Hoody Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 (edited) Just about to buy some new brakes and not sure what discs I should get: Drilled and grooved or dimpled and grooved? Is that an advantage over the other? In the past I've had people say drilled are more prone to crack is that true? Edited July 28, 2013 by Hoody01 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juicygoolies Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 In my opinion, get plain. The drilled and dimpled ones may look good but they make annoying noises when you drive and let's be honest they don't perform any better really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biggy Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 I know the drilled aren't meant to be safe.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
armoredfist2002 Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 Dimpled seem to make a ticking noise, must be the air getting trapped as there is nowhere for it to go. I had drilled & grooved tarox on my fronts for over 2 years and they were fine, but drilled are more prone to cracking especially under very heavy use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boynxdoor Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 If Your after the looks I prefer just the groove but with only few grooves... Not more than 6 grooves and can be as little as 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akuma77 Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 so the nice drilled /grooved ones are not as good as the standard oe discs ? i know pads have to be the best ones you can afford but ive never heard of this before... i need to replace all my discs pads soon as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trebor4460 Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 (edited) Drilled and grooved are as gud as the plain ones, as already mentioned, drilled can under extreme braking split. Prob only on cheap chinease ones though. Grooved ones are the ones to get and they look good too. Edited July 28, 2013 by Trebor4460 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akuma77 Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 ahh so the cheap ones crack over time and its best to stick with grooved ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daytona Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 When buying from FP was advised D&G can be suspect under extreme conditions. Grooved only, help clear water. Not had any noise from mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harv_j Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 (edited) Absolutely nothing wrong with drilled discs, just avoid the cheap ones ... but you do that with all discs anyway right? Cant comment on what they are like for track use because i've never used them on track before. I imagine a decent set will be up to job though, otherwise you wouldnt see them on pretty much every new powerful sports car. Edited July 29, 2013 by harv_j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Akuma77 Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 tbh i dont use my car for trackdays , if i had a donor vehicle i might of done it but not as its my only pride of joy that gets me to work etc they cant be that bad especially when you look at the oe ones Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kishan38 Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Posted a similar question when I went for new discs and pads, apparently drilled is no good at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoody Posted July 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 mmm cheers for all the help guys, yes i am mainly going for looks but also anything better than stock ones i got at the moment lol. Im goin to have another think and might just get grooved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleario Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 I have dimpled and grooved, they make a very slight noise but you can only really here it when your passing a wall or a row of parked cars, but I like it, reminds me that there still there lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mightymouse Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 I went for dimpled and grooved look great only bad thing they didnt stay shiny for long Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daytona Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 (edited) mmm cheers for all the help guys, yes i am mainly going for looks but also anything better than stock ones i got at the moment lol. Im goin to have another think and might just get grooved. Freaky Parts will do you a good price on Mtec, I think they were. A little over 200 for grooved & pads and a set of braided hoses which I think are usually around 60. Same price for grooved / drilled as flat. The only prob with oem is in reality they are just a bit small for the job and the calipers are weedy. The only real ways to get better stopping power is to beef up the calipers & or bigger discs but you can improve the travel a bit by braided hoses and esp a brace between the master cylinder and bulkhead which is about £40 usually and was the best value improvement when I replaced mine. It reduces the flex in the system and cut the travel before bite by a third to a half. ps if you are going for looks I recommend you paint the hubs at least before fitting as they all corrode. I will remember next time!!! Edited July 31, 2013 by daytona Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan_Q Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 i've had drilled (black diamond), dimpled and grooved (EBC) and blanks (blueprint / toyota) over the years and for what i do (road and sprint) they have all performed similarly. the grooves / holes also help gas build up escape too apparently. i'd avoid drilled these days just on the internet stories, but prob very rare failures and in extreme circumstances. for a road car blue print blank discs and decent make pads should be fine, but as others have said grooved can look cool they do make a little more noise and in my head might also wear the pads a little quicker but i bet theres hardly any difference. best way to improve brakes IMHO is pads. pad material will make more difference than any other component, short of shoehorning big stoppers on which is expensive and again IMHO certainly not needed for road use. they look bloody great though oh, and one note, if you ever think of going near a track stick some high temp brake fluid in- this is a must on middleweight celicas and above! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splinter Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 (edited) Drilled disks are fine. common misconception over some internet hype that they will blow up and WILL DIE!!!! TRD big brake for THIS very car runs drilled disks, i woul love a set, if i didnt already have a shopping list as long as my arm to get moo back on the road already!! haha Edited July 31, 2013 by splinter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FreakyParts Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 (edited) Absolutely nothing wrong with drilled discs, just avoid the cheap ones ... but you do that with all discs anyway right? Cant comment on what they are like for track use because i've never used them on track before. I imagine a decent set will be up to job though, otherwise you wouldnt see them on pretty much every new powerful sports car. Have to disagree with this I'm afraid. I have used drilled discs in the past. Started with Black Diamonds. They started with very fine cracking from the holes outwards. I replaced them with another set. Second set of Black Diamonds (less than 18 months from the first set) eventually went the same way. I remember being in Cumbria on a rally and tyre kicking, one of the other owners asked if my discs were ok as there was a crack coming out from the hole and another one on the edge of the disc working its way towards the other. It was a slow drive home! I replaced them with a set of AP Racing 4 pot calipers with genuine AP racing 330x28mm discs. These lasted around 9 months before they started to crack from the holes. I even spent time looking after these and cleaning out the holes every week or 2 as well. Wasn't impressed as to replace them, they cost me £250... EACH! So it doesn't matter how much you spend, the likelihood is drilled discs will crack and need replacing before the equivalent grooved or plain versions. If you're happy knowing that, then all's well and good. But due to this, manufacturers will very rarely warranty drilled discs. I advise anyone who orders though me about my experience, but if the customer is happy to go ahead, then no problem here. Edited July 31, 2013 by FreakyParts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianGT Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 Have to disagree with this I'm afraid. I have used drilled discs in the past. Started with Black Diamonds. They started with very fine cracking from the holes outwards. I replaced them with another set. Second set of Black Diamonds (less than 18 months from the first set) eventually went the same way. I remember being in Cumbria on a rally and tyre kicking, one of the other owners asked if my discs were ok as there was a crack coming out from the hole and another one on the edge of the disc working its way towards the other. It was a slow drive home! I replaced them with a set of AP Racing 4 pot calipers with genuine AP racing 330x28mm discs. These lasted around 9 months before they started to crack from the holes. I even spent time looking after these and cleaning out the holes every week or 2 as well. Wasn't impressed as to replace them, they cost me £250... EACH! So it doesn't matter how much you spend, the likelihood is drilled discs will crack and need replacing before the equivalent grooved or plain versions. If you're happy knowing that, then all's well and good. But due to this, manufacturers will very rarely warranty drilled discs. I advise anyone who orders though me about my experience, but if the customer is happy to go ahead, then no problem here. Great post! Based on fact and not interweb myth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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