Rotors / Brakes

[saze]

For a 2008 Trailblazer I6 4.2

Looking at upgrading my Rotors and Brakes any recommendations? Wanting Black Drilled or Dimpled and Slotted Rotors (set). Can I run bigger rotors with out upgrading calipers?

Does anyone have any experience with HART Brakes?
Front Rear Kit Black Hart Drilled Slotted Brake Rotors Ceramic Pads C1260 | eBay

Or Is this The Normal going price for a set of all 4 R1 kit? Ive read some threads where some members get them cheaper.
F R Kit R1 Premium Series Drilled Slotted Brake Rotors Posi Quiet Pads R199 | eBay

Thanks!

 

[TexazReece]

Don't know too mich about those you listed but I know brakemotives are the norm everyone run. I'm sure someone will come on witj more onfo to help ya out

 

[blazinlow89]

Not sure how long the black zinc coating would last on brake calipers. They do look like something similar to the brake motive kit.

The brake motive kit has been used extensively by many members, not just on the GMT360, but other platforms. Its a great kit for the price.

 

[saze]

Thanks for the Info guys.
Are these them?
Front Rear Kit 4 Performance Drilled Slotted Brake Rotors and 8 Ceramic Pads | eBay

 

[Mooseman]

I don't trust drilled rotors. They are likely chinese rotors that were then drilled once they arrived here. Probably the same for the slots. There have been reports of drilled rotors cracking from the holes. And if you think about it, you get LESS contact surface for actual braking effect therefore needing to increase pressure and increase heat. This article has a lot of good info:

WHY Blank rotors are better than cross drilled and/or slotted - Honda-Tech

 

[jrSS]

I don't trust drilled rotors. They are likely chinese rotors that were then drilled once they arrived here. Probably the same for the slots. There have been reports of drilled rotors cracking from the holes. And if you think about it, you get LESS contact surface for actual braking effect therefore needing to increase pressure and increase heat. This article has a lot of good info:

WHY Blank rotors are better than cross drilled and/or slotted - Honda-Tech

I don't care what any article says. ..my shit stops good!!!!

 

[tricguy007]

Both my Malibu SS and my voy stop better with drilled and slotted than with the stock stuff I'm a very spirited driver (and the wife is harder on them than I am) I got the brakemotive brakes

 

[tbyoda]

If you have 17" or larger wheels you can do the ext brake mod. The ext TB has larger rotors all you have swap out is the caliper mount and new ext rotor. Everything is the same search on trailvoy and offroadtb.com.

 

[Boricua SS]

D/S rotors "could" crack... you just don't hear too much about them... but for the most part, they are the way to go... here are some pix of the cracks...

 

[Playsinsnow]

D/S rotors "could" crack... you just don't hear too much about them... but for the most part, they are the way to go... here are some pix of the cracks...

hth does that happen?!? From HEAVY use/trailering? CCC?
anyone with a swb use ext d/s rotors?

 

[jrSS]

The ss' do. Same brakes as the ext. Why?

 

[Boricua SS]

how does a tranny break? How does a sensor go out? How does a battery go dead? How does the mode door actuator go out?

just normal wear and tear... some parts last, others break.. whether there brand new or used... I bought a brand new set of switchback turn signal LED's and they burnt out the very next day... I've gone through 4 motors in my SS... chit happens you know... it's just a risk factor with D/S brakes... there is less of a surface, and things like cracks can and do happen on occasion...

 

[Charley12]

I'm a huge fan of the BrakeMotive kit. Even if you don't factor in the ceramic pads and D/S rotors its a good deal!! Just put a set on my bro's 05 Impala. Stops like a sports car now. ( maybe a slight exaggeration!) I have had them on 2 other cars and as soon as I can wear my brakes out my Voy will have a set!View attachment 28467

 

[Playsinsnow]

The ss' do. Same brakes as the ext. Why?

Duh, I knew that, my bad

how does a tranny break? How does a sensor go out? How does a battery go dead? How does the mode door actuator go out?

just normal wear and tear... some parts last, others break.. whether there brand new or used... I bought a brand new set of switchback turn signal LED's and they burnt out the very next day... I've gone through 4 motors in my SS... chit happens you know... it's just a risk factor with D/S brakes... there is less of a surface, and things like cracks can and do happen on occasion...

I guess you're absolutely right about that. Wasn't sure if D/s brakes need to operate hotter to be effective (like f1). I would love increased performance, l o n g grades in winter/occasionally trailering, but have always wondered if there was a compromise somewhere? I'll prob just stick with stock ext's as my "daily" braking habits are quite gentle in the TB.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Drilled n slotted is all I will use now that I experienced the better braking.

 

[C-ya]

And if you think about it, you get LESS contact surface for actual braking effect therefore needing to increase pressure and increase heat.

So all those OEM motorcycle rotors that are drilled and slotted are going to fail or wear out prematurely? Someone said that in another thread - that d/s'd rotors are not as good, and I meant to reply there. Too many apps around the world on too many vehicles for it to be bad.



D/S'd rotors are de rigueur for hard use in order to cool more quickly so as to help prevent brake fade. The amount of metal that is removed to make the hole or slot is negligible as compared to the rest of the rotor. Take a look at the "wave" rotors for dirt bikes - these help prevent mud buildup and save weight, but they provide great braking power.

I recently put d/s'd rotors and ceramic pads on my wife's Impala. Love the feeling of good brakes! When I need brakes on my TB, I'm going with BrakeMotive's offering.

 

[Sparky]

I have brakemotive D/S brakes on my Trailblazer and have no complaints. I wasn't a fan of cross drilled rotors because of potential issues, but it seems Brakemotive does it properly to avoid most causes of cracking. It isn't just being drilled but also how it is drilled, how many holes, the location, spacing, etc... I haven't actually come across anyone with a cracked Brakemotive rotor yet on the several forums I'm on. I'm not saying that it doesn't happen, but in my experience and data gathering I haven't come across any.

 

[MDBT]

I can wrap my head around the benefit of a slotted rotor, you sacrifice a little pad wear for the increased friction and resulting stopping power. Add to that the ability to reduce hydroplaning of the pad on a wet rotor and I get it.

Not sure I'm on board with the drilled aspect. As I understand it there are three benefits to drilled rotors:

1. Reduced Weight: negligible even if it is unsprung, aftermarket tires and wheels can add much more than is saved
2. Relieves off-gassing: irrelevant with modern quality pads
3. Improved heat dissipation: useful for repeated abuse but the load required to produce a meaningful difference is typically only applied on sustained or repeated steep grades, towing near or above weight limits, or specialized applications like competition driving and these heat concerns can be largely addressed by using higher quality parts which typically have higher maximum operating temperatures

And for these "benefits" you get a weaker rotor and reduced surface area (also just as irrelevant and negligible as the first two benefits). While a $300+ BAER rotor with chamfered edged holes may be plenty strong enough to handle extreme use even with this weakened design I find myself hesitant to assume the same of $45 rotors on ebay. While I understand that we have anecdotal evidence to show that the Brakemotive rotors do not crack our evidence that the owners are actually approaching a point where these rotors keep working where un-drilled rotors would have overheated and failed is equally anecdotal. In other words they hold up ok but we don't know if the holes are doing anything either.

Since I personally see a good benefit/drawback ratio for slots but a very poor one for holes I think I'd prefer to skip the drilled aspect of the rotors. I didn't see any offered by Brakemotive on ebay, does Brakemotive or another forum-vetted vendor/product offer just a slotted rotor?

 

[blazinlow89]

I have seen slotted only rotors but they came with a premium price. For the $175 for brakemotive rotors and pads shipped you cannot complain. We are not driving race vehicles (most of us), but if we can drop 10, 15 maybe even 20' off the braking length of our 2 and a half ton beasts then I would say it is worth every penny.

 

[Playsinsnow]

...but if we can drop 10, 15 maybe even 20' off the braking length of our 2 and a half ton beasts then I would say it is worth every penny.

I've been doing my homework on improved stopping distances with different upgrades, to no avail. I understand it is all relative to the circumstances but someone has to have some #s

So far it seems every drilled hole in the rotor is a 2-5hp gain depending on the vehicle applied to.

 

[blazinlow89]

I've been doing my homework on improved stopping distances with different upgrades, to no avail. I understand it is all relative to the circumstances but someone has to have some #s

So far it seems every drilled hole in the rotor is a 2-5hp gain depending on the vehicle applied to.

It would be hard to get accurate real world differences. Too many variables. Pad type/wear, rotor wear etc. Most of the guys with bm brake kits would probably not go back to standard, and most of the guys running standard would most likely not upgrade.

The argument could go on forever, just like CAI's, tire types, hell even what type of dash cleaner we use. For the majority of us that use them, we notice a difference.

 

[Boricua SS]

So all those OEM motorcycle rotors that are drilled and slotted are going to fail or wear out prematurely? Someone said that in another thread - that d/s'd rotors are not as good, and I meant to reply there. Too many apps around the world on too many vehicles for it to be bad.



D/S'd rotors are de rigueur for hard use in order to cool more quickly so as to help prevent brake fade. The amount of metal that is removed to make the hole or slot is negligible as compared to the rest of the rotor. Take a look at the "wave" rotors for dirt bikes - these help prevent mud buildup and save weight, but they provide great braking power.

I recently put d/s'd rotors and ceramic pads on my wife's Impala. Love the feeling of good brakes! When I need brakes on my TB, I'm going with BrakeMotive's offering.

you're talking about 2 different spectrums here... we have a 5,000+ lb SUV, compared to a 1,000 lb bike... big difference there... but yes, D/S are the way to go... and I'll be switching to them as well when my brakes go out.. but with only putting a 1000 miles a year on my SS.... I think that's going to be a while

 

[C-ya]

you're talking about 2 different spectrums here... we have a 5,000+ lb SUV, compared to a 1,000 lb bike... big difference there... but yes, D/S are the way to go... and I'll be switching to them as well when my brakes go out.. but with only putting a 1000 miles a year on my SS.... I think that's going to be a while

If that bike weighed 1,000 lbs, there would have been a lot fewer of them sold! Together, that bike and I weighed less than 500 lbs.

 

[saze]

Thank you all for the Input. I will most likely go with the D/S. I have been searching around and Brakemotive seems reputable with a lot of other forums.

If you have 17" or larger wheels you can do the ext brake mod. The ext TB has larger rotors all you have swap out is the caliper mount and new ext rotor. Everything is the same search on trailvoy and offroadtb.com.

I read an old thread about this on trailvoy but the pics were not available anymore.. Just to be clear all that is needed is EXT rotors and brackets? Is this for both front and rear?

 

[Playsinsnow]

Thank you all for the Input. I will most likely go with the D/S. I have been searching around and Brakemotive seems reputable with a lot of other forums.



I read an old thread about this on trailvoy but the pics were not available anymore.. Just to be clear all that is needed is EXT rotors and brackets? Is this for both front and rear?

rears are the same. Yep just brackets and rotors. Look forward to how you think the upgrade performs

 

[tblazerdude]

I have contacted two reputable, high performance, brake/rotor manufacturers, Centric and Akebono. Both informed me that if the vehicle is driven where/during road salt is used then slotted or cross drilled rotors would be a terrible choice. The rust will form inside the slots and holes, at an alarming rate. It will weaken the metal from the inside out, in double time. I see the OP is from FL, so all should be good. Just an FYI to you winter drivers.

 

[Sparky]

I have contacted two reputable, high performance, brake/rotor manufacturers, Centric and Akebono. Both informed me that if the vehicle is driven where/during road salt is used then slotted or cross drilled rotors would be a terrible choice. The rust will form inside the slots and holes, at an alarming rate. It will weaken the metal from the inside out, in double time. I see the OP is from FL, so all should be good. Just an FYI to you winter drivers.

Winter driver here and Ohio loves to dump metric tons of salt on the roads. I've had no issue with rapidly rotting rotors. They still rot obviously but not really any faster than blanks that I've noticed.

 

[tblazerdude]

Winter driver here and Ohio loves to dump metric tons of salt on the roads. I've had no issue with rapidly rotting rotors. They still rot obviously but not really any faster than blanks that I've noticed.

I tend to trust the manufacturer's opinion. They could have told me to buy the more expensive slotted/cross drilled rotors. They didn't. Sparky, I know you take care of your truck, garage kept and washed weekly in the winter I assume.

View attachment 28652

Take it as my $.02

 

[Sparky]

I tend to trust the manufacturer's opinion. They could have told me to buy the more expensive slotted/cross drilled rotors. They didn't. Sparky, I know you take care of your truck, garage kept and washed weekly in the winter I assume.


Take it as my $.02

You don't know me too well

I have no garage and the truck only gets washed occasionally. Last winter I think it got washed once when it actually got above freezing for a short while. Other than that, nope. Hard to wash the car when the car wash itself is frozen

I would trust the manufacturer too... except those guys didn't make my rotors

Just was stating my experience is all

 

[MDBT]

The brakemotive kits have a zinc coating which may be the reason why Sparky isn't seeing the rust that those MFR reps are referring to. That said, that's a coating and I don't know how deep or long that will last on those or any other rotors. Since I only drive once or twice a month the rust is a primary concern for me and appreciate the input from the MFR reps.

 

[NinjuhhNutz]

I have contacted two reputable, high performance, brake/rotor manufacturers, Centric and Akebono. Both informed me that if the vehicle is driven where/during road salt is used then slotted or cross drilled rotors would be a terrible choice. The rust will form inside the slots and holes, at an alarming rate. It will weaken the metal from the inside out, in double time. I see the OP is from FL, so all should be good. Just an FYI to you winter drivers.

I was thinking the same thing abt the zinc coating. The ones I was looking at were coated (obviously it would only last where there was no pad contact, but that's really where it's needed) and helped against rust/degradation due to the elements and other other forces. I've been in vehicles with d/s rotors before and after, and honestly...I can't wait to get them on mine!

 

[Sparky]

The different rotors won't do squat unless you have a decent pad also. Good thing is the pads that Brakemotive uses are pretty decent.

 

[saze]

rears are the same. Yep just brackets and rotors. Look forward to how you think the upgrade performs

Rears are the same as what I have now? so the upgrade is only for the front?

 

[MDBT]

Rears are the same as what I have now? so the upgrade is only for the front?

IIRC the rears are the same size for all GMT360s, even the SS. The LWB, Saabs, and SWB V8 models got the larger fronts. Not sure if the calipers/brackets are all the same though.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Rears are the same as what I have now? so the upgrade is only for the front?

All rears are the same...Ext, standard, and SS are same rotors and calipers and pads on rear.

 

[jrSS]

The different rotors won't do squat unless you have a decent pad also. Good thing is the pads that Brakemotive uses are pretty decent.

And squeeky.

 

[Sparky]

And squeeky.

All mine have never been squeaky. Don't know what your problem is

 

[C-ya]

I put the Eline kit from R1 Concepts on all four corners of the wife's Impala. So far, so good, with no rust. This was done during the winter, maybe January or February, and we certainly had snow and the appropriate treatment on the roads.

 

[saze]

Decided to just go with SWB instead of the LWB mod. Purchased the Brakemotive set wit ceramic pads.

Thank you all for the input.

 

[aaronbtb]

I would like to add that these brakemotive rotors and pads are garbage.
Pads squeeled in reverse and driving slow forward, replaced those after a month
Rotors where installed May 2012, it is now May 2015 and the rotors pulse. Have to replace them already.
I am not hard on my brakes, this is just driving to work everyday, 1 hour worth of driving a day. (If that)

After a inspection of the rotors the drilled holes look fine, just really rusty, and the slots are completly filled with rust and don't even look functional.