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slotted rotors & off-roading (rock crawling and racing)

In December, when I get back, I'm building my Jeep. I'm going to

33's, adding a lot of weight, and a stroker, so I'm going to replace the braking system. I have read that slotted rotors are bad when rock crawling in case rocks get trapped and scratch them, but on the same hand they say they were designed for both track and off-road racing in mind. I don't see how a slotted rotor will get any more damaged than a stock rotor - a rock will do equal damage to either of them.

Basically, I see 2 possibilities - replace the rotors with the best ones I can find at an auto parts store and put on Performance Friction pads, or replace the system with a Praise Dyno kit:

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And yes, I do know that they are dead wrong about cryogenic rotors being denser - the density remains the same, but the atomic realignment makes it stronger. I read once that the PF pads were a huge difference, and this system was a huge difference from PF.

Any thoughts or first hand experiences?

Reply to
Andrew
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Andrew, if you Google this subject, it was talked about a while back in this group. I'll give my 2 cents just like last time. I do a lot of work with asphalt circle track cars and we do not use slotted rotors. The rotors on these cars get red hot from the repeated braking. The cars are slowing down from about 100mph to about 50mph in the corners. The lap times of these cars is about 14 seconds, so the braking happens every 7 seconds. The company that make the rotors has tested slotted, drilled and just about every other possible configuraton and the solid vented rotor works best. The drilled and slotted rotors were more prone to cracking under these conditions. If you are looking for increased braking capacity, then the best way to do that is a custom brake rotor with the largest diameter possible. You are also looking for the pad that gives the most braking torque you can find. This is dependent on the material used for the pads. Heat shouldn't be an issue for rock crawling so I wouldn't worry about whether the rotors are slotted or drilled. It is an unnecessary, and probably unwanted, expense for your applcation.

Chris

Reply to
c

I would be concerned about bits of gravel, etc. getting under the pads on an off-road vehicle with slotted or drilled rotors. Heat isn't much of a problem in non-racing use, but a jammed caliper could ruin your day.

Reply to
Paul Calman

Thanks,

What is the difference between solid vented rotors and slotted rotors?

Andrew Whitley

Reply to
Andrew

Are the DC rotors from my TJ (03 Rubi) still the half-assed quality that they used to be? Would it be a good idea to replace them with some good aftermarket ones from an auto parts store? I've run across plenty of people swearing by Performance Friction pads, and they're not too expensive. With those, since I run heavy because of armor, bumpers, cage, tools, and will sometimes pull an offroad trail spare and camping gear trailer (keeping the weight down below 2000 lbs to keep from flirting with disaster) should I go for their regular pads or the Z-rated, which includes racing and towing?

Also, in extended off-road racing what brake systems are considered the most bulletproof? Does the same principle apply here as well - dirt, mud, and rocks are bad news for brakes?

Thanks for your help - I pulled and read all the google searches on slotted rotors and understand a little better now.

Reply to
Andrew

slotted rotors have saw cuts in the faces. In effect, dirt scoops. Vented rotors have a hollow middle with air holes at the inner and outer edges. I have seen these pack up with gravel, too, but it's not much of a hazard as it shears.

Reply to
Paul Calman

Sand will get into the slots. This same sand will not get into a rotor without any slots.

Reply to
CRWLR

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