Drilled and slotted rotors for tow vehicle

[BritBox]

Has anybody upgraded their tow vehicles brakes to 'towing' pads with drilled and slotted rotors and, more importantly, was it an improvement and worth it?

I have a late model tow vehicle and the front brakes are serviceable at 90K+ miles. However the inside front pads are probably a bit over 50% worn and I did overheat them once probably due to not adjusting the gain on the brake controller enough. So I am thinking that refreshed brakes would be a wise move before the summer months. I did find one old post from 2019 where a member did state that they had upgraded their brakes from OEM and it was a big improvement.

[Skw774]

If your tow vehicle is designed to tow the weight you’re pulling then the brakes are designed to stop it without any upgrades.
Provided the trailer brakes are working correctly.

[rohrmann]

When we upgraded our drums to discs on the trailer, that was a serious improvement in being able to stop the combination. Between the trailer discs and the exhaust brake on the truck, the brakes just last a long time and we can stop much quicker and in full control.

[mlh]

This from Sumit Racing Equipment
Cross-Drilled Brake Rotors are a holdover from the old days of racing. They have holes drilled through the face. Today, they are usually chosen for looks.

Originally, drilled rotors were used to vent the dust and gas created by the brake pads. They also helped to cool the brakes down. However, they are prone to cracking if they get too hot.

Lynwood

[bshgto]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c04Ksr7zGa4

I really think if there was a increase in braking from these big trucks would come with them as a standard.

[mlh]

I have a friend who has the perfect sayings for this and a lot of other things. He builds very expensive rifles and sells them for twice what other top rifle builders do. So how does he convince a lot of people to pay twice for a rifle. It’s simple “you don’t sell the steak you sell the sizzle”. Before you buy almost anything ask yourself are you buying steak or sizzle.
Lynwood

[DQDick]

We've put IS and disk brakes on all our Montanas and that made all the difference. Exhaust brake, standard truck brakes and those trailer brakes stopped everything in plenty of time in over 200k of towing.

[BritBox]

Thanks for all of the replies. The consensus seems to be that modern trucks have pretty good braking systems and that changing from OEM would probably not be worthwhile. Changing a trailer from drum to disk however, seems to have advantages.

[Todd & Mary]

FYI, when i did a brake job on my vehicle i put drilled and slotted rotors on it. Didn't make any discernable difference in performance at all. Just prettier! Stick with what the OEM put on it. Just my 2 cents.

[Rondo]

Martyn, you are correct. As Tod stated the only thing that the drilled and slotted brakes do is make it pretty and no difference in the braking power or stopping power. Now the disk brakes on the Monte does make a huge difference. When we converted over to disk brakes the stopping power and distance was significant. When we took the unit out for the test run after the disks were installed a young man pulled out in front of me and I had to hit the brakes hard. I left skid marks from both the truck and the Monte to stop the unit so I didn't hit him. The installer of the brakes looked at me and said "Well what do you think?" I looked back at him and said " A well worthy intall!" Won't be without the disks on any other unit that I might buy!

[MandK]

X2 what Rondo said about the disc brakes. Pulling Monty down the I-95 corridor this winter to FL was like pulling a totally different trailer than I pulled here last year. Those drivers out there all have a death wish. Took me 2 days to install the brakes this past fall, best money I’ve spent on this lifestyle.

[wed]

No I have not would like to know more

[beeje]

All second everyone who stated the way to go is to upgrade the trailer to disc brakes. It truly is a night and day difference in stopping power.

[wed]

Make sure your trailer brakes are working correctly

[Majorpolk]

I have a 2011 Chevy Dually. My front discs warped and I replaced them with drilled and slotted and have been very happy. No problems stops well and I don’t have to worry about heat.

[MandK]

Originally Posted by Majorpolk

I have a 2011 Chevy Dually. My front discs warped and I replaced them with drilled and slotted and have been very happy. No problems stops well and I don’t have to worry about heat.

This may be an option for those who don’t want, or pull enough to warrant in their minds that discs on the trailer are the way to go.
My IR gun used to show a lot of heat and the front wheels showed a lot of dust after a couple of days of long pulls. My best description of the electric drums brakes would be that they helped the truck stop the outfit. Since the disc brake install, no more excessive heat on the truck brakes, no more brake dust than driving the truck without the trailer and the truck stops the truck and the trailer stops the trailer.
Just my opinion, put the money into discs on the trailer. Again, just my observations and opinion, good luck with whichever way you go.