okay well i know what each is and i wondered a few different things...

First... is there any difference between say... Brembo Blanks and whatever brand my local auto parts warehouse stocks?
This is as far as quality... stopping power etc.

2nd... I know what slotted, cross drilled etc are and i wondered if there is really that big of a difference from one to the next and how much difference between them and blanks?

what do you all recommend?

finally, are there any basic brake upgrades for example changing my rotors from LS to 94+ GS-R for a bigger rotor diameter? what goes into this... just rotors and pads or do i need to upgrade my calipers as well.

Thanks for any help anybody can give me.

 

Most people will tell you that x-drilled rotors are a waste and that blanks are the way to go. X-drilled rotors do help the pads vent the gas/heat made under extreme braking, but at the same time there's less surface area for the pad to make contact with. They're also more prone to cracking/warping. Slotted rotors also have less surface area than blanks (and also have the bad habit of eating your bads for breakfast).

Both of the above are primarily beneficial in situations where excessive heat will be produced under braking. However, for street use (and especially with today's brake pad technology), heat dissipation is becoming less and less of an issue.

As to your second question, I don't know an answer right off the bat, but I'm almost certain you have to replace your entire front or rear brake assembly with the system from the LS/GSR.

Bottom line: Blanks are fine for almost all applications. I personally think slotted rotors are underrated and I'm going to try them for myself the next time around.

Shingo

 

thanks a lot... do you think there is a difference between brembo blanks and something i can pick up at a local auto store? and for pads.... anything special or pads are pads?

 

For blanks any brand should work (Autozone rotors anyone?), although I would personally go with Brembo since a lot more people use them (including the guys who track/autocross).

Pads are an entirely different story. Are you just looking for some street pads?

Shingo

 

well i dont drive like track or auto cross but i do like to get spirited on quiet back roads etc... i just want to have a good amount of stopping power without doing a 700 big brake kit etc.... mostly street driving i just like strong brakes (i miss my 94 gs-r it would stop on a dime and it was stock)

so im reviewin my options... like i say i just want brakes that stop as fast as i plan to make my car accelerate

 

Blanks will be fine for most applications. I wouldnt spend the extra cheese on Brembos...your local autoparts rotors with a nice warranty will be fine. Youll save a bundle on shipping that way as well.

Youll be surprised how much of a difference new rotors and aftermarket pads will make. Never mind new lines and bleeding.

As for big brake kits, Fastbrakes makes some good affordable kits, but in terms of the AEM kits, the rotor upgrade is alright, but without the use of larger calipers, nothing much is really being achieved. The AEM complete big brake kit isnt bad.

 

i used brembo cross drilled slotted rotors on both my acura and nissan. They stop on a dime and i found that even tho theres not as much area for which pressure to be applied, it didnt matter.
As for warping, thats under very rare cases.

 

Shingo, you do track days correct?? Are you still on oem rotors? Let me know how they work if you get the slotted ones, I may be getting into the track days and such

 

Ya, as far as friction goes, surface area does not matter. If there is less surface area on the rotor, then the pressure increases, if there is more surface area, the pressure is more spread out. According to physics, there should be the same ammount of stopping power, save heat distribution and slots and x-drills.