cross drilled or slotted rotors?

my front brake rotors are warped on my 95 jimmy and everytime i brake, the truck shakes and i don't stop to well. pads are new but the rotors are warped. i was thinking that if i have to change the rotors i might as well upgrade them. My question is which kind of rotor should i get, cross drilled or slotted? is one better than the other? the truck is daily driven if that helps. thanks in advance guys.

I'd get stock ones. Slotted and/or drilled rotors are for extra cooling when racing, I don't see it as necessary for street or off road trucks.

I'd get stock ones. Slotted and/or drilled rotors are for extra cooling when racing, I don't see it as necessary for street or off road trucks.
i wanted them for the better cooling but mostly for improved wet weather braking. the stock ones cost just as much.

Slotted/Cross drilled rotors are better than stock. For daily driving or for racing. Does not matter. The better the heat dissapation is, the better braking. I would check out ebay. several good priced sets on their for the blazers.

I wouldn't suggest the cross drilled as the holes weaken the rotor and have been known to crack and fail(very bad). I would think that the slotted would probably improve your braking performance and would be a safer bet.

I wouldn't suggest the cross drilled as the holes weaken the rotor and have been known to crack and fail(very bad). I would think that the slotted would probably improve your braking performance and would be a safer bet.
thats what i was thinking but im open to all opinions.

Why not get rotors that are cross drilled and slotted?
The ones that I've got on my Impala have performed flawlessly. I can come to a complete stop from 140mph without warping the rotors and minimal brake fade. I went through brakes every few months before getting these. All others I tried would either turn to mush at speeds greater then 120mph or would immediately warp the rotors.

Why not get rotors that are cross drilled and slotted?
The ones that I've got on my Impala have performed flawlessly. I can come to a complete stop from 140mph without warping the rotors and minimal brake fade. I went through brakes every few months before getting these. All others I tried would either turn to mush at speeds greater then 120mph or would immediately warp the rotors.
bear makes them but they are for 2 wheel drive, non-abs blazers.
no one makes them for 4wd, abs blazers. the closest thing i can find is power slot's slotted and "dimpled" rotor. i don't want to spend a fortune either.

Why not get rotors that are cross drilled and slotted?
The ones that I've got on my Impala have performed flawlessly. I can come to a complete stop from 140mph without warping the rotors and minimal brake fade. I went through brakes every few months before getting these. All others I tried would either turn to mush at speeds greater then 120mph or would immediately warp the rotors.


Doesn't the slotting/drilling eat your pads up faster? I was wondering about all those extra edges hitting the pads at every stop.

Doesn't the slotting/drilling eat your pads up faster? I was wondering about all those extra edges hitting the pads at every stop.
You would think so, but I'm not sure. When I upgraded the rotors I upgraded the pads, too. The pads that I'm using now have outlasted any others that I've used. I don't know if that's because of the quality of the pads, or if it's related to the rotors.

You would think so, but I'm not sure. When I upgraded the rotors I upgraded the pads, too. The pads that I'm using now have outlasted any others that I've used. I don't know if that's because of the quality of the pads, or if it's related to the rotors.

While we're on the subject - what kind of pads work well? I'm about due for both pads and rotors so let's get all the info out. I was thinking about upgrades on each but I don't want to break the bank. What do you guys (and girls) use?

It really just depends on what you're looking for each type has different pros and cons.

Ceramics are made to be quieter than semi-metallic, they are also dust free.

Semi-metallic have better stopping power and outlast ceramics and organic pads, but they generate a lot of dust and can squeel.

Organic pads are outdated they are soft, wear out fast and can't compare to the stopping power of ceramics and semi-metallic.

Carbon metallics are the most expensive but provide the best stopping power.

I use semi-metallics on my blazer. I was using Duralast Gold from AutoZone. The Duralast Gold were an awesome semi-metallic pad with a lifetime warranty, but it appears that AutoZone has decided to change them to a ceramic pad. A couple weeks ago I tried to return mine to get my third set, but they didn't have any in stock so they gave me a refund. I'm now using Bendix Semi-metallics from Advanced Auto, they seem to be pretty good, they have great stopping power and don't require a break in period. It's still too soon to tell how they will perform long term, though. I'm using duralast rotors.

Napa carries some in stock for our trucks (slotted and drilled) for 80 bux a set...I don't know the brand though...:( I agreee though, slotted/drilled rotors are good for daily as well as racing. I live in PA so we have a lot of hills here, i'll probably get drilled/slotted on my next set because they get heated up a lot, especially in Greentree. (for anyone who knows the pittsburgh area)

"You're going to be hard pressed to find cross-drilled/slotted rotors that are a direct OEM match for our Blazers. Especially on 4x4's. As stated above, drilled rotors tend to crack under *SEVERELY EXTREME* conditions, but otherwise, for a street truck/car *under* a certain weight, they are fine.

Slotted rotors I would never pick up for two reasons:

1) Each slot as it goes by, "refreshes" the surface of the pads to a new biting face, continuously. You're going to have to shop far and wide for a good, strong pad to match those rotors. So in effect, if you cobine them with stock pads, they will work GREAT - but at the expense of shaving off your pads unless they are bought in a matching set, or a superior pad substituted.

2) Go offroad with slotted discs. I DARE you. Do a wet crossing where the discs will be exposed to mud or water. Hell, a good downpour on the street with a puddle in the gutter while you clip along at 30-35 MPH will suffice. Hit your brakes. Hit them harder. HIT 'EM AGAIN....they're not there. The slots retain water and mud and what do wet brakes do?

Stick with stock OEM replacements/upgrades. I have "American Steel" rotors made of a compsited steel matrix, kind of like how one used to temper Samurai Katana swords. THey are a good $35/piece. Then go for the top shelf for a good DOT Class-EE or better pad. NAPA sells a top teir "Ceramix" product that fits this bill for $75 for the front shoes. (Well, for my '95 they do) Get them together right the first time, follow the burnishing procedure I outlined in another article and get yourself ready for brakes that hold more than their own on, off-road and perform much like how Blazee described his experience. Since I do Off-road occasionally, I cannot have slotted rotors on my rig. Of course, everyone's experience may vary here.

I had the displeasure of riding in a friend's car when his slotted rotors on his riced-out Nissan refused to grab in the wet. We went off the side of the road and spun 180 degrees, pugging the entire ass-end of that car with mud. NOT a fun experience, and thoroughly souring me to the idea of slotted rotors on a vehicle that must share the road with other, everyday, *normal* cars. Clear day driving on a track? Knock yourself out. ;)

Well would it hurt to put cross/slotted on the rear brakes and stock style rotors on the front? Or vice versa. You get the best of both worlds!

Wolfox... That's some interesting information. Actually never thought of it that way...

You have to admit, they look damn fine on any vehicle, especially racers and performance trucks/cars. But my first thought usually when it comes to stuff like brakes is, "How is it going to perform when I *need* it on the street?" Who cares what happens in the back-woods or on a sunlit day on a private street or track? It's how this shiznat works in the wet and inclimate weather that has me stuck on sticking to OE parts, or OE style upgrades. You just cannot go wrong with a set of fresh steel rotors and a ceramic product that bears DOT and NHSTA endorsement. It will carry designations for both on the box if it has been tested by Federal laboratories and safety boards. Otherwise, you're buying really expensive "performance" products that may not have had this testing let alone tried and true OEM engineering. All of the new Trailblazers are leaving the factory floor with ceramic-metallic composite brakes on revised, solid steel, ventilated discs. That should tell ya something. ;)

Oh, and never mix and match brake parts like that. Get them all upgraded, or replace all around with stock replacement parts. Differences in brake balance can throw the truck into a spin in wet/slippery conditions in a heartbeat, especially when the cargo bay is full. Be safe, and ultimately, safe to those around you, man. :)

Well would it hurt to put cross/slotted on the rear brakes and stock style rotors on the front? Or vice versa. You get the best of both worlds!

^^^ I thought the same thing. If slotted/drilled rotors were better for all around street use and "they cost about the same", why aren't the manufactures putting them on? I think some people are just lured by the bling of the fancy stuff.

I had a big improvement in braking ability, after installing them on my Impala. Granted, I don't make a habit of driving it off road or through standing water, but I've never had any deminished performance while driving on wet roads or through heavy rain.

I guess I can try putting them through their paces when Wilma gets here.

bear makes them but they are for 2 wheel drive, non-abs blazers.
no one makes them for 4wd, abs blazers. the closest thing i can find is power slot's slotted and "dimpled" rotor. i don't want to spend a fortune either.

I would recheck your suppliers because I can get standard rotors really cheap and they are a lot cheaper than the slotted and drilled variety.