What kind of PowerSlot rotors to buy?

[96ProCompTahoe]

i have the Brembo slotted factory replacement rotors on mine and they made a huge difference. calipers are factory, replaced them a couple years ago. paired them with the best non ceramic pads. i can literally lock the front wheels up, and im rollin 35's.

disabled ABS buy the way.

 

[raptorforme93]

I hate the brakes on chevy vehicles. Im looking into getting some slotted and dimpled rotors to replace the front ones. It deffinitally made a huge improvement 96ProCompTahoe?

 

[99Yuk]

No problem, I hadn't thought about the pedal travel but that makes sense. The 4 doors got the bigger 11'' rear brakes so the master cylinders are probably different, I didn't change mine and didn't notice any difference as far as pedal travel goes. The actual piston diameter is only 7/32" bigger but every little bit helps

I've got so many different parts from different year trucks and SUV's it's a pain in the ass going to the parts stores. I usually go to their website beforehand and have the part # when I go in, otherewise they give me the ''it won't fit'' crap. It's wound up being like the Johnny Cash song 1 Piece At a Time LOL

I've never heard of the rear shoe mod? I'm interested in what that may be, so if you find out what he means let us know.

Ok thanks! You've eased my mind about that mod! I'm going to pick up the 3/4ton calipers, the hawk pads are on thier way. And I may pick up the cheaper PowerSlot rotors.

I asked the guy about the rear shoe mod. He said he inserted SS clips into the bottom pin which extends the bottom of the shoes out toward the drum more, so the thoery goes that less pressure/travel is required by the wheel cylinder to apply the brakes. IDK if I want that or not. It supposedly helps keep more surface area of the shoe in contact with the drum while braking.

I will proably just keep adjusting the rear brakes by reversing and stopping, and skip this mod. I don't need my rear brakes locking up in the snow/ice.


So isn't there anyone who is running the CRYO PowerSlot rotors?

 

[TigerEyz3]

No problem, I hadn't thought about the pedal travel but that makes sense. The 4 doors got the bigger 11'' rear brakes so the master cylinders are probably different, I didn't change mine and didn't notice any difference as far as pedal travel goes. The actual piston diameter is only 7/32" bigger but every little bit helps

I've got so many different parts from different year trucks and SUV's it's a pain in the ass going to the parts stores. I usually go to their website beforehand and have the part # when I go in, otherewise they give me the ''it won't fit'' crap. It's wound up being like the Johnny Cash song 1 Piece At a Time LOL

I've never heard of the rear shoe mod? I'm interested in what that may be, so if you find out what he means let us know.

This is not true.... Mine has the 10" drums (don't know if the difference is due to 2wd vs 4wd, but has nothing to do with the number of doors.

 

[steamroller]

Must be a 4wd only thing, both mine and my brother's 4 door Yukon had them but they were both 4wd. It's the same rear end they used for the 4wd Suburbans, even has the factory sway bar that the 2 doors did not have. When I bought brake shoes that was one of the things I was asked whether it was 2 door or 4 door, so I think door count does matter. I'll add the 4wd in front of that to eliminate any confusion


Not to jack the thread but to the guys that have swapped to the slotted rotors, what makes 'brand a' better than 'brand b'? I understand how the slotted part helps expel some of the gasses created while braking, but what do you look for when comparing brands? Not bashing, just curious

 

[TigerEyz3]

I can only speak for the PowerSlot vs OEM rotor differences.

• PowerSlots are much heavier than the OEM and OEM replacement rotors
• PowerSlots are solid vs the OEM composite

I've had my PowerSlots for three years (during which I tow a 12' lawn care trailer frequently in addition to regular stop/go traffic) and they have always performed much better than the OEM rotors and have definitely had a longer life.

 

[steamroller]

Thanks, I'm (and probably the OP) just trying to justify why they cost nearly twice as much as a quality aftermarket rotor like Wagner or Raybestos.

The fully cast replacements aren't composite either from what I understand, so they will work better than the OEM parts as well. What I don't understand is with the slots isn't the surface area of the rotor actually reduced? Since you mentioned that they are much heavier won't that reduce braking as well due to rotational mass?

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the whole concept of just the rotors themselves improving the braking. My thoughts are that as long as you use a quality rotor (not Chinese) and a good set of pads there should be no problems. I belived all the hype about stainless lines making a difference and I was disappointed when I made that switch, could've spent that $100 elsewhere.

 

[99Yuk]

Thanks, I'm (and probably the OP) just trying to justify why they cost nearly twice as much as a quality aftermarket rotor like Wagner or Raybestos.

The fully cast replacements aren't composite either from what I understand, so they will work better than the OEM parts as well. What I don't understand is with the slots isn't the surface area of the rotor actually reduced? Since you mentioned that they are much heavier won't that reduce braking as well due to rotational mass?

I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the whole concept of just the rotors themselves improving the braking. My thoughts are that as long as you use a quality rotor (not Chinese) and a good set of pads there should be no problems. I belived all the hype about stainless lines making a difference and I was disappointed when I made that switch, could've spent that $100 elsewhere.

Hmmm, I also bought the Russell SS brake lines, I hope I didn't waste money.

I just ordered the Hawk Performance ceramic Pads from Summit Racing, and I didn't order the powerslots, I ordered the ATE premium slotted rotors. As you say(your not the OP), I couldn't see myself spending double or triple on a brand with no concrete answers as to why.
I also ordered the 3/4ton HD front calipers from Partssource.
And I have four litres of super blue brake fluid waiting to be flushed in.

Can't wait to try this stuff out.

 

[dave76]

I put the Cryo Power Slots on my pops 96 1500 Burb, with the best Power Slot ceramic brake pads the Tire Rack sold. He's had them about a year, he said it's an improvement but the brakes really need to get hot before they start working real well, I told him it's the ceramic pads, next time will put good semi metalic pads for good all around use.

All in all I don't think they are worth $138 each as I've bought a set R1 Concepts slotted and drilled rotors and posi quiet semi metallic pads for my Hoe. The rotors were $86 for the pair and pads were $34, the trucks stops much better and has no more brake fade, and was well worth the money, I now use this company for all the brakes I do and always get a compliment on the performance of them.

 

[99Yuk]

Hey, thanks for posting about the Cyro's! I didn't feel that they were worth the money either.


So I finally got some spare time to install my new front brakes setup.

Russell SS brake lines, ATE Premium rotors, Hawks ceramic pads, and upgraded to 3/4Ton calipers.

Of coarse I picked the one Saturday that our shop decided to close on. So I was completely by myself. I couldn't find tools, and ran into problems.

I subscribe to the 'put stuff back exactly where you got it from and clean up after yourself' therom, so the Mechs gave me keys to their boxs and the shop. But again, I'm server certified, not wrench certified, so it took me over 8 hours to do this swap (well, and install a new Corsair H70 in my home machine ).

Things went well, until after I put my wheels back on and went for my test drive... Screech, Sceech, Screech...grind, grind, grind.... wtf????

Turns out that even though Summit racings webpage confirms that the set of Hawks brake pads say they fit my truck, they don't. They are too wide, and are grinding on the hub of my rotors. I had to quickly order up a cheap ($18) set of pads to put on. I've already emailed Summit to ask 'what's up with dat'. Here is what I ordered.

And I couldn't install the SS brake lines. My existing lines are too rusty to crack off, and I was turning the line, so I instinctively stopped and reused my old lines. I will wait for a Mech to install the SS lines.

I used the air powered vacum brake line sucker to bleed the brakes and flush out the old brown fluid until I saw the new blue fluid, all the while refilling the master cylinder when it got down to halfway.

I'm impressed that I was able to get this far by myself, with no help!

I find that the brake pedal goes down further than I'd like. I somehow thought that it would 'firm up' and go to the top of the pedal, but it's down to almost the floor.

I think that I'll ask a Mech to come in and properly bleed all four corners. It's amazing what people will do for a case of Moosehead!

Now the pics!

Get yourself a shop with a hoist!


Gather up all of your parts required;


ATE Premium Slotted Rotors, ATE Super Blue Racing Brake Fluid, Incorrect size Hawks Premium Ceramic Pads.


Upgraded 3/4ton Brake Cylinder. These bolt right on, and have no clearence issues anywhere. The 1/2ton pads(when sized correctly) fit right in. The Only difference is the bigger diameter cylinder.


Russell SS Brake Lines which I couldn't install.


Swear and Curse at wrong Pads. Old on top, New on bottom. Actual pics I emailed to Summit Racing.




When I get these brakes sorted, then I'm done modding/upgrading the Kon until next spring! Well except for the Heated Mirrors Mod!