Hi-performance brakes

[curbman68]

OK, lets look at your facts.
1. Yes, cross drilled rotors can crack, and the holes do give the cracks many places to start that a solid or slotted rotor does not have.
2. Yes, the holes do give the gasses a place to escape, but that's why most performance pads have gas slots cut into them. No need to cut or drill the rotors for that reason.
3. Taking weight out of the rotor isn't necessarily the place you want to save weight in a performance braking system. The rotor is a heat sink absorbing heat and keeping that heat out of the brake fluid where you don't want it. Aluminum calipers, thick pads and big rotors with directional vanes are all good things. If you want light weight, stick with small diameter rotors.
4. Cross drilled rotors are not a marketing ploy in a high performance situation. Some people beleive they are the way to go. But, drilled rotors on a car with 100 horsepower, loud exhaust and 8" diameter rotors is a gimmick. That car couldn't possibly make use of any advantage the drilled rotors could offer. Most guys seem to be buying drilled rotors for the street just because they look cool, not because they work any better than anything else.
5. Yes, drilled rotors were originally designed for racing. There is no denying that.

[more_power]

I didnt read everything so if this a repeat sorry.
I you are gona go hard enough to get your rotors red hot. Two words: recurculating calipers. Every time you press the pedle new fluid, so it cant really fade on you. Also carbon fiber pads with the right rotor are some good brakes. I work on a late model race team doing the Nascar Dodge weekly race series. On a 3/8 oval 2800lbs car New pads almost every race, some time we can get 2 races and crack rotors all the time. Just wait for them to get really bad(its scary when your on a budget). This is race car stuff but if you want to stop really fast, this is where to look. The fab would be worth it.

[holley]

Quote:

and everyone else that has chimed in has just been stating their biased opinions with no facts to back them up

Ahem.

Curbman is making more sense at the moment.

more_power - those disks must be seeing some serious use! The ASA type cars here run one pair of disks per meet, and they have to last for up to 250 miles (typically speed ranges from 70 to 190mph each lap).