Pics of Cracked Rotors

[MikeFleming]

Taken after three (3) (yes, only three!) stops at the Texas Mile on a prepped Nissan GT/R. Three hard stops from between 218 and 233 MPH. What started as new rotors and pads. Notice the tremendous amount of pad transfer - into the cross-holes!

And the fatal cracking that ALWAYS goes through a cross-hole.

[Patrick]

Were the holes factory or added after the factory part was removed? Patterns of cross holes, let alone proper materials, have always been an issue for the aftermarket. I have a few "good" meehanite examples from successful GTP cars stacked away back in the garage.

That's pretty bad after just three stops. I bet that warranty won't cover it.

[Raven855]

The Honda S2000 is notorious for cracking rotors, even on street cars. Broken rotors are pretty common at the track. Looking through the forums and seeing shattered broken rotors is scary!

[Bob Holmes]

Don't buy cross drilled rotors. That is all.

[Chalky]

Copy THAT!!!! I'm running slotted rotors and they've held up very well.

[MikeFleming]

ALL rotors can be cracked. No matter if cross drilled, slotted, or plain.

[Bob Holmes]

It was certainly not my goal to imply otherwise. Just saying that you've provided pretty conclusive visual evidence as to why you shouldn't buy cross drilled rotors.

[MikeFleming]

^
Yep - my main point in posting those pics.

And I love how the "cooling holes" filled up with pad material!

[Patrick]

^
Yep - my main point in posting those pics.

And I love how the "cooling holes" filled up with pad material!

So slotted rotors don't act like a milling machine?

[MikeFleming]

So slotted rotors don't act like a milling machine? At a minimum they just reduce the amount of pad-to-rotor contact space.

And Dave Montgomery managed to crack a stock rear rotor on the vette this last weekend. No slots, no holes but one rather large crack. Made a nasty ticking noise.

[Patrick]

^^^ Mike said "vette"!

Banned!

[MikeFleming]

^^^ Mike said "vette"!

Banned! Dayum!!

[Bob Holmes]

No chebby discussions allowed, you made the rule!!! lol

[blueboss]

Why, and this may be my public education showing through, are they still using steel rotors on a car that is [purpose built] and capable of generating those mph speeds? I would think something a little more exotic would be in order. Ferrari, Bugatti, Pagani, (ever notice how all Italian words end in vowels?) etc...all capable of 200mph + and all use carbon ceramic or something equivalent. Or rather don't use steel.

[MikeFleming]

Why, and this may be my public education showing through, are they still using steel rotors on a car that is [purpose built] and capable of generating those mph speeds? I would think something a little more exotic would be in order. Ferrari, Bugatti, Pagani, (ever notice how all Italian words end in vowels?) etc...all capable of 200mph + and all use carbon ceramic or something equivalent. Or rather don't use steel. First off the car mentioned above is a stock street car with stock brakes. Cast iron, not steel. No one uses steel for street cars - too costly and it doesn't wear properly compared to iron.

Next not ALL of the exotics you mention above come [stock] with carbon/carbon brakes. Most have it available as a $7000-10000 option, but not standard. And ALL of the cars in your list above cost at least 10x more then the car we will not mention.

Why do people use them as race cars? Cause they're cheap ($10,000-20,000 for a complete car) and very easy to modify into a track-only car. Of course, you have to be willing to visit the Dark Side to drive them.

Other than the newest ZR1, what USA-made car comes with carbon/carbon brakes? Any cars under $300K that come standard with carbon/carbon brakes? The Saleen 2-seater at Knotts (>$650K?) had iron brakes on it (and they were pizza sized!!)

[vrinner]

Dare I say it...but my Porsche came factory with cross drilled rotors and they never cracked to the extent I see above. Someone once told me it was how they made the rotors, like they were cast that way.

[Patrick]

The Porsche factory has an engineering advantage over the illegal alien working on a drill press in someone's garage in South El Monte who is drilling holes in Chinese crap in the middle of the night.