abutler696

Hey guys...little question for those who are knoledgeable. I went down to autozone the other day and was talking to the manager there about cross-drilled rotors/brake pads. He told me cross-drilled rotors are only for looks and heating prevention. He said that brake pads make the real difference and I can get titanium brake pads for my car which are the best for around $60. They also don't leave any brake dust and double the braking power. Anyone know where I can get these. Can an amateur install them? Thanks, Adam

black sc

Never heard of titanium pads but, if they exist. They'll eat up your rotors like crazy not, to mention if it is based on that compund. It may cuase more squeaking. Sorry, don't know where. Sounds more like a name than, an actual compound. If you're experimenting with new compounds might,, as well get full metallic brake pads. Is that what you're talking about?

MadMaxSC400

Titanium is one of the toughest materials in the world. It's a bad idea to install this without knowing what it will do. I would fear that the rotors would get destroyed by a metal that hard.

Keith13b

iTrader: (3)

Any performance brake pads will tear thru the rotors by nature of design. The better the pads, the shorter the life of the rotor. I'm guessing that these "titanium" pads are mearly "full metallic" pads and someone just misinterpreted the name of them.

And the Autozone guy is quite correct. Crossdrilled or slotted rotors, unless used on the track, is solely for looks; in fact they will reduce performance on a daily driver. They are designed to relieve pressure of air/moisture/brake-dust that builds up on/in the metal that, under EXTREME heat will prevent the pad from making full contact on the rotor. The holes or slots allow these gasses or particles to escape, thus allowing the pad to naturally do its job. These holes/slots will decrease the surface area of the rotor, reducing the braking ability of the system. With the good comes the bad. Thats why alot of slower tracks racers use just sloted rotors, as opposed to drilled. Allows release of gasses, but still has more contact area to allow better stopping ability.

Using drilled rotors on the street doesn't do much. Not even the heaviest of lead foots can simulate the extreme conditions of a track on the highway (traction fails before brakes do). The life span of these rotors is much shorter as well. Over time (since these rotors are expected to be eaten up by the pads anyway) they will develope small cracks around the drill holes if not replaced regurarly due to rapid temp changes. This leads to warping; and many shops will not turn a drilled rotor.

A good set of performance, yet streetable pads, will be the best thing for our cars. Race pads are great for racing, but nothing sucks more than having to warm the brakes up on your way to work on a cold January morning.....


Keith

old_s13

Keith is pretty much correct with his post, but I disagree in saying that slotted would reduce performance vs a standard rotor. Slotted rotors are more aggressive toward the pad and also keep your pads from glazing - all of this increases performance.

Cross-drilled are a complete waste of time UNLESS they are cast-rotors which are usually only available for big-brake kits (brembo etc). Everything else is drilled by aftermarket companies as Brembo doesnt drill their rotors.

Porsche OE rotors come cast with the holes, thats why they dont crack (or dont crack nearly as often) as a normal drilled rotor. The rotors are tempered..

Anyway, its all nitpicking.. =) as for me though, I chose a slotted cryo-treated rotor w/ some axxis metallic pads.

- Mike

007lexus

Just curious as to what type of brake pads does the lexus dealer sell? Are they metallic kind?

Never heard about axxis? Can these be used with regular rotors? And how much are axxis pads?

abutler696

yeah...the dealer sells semi-metallic pads

old_s13

yep.. dealer sells a decent pad, they're usually a happy medium: quiet, good braking when cold but start to fade when temps start to rise.

Axxis used to go by the name Repco many years ago, they are very reputable in selling very cost-effective pads for street and light-track use. Not much brake dust, quiet, and excellent hot performance.

The pads grip better when hot.. you just have to make sure to keep them warm because they grip nearly as well when cold - they lockup easier.

Of course, all these characteristics change when you upgrade to bigger rotors/calipers. I dont know how the SC compares in curb weight to the Supra-TT, but when upgrading calipers/rotors they key is to make sure you generate sufficient heat, otherwise the pads will run too cold. You have to experiment and find a happy medium. Then again, the SC is a relatively large car and generating that kind of heat shouldnt be a problem. I am sure SC400 owners with Supra-TT brakes must LOVE the upgrade. Those brakes should've come stock on that car.

- Mike

black sc

PDR or PBR forgot which, is another name for Repcos which, are now called Axxis Metalmaster pads. Make sure you it indicates Semi-Metallic because, they sell both kind of compounds-organic and semi-metallic.

Keith13b

iTrader: (3)

I guess we have to agree to disagree. I have always been taught, and shown, that less pad to rotor contact means less braking; simple physics. You are right about glazing.

matt7184

I believe that slots dont reduce the heat going into the pads and the lower mass means less mass to dissapate heat as you say keith.

But by clearing brake dust and "smoothing" out the brake pad for maximum contact they can give more consistent/better braking performance over non slotted rotors. So you are both kinda right

black sc

More brake rotor material means better braking. Less braking material on the rotor doesn't mean better braking. Slotting and cross-drilled only disappate heat. Nothing else more other, than looks. If you have a lead foot on the left pedal and warp them often then, this is for you. However, if you have to put new pads in or warp the slotted/cross drilled rotors then, it'll be hard to find a shop that will turn these. They don't want to deal with those because the needle they use will break off. If you are just using these for everyday driving. IMO,it is a waste of money. BTW, I had crossed drilled rotors. They lasted 2 years and had them turned 4x-5x but, I still warped the rotors from autocross and circuit racing use. When you brake, it makes a weird noise since, there is grooves or holes in the rotor. It is up to you.

matt7184

Slotting and Crossdrilling have nothing to do with dissapating heat. They actually dont dissapate as much heat since there is less surface area and mass. Crossdriling was made due to the gases created by older brake pads. Holes were then drilled in the rotors to help outgasing. Slotting was made to help out with the brake pads (clearing brake dust and smoothing out the pad so more pad on rotor), not for heat dissipation. With today's brakepads crossdrilling is for looks. Slotting can help, depending on the pads.

Keith13b

iTrader: (3)

But remember I was sort of refering to normal daily driving. Releifing gasses and dust won't be an issue, heat disapation isn't an issue, pad to rotor contact is. Brakes work on friction between the rotor and pad. Lell contact=less stopping power. Under extreme conditions, gasses, dust, and heat become an issue, hence the reason why they make the upgraded brakes, but for your daily driver, even if driven hard every once in a while, having less cointact between the pads and the rotor, WILL reduce the stopping ability of the system (albiet very minimally, but the loss DOES exist). In the racing world, this loss is compensated buy less fade under racing conditions. So everything is a trade off.

In my experience, drilled rotors are not street friendly. They warp VERRRRRRY fast since you are not maintaining high heat when driving on the street. They, like the racing pads, are designed to work and an optimum temperature. If you don't keep that temp, don't bother w/ the upgrade. This constant flexing warps the rotor, and you will be lucky to find a place to turn them. Average life is 1-2 years. While stock is usually 10+. I'll leave the math up to you all for interpertation.

If you are going to rice out your brakes for street use, go the slotted route, they last much longer and are more durable for street condition. But thats just my two cents. The cars I race have either slotted or drilled rotors depending on application, but the ol' Lexus will probably always have the full face rotors. Why? Because its not a race car, I drive it hard; too hard sometimes, but it is still not a race car.


Keith

matt7184

Well remember "normal" is a very subjective word. I barely use my brakes while many people I know are the type who go speed limit until the red light and slam on the brakes.