rotors (blank vs slotted/drilled)

[samperes]

Hey, so I am not to knowledgeable on brakes in general, I know very basic stuff.

My main question is that is there really any difference in anything when using drilled and/or slotted rotors for this car? I needed new rotors surprisingly, and I was just kind of curious.

 

[samperes]

I got EBC red pads, but it just came over that I should probably just replace my rotors too. i am also not sure what brand mine even are, they were on the car when I bought it

 

[Intuit]

I've been in the market for drilled rotors because I've found the stock drilled rotors so effective on the motorcycle; no fade from triple-digit speeds on comparably tiny rotors.

I'll be using street pads however as track focused may lack severely in the cold and/or wet. I had a set of kevlar pads that were outright dangerous in anything but warm and dry conditions.

In my searches from months ago, it seemed like drilled are virtually non-existent for stock FiST front and rear rotor sizes. Those that claim to be drilled are merely dimpled. I'm guessing there are some technical reasons why these rotors are vane instead of drilled-through or slotted--through.

Here are the links I've had up for the past few months...
https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog...ocharged,3345249,brake+&+wheel+hub,rotor,1896
https://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/sto...&fq=PartTypes:Brake+Rotor&fq=brand:EBC+Brakes
https://www.jegs.com/i/EBC-Brakes/8...el=FIESTA&submodel=ST&engine=L4+(+1.6L+/+97+)
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=6750540&cc=3345249&pt=1896&jsn=46
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=11628433&cc=3345249&pt=1896&jsn=42
https://www.summitracing.com/search...ear/2016/make/ford/model/fiesta?N=submodel:st
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/pwr-ar-8163xpr/make/ford/model/fiesta/year/2016

 

[samperes]

I have heard just OE works really well for the Fiesta, I was going to just get some Centric blanks.. but I was just trying to see if anyone had like first hand experience.

I am going to the mountains next weekend, so I’m putting some known-good pads on the car.

 

[TyphoonFiST]

I have heard just OE works really well for the Fiesta, I was going to just get some Centric blanks.. but I was just trying to see if anyone had like first hand experience.

I am going to the mountains next weekend, so I’m putting some known-good pads on the car.

2024 UP to date pad List* I Run Blues and wont run Reds or Yellows anymore.

https://www.ebcbrakes.com/ebc-brake-pad-selector-tool/

 

[samperes]

2024 UP to date pad List* I Run Blues and wont run Reds or Yellows anymore.

https://www.ebcbrakes.com/ebc-brake-pad-selector-tool/

dont like reds? i had them on my old focus st and i liked them.

 

[LostInTransit]

I've been very impressed with the performance and quality of the Brake Performance rotors. Their site offers several different options for your car. I'd check into their site today.

https://brakeperformance.com/all-products.php

We opted for the dimpled/slotted versions but did not go with their pads. We went with the Powerstop Z23 carbon fiber / ceramic pads purchased form a different site. We installed the new rotors and pads before going on our trip last week. don't be concerned when you see more brake dust than normal the first week, as this is know as the brake in period. Just clean the dust off with turtle wax wheel and tire cleaner and after the brake in period, the dust level will be back to normal.. which is less for the Z23 pads.

 

[Zala]

I have heard just OE works really well for the Fiesta, I was going to just get some Centric blanks.. but I was just trying to see if anyone had like first hand experience.

I am going to the mountains next weekend, so I’m putting some known-good pads on the car.

Drilled don't matter on the street for street driving. You'll just see generally reduced pad life compared to running solid disks (not enough in my opinion to matter). Tracking consensus is that drilled rotors have a higher likelihood of developing stress cracks where drilled. I've seen it first hand, therefore I wouldn't choose anything other than slotted or solid blanks for tracking.

If cost is a concern, just go with solids every time. I'm currently running EBC reds and the Woosh slotted disks on my Fiesta to replace the OEM. I run a similar slotted EBC red/slotted rotor set on my Lotus and enjoy it just fine, so that's why I went with this combo for my street/backroad driving use.

 

[ogminlo]

Unless you take your car to the track, just stick with solid rotors and if you want more "bite" go with semi-metallic pads rather than the ceramic ones. Motorcraft BRF1494 (front) & BRF1444 (rear) are good semi-metallics that were OE on the summer-tire setup on these cars. The trade-off with semi-metallic is they wear out quicker and leave more dust on your wheels. Slotted and/or drilled rotors on the street is strictly an appearance thing, which, if that's your jam, there are plenty to choose from. Just understand you don't really get any performance benefit from them with street driving.

 

[Dialcaliper]

Modern pads don’t offgas or glaze nearly as much as old school asbestos pads did, so drilling and slotting is mostly just a cosmetic gimmick these days.

Drilling just makes rotors more likely to crack under use. The only place it actually makes sense is on a drag car or motorcycle in which case it will be a Swiss cheesed rotor with gaping holes, purely for weight reduction. (Look up Wilwood Ultralite rotors), and in that case you don’t care as much about braking performance.

Unless you are campaigning something like a Lemans or high tier race car that will punish and glaze even the highest temperature race pads, all slotting will do is wear out your pads faster. If you’re using it to compensate for actual brake fade and glazing, you’re better off using a hotter brake pad.

There’s not really a substitute for good old plain iron rotors on a street or track car unless you’re going for looks.

 

[Zeille]

I just prefer blanks - cheaper, less noisy than fully drilled rotors. Going from my old Powerstop drilled & slotted rotors to some Centric blanks was one of the best ideas I had. I kept with the Motorcraft pads, since they have a perfect bite and were meant to be on this car (i also like to flaunt the fact that my uncle did brake testing for Link around the time this car was in testing).
Buy Centric blanks on RockAuto. Much cheaper than others (not considering shipping).

 

[rallytaff]

Don't know where you get the noise from on your PowerStop brakes. I've had mine over 2yrs and never even had a squeak from them.

 

[TDavis]

Never had a problem with my slotted rotors in the decade+ that I've used them on cars. If its between the two I'd definitely avoid drilled. They can tend to crack around the holes.

 

[Zeille]

Don't know where you get the noise from on your PowerStop brakes. I've had mine over 2yrs and never even had a squeak from them.

i'm only talking about a buzzing/whirring noise. from all the slotted and drilled rotors i've had on my two cobalts and now my fiesta, they have all had the exact same noise. it's most noticeable when i'm driving on the highway

 

[rallytaff]

Never had a problem with my slotted rotors in the decade+ that I've used them on cars. If its between the two I'd definitely avoid drilled. They can tend to crack around the holes.

I'll keep an eye on them. All the wheels were off a few weeks ago and nobody mentioned any signs of damage.