Front Rotor Replacement

[Exocet]

Replaced both front rotors on the Freestar this past weekend. About a 1.5 hr job. Had to go get a T50 Torx bit to remove the rotors from the hub. But other than that, a fairly easy job. It is tight working in the wheel wells. Not much room for a breaker bar or torque wrench. The rotors have been slowly getting worse over the past 20K miles (now at 72K) and I finally couldn't stand it anymore.

[crazy96863]

Does anyone know if there is really any added benefit to slotted or holed rotors? On one hand the venting aspects seem to make sense keeping them cooler and all but the less material present the less area there is to absorb the heat. Even more troubling to me with the concept is that I would think the holed/slotted rotors would be more prone to cracking and the pads would seem to wear quicker as the slots/holes might slice material from the pad as it passes.

The claims of less brake fatigue and better performance associated with these products are intriguing but doubts remain I suppose. If they really work, it seems like a good fit for vehicles that often ride heavy like my Freestar with 2 adults, 4 kids and luggage for each.

[zpn_by]

crazy, the slots might have an advantage for street driving b/c they will allow any gas or dust to be removed easier from the pad surface, but the cross-drilled rotors are just for show on a street car. Unless you take your van road-racing or you have to stop from 70mph at the bottom of a mountain every day, you'll never get the benefit of the cooling properties. Most guys i know who have them know they are just for show. The other guy who has it really thinks it makes his car faster (1992 Civic driver - go figure).

[crazy96863]

lol!! No minivan racing; although the 4.2 does have some guts. This was more of an inquiry about keeping brakes cooler on long drives going down mountains with a heavy load.

Didn't you know that everything makes a Civic faster, even stickers or a 3 foot wing mounted on the trunk. The rotors must make it more aerodynamic by letting the air pass through them rather than around them.