Can You Machine Drilled And Slotted Rotors

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Rotor Resurfacing/Machine Rotors

Brake rotors lose some thickness little by little whenever brakes are applied. People machine rotors to extend rotors life. There are downsides, though. Machining can lead to poorer quality rotors and safety issues, is time consuming, and can be difficult to do correctly.


Can You Resurface Drilled and Slotted Rotors?

  • I would not get drilled no matter what company makes them. Drilled rotors are prone to cracking, not always big cracks but micro cracks around the holes that can spiderweb over a period of time. Your best bet is either slotted rotors or quality blanks such as Brembo.
  • We have a guy who always brings his vette in w/ a baer upgrade and whants the rotors turned before carshows and events Re: Can cross drilled or slotted rotors be machine Sunday, October 23, 2005 8:13 PM.

Can You Machine Drilled And Slotted Rotors Brake

You can cut or machine a drilled and slotted rotor. Just set your brake lathe to its slowest setting to avoid any chatter. Whenever replacing your pads, you’ll want to replace or cut your rotors, so the new pads can bed-in properly. However, if you want that non-directional cross-cut finish go with a new set of rotors from PowerStop. It’s likely to cost close to the same, and even possibly less than cutting a rotor.

What is Machining Rotors?

Machining rotors can gain back some friction on worn rotors and reduce run-out. Some people even resurface rotors a couple times before rotor replacement. The machining process usually start with sanding the rotors with 120 grit sandpaper to get rid of build-up deposit and dirt. Then cutting, thinning, and trimming the surface of rotors, also known as resurfacing. Finally, testing. Test drive the vehicle to see if the rotors gained some friction back.

Why do people machine rotors?

  • Can gain back friction and stopping power
  • Can extend rotor operational life
  • Reduces run-out on new rotors

If done properly, and with care, slotted and drilled rotors can be machined. Not all warped, worn or damaged rotors can be brought back from the dead, but more often than not, a proper machining job can breathe new life to your rotors and should be.

Can you machine drilled and slotted rotors rubber

4 reasons why resurfacing rotors is concerning?

  1. Reduces rotor quality
  2. Cost and time
  3. Safety
  4. Hard to resurface rotors properly

Reason 1: Quality

  • Machining rotors make them thinner, susceptible to warping
  • Machining pushes the rotor thickness to the limit
  • Thin rotors lead to overheating, warping, vibrating, etc.
  • When the rotor thickness is different, it results in imbalance, weight shifting, shaking, and vibrating

Reason 2: Cost and time

  • The cost to machine rotors might be greater than just replacing new rotors
  • Need to machine both rotors (a full set) to avoid imbalance
  • Machining rotors might take a couple hours at the repair shop

Reason 3: Safety

Drilled And Slotted Rotor Kits

  • Rotor weight needs to be evenly distributed or else it leads to shaking and vibrating
  • It takes as little as .001 inches difference in thickness to notice when driving and braking
  • If rotors are machined too thin, they can warp and damage brake parts
  • By machining the rotors to the maximum level, rotors will overheat, fade, and lose stopping power

Cross Drilled And Slotted Rotors

Reason 4: Not getting rotors resurface properly

Can You Machine Drilled And Slotted Rotors Made

  • Some repair shops may resurface rotors as fast as possible. This can lead to mistakes in the process or too much metal being shaved off.
  • Using worn bits to machine rotors may result in vibration
  • Rotor vibration due to trimming metal off rotors


Tips:

  • Depending on the rotor condition, replacing rotors is a better option than resurfacing
  • Check out PowerStop’s high-quality performance brake kits and rotors! Do it yourself, replace your own rotors to save money or bring PowerStop’s rotors to a reliable repair shop.

To find the right brake kit for your vehicle: www.powerstop.com
PowerStop brake kit installation videos: Installation Videos
More PowerStop video content: www.youtube.com/user/PowerstopMedia/
For more helpful Tips and How To: www.powerstop.com/info/how-tos/

Can You Machine Drilled And Slotted Rotors Screws

Remember, Don’t Just Stop…PowerStop!

Drilled And Slotted Rotors Issues

Is it just a bling thing or is there real function? Iv'e read that drilled and slotted rotors can reduce operating temps by 180*. Iv'e also read that drilled and slotted rotors can crack under normal street use and are prone to it under hard track use, most of the issues arise from the drilled areas. Whats the reality here for most street cars that auto X occasionally?
I'm trying to match come C6 Z51 front rotors with some LS1 rear rotors before I pull the trigger on my Kore3 kit. I'm finding Powerstop drilled, slotted and zinc washed rotors that should match but I don't want them if they're going to go to warp/crack in a hurry.