Anyone try drilled/slotted rotors?

Do you plan to race the car.......or otherwise drive it in a manner that the brakes are likely to overheat ??

If not, then ventilated rotors are no particular advantage since you can LOCK the stock brakes and activate the ABS rather easily.
AND......most stock rotors will last nicely through 2 or 3 sets of pads.

But brake shops LOVE to sell new rotors.

 

I put slotted rotors off Amazon on my minivan due to brake overheat/warping issues. I don't know if it is still true, but automakers were making cars bigger but the brake sizes were not keeping up with the car sizes, so you can order an amazing selection of rotors from Amazon.

But I have no interest in that for Prius which uses brakes sparingly. If you had a lot of mountain driving/braking with a full HV battery perhaps it makes sense....not sure.

 

Drilled rotors won't give you much benefit, and seem to be prone to cracking. Slotted rotors may slightly increase pad wear (not that it's a huge issue in the Prius). It may be somewhat instructive that the supercars running in Pirelli world challenge do not use drilled rotors.

 

Drilled rotors are the norm in motorcycling mainly to reduce unsprung weight which is much more critical on two wheeler than a four where it's more of a cosmetic mod for rickyracers wannabe types.

 

That would be our Prius. Live on the top of a mountain so the brakes get used every day for half the hill at least. Stock pads and rotors. Just replaced the pads for the first time on the 2006. Rotors were fine, so they just machined them. I expect to get another decade out of these pads with another machining of the rotors. And in another decade maybe replace the rotors.

 

Slotted rotors WIlL increase pad wear.

The slotted portion that acts like a grater for the flat pads. Hydraulic pressure from the caliper presses the pads onto the rotor. As the rotor spins, the slotted section slice off a section of the pad at each encounter.

 

Milkyway, maybe change your ID to Speedracer?

You are driving a Prius (AKA econo car). Unless a car came from the factory with those rotors, there is absolutely no benefit to "upgrading" to these slotted and cross drilled rotors. The car was designed for fuel economy. What lap times, 1/4mile, 0-60 times, Nascar track record, etc, are youn attempting to break with your Prius? The vented, flat, front rotors have served the Prius well, and is more than adequate.

Read this to have a better understanding of rotors.
Drilled vs. Slotted Rotors - What are the Best Brake Rotors?

Now you know.

Also, do not even think of buying K&N air filters, thinking it will increase your HP and MPG. Snake Oil at its worst. Read post #10 and the EPA link referencing the air filter study.
ever use K&N 33-2329 High Performance Replacement Air Filte | PriusChat

 

I ran cryogenically treated rotors on a duramax

So, if the rotors are cast with "drill" holes they are good, if the holes are drilled after being cast, bad, and 100$ for rotors and shoes isn't buying cast with hole rotors, so, stay away jmho,ymmv

 

There are a few "true auto mechanics" within Priuschat. Ask any of them the merits of changing stock items on the Prius to get better performance and they will tell you it won't work. Cosmetically it looks cool!, but to truly get more "ummph" or " Horsepower, one would need to install a high performance motor (not the stock atkinson motor), change the computer settings and then different injectors, ignition and exhaust. Someone may do this some day, just like they did with the Porsche 914 car and Chevy Vega's. People put V6's and V8's in them to get them to go really fast. These cars fell into the "sleeper" category.......looked slow, but would do only a few seconds in a quarter mile.......

 

The only possible reason for drilled or slotted rotors that I could imagine would be a reduction in unsprung weight, but compared to the weight left behind it would be miniscule.

 

OEM pads are 11m NEW and require replacement when at 1mm (to the wear sensor). You state your pads are at 4mm (assumed to the wear sensor). Current mileage is 145,000 miles. 11mm-4mm = 7mm of pad thickness used. 145,000miles/7mm = 20,714miles/mm of pad used. The 4mm of remaining pad life, might get you 82,857miles more (20,714miles/mm * 4mm). 145,000miles + 82,857miles = 227,857miles.

You state in post #11, that you will be getting rid of the car by 170,000 miles. The current pads might take you to 227,857 miles. Save your money and use the existing pads and rotors; hopefully they are OEM.

Contemplating the $120 Amazon rotor/pad set screams of the old adage of "penny wise, pound foolish," and "you get what you pay for." Price wise, it is a bargain. However, how good are the components? How long will the rotor or pads last? How well will they stop the car?

Search "Prius brake pads front," on Amazon, and you will see front brake pads and two rotors starting from $52!
One of the cheapest ways to get Genuine OEM parts are from dealerships who sell online. Camelback Toyota is one the of the cheapest.
2007 Toyota Prius Parts - Camelback Toyota Parts - Genuine OEM Parts - Free Shipping
Genuine Toyota OEM font disc brake pads cost $72.47.
Genuine Toyota OEM front disc rotors cost $53.42/EACH.
Genuine Toyota OEM front brake replacement would run $72.47 + $106.84 = $179.31
$52 Amazon set is far cheaper than $179.31 OEM set.
Your desired $125 Amazon set is only $54.31 less the OEM set; a small cost difference considering how long the OEM parts last.

I have a hard time believing the crap on Amazon will be made as well, perform as well, and last as long as the OEM parts. Remember, the auto manufactures actually do considerable research and testing of the materials/parts, to ensure they get a desired result, at a particular price point. They can't use the best materials, for all components, in a mass produced car, because the car would no longer be affordable. Cars that have the best of everything are called Super Cars, and have a super price tag to match.

 

Best thing you can do is just take off each wheel, slip the pads out, shove the sliding part of the caliper side to side (will probably feel a little stubborn at first, then easily slide in and out). Notice whether the rubber boots have any cracks or tears. Some people will take the slide pins fully out at each maintenance and re-grease them; so far, I don't even do that as long as the rubber is intact and the sliding feels nice and greasy as I work the caliper back and forth.

Check that the ears of the pads slide very easily and lightly in the springy metal liners where they fit in the caliper bracket. If those liners are rough and rusty, you can get a new set (it's called the "fitting kit" at the dealer) for around $15. If the ones you've got are still smooth and slippery, save the $15.

Put everything back together and call it a day. If you simply do this every other tire rotation or so, you will probably still have your original rotors and pads when you leave the car to your grandkids.

Just don't be lulled, by the longevity of the pads, into neglecting the brakes entirely. The pads and rotors will normally last a long time, but it's still important to just check now and then that things are not binding or stuck. If you overlook a developing problem, it could cause the pads and rotors to wear out before you expect.

-Chap

 

Has anyone used these before? and if so there good right? Reason I'm getting drilled is because they are cheaper than normal rotors I found on eBay so I figured why not it cant effect the car in a negative way.

 

Well, they are known to give off more brake dust than regular, solid rotors.

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Other things being equal, I would expect those rotors to form rust on the area where the pads rub much sooner vs normal rotors. Cheap rotors have cheap coatings, and rust will form in the slots and grooves. From there it will "spread" across the rotor's wear faces, so there's less brake pad to metal, and more pad to rust.

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Learned the hard way, cheap rotors are. Cheap drilled and slotted rotors are. Had to replace the rotors in 2 cars with less than a year of use because they warped and caused a pulsating pedal. Now I bite the bullet and buy factory or OEM parts.