Drilled rotors?

[Allen K. Littlefield]

Have any of you installed the drilled rotors, i.e. Zimmerman for example? If so have you had any cracking or negative stories to tell? I notice there are a number of aftermarket mfg. with low prices which probably should not be considered. The reason I ask about the Zimmerman product is I had them on my 911SC and had no problems but I didn't track it very much after installing the drilled set. I will mainly if not only be driving on the road and rarely on the track so the stress will be normal driving conditions. Any advice appreciated.

AKL

[JAAY]

I have ebay zimmermans. Working perfectly still.

[der Geist]

I have slotted and drilled. No problems at all and would not track or auto x without them. The pads would glaze over at the track before I got the new rotors. I think you will be very happy with them. Plus they look better IMO.

[sd_boxster]

Drilled fronts, plain rears here. Absolutely no issues, and I've gotten the brakes cooking hot at the AX.

[j.fro]

Any thoughts on finding rear rotors for an "S"? I can find fronts at plenty of places, but no rears.

[Allen K. Littlefield]

I noticed one specific reference to Zimmermans, what about the others, Zims or other brand? I know Brembo etc. are VERY expensive, way more than stock P-parts.
What about the dba, Disc Brakes Australia, slotted, also a bit pricey? Limited budget here these days you know.

Pelican Parts has Zims rear drilled rotors but are out of stock on the front ones. Within my current price range.

AKL

[ekam]

I have the Performance Friction dimpled fronts but they're sitting in my room. They don't make them for non-S size so you're out of luck.

[releese78]

I have Zimmerman drilled rotors and I'm not all that impressed. I installed them with new OEM pads, and do not do any heavy braking or tracking, yet all 4 of mine have minor stress cracks around the holes. The other issue I had to tackle is that the hats all rusted..bad! (area between where your wheels bolt up and the braking surface)

If you buy these, I would suggest using high temp silver paint on the hats BEFORE installing the rotors. If you wait till they rust (like I did) you'll be spending quite a bit of time sanding off the rust, priming and prepping them for paint.

my .02

[Steve Tinker]

If you buy the Zimmermanns, make sure you get the rotors with "Z Coat". This means that the rotors are dipped at the factory to prevent corrosion. Even the part of the rotors where the pads grip are coated and the instructions specifically state "do not to remove the coating before installation" - the pads will remove it.
With the Z Coat, you will find less rust stains transferred to your wheels after rain or washing, which is a big plus.....

[eightsandaces]

Have the Zimmermans with pagid pads, I find the combination to be excellent, I have zero cracks around the drilled holes and had the factory coating applied as mentioned by Steve.

[941MXVET]

This past fall, I put Zimmermen's cross drilled rotors on my 964, along with new pads, and fluid. I think the car brakes better, but the old stuff was worn. I have no issues, but I haven't had them on long enough to develop any issues.

[Allen K. Littlefield]

Seems like the Zimmermans for the street are OK. As I said, I had them on my 911 and experienced no trouble. Some of you have had cracking problems and some of you have driven them hard on the track with no trouble. Curious!

Tire Rack has ATE rotors with a long curved slot not unlike the symbol for nukes at a reasonable price. They are under "Slotted and/or drilled high performance street" category along with the caveat, 'these rotors should not be used for racing or DE style track work'.

How how about pad recommendations for these type of rotors, I have heard that Metal Masters are decent and don't dirty up the wheels as much as stock. Any thoughts along these lines?

AKL

[jcb986]

I just replaced last month all the rotors and pads. I do not track all, I just wanted a smoother stop since my Boxster has 68K on it. I purchased my parts from Pelican Parts, Balo rotors and Mintex pads. She now has a very smooth stop, it was a major difference. Rotors and pads plus I flushed my brake system...spent about $450. You do not need to buy caliper bolts. Use a good Locktight on the threads. The Balo's are German made and I compared to the one original ones that I took off...they were the same.

[Allen K. Littlefield]

Originally Posted by eightsandaces

Have the Zimmermans with pagid pads, I find the combination to be excellent, I have zero cracks around the drilled holes and had the factory coating applied as mentioned by Steve.

8s & 2s, I can't seem to find drilled Zims that are coated for my 2.7. I looked at Pelican and Ebay. Are they not available coated for drilled '02 2.7 or just not on the market right now?

AKL

[sd_boxster]

$20 for 8 new caliper bolts... why not do it up right?

Originally Posted by jcb986

You do not need to buy caliper bolts. Use a good Locktight on the threads.

[ekam]

Originally Posted by sd_boxster

$20 for 8 new caliper bolts... why not do it up right?

Caliper bolts DO stretch over time, that's a fact.

[jhandy]

there is a long discussion about the bolts on here somewhere. To sum it up.... A new bolt, after torque, streches to maintain tightness, after you remove it, it does not return to its normal length. So you cant get the same torque as new.

[jcb986]

Originally Posted by sd_boxster

$20 for 8 new caliper bolts... why not do it up right?

Pelican was more like $32. Talked with the Porsche Dealer here and most of mechanics do not replace them. Also verified that info with Suncoast Porsche. Now if it stretches that much then why doesn't the service tech guys at Porsche dealership change them every time when they need to remove a caliper. And believe or not all metal stretches and flexs...if it didn't, it would break. Of course, I will know soon as I listen to hear if my calipers are making any noises. Let you guys know the outcome after a few thousand miles.

[ekam]

zimmerman rotors:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showpost.php?p=18112742&postcount=18