tk416

I've got cross drilled rotors on my ap1 and was buying pads yesterday when the gentlemen said that I would have to buy a semi metallic pad instead of the ceramics as they have been warned that the ceramic pads and cross drilled or slotted rotors are not a good combination.

It was the first I had heard of this. can anyone shed any light or is this BS...

Thanks
TK

s2kobsession

I'm not sure about the ceramic pads but I do know you should not be using cross drilled rotors if you are doing any sort of spirited driving. Unless they are very high quality rotors and inspected for cracks regularly... but who wants to check their rotors all the time like that?

Canadiankid

I think what the sales dude means is.... You're using low quality drilled rotors for show with high quality ceramic pads. It's just a mismatch.
As S2k said, cheap drilled rotors generally crack under spirited driving and ceramic pads don't help.

tk416

Not sure why he would assume they were cheap rotors... I bought them on the forums last year. Can't remember what brand...Not ebay knockoffs...

OK clears it up... seems there are no issues with using ceramic pads...

Thanks guys...

cthree

You should not use cross drilled rotors as OE replacements (you are using stock calipers). They don't work as well, wear out faster and can crack/break. The stock calipers are designed for solid rotors and they work optimally with them.

If you want better braking performance the change your fluid to superblue or motul and change it every time you change the pads or every year.

The gauge the performance of your braking as it is, On a straight and deserted road going 80, brake hard down to 0. This heats your rotors and pads to operating temp. Then accelerate to 80 again and stand on the brake pedal to try and lockup the wheels and activate your ABS.

If your ABS kicks in above 30-40KPH on the speedo then you have too much brake or not enough tire. If it doesn't kick in at all then you have too little brake or too much tire for them.

If your ABS comes on just before you stop, around 20-30KPH then your brakes are correctly balanced for the weight of the car and the traction of the tires. Your brakes should have enough power to overcome the traction of the tires on the pavement when they are at their ideal operating temp.

There aren't the roads around here to require anything more than a stock pad for normal driving. It's cheap and reliable. You only need to change them if you are braking so much and so hard that they start to fade on you like you might find on a road of 10 or more switchback turns. Start with better brake fluid and go from there until you've got a balance which matches your driving style and environment.

Good luck. The S2000 braking system isn't broken or defective. Don't fix it unless it's broken. I'd give odds that you will hate carbon-ceramic pads for being too dirty, too loud, too sensitive and for crumbling and disintegrating before they wear out.