Littleguy

How in the world are you driving your LS to get brake fade? Are you tracking it?

superdenso

It feels like I have new brakes EVERYTIME I apply the brakeforce. When aggressive stops are required from 60+mph they are accompanied with a distinctive howl and substantial deceleration. And yes I recommend front and rear drilled (StopTech) rotors with Akebono std. pads. Imagine a car that accelerates and decelerates in equally amazing fashion.

The Lexuspartsnow price is $448, the dealer will quote 20% or more for their pads and rotors, or should we call them "glazed" donut kits

superdenso

The better question is how do I drive my Acura or Honda

comotiger

I think drilled rotors give a "sporty" look to the beast! Although I read somewhere (probably on CL ) that they are not very effective for typical driving conditions (no stop-go, heavy traffic). Many S-class cars have it and it looks cool...

SW17LS

Not thrilled about the "distinctive howl" lol

comotiger

Really, I didn't know they were noisy. Just did some research and turns out to be the case. "Quiet" wins over "cool" in this case

I learn something new everyday on CL

roadfrog

There are many reasons why I have never installed drilled rotors -.noise, etc. They come with their own unique array of issues. They look cool and that's about it. I don't drive my LS in any way that would benefit from using slotted or drilled rotors. If I ever install them, it will only be for the look. Pads are what's important. Akeebono are highly rated. as are Hawk and a few others.

superdenso

Consider the following: If you ever used a snow blower then you know a two stage blower trumps a single stage.

Now imagine a rotor as an air pump. Rotors pump air to lower temps.*. The drilled holes make it a two stage pump (air escapes the top and sides), and the bonus third stage is where the holes clear some pad particles. That third stage is like a snow blower clearing its own blades. A drilled rotor looks good but really is a modern marvel. This is one of those time where the form has a function. Drilled rotors are a special item and are not for everybody.

This is a good read:
http://www.carid.com/images/powersto...rstop-faq.html

*If cooling was not a big concern the front discs would be one solid piece and there wouldn't be any air vents directing air to the front rotors.

SW17LS

I have never read any third party article about brakes that has anything positive to say about drilled rotors other than they look cool. All of the pro-drilled articles come from manufacturers who sell drilled rotors. They aren't used in racing, or other legitimate high stress scenarios.

Ive been doing a lot of research, and the result of all of it is that solid rotors are probably the way to go.

Its to hard to get past the point "if they were so special and the benefits so huge, why wouldn't they use them in racing where fade and Heat are really a big factor?" They choose not to....why?

superdenso

You can buy an Audi R8, S6, S8, or Mercedes S-class or AMG (all 4 drilled), or BMW M series car and get drilled rotors. Do you believe these companies install this hardware because it looks cool and is prone to failure. Or do you believe it takes a different disk to slow down a S65 AMG.

drilled rotors-The 4,646-pound CL65 AMG needed only 112 feet to stop from 60 mph. That would be perfectly average if it had summer tires, but it has unremarkable all-season tires with no shortage of aggressive driving under its belt. No matter the vehicle segment, the all-season average is usually between 120 and 125 feet. http://www.edmunds.com/mercedes-benz...er-brakes.html

w/o drilled rotors (e500)-Certainly, this kind of technology is impressive, and based on our 3,800-pound test car's 60-0 stopping distance of 120 feet, effective — especially in panic situations.
http://www.edmunds.com/mercedes-benz...003/road-test/

The Skyline is a track car as it sits on the showroom floor...notice the perforated disks.
.

comotiger

This "tutorial" was posted on another thread, and I found it very convincing about the pros and cons of drilled rotors.

superdenso

I like this: When was the last time anyone heat cycled the brakes on an LS by speeding into a corning, jamming on the brakes and then repeated in the next turn? smh

The engineers at Bugatti should watch this video

SW17LS

Do I believe that all of these companies install drilled rotors because they look cool? Yeah...I would buy that. In fact I have read several articles where companies were quoted that they used them for that reason.

It doesn't make sense that an item would not send up to the highest stress situations (racing) yet provide "huge benefits" on the street. It makes sense to me that drilled rotors have less surface area to provide braking friction also.

There are drawbacks, noise is one as you mentioned, dust is another. Accelerated pad wear another. What I want are brakes that will provide the same braking effectiveness and feel that I have now with rotors that won't warp. I don't think drilled rotors are the solution based on what I've read.

superdenso

Wait...someone just ordered up the drilled front and slotted rears. Let us see what that feller says. My review on the StopTech drilled rotors is:

I requested another LS460 owner's opinion of the drilled disk product: https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls-...ml#post9564050

comotiger

This could be an old article, but for F1 brakes, the rotors are drilled, but not on the face of the disc (which reduces surface area for pad contact) but between the discs (vented discs).
http://www.formula1-dictionary.net/brakes.html