Rotors - Slotted and cross drilled, are they better than OEM rotors?

Question

I have a 2010 Grand Caravan which eats brakes.

In 75.000 Kms they have been done three times.

I'm wondering if slotted and cross drilled discs may be better than OEM?

It is mostly city driving problem was so severe dodge doubled the initial warranty on brakes figured problem may be heat generated ???

Answer 1

No, you are best off with blank rotors(no slots, no holes) just like stock.

1. Slotted rotors are more aggressive on the pads.
2. Drilled rotors are plain dangerous unless they are a good quality(read expensive) that were cast with holes in place not drilled after the casting. generally, cheap drilled rotors are for looks only. They are also less efficient in general as contact surface is less and heat dissipation suffers as well. They are also more aggressive on the pads.

Here is what you can do:

1. Pick up good quality Ceramic pads - they will last longer compared to the low quality organic or semi-metallic pads.
2. "turn" your rotors at the brake shop of there is thickness left to do so safely( shop will know if it's a good shop ), or get new ones - don't need any fancy ones - rockauto.com has great prices and that's where I get most of my parts. Brands like Centric or PowerStop are more then enough for daily driving. But do get blank without any slots or holes.
3. Adjust your braking habits - this will just improve life of your pads proportionally to the quality of your pads :)

Potential reason your pads are eaten away so quickly:

1. They are cheap organic pads that shops sells you and don't last long.
2. Your rotor surface is in bad condition and that affects the pad life as well.
3. You are hard on your brakes.
4. You drive down a long hill every single day.

Answer 2

Drilled and slotted rotors are used for racing cars or road cars driven very aggressively and perform well in rainy climates.There are many benefits of drilled and slotted rotors and they are a bit more expensive.