I have a 98 ranger with 5" lift kit and 33" tires and stopping it is a lot harder with stock brakes! I would like to know how much the sloted and drilled rotors work and titanium pads would help stop this beast!

 

IMHO, sloted rotors work well on a track road course where you are constantly on the brakes, on the gas, on the brakes, etc. The slots tend to dissipate the heat from constant braking. For normal driving they are not any better than stock rotors.

 

There are a lot of factors that can play into this. Also remember, not all parts are created equal. For instance the rotors that come OEM on a high end sports car will tend to be higher quality than some you might find a NAPA or some place. Some cheaper quality drilled and slotted rotors have been known to crack.

Now in reference to what ranger pat said, this is not 100% true. Compare stock rotors and stock pads vs. a quality x-drill/slot rotor with the same stock pads and you will be better off with the latter. It is all about the pads and what heat range they are designed for. Often people put "racing" parts on their vehicles and wonder why they don't do what they expect. High temp pads for example are designed to work best when they are glowing, and below the specified temp they are just crap.

Now for some better options for you: Increase the size of your rotors and you will be amazed at the increase in performance. It will be a better upgrade than just getting drilled and slotted rotors. Aftermarket kits are going to be $$$, but they will perform the best. On the other hand I don't know which ones for sure, but if you look at some "sister" trucks, like Explorer, Bronco, or maybe F-series you can look for a brake and caliper setup with a larger diameter than your stock setup. If you can find a 1", or larger than your stock set up, you will love the performance increase. Also consider swapping your out your rears if you have drums. Sometimes it is easier to find a rear with the same axle ratio and disks already on it.

It should be standard practice to upgrade your brakes (even if you just get some pads with more grip) on any truck you lift and stuff larger rubber under. Unfortunately most guys don't stop to think that it takes a lot longer to stop than it used to.

 

Slotting and drilling helps get rid of gasses that form at the surface of the rotor when the pad is heated up. They do little to help cool the rotor. On a street vehicle I would pass on cross-drilled rotors unless they were cast that way. Cracks will form between the holes which will shorten the life of the rotor. It isn't a problem in race vehicles because the rotors are often swapped out after every couple of races.

As G2IC stated, larger brakes will serve you much better than drilled/slotted rotors.

 

What about titanium brake pads with stock rotors do you think they would help!

 

Try the EBC pads with the stock rotors, thats what i use and they are excellent.

 

I am going to try some high performance pads first since they are only $35 I will let you know if there is any difference!

 

Who makes a bolt-on rotor upgrade? i am aware of the benefits of converting to four-wheel discs and upgrading to awesome pads, but i come from a road-racing background and since there is a growing field of small-truck circle-track racers, i know there's got to be a big rotor-and-caliper upgrade somewhere, but i can't find one. got any leads? Thanks!

 

Baer makes a quality upgrade kit. Try stylinconcepts.com.
Dono

 

Good rule of thumb ..... taller tires need bigger brakes. Baer makes some good ones.
Dono