Tacoma 4WD brake rotors

It may be the way I drive but I tend to go through (glaze, I suspect)
front brake rotors quickly. I've found that the OEM Toyota rotors
tend to last the longest before needing to be replaced or resurfaced -
approzimately 20-24 months. I don't wear grooves or anything ust
brakign power dimishes significantly. I use the Performance Friction
semi-metallic pads from Autozone exclusively.

Sometimes it's tempting to buy the Autozone rotors as they're only
$20, comapred to about $75 (cheapest dealer price I can ever find) but
they last only 10-12 months.

I'm happy with the braking performance after new rotors and pads are
on but was wondering about slotted and/or drilled rotors. Does
anyone have any expereince with reasonably proced ones? Are they
higher quality metal (comparable to OEM)? What are your opinions and
experiences?

Thanks for ALL input.

cmoschip wrote:[color=blue]
> It may be the way I drive but I tend to go through (glaze, I suspect)
> front brake rotors quickly. I've found that the OEM Toyota rotors
> tend to last the longest before needing to be replaced or resurfaced -
> approzimately 20-24 months. I don't wear grooves or anything ust
> brakign power dimishes significantly. I use the Performance Friction
> semi-metallic pads from Autozone exclusively.
>
> Sometimes it's tempting to buy the Autozone rotors as they're only
> $20, comapred to about $75 (cheapest dealer price I can ever find) but
> they last only 10-12 months.
>
> I'm happy with the braking performance after new rotors and pads are
> on but was wondering about slotted and/or drilled rotors. Does
> anyone have any expereince with reasonably proced ones? Are they
> higher quality metal (comparable to OEM)? What are your opinions and
> experiences?
>
> Thanks for ALL input.[/color]


"DRILLED VS SLOTTED ROTORS

"For many years most racing rotors were drilled. There were two
reasons - the holes gave the "fireband" boundary layer of gasses and
particulate matter someplace to go and the edges of the holes gave
the pad a better "bite".

"Unfortunately the drilled holes also reduced the thermal capacity
of the discs and served as very effective "stress raisers"
significantly decreasing disc life. Improvements in friction
materials have pretty much made the drilled rotor a thing of the
past in racing. Most racing rotors currently feature a series of
tangential slots or channels that serve the same purpose without the
attendant disadvantages."
[url]http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_brakesystems_upgradeselections.shtml[/url]

More brake info:
[url]http://www.raceshopper.com/tech.shtml[/url]

All rotors are cast iron, but there is a difference in types and
alloys of cast iron, as well as differences in the shape of internal
cooling slots, etc. I have SP Performance slotted rotors, and
they're working well. Performance Friction makes top quality
rotors, I don't know if they have any for your truck, but they told
me that they've seen no advantages with cryogenically treated rotors.

Are your rear brakes doing their full job? Are the correctly
adjusted, and in good repair? If your truck has a rear brake
proportioning valve, you might try adjusting that to get more rear
braking.


Ken

On Tue, 27 Sep 2005 07:53:05 -0700, Ken Shelton
<shelton@cablespeed.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
>
>"DRILLED VS SLOTTED ROTORS
>
>"For many years most racing rotors were drilled. There were two
>reasons - the holes gave the "fireband" boundary layer of gasses and
>particulate matter someplace to go and the edges of the holes gave
>the pad a better "bite".
>
>"Unfortunately the drilled holes also reduced the thermal capacity
>of the discs and served as very effective "stress raisers"
>significantly decreasing disc life. Improvements in friction
>materials have pretty much made the drilled rotor a thing of the
>past in racing. Most racing rotors currently feature a series of
>tangential slots or channels that serve the same purpose without the
>attendant disadvantages."
>[url]http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_brakesystems_upgradeselections.shtml[/url]
>
>More brake info:
>[url]http://www.raceshopper.com/tech.shtml[/url]
>
>All rotors are cast iron, but there is a difference in types and
>alloys of cast iron, as well as differences in the shape of internal
>cooling slots, etc. I have SP Performance slotted rotors, and
>they're working well. Performance Friction makes top quality
>rotors, I don't know if they have any for your truck, but they told
>me that they've seen no advantages with cryogenically treated rotors.
>
>Are your rear brakes doing their full job? Are the correctly
>adjusted, and in good repair? If your truck has a rear brake
>proportioning valve, you might try adjusting that to get more rear
>braking.
>
>
>Ken[/color]

Thanks for the links, Ken. Yep, the rears are doing their job - the
truck has been raised (replacement custom leaf springs) and I raised
the valve arm much higher than it should be - to the point that they
definitely lock before the front with an empty bed.

Mind if I ask how much you paid for your slotted rotors? And where
they were purchased?