highline

Quick Q...GTCS with 3K miles...Hate the stock rotors, don't race and really drive like grandma...Can I just pick up rotors and not replace the pads? They stop perfectly for me and are really brand new...I'd love the hawk, ect pads, but dont really need them, and the rotor swap is purely for looks...Thanks in advance...How are the powerslots? I'm most concerned about looks/rust...Somehow, even though she has never seen rain, the stockers are not acceptable...

BigDinTexas

I have the powerslots and love the looks of them... I would think that since you have only 3000 miles on yours stock pads, you "should" be able to replace just the rotors without having to swap out the pads. I would recommend a careful examination of the stock rotors to feel for any grooves or signs that the pads themselves may no longer be flat. If there is, then don't risk it and just swap out the pads too. If the contact surface is slick as ice and smoother than Billy D Williams, you should be good to go. Since you are already under there disassembling the brakes for the rotor swap, it's would only cost approx. another $150 to swap out the pads for the Hawks, even less if you go with Motorcraft pads.

One thing to note is that when replacing the rotors on the rear, you will need the caliper compression tool that turns and pushes at the same time. I purchased this tool for under $15 at the local Harbor Freight and have them for the next time around. The fronts can be done with a 5" C Clamp and a small (1/4" in thickness) block of wood to prevent damage to the piston. HTH

Don

highline

Nice, thanks for the info...Do you have any rusting issues? My car is not a dd, more a sat. cruiser and i'm just looking for a little asthectics <sp>

BigDinTexas

At first, it seemed if I let her sit for more than a couple of hours, a bit of surface rust would appear on the rotors.... Now after a couple thousand miles, it seems to only have some surface rust after a rain or washing. But a drive down the block and back will clear that right up. Now I don't get the surface rust anymore, but I don't know why. She is my DD...

Don

highline

Do you have any pics? I am researching them right now, and finding some people will never use another rotor, some people will never use powerslots again, which I totally expected...Some questions:

Do you feel any pulsations, fading, ect?
Can you feel the slots when braking?
Some people say that the slots ripped the stoick pads into chunks...What pads are you running?

marcuskeeler

if your pads are only 3k old, you don't wail on them and the car pulls up straight and true, then I would also reuse them. You might get a bit of groaning from them until they reprofile themselves but that's about it. If you have any sort of lip along the outer/inner edges on the pads where they've perhaps hung over the edge of the rotor face then take that off with a file or something.

Arguments about rotors types is as old as time itself so prepare for some wildly conflicting advice.
My 2c = I don't hold with slots on daily drivers personally. The main function of slots on race cars is to clean the pad surfaces, this of course means high wear rates and Black wheels all the darn time, especially when they're used with soft pads.. I know you have a Saturday cruiser there so maybe you can live with that.
Road rotors with slots aren't as aggressively machine but even so, they do work on the pads pretty bad.

BigDinTexas

Ask and you shall receive...

I don't feel any pulsations, fading, wobble, etc... The only things I want to do to them next is to swap out for some stainless lines and change the DOT fluid...

They stop and feel just like my stockers did. They did not make a noticable difference in stopping, hence my wanting to change the hoses and fluid. I wanted them more for looks than anything. I had a Baer Big Brake Kit on my previous ride (99 Eclipse that I upgraded with a T3/T4 turbo kit, boy do I miss that car...) and there was a HUGE difference when I did that swap...

I haven't noticed a change in the amount of brake dust on my rims when I wash, so in my experience my pads are not being eaten up by the slots. However, I am only 3000 miles into them, so who knows if this is a progressive problem.

Here is a pic of the passenger front. (I know I need to paint my calipers...)


Here is a pic of the passenger rear.


This final pic is just cause... I thought it was awesome to the awesomeness degree... I bet Chuck Norris uses this as a wall paper or something
Hope this helps.


BTW, where in TX are you?
Don

highline

Thanks a bunch D...I'm just north of Houston, the woodalns

highline

Alright, I've done a little more research...I'm down to four choices since she stops perfectly fine.
1. Do nothing and have slightly rusty rotors.
2. Powerslot rotors
3. Baer decelator rotors
4. Brembo rotors...not sure if plain, slotted, ect.

Quality, which is the best...Everything else aside, which would you get? Remember, I'm not changing pads (so I think) and am not chaing to DOT4 or SS line...Just want a non-rusty look with factory (or a touch better, definately not worse) braking...

highline

Those look like two different car rotors (or the pic was taken at different times)...I konw I am really picky, and maybe no rotor out there can give me what I want...The first picture looks perfect and exactly what I'm going for...The second (rear) pic looks a little rusty around the rim (outer diameter) and in the slots...Obviously the rotor must spin true, but can a rotor be painted to cover/prevent (high temp I know) rust? Should I just shut up and drive now?