Re: [DML] Custom Drilled Rotors

[Woody <BePositive2000@xxxxxxxxx>]

A few months ago I decided to research drilled rotors on the market,
concentrating on drilled "solid" rotors.  I had a set of rotors with
only a few miles use (plus a little rust) and decided to use them to
see if I could get better performance than just the stock rotor.

When developing my design, I looked at hole diameters, hole patterns
and small design enhancements that might further improve performance.

To be on the safe side (minimize the likelihood of failure or the
common stress cracks around the drilled holes), I decided on slightly
smaller diameter and fewer number of holes with the realization that
the rotors might not dissipate heat as well and might still be prone to
warping.  I also made the outside edge of the holes conical to reduce
the wear and tear on the pads.  I even decided to use the existing pads
that had a few miles on them and may have been OE.  I did the final
layout on my CADD system with coordinates for the CNC.  Drilling was
the simplest step.

After 7,000 miles, and standing HARD on the brakes several times (due
to my aggressive driving habits and the occasional crazy "other"
driver), the results were much better than I expected.  The pads have
held up amazingly well and appear to have considerable life remaining. 
More importantly, the rotors have not developed the characteristic
vibration/distortion or brake pull, there are no signs of cracking
around the drilled holes and the condition of the rotors is visually
very good, and the performance is much better than I've ever
experienced in the previous 90,000+ miles with my first D.

The vendor supplied drilled rotors likely give better performance, have
probably had a lot more testing and are not much higher than OE, but I
thought I'd share my experience, anyway.  The most obvious conclusion
from my limited test is that drilling the rotors is a positive step.

Woody




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