I am now in that time period in the life cycle of my cars where I have to start paying for my own brake changes. And to prove one of Murphy's laws, it seems like both cars will need them at the same time. And to add insult to injury, looks like I will need them front and back. I want to give slotted rotors a shot. One of the cars is an '06 JCW, the other one has an R56 brake conversion, so basically same rotors for both. I looked at Tire Rack and they only show rear fitments available for slotted rotors. Looks like Way has some TSW designed ones in his shop. Anyone have any first hand experience with these? What are other options out there? Reasonably priced, that is. I can't afford to do $700 rotors on two cars.
I have TSW/Way's rear slotted rotor (didn't buy it for the slots, I don't think the slots really do anything one way or the other), and they've been great--they've held up better than the OEM rears. I've had them on for 2 1/2 years, lots of track miles (now using carbotech XP8's on the rear, these are relatively rotor friendly), and the rotors still look great--won't need replacing anytime soon. With your brakes, I'd definitely consider giving those a shot on the fronts too. I ran front slotted rotors in the past, and I really don't notice a difference between slots versus no slots. I have the BDM now, and slotted isn't an option.
I have had the Powerslot rotors on my car and to tell you the truth I will probably replace them with the same cause they look good. I don't think they really add anything to the capabilities of an occasional track day car. Maybe useful for a dedicated track toy.......?
I've got a dumb question...... For a daily driver, what are the chances of something getting caught in the slots? Such as a piece of rock or road debris or whatever? ...Les
Nearly zero. The slots aren't very deep and the debris would still have to enter the very small space between the rotor and pad.
Slim to none. I wouldn't think twice about it. Slots aren't going to be of any benefit for a daily driver, but if you like the look, I wouldn't worry about them getting harmed with debris. Lol Beaner got me by a few seconds...
I also have powerslots front and rear, and they are holding up great. Even the paint is still black, not a new looking as they were 60k miles ago, but still no rust or corrosion.
Two sets. One set of Axxis Ultimates that had just passed the point of being needed to replace, and about 10k on a set of EBC greens. I guess it is closer to the 55k mark atm.
I take it you don't track your car. I went through three sets of dual purpose pads, two sets of race pads and three sets of rotors in 25k miles. I think I'm on the TCE preferred customer list.:ihih:
LMAO Na, i actually didnt. They are for DD and spirited curvy roads. Even then though, i am not hard on my brakes at all, if i learned to be, i might be able to pick up a few seconds at auto-x lol.
Have a set of Way's rotors front and back since last spring. No problems They were branded TSW but are made by Freemax Front TSW Fremax Rotors R55,R56,R57 - Way Motor Works Nice piece of advise I got from Way was to spray paint the hats of the rotors as they will rust. That and painting the calipers and it's looking pretty sharp to boot!
I've found that slots make a difference in the rain. There's no hesitation on wet rotors like there is on smooth rotors. The difference is noticeable, but it's a pretty minor benefit.
There was a time I believed slots made a difference in wet weather performance, but now I find pad compound and tires matter more. I liked the original Power Slots because the slots went all the way to the rotor edge providing rapid evacuation of pad dust. The cadmium plating was very long lived too. The slots on the new version are closed on the ends, and the coating is less corrosion resistant. Here's an option :: Brakeworld ::[COUPE] FITS: [COOPER S, CLUBMAN COOPER S] [294mm FRONT ROTORS]
Slots vs no slots: I will concede that for street driving the benefits would be minor, or nonexistent. For track, they might be more obvious, or still nonexistent. But at the end of the day, having the slotted rotors should not hurt anything. So it might be just a little bit of bling. And there is nothing wrong with that. :ihih:
I'm running the TSW curved slot rotors on the rear of my R53 (stock size) and I'm loving 'em. The look nice and were barely more expensive than a stock replacement. I've had 'em on for 2 DE weekends and 10k miles or so running Hawk HPS pads in the stock size. When they wear out, I plan to replace 'em with the same. I'm running a Wilwood setup up front and I'm loving the change from 11.7" to 12.1" rotors. The pads sit right out to the edge of the 12.1 rotors, so no nasty little lip to look at (though I miss using that lip to know how much I've worn the rotors).
Here's what happened to one of my TSW rear rotors after a couple years and over a dozen track weekends. Since it happened late Saturday afternoon, I now have a set of Autozone rotors on the rear of the car. I've done 2 DE weekends with them and so far, so good. They are not slotted.
Brings up the question--how often do people change the rear rotors on cars that are frequently on the track, even if the rotor looks good? The fronts are a different issue, they show wear much earlier than the rears. Even thought the rears look good after a couple of years, I wonder if with all that heat, they should still be changed on a schedule regardless of appearance? Rear rotors are relatively cheap....