generally are agaisnt drilled rotors: The drilling process usually compromises the integrity of the rotor. With a piece of metal that goes through a decent heat range, this = cracking. (sometimes they're really small cracks.. but still there) crossdrilling removes MORE braking surface than slotting does in most cases. doing both is even worse!
brake rotors are designed to convert kinetic energy into heat energy. when taking away materials, you're lessoning the rotors ability to do this. plus... find me a racing team that still uses cross drilled rotors.

slots are not meant to increase friction, they are mainly there for 1 reason. to remove gasses from in between the pad and rotor surface (the only reason drilling is done too). PERIOD. they don't do anything for heat (actually lesson the discs abbility to absorb heat) they really don't add any friction (very very very minimal)


read here for more info http://www.gti-vr6.net/library/wheel...ed_rotors.html

sooo best depends on what kind of use they are for. and if you're not going to be hard on them... Blanks stick out as by far the best choice to me.

[SVX10]

Originally posted by drivemusicnow
slots are not meant to increase friction, they are mainly there for 1 reason. to remove gasses from in between the pad and rotor surface (the only reason drilling is done too). PERIOD. they don't do anything for heat (actually lesson the discs abbility to absorb heat) they really don't add any friction (very very very minimal)

Actually, slots do more than evacuate gasses...that's probably 2nd on the list of what slots do. Slots shave the pads so that you are constantly getting a fresh pad surface in contact with the rotor. Think about heat distribution on the pad...it's gonna be greates at the surface. Granted, the front pads only take about 5% of the total heat, but shaving off that top layer shaves off the hottest layer.

Edit: Also, almost more important than shaving off the hottest layer, since the actual thickness is minimal, the slots keep that flat pad surface for a more even force distribution over the pad (the force distribution will never be exacly equal because the force is applied over the piston area only, not the entire back of the pad) This helps to avoid concentrated areas of higher heat. If I'm not mistaken, it's these areas that cause accumulation of pad deposits and the associated "warped" feel.

I will agree with you that a blank is probably best in a street use situation. With that said, I'm planning to buy slotted rotors soon I'd just feel dumb saying I intentionally bought blank rotors...all the people that I'm trying to impress with my car mods would just think that's stupid! Plus my wheels have those humongous openings, so the slots will look good. hehehe.

[wawazat??]

Something else to keep in mind is the noise these generate. It may not be important to everyone, but both drilled and slotted rotors make more noise when stopping than plain smooth faced rotors.

Todd

[SVXer95]

1) If 34 oz is the big bottle, about a hand and a half high, yes, you should be fine. Just make sure to keep switching wheels and following the proper pattern. iirc it is RF, LR, LF, RR.

2) IMO, you probably aren't going to be able to tell the performance difference from blanks. BUT, it is there, and if you want to know you have it, go with BRADI (brembo) blanks and slots.

3) Todd is right, slotted rotors make a bit of a faint clicking noise. Hard to notice unless the windows are down, but it is there.

[SVXer95]

BLEEDING PROCEDURES
Ensure joints and connections of brake system do not leak.
Bleed air from brake system in sequence. See
BRAKELINE BLEEDING SEQUENCE table. Time interval between release and
depression of brake pedal during bleeding should be 3-4 seconds. Open
brake cylinder bleeder screw for 1-2 seconds on every pressure stroke.
BRAKELINE BLEEDING SEQUENCE TABLE





























































Application Sequence
SVX ....................... (1) HP, (1) HS, RF, LR, LF, RR
(1) - HP (hydraulic unit primary bleeder between LF and RR);
HS (hydraulic unit secondary bleeder between RF
and LR). See ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM article.




Above is taken from Mitchell On Demand. I didn't bleed the abs system, just the wheels. Flush until fluid is completely clear.

[NiftySVX]

Dot 5 (purple) brake fluid is not reccomended for use with ABS because it airates very easily. As long as you keep the fluid clean, dot 3 or 4 is just as good unless you are autocrossing or something. Be careful to those with ABS, but te LE doesn't have it so knock yourself out.

[NiftySVX]

I would anticipate that an abs system with dot 5 fluid would cause an accident. If ABS were to activate, I believe it would airate the fluid so quickly that the pedal would go to the floor and the brakes would not work/work very little.

I don't want to see anyone crash their SVX!

[TomsSVX]

thank you for the info on drilled and slotted rotors. Thats some stuff I did not know. Anyways I am going to stick with my rotors. I am not racing ecxept occasionally and i am not auto crossing unless i find a windy... track . My brakes performed almost twice as well after I installed the drilled and slotted rotors on both cars and my 94 L does not have ABS I have judgment from both angles. Regaurdless of all the technical data, My brakes perform better than my blanks ever did. Thats just my opinion though.

Tom

Thanks for all the rotor info. Most of it I knew, but there were a few new tidbits in there.

I'm still going to go with slotted rotors over blanks. I am pretty rough on braking anyway, but with the steep hills here in the Capitol Hill district of Seattle, WA... the roughness gets even worse. I've only been here for about 5 months, and had the brake fluid changed only a couple months prior to that. When I moved here, the fluid was still a nice tan color. It is now a dark, dark brown. Ewww.

I also plan on getting into some good ol' track fun within the next 6 - 9 months.

So, now that the slotted rotors are the definite decision, where should I get them?!

By the way, I do not have ABS (hate it anyway), so using DOT 5 will not be a problem... Going to use Valvoline synthetic anyway.

[Beav]

You'll like the slotted rotors when it is raining, they allow the water (and steam) an escape route and you'll notice a better brake feel. They do tend to make a little noise/feel, but it gets better over time.

[Myetball]

The problem with DOT 5 was that is was a silicone based product. I'm pretty sure silicone based DOT 5 would be hard to find, only the military still uses it. The new standard is DOT 5.1. The following is taken from the Synlube website: http://www.synlube.com/

DOT 5.1 -- Non-Silicone Synthetic Brake Fluid

LONG LIFE 100% synthetic fluid for hydraulically actuated-brake and clutch systems. (Based on Polyglycol chemistry).

DOT 5.1 NON-SILICONE BASE suitable for up-grade from DOT 3 or DOT 4.

Fluidity specially designed for anti-locking brake systems (ABS).

Fully compatible and miscible with Conventional Brake Fluids.

This version is crystal clear and has extra solvency which has the ability to clean and put into suspension gum and sludge deposits formed by conventional brake fluids.

No special procedures are required when bleeding and replacing conventional system fluids with SynLube™ Stop-4-Life™ Brake Fluids.

Typical service life 60 months for DOT 5.1 Standard Formula

DOT 5.1 -- Long-Life Non-Silicone Synthetic

EXTRA LONG LIFE 100% synthetic fluid for hydraulically actuated-brake and clutch systems. (Based on Polyglycol chemistry).

DOT 5.1 NON-SILICONE BASE suitable for up-grade from DOT 3 or DOT 4.

Fluidity specially designed for anti-locking brake systems (ABS).

Fully compatible and miscible with Conventional Brake Fluids.

This version has extra anti corrosion additives that protect ferrous, white and yellow metal brake system components.

This fluid is clear and golden yellow in color.

No special procedures are required when bleeding and replacing conventional system fluids with SynLube™ Stop-4-Life™ Brake Fluids.

Typical service life up to 10 years for DOT 5.1 Extra Long Life Formula

Overkill. Just use this:

http://www.valvoline.com/pages/produ...asp?product=51

Well, I just ordered the Akebono ProACT pads from tirerack.com. $137 total, including shipping... Not bad, and it leaves a fair amount of space for some rotors. $163 of the budget is left!

Actually, it's not really a budget - $300 is just a preference. lol.

Tomorrow or Tuesday I will be purchasing the Valvoline SynPower brake fluid, and a set of jack stands with a floor jack (I lost mine when I moved out of my parents house, as they were my Dad's anyway).

Speaking of which, anyone have any recommendations on a floor jack w/ a pair of stands? Perhaps I'll start another thread...

[drivemusicnow]

theres two thoughts that go through my head when i'm buying jackstands and jacks...
1) a jackstand.. is a jackstand.. is a jackstand

2) I'm going to be lying under a 3800 lbs car while these peices of metal hold it up.

good luck with your decision

floor jacks don't have to be so expensive.. i'd suggest a 30-50 dollar one... as long as you NEVER are underneath a car with it only supported by a jack, you'll be fine.