Drilled rotors/ Special pads

[cdyoung]

Do any of you 9-5 owners drive fast? I have slotted and dimpled rotors now and they are not getting the job done. Wat about anyones expereince with drilled rotors? I have replaced two sets of factory rotors after warping from high speed braking on the aurobahn. I sometime drive a 15 year old Audi and at better then 145 MPH she still brakes like a dream. I have begun down-shifting my automatic to slow when I hit traffic. What good is it to have a car which can reach 160 if you can't stop it safely?

[Shazam]

Do any of you 9-5 owners drive fast? I have slotted and dimpled rotors now and they are not getting the job done. Wat about anyones expereince with drilled rotors? I have replaced two sets of factory rotors after warping from high speed braking on the aurobahn. I sometime drive a 15 year old Audi and at better then 145 MPH she still brakes like a dream. I have begun down-shifting my automatic to slow when I hit traffic. What good is it to have a car which can reach 160 if you can't stop it safely?

Well, drilled rotors are trying to accomplish something different than slotted rotors. Rotors are drilled typically for cooling purposes, as the added holes allow for better air flow across/through the rotor. Leading to faster cooling. Slots in rotors allow for the release of gases that build up in between the pad and the rotor, which means you can brake harder/stop faster. Sure, drilled rotors allow for gases to escape better than plain rotors, and slotted rotors typically cool better than plain rotors, but drilled doesn't release gases like slotted and slotted don't cool like drilled.

So, unless you feel your pedal going squishy and getting noticeable fade during your braking, I don't think switching to drilled (assuming they aren't some exceptionally higher performing part) brakes will help.

I think your best bet would be to research fitting larger diameter rotors and fitting better calipers... that will be pricey though. For the '98-'09 9-5, there is a 315mm diameter upgrade kit (I think stock is 308mm) with brembo calipers, and it runs $1000~$1100.