Plain vs. Drilled vs. Slotted. vs ??? Rotors - What's what?

In this video I discuss the performance differences between different types of disc rotor designs, the pros and cons and which are best for certain applications.
Music:
Itro & Tobu - Cloud 9

[@Smokinskittles]

how did you just talk for 10 minutes without having to do much editiing! You're a great speaker!!! Thanks for the information!

[@HG_Clips]

8:45 the answer

[@leonardnose5695]

XN FR you the fucking man

[@skyeric875]

MVP

[@Carlos.Rivera]

My hero

[@TorahObservantUnitarian]

Ty

[@DoomFinger511]

GOAT

[@SlikLizrd]

Remember -- The BRAKES stop the WHEELS -- but the TIRES stop the VEHICLE !!

[@chemicalspore]

a belt holds up the pants, but the belt loop holds up the belt.

[@kennycootware2323]

And remember it's an engine (internal combustion engine)...."motor" is reserved for electric motors.

[@petedesv]

You're right

[@grovermatic]

I've never thought about it that way. Nice!

[@4touchdowns1game29]

people also seem to forget that smaller rotors with less pistons and flat rotors can most often stop a wheel just as fast as a 10000 dollar setup, they both can lock the wheel. Big expensive brakes are just beneficial to do full blown stops over and over and not fade.

[@corvettefever360]

Wow, he actually really knows what he's talking about & explained it very well

[@laurelbakker]

Thorough yet concise information. This was a great primer to see before I called around to get pricing on new rotors for my car. Thank you!!!

[@justindad2240]

He talked very well, could be a very good teacher or reporter.

[@Lehmann108]

He "spoke" very well.

[@ndaba9483]

Agreed, he spoke well

[@MrSilverback900]

Great video! You answered all the questions that I had and have saved me money and possibly headaches. Thanks so much.

[@vig37]

Glad I subscribed to this channel so early. I think this channel is gonna take off. Great video.

[@trishamorriss2409]

Awesome tutorial, short and concise, all aspects explained well.

[@tonytyndal5517]

Very well spoken and informative. Anyone could watch the video and be knowledgeable enough to make an informed decision.

[@TheSageSpeaksB4U]

That was packed full of info we could use. Thanks, I'm sticking with plain rotors and hi quality ceramic pads.

[@freddiecharriez]

You get the lowest temp on a solid rotor because it works like a heat sink, but on the track at high speeds and heavy braking slotted is best because it allows the escape of gases and dust. This will give you more brake pad surface to make contacts which will make the car stop faster. Now on a everyday driver you go with either solid or for those that like to push it on the highway like I do drilled & slotted.

[@mikezappulla4092]

Who cares

[@jredcali1913]

@@mikezappulla4092 obviously you because you responded. And, a lot of people, 😳🤔😂

[@gorpim]

@@mikezappulla4092 🤣🤣

[@PiOfficial]

@@mikezappulla4092everyone who watched this video presumably

[@samspace81]

@@mikezappulla4092 i do, he made a good comment unlike someone else...

[@aldo5658]

Thanks for breaking it down so easy and informative, no pun intended

[@deecee4644]

Great video. The material was well presented. I learned something and that's always a good thing. Thank you.

[@danlanders9653]

this helped me tremendously in deciding. Thanks

[@88county]

Thanks for the clear explanation!

[@srhatfield]

I just finished the video... He is right on the money! Nice job!!

[@esan0715]

I'm glad I watched this. Need to replace my rotors, and almost spent twice as much in a drill slotted set... Thank you

[@Cheezes101]

Solid to the point and well constructed video.

[@markmelgosa3307]

Awesome video my friend, very informative, I am 59 years old years ago I always worked on my owned vehicles, I started my own business in 1980 painting decorating and maintenance services, I was blessed with making a decent wage so until I retired 3 years ago I started working on my vehicles again to save money on a budget now going to do a full brake job on my wife's minivan and was indecisive on which rotor and pads to use wanted the best I asked a couple of different mechanics and also called a few parts stores and still didn't know what the best way to go, thanks to you I was able to make the best decision on what braking system thank you again looking forward to other videos that you post you get an A-Plus my friend thank you again Marky Mark

[@frankcee4342]

Sticking with OEM grade is probably best way to go for performance and cost.

[@firstlast8805]

What does your age and life decisions have to do with this? I’m sure everyone on KZbin is glad your retired and built your own business. Your a smart man..

[@victorbaldwin8729]

Mind Blown - I need to rethink my life now !!!

[@-MrRichBiker1967]

Thank you so much very informative and very intelligent video I appreciate you taking the time out very important info thank you

[@GiancarloDiamond]

loved it so much useful info. seems like everyone is saying druilled ones brake down quick

[@d32b44]

Thanks for the education, saved me from future rotor trouble

[@chrismad1344]

Excellent i learned a lot with this video i was about to order drilled rotor for my land rover but not anymore thank you.

[@jons4686]

Best information I've found on this topic. I'm in the market for new brakes for my high performance street car. Thinking I might go with blank rotors with sport pads and some stainless brake lines now. Can't justify the excessive wear with the slotted rotors. The car won't be seeing any track use. Thanks for the video!

[@elliotpierson8350]

Exactly what i'm thinking too. Any updates after 3 years? lol

[@tacotuesday4496]

that answer is great. amazing work

[@chezach22]

Very informative. Thank you. I felt like I was back in college in a 101 brake class. Thats not a dig that a big complement. Thank you again.

[@nostradamus7648]

You need a refund from your college. It's COMPLIMENT,... Not Complement.

[@biz4twobiz463]

Agreed!! Good brake pads and tires are more important!! Nice video. Merci

[@shami420able]

Wish i had watched this video before spending more on drilled rotors for no reason. Thank you for the info. Very well explained video

[@limodxb9177]

I have seen some good rotors at geobrakes.com not sure what kind of you want but they have got some good selection of heavy duty drilled and slotted ones

[@mskinetik]

Thanks for the objective and informative review!

[@josephd152]

EE whiteboard and a great history lesson. Enjoyed very much.

[@kingjulian4373]

Great video answered all my questions in one shot

[@turbotrana]

I used slotted rotors once and never again. They wore down the pads heaps quicker and you could feel the pad going over the slots thru the slightly pulsing brake pedal.

[@jonbraid2520]

That's a good thing, means it's doing its job properly. Just use better pads with the slotted rotas to reduce the pad wear.

[@toadamine]

What brand did you use? a reputable known brand or amazon specials?

[@Birb_of_Judge]

​@@toadamine if you want good pads you might wanna look at something like EBC Red or yellow stuff pads

[@mh7500]

Thanks for clear explanation about the discs and thank you for clear explanation that we don't need expensive disc all We Need Is Good brakes and tyres

[@vladus..]

I want to chance my brakes today and I want to inform me befor I buy somethings and you explain etremly good ! Nice video man

[@dukeearl2498]

Really nice video, wish I had saw before I purchased slotted for my daily driver pickup.

[@ChristopherFreedom]

The benefit of slotted it that it keeps your pad surface perfectly smooth/level which in turn keeps the rotors from getting any inconsistencies so you won't end up with that vibration or wobble that can typically happen when solid rotors heat up or wear over time. It keeps everything in fuller contact. You won't regret your choice.

[@jamescandelaria4840]

VERY informative presentation! Thank you.

[@RagmarPhotography]

Bro this is a great video,very detailed and really helpful. 👏👏👏

[@spartty]

So basically for an everyday driver like myself, I’m sticking to my basic pads and rotors. No need for the fancy drilled and slotted stuff on my 2018 Nissan Murano. Just slap some good quality tires on there, with dependable, plain, quality, brakes and rotors. Thank you good sir.

[@rehanshah9912]

Haha yeah same conclusion. Great Video!

[@jackman2865]

Same same. I've just bought Dba standard and bendix 4x4

[@RockThisTown2000]

For an everyday driver plus someone who occasionally tows a boat like myself, I'm upgrading to better & wider pads on my '16 F150. Just keep tires rotated & slap new ones on when needed. Sounds like drilled a/o slotted discs don't improve functionality enough to justify the extra cost.

[@caelenow2829]

Make sure you spray paint the calipers red. Although not mentioned in the video, the red color increases stopping power by 15%

[@michaelbamber4887]

@@caelenow2829 yeah, even with your knackered seals and metal to metal contact, total 15% increase in performance allows you full use of your pads instead of wasting that last 1mm. 🤣 I've seen bright yellow ones, I've heard these are good for a whole 100% increase, so good you can stop without discs or pads.

[@imrippinit]

Good video. Best I’ve seen on the subject. Important point not discussed is that the cleaning effect provided by slots allows a more aggressive pad not used with street rotors due to grooving/off gassing-fade. Slotted rotors off gas fine and keep a smooth surface with aggressive metallics. Cryogenic treatment will also extend rotor life with aggressive pads.

[@ChristopherFreedom]

Well said! Totally agree

[@gregoryhudson123]

I've just bought myself a full set of EBC drilled and slotted rotors and a set of EBC "Yellow stuff" pads for my Mazda CX-5. I reckon they have improved the stopping distance massively. I tow a 2 tonn caravan and can definitely tell the difference from the original OEM to EBC. Great video by the way! 👍🏻 😎🇬🇧

[@lexusgs4604]

You tow a 2 ton caravan with a cx5? Aren't those only rated for 1 ton? It must be extremely slow

[@AudioBiker707]

@@lexusgs4604 CX5 owner here. Outside the US where tongue standards are different these are rated for two tons. And with the turbo there’s 250hp and 320lb/ft torque from 1500-4000rpm…..so power wise, it’s better than many compact trucks

[@DerRusher]

EBC sucks… we had slotted rotors and redstuff pads on a civic type r fk2. we were only driving „sporty“ on public roads (serpentines), didnt event brake too much. they went bad (overheated?) extremely quick, we were lucky to not have crashed. suddenly there was no more stopping power. the rotors had a blue colour to them when we checked them out. i also had the same ones on my 2016 WRX STI, even the stock rotors & pads had more grip… also the rotors deformed, didnt even do any sporty driving. if i brake at above 100km/h, the steering wheel is shaking. we have dba rotors & pads now, so far no issues & good performance

[@cstrx11]

@@DerRusherI had good experience with EBC stuff . Just the Normal black stuff with their solid rotors. Direct OEM replacement. For street use (a bit sportier sometimes) There was an easily noticable difference compared to the OEM on my civic (8th gen. non-typeR) and I also replaced the OEM pads on my Mazda MX5 ND2 (with only 10k km) with Black stuff. And there IS a difference in the case of the MX5 too. Brake feels better and biting point much better now (there is actually one now) in my opinion. Maybe their other more expensive stuff doesn't worth the price, but I felt an immediate difference with their BlackStuff OEM replacement. I'm really glad I chenged them. BTW I'm not saying their black stuff or yellow stuff or whaterver are great products, maybe just on my 2 cars the OEM brake pads were really bad. On my 10th gen civc sport+ EU the OEM brakes are great for every day sportier use so there I will just continue to use the OEM ones.

[@rolandobenitez6740]

Well put mate 👌👍

[@JordyAuto]

Thank you so much. Very informative and to the point!

[@markorsborn7859]

Fantastic video, thanks.

[@carlthefriendlyllama2126]

You've just earned yourself a subscriber. Thank you.

[@sc225]

Very good information and make sense too.

[@vanderbilt931]

Great explanation, basically you nailed it! Thanks.

[@scribesforsubscribers8027]

Great lesson! Thanks a Billion!

[@Cody15241]

Great information... Good Stuff!

[@samuraijaydee]

Brilliant video. Thank you!

[@dameonpryce9931]

extremely informative!

[@bikeranand]

Wow. Superb video. U spoke truth. Keep them coming

[@Jamy4ya]

Well explained ! U earned a Sub.

[@jking3892]

Excellent Video,, very very informative

[@EndUser-yu7gg]

Great information -- having experienced brake fade when I was going way too hot under stress driving the cost is a good trade... brake pads are cheap where smashing your car because you failed to stop soon enough ... my ABS hardly trips on grippy surfaces with normal rotors as this is because my brake rotors are getting too hot... the only thing I not liking about the upgrade is the up front cost but if I keep up on my brake inspections and swap pads before they get burned up I'll easily get a fair amount of time on what I bought ... these are my cars 200k birthday present =)

[@getreal3336]

Thanks for this great, informative video. 👍

[@weltonreds]

Great delivery and content Kudos!!

[@99CZAMORA]

well said man, well said

[@billthompson9595]

Very informative and well thought tutorial. I have learned from it. keep up the good work I just subscribed.

[@goatamongsheep4296]

An amazing video. Informative to the "n-th" degree. Concise. thank you.

[@legito]

Hey fellow TIer! Did not know you had a channel nice to see this. Been to some of the car meets at work with you. Red GTI mk7.5. Subscribed!

[@thecarizon504]

Thanks! We need to get those going again.

[@GIRLDADGARAGE]

Love this. Thanks alot for this video.

[@hoppychulo1015]

Good video thanks for the information

[@heathgraham4911]

Great video mate !!!!

[@jonb9474]

Very in depth video. Umfortunately there is also no visible test comparisons that compare one to the next and which is best overall.

[@TwilightMasterC]

Nice video! I learned a lot! 👍

[@roganAKAmacgyver]

I've learned this when I started tracks days 15 years ago and save a lot because of this. Drilled is for looks and less reliable. If you are daily driving only in that car - get plain. If you are autocrossing or road coursing get slotted, good high temp capable pads and motul to prevent boiling.

[@LuisAlbertoLENGUAVEGA]

Rogan how about make the slots on a plain one, obviously with an expert on it vs buy a slotted one ?

[@BillClay88]

Do you think ppl are buying them for the science. Its all aesthetics for 99.9% of population.

[@ryanscanlan9875]

Great vids mate.

[@thc7632]

This guy is just amazing 🍾

[@Kshrc1]

Damn dude this was so helpful. You would not believe how much cash you saved me.

[@jimmyl577]

You’re awesome man. You need more subs. Subbed

[@migueltorres79]

Fantastic video man thank you

[@sgtfoursix]

Not bad. I would've liked to see some actual rotors instead of drawings on a white board. Car guys like to see car parts. : ) You were very knowledgeable for most of our braking concerns. I believe you left out my set of rotors and pads. Not all braking has to do with stopping from a high rate of speed or racing. I have the PowerStop z36 brake kit for my 2010 Xterra. Drilled and slotted. They are rated the best according to my research. This is a towing package as opposed to the z23 brake kit. I drive the Rocky Mountains and also go 4wheeling. My brakes are perfect for coming down the mountain at 70 mph, holding still on a steep rocky road or cleaning the dust while braking off road. Also if you replace the rotors, replace the calipers. I really like your point on tires. Get good tires. Hope you don't mind my feedback. I'm an educator. Keep up the good work! Very informative!!

[@VAltoFH]

Thanks for the information! Thumbs up!!

[@g.fortin3228]

I agree on the tires and pads being the most important ! .. and I also believe that slotted and drilled are quite reliable and dont offer too much worry about failure because every motorcycle I have bought came from the factory with drilled (Honda) or dual slotted discs (Yamaha) and they would not put them if they had fracture/failure issues. I also have not had issues with fast brake pad wear on eiter.. so I partly agree with you. Nice vid though, you are a good speaker.

[@ChristopherFreedom]

Well said!

[@vxsr33]

You can't exactly compare motorcycle and car disks to be fair. Slotted and drilled factory rotors that are standard on some high end sports cars have been engineered to have high strength and resistance to cracking. Whereas aftermarket slotted and drilled rotors that you can buy for regular passenger cars are not always great quality and could be more prone to cracking than solid discs.

[@g.fortin3228]

@@vxsr33 Fair enough. Quality varies for sure. So if one were to buy a brand with known good reputation it should be decent. And often original equipment parts are manufactured by third parties anyway so I would think this logic would be fine. Never had any issues at all with the ones I put on the 11' Pathfinder, they were still on it when i sold the vehicle. The pads were not great for bite, but thats an easy swap. I do regret using the companies' pads. Should have only purchased the rotors. I love that they did not rust.

[@denismanace]

👌Awesome sauce , thanx bro .

[@nicholasvonrhine541]

Outstanding.

[@puffnstuff12]

First thing I did on my '18 Equinox awd was install Nitto NT421Q's but the stock pads still don't have enough friction so I'm installing Hawk HPS 5.0 up front and EBC Yellowstuff in the rear. I'd rather out brake an accident than participate in it and I came up short two weeks ago in stock form hence the changes. I hope to have all of my parts in this week.

[@paulbarnett5837]

Shock absorbers are also often overlooked in their role due to resistance to anti dive etc

[@big-patria-lo3508]

Great vid thanks 😊 for the information

[@robertflores477]

Excellent informative video! Very well explained and I learned a lot. Which type would you recommend for my Nissan Titan while towing a 5K travel trailer. After my last tow I now have a slight pulsating feeling on my front tires. I think maybe I have warped my rotors from excessive heat? Advice please if you can find the time. R. Flores in Southern California.

[@mklinger23]

You remind me of EE. good work

[@mikecastleberry9671]

What a dumb ass

[@videomaniac108]

@@mikecastleberry9671 What a dumb remark.

[@DjStiv3]

haha yup.. nerdy guy explaining i see it.

[@thinkforyourself5672]

Why would you say that's a dumb comment? This is exactly how EE started his channel and there is totally similarities. You have to start somewhere

[@freddybermudez8501]

Wow!! great video, thank you very much

[@larryhernandez5062]

Excellent : informative

[@thewholls7176]

Good answer....!! Tyres very important along with shockies I get a bit tired of hearing about complaints of pads wearing to quickly at the end of the day you’ve got a 2 tonne machine with a spinning disk and a pad is gonna squeeze the disk to stop the vehicle something has to wear it might as well be the pads don’t worry about it it’s a consumable....!!!

[@TheChasfireman05]

Awesome video man!! A+

[@ASQUITHZ9]

Not a mention about water dispersal! I had a Honda 750 4 with Stainless Discs ( Rotors) absolutely F useless in the wet (changed them to drilled cast iron with the then in their infancy EBC sintered pads) like driving on a different planet...maybe we are blessed with a lot of rain in England but when you had to tweak the brakes every few seconds to keep the brakes hot and clear of water otherwise you put the front brake on and three or four white knuckle seconds later they would start gripping! Moto Guzzi had a brilliant anti lock brembo system with cast Iron drilled and slotted brake discs Twin ones at the front and single at the rear all drilled and slotted...absolutely first class.

[@10heads7dragons]

Good information, thank you.

[@dw1508]

Its also good to remember any texture on the rotor such a slots and drills or dimples can cause more pad vibration this can lead to brake squeak or noisier braking overall. The quietest rotors are plan good quality. Top shelf with a decent set of pads. Also remember dust means they are working some of the pads with less dust also preform worse.

[@dogpatch8266]

ive found basic ceramic pads dont work well cold and seem to slide (or fad) . dont like them and used organic pads untill recently trying ceramic/carbon and liking them.

[@wutangclan2051]

I feel more edumicated. Thanks!

[@nus]

thank you very much, 10 mins spend to consume gold like knowledge!

[@honda116969]

I used to use slotted or drilled rotors but now getting a little bit older I just get the plane rotors with akebono pads.. lol. Cool video i learned & that's what it's about 👍👍🇺🇸

[@limodxb9177]

I have seen some good rotors at geobrakes.com not sure what kind of you want but they have got some good selection of heavy duty drilled and slotted ones

[@honda116969]

@@limodxb9177 thank you, I'll look into their stock👍👍

[@datghettoazn127]

That was awesome

[@nicolaandria522]

very informative, thank you

[@Roscoeverdin5469]

I had a 2003 Honda Accord as a daily driver. There is a down hill grade that is notorious for people getting into rear end collisions on the way to work. There were times I wondered if I was going to stop in time. I decided to switch to slotted and cross drilled rotors. There was a noticeable difference in increased stopping power and there were a couple of instances I am sure I would have run into the car ahead had it not been for the new brakes. BTW, the OEM rotors were replaced twice because of warping. The new rotors never had a warping problem after 50,000 miles.

[@armankordi]

Frank Verdin just drive a manual and engine brake lol

[@davidleclerc2547]

super nicely done

[@mrmiked6577]

Excellent video, thanks. Only suggestion is to clean up the scribbles on the white board for more clarity, but that's just being nit-picky. Well done!

[@bluemoth1879]

Thank you!!...:) Great info. 👍

[@isuguy82]

Engineering Explained imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

[@thecarizon504]

Is EE the only one allowed to preach in front of a white board?

[@isuguy82]

No, just saying it’s a good method and well done.

[@thecarizon504]

I admire what he has done with his video but it sadly does not leave a lot of room for originality now that he has covered the majority of engineering topics related to cars. 🤷‍♂️

[@Firebert79TA]

@@thecarizon504 I think your video was more concise and focused. Good job!

[@negativeindustrial]

The Carizon At least he can spell properly.