07 Type S here, it's time for a front brake job and I'm thinking of going with a set of drilled rotors. Truth be told its about 100% for the looks. I don't track the car nor really do all that much aggressive driving. So I don't want to break the bank but on the other hand don't want to get into some cheap eBay crappers that are warped in 15 minutes. Any suggestions where to shop online to get a decent looking, well-priced quality set up?

thx

 

by nature; drilling mass out of anything will be weaker.
a drilled rotor has close proximity holes that may end up cracking over time.
if you are dead set on drilled rotors; look for the well known brands..such as powerstop, stoptech, EBC, and others...

 

Perhaps you could meet in the middle and get dimpled rotors? Looks are similar, without losing as much structural integrity as cross drilled rotors.

 

I agree with all that was said. Stoptech, Powerstop, and EBC are reputable brands. However, just do some research first as these have also been known to rust. The holes and strip around the rotor hat are not always protected and can produce ugly rust over time. Several Acuraziners have complained about this with Powerstop/Stoptech.You can always try painting with high temp caliper paint, but it's hard to to get every nook and cranny unless you just spray the entire rotor. Then, you have to worry about gunking up your brake pads with all of the extra paint that rubs off during your first few drives.

My brother-in-law has some Soptech drilled/slotted rotors and after about 1 year, they look like crap. He was going strictly for performance though.

I'm just giving my two cents since you mentioned you're going strictly for looks. I too have debated getting "better rotors" for looks, but at the end of the day, they're just rotors. Good luck with your decision!

 

 

I'd go with slotted rotors over drilled.

I used drilled/slotted rotors from Brakemotive for over 4 years and they started rusting after 1 year and turned really ugly. If I were to buy from them again I would paint everything black except the pad contact surface.
They worked great, though.

I've since gone back to just blank rotors - High Carbon Centric rotors and prefer the clean and shiny no rust disk behind the wheel opposed to a rusted drilled/slotted rotor.

This picture was taken back in 2014 and I used them up until last fall so you can imagine how much rustier it was. It's only surface rust in this picture but the slots and holes just got so rusty over time.

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing that picture. That's exactly what my concern was pointing towards. That surface rest gets everywhere unfortunately.

Centric blanks are probably what I will get when it's time for replacing my rotors as well. Stoptch/Powerstop is just the high performance racing brand from Centric Parts.

 

What brand/model discs did you go with? Got any pics?

 

 

 

I always thought Stoptech rotors had coated hats ^^

No problem! They got a lot worse, especially where the holes chamfer.

 

 

Ran powerstop D&S rotors on my auto for 5 years with no problems.
I'm installing an identical set tomorrow on my 6MT.
I really like their aesthetic.

 

The rotors in the photos are coated. They have a zinc plating, which works fine in non-salted road environments.

Completely non-coated rotors will rust, even in CA.

Organic coating is better. Or...just clean them properly and shoot them with caliper paint.

OP....rockauto usually has low pricing on drilled rotors.

Nobody's driving style produces enough heat to warp a thick cast iron disk that has a melting point of 2500F.

So....they won't warp unless your hubs are bent or you improperly torque the lug nuts.

 

I already assumed it's zinc coated, that's common. I meant the black painted coating.

 

Most rotors come bare cast iron. Zinc plated ones have added cost and have added rust protection. But zinc does a shit job at it.

And yes....most manufacturers are moving to E-coat (the black coating). Its an epoxy coat, though...so over time, it peels away in the sun...and it isn't as high temp resistant as zinc.

So I just buy plain-assed rotors and paint them with caliper or flame proof paint. Kinda the best of both worlds! But it does make a mess on the pads for a while.

 

This is why drill rotor suck, for any one interested this rotor is from brakemotive back when he still a forum vendor. You can see my pad material got chew up and deposit into the slot and hole.

 

I ran powerstop drilled and slotted for 5 years, with no problems on my AT. I just installed a set on my MT 3 days ago.

 

Blanks all day. They look better aesthetically. Has a nice shiny look.

 

+1 on blanks

 

I ran stoptech drilled/slotted rotors with project mu pads with no issues. I had that setup for probably 70k miles.

 

I got mine from Adams Rotors they haven't rusted are holding up Great after several years of use out here in SoCal.