Aftermarket Brake Rotor Replacement

I would look for a review of the specific rotor you want to buy (although I'm sure you'll do fine with Brembo). I've read reviews where people had increased fade/stopping distance from an aftermarket rotor that you would expect to be better.

I guess if I had to choose between drilled & slotted, I'd go slotted. Still tests/real world results are better then my guess.

Whatever you do, if you buy/borrow a G-Tek or similar meter, let us know how it really affects stopping distances. Seat-of-the-pants feel or "butt dyno" is often deceptive.

Brembo blank rotors are a good upgrade to OEM (about $50 from tirerack.com). Slotted MAY help if you have heat problems generated from repeated hard stops, which is an unlikely demand on a street car. Drilled rotors are unnecessary for street vehicles and actually remove mass from the rotor so that it can't deal with heat as well as a blank (smooth) rotor. Drilled/slotted are substantially more expensive so save your money for good pads.

First off drilled rotors are noisy, did you realize that? They make a "buzzzzzz" noise when stopping hard. Secondly, some are made from junk rotors so IMHO, it's not worth it. Mountain and Brembo are good aftermarket brands I've used.

I'm also a fan of "metal master" brake pads, I think Axis is making these now, used to be repco brand. Have to warm up before they start stopping good but they don't fade, they don't squeel and rotors don't seem to warp as easily with them either. That will give more of an "upgrade" that drilled rotors will.

I love Tirerack, no doubt about that... but,

has even cheaper blank Brembo rotors for about $90 total, shipped, at least for my '96 (or slotted/drilled for more $).

Drilled rotors are simply not as strong as blank or slotted. Under extreme hard use, you can get cracks at the holes, leading to replacement or total rotor failure & a very bad day.

Slotted if you really use your brakes hard, blanks if you're a normal driver.

Use the money for upgraded pads, if you don't use Nissan's best pad (which is pretty good itself).

Brembo's are better made than the OEM version. It seemed to me that they had more mass, in addition to more ventilation holes in the sides.

JM

Actually I think a need for increased heat dissipation and improved gas venting at the rotors is very likely for a street car. At least if you drive in the mountains, or do spirited driving on twisty highways.

I've seen many cars and trucks smoking their brakes at the bottom of one very popular road in the Sierra Nevada (US, not Spain). Smoked 'em pretty badly there myself. I've also smoked the brakes of a couple of cars while driving on the coast highway.

Of course venting the gas buildup between the pad and rotor, and increased heat dissipation from the rotor reduces brake fade in general; it doesn't just help keep the brakes from smoking. I'm sure lots of people experience occasional brake fade.

Drilled rotors in and of itself isn't going to make an already vented rotor any cooler, removing the backing plate will.

What's the downside?

What I've read is water can get on the rotor and can make braking in wet weather touchy till the rotor dries off. I think it's to help keep dirt off the rotor as well? I've run several cars for years like this personally and never noticed any problems like this -and- the brakes ran MUCH cooler.