Technical > Tech
Power Slot Brakes
Rigs With Big Wheels and Big Tires Need Better Brakes
by Denis Snow; photography by the Manufacturer
Comparison of Power Slot (left) and OE rotors.
Whether you’re a boulevard off-roader or, you drive a trail capable rig or rockcrawler, if you’re running big tires and wheels you’re subjecting your O.E. disc brakes to a lot of extra stress that can adversely affect their stopping performance.
Heat, the primary by-product of braking friction, is the primary culprit responsible for brake fade and rotor warpage. That and what is called a “boundary layer” of gasses that builds up between the brake pads and the rotor surface during heavy braking conditions also inhibits performance. To fight these villains of braking efficiency, Power Performance Group, Inc., has developed their Power Slot brake rotors. Power Slots are made using high quality original equipment design replacement rotor blanks that have CNC machined “Vac-U-Slots” machined into the rotor surface. These slots wipe the brake pads clean, getting rid of brake dust, while helping to evacuate the previously mentioned gasses and helping to shed built up heat. Slotting, unlike drilling holes into a rotor for cooling purposes, doesn’t compromise the structural integrity of the rotor. Drilling a rotor can weaken it and cause stress points that can lead to cracking and eventual structural failure. It’s interesting to note that even some racing teams involved in CART, IRL, WRC, and NASCAR are moving away from, crack prone, cross-drilled brake rotors, once considered the best technology in racing, in favor of a fatigue resistant slotting process. Slotting removes far less surface area than conventional cross drilling while maintaining the highest possible co-efficient of friction.
Drilling can
compromise the structural integrity of a rotor and cause stress points.
In comparing these two different methods of heat dissipation, Power Slot’s slotting process actually maintains 96% of their rotor’s active braking area, while cross drilling only retains 85-93% of active braking area. Additionally, the slots are actually tapered to further enhance heat and gas dissipation while the cooling fins also serve to reinforce the rotor and guard against warpage. The rotors are also Silver Cadmium plated for corrosion resistance while helping to retain that “new” look.
Power Performance has also developed their Hawk Performance line of brake pads to work in concert with their rotors or they can also be purchased separately as OEM pad replacements and provide better performance and reliability to “stock” brakes. Hawk pads come in two higher performance versions. Hawk Performance HPS pads provide advanced braking characteristics of longer pad life with low brake dust, and high friction, hot or cold. The HP Plus line combines extreme high friction output with elevated temperature resistance. Those interested in these higher performance pads should check with Power Performance to see which of these versions would work better for their individual on-, or off-roading driving situations.
Hawk Performance brake pads come in two higher performance versions.
Bottom line: Power Slot rotors and Hawk Performance pads are specifically designed to run cooler and provide dramatically improved wet and dry braking performance.
Source: Power Performance Group, Inc. • 20645 Bahama Street • Chatsworth, CA 91311
Buy Power Slot rotors from www.4wheelparts.com.
For more technical information call 818-709-4800 or check out www.powerslot.com.