KAHBOOM

iTrader: (4)

Installed new Stillen Rotors and Metal Matrix Pads today. Here is my review:

The folks (Josh and Margaret) at Stillen were great to work with. I placed my order around the holidays and there were no delays in shipping. In fact the rotors arrived sooner than expected (that’s partly attributable to FedEx but also attributable to the fact that Stillen shipped when promised)
I have pictures of the rotors that I will post up shortly (both on and off the car)
Materials: The materials look brilliant. The zinc coating gives it a nice fresh/ clean look. The hub is also a nice bright silver. These accent the wheels quite nicely.
Brake Feel: I left the dealership and was averaging about 30 to 40 miles per hour for about 5 miles. My initial impression was that the brakes felt a little rough. Stopping from 40 MPH almost felt as if the brakes needed resurfacing. Perhaps I need to break them in???
As I drove on the highway I made sure that I would not impede upon other traffic and tried a few light stops from 65 MPH. Under light braking, initial bite felt about the same as stock but when you apply the brakes a little further (moderate braking) you can really tell the difference in the initial bite. Hard braking is even better. I tried about 4 hard stops from 65 MPH. I did not experience any fade (note that it is 30 degrees in my city which also may have assisted with cooling).
Under hard stopping the brakes feel good and do not feel rough at all. Brake noise is absolutely minimal aside from a faint whoosh sound when the brakes are applied, which I believe is normal and expected for X drilled rotors.
My only concern is how rough it felt under light braking from some low/moderate speeds. For about 1 or 2 seconds or so I get a feeling like the rotors need to be machined. However, and I’m not sure if it is just in my head, but it did appear that the more I drove and used the brakes, the less rough it felt. I will post a follow up review after putting a few more miles on the brakes. Maybe they will smooth out after some driving (?) As this is my first experience with X drilled rotors perhaps someoen can comment on that.

edit: I just drove up the street and back again and they felt a little smoother than before...

KAHBOOM

iTrader: (4)

cvt

was there a reason you went with drilled and not slotted?

Team STILLEN

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're happy with the upgrade..

It's possible (and kinda sounds like) they probably weren't bedded in 100%. The "roughness" is due to the zinc being scrubbed off the face of the rotors. It should disappear the more you drive the car, and sounds like it's already going away.

Looks really sharp against the OE Wheels!

Ivoidwarranties

iTrader: (7)

Do they have a drilled and slotted option?

KAHBOOM

iTrader: (4)

Since I wont really be tracking hard (and if I do I will get a set of slotted for that purpose because X drilled aren't as resilient on the track) I went with the slotted- primarily for looks and secondarily to get some of the performance improvements that come with it.

There wasn't a slotted and drilled option for front and rear. IIRC I think there was such an option for the rear only but I dont think that it was not necessarily intended for the G as a full set. It just so happened that they fit the rear of the G. If there was a drilled/slotted option for all 4 wheels I would have been all over that because those look sick and you get a balance of performance benefits that come with both.

When the sun comes out and we warm up a little I will clean it up proper and take some day time shots

Team STILLEN

iTrader: (3)

We do a rear cross-drilled / slotted option to match guys running a front AP Racing 4-Piston Big Brake Kit..

We can do cross-drilled / slotted for the front, we typically don't get the demand for it, but if enough people are interested, I don't see why that couldn't be done.

Ivoidwarranties

iTrader: (7)

If you make them, I'm sure they will sell.

G37Sam

Are there any cons to having both drilled & slotted? I know many will just buy them for the aesthetics aspect.

Q8y_drifter

subscribed.
How much do the front rotors weigh?

KAHBOOM

iTrader: (4)

From what I understand, and Josh can chime in, is that slotted/drilled combo could produce more pad wear than a drilled only. But they are easier on the pads than slotted only because there aren't as many slots (as they are replaced by the drill holes).

The weight basically is the same as stock... There could perhaps be some small weight savings since technically there is less material as some of it is drilled out. But it wont really be a significant reduction like, say, in a two-piece rotor.

KAHBOOM

iTrader: (4)

Its been 4 days and a couple hundred miles and I am still feeling a vibration when slowing down that occurs between 45MPH and 25 MPH during the ascent. It is annoying and is negatively affecting my experience with these rotors. I am starting to wonder if I should have saved my money and stayed stock or saved up for a two piece rotor option. I have an appointment with the installer tomorrow to check things out. I will keep the forum updated on my experience.

G37Sam

Did you consider fitting a brake shim?

beerme986

iTrader: (2)

i believe slotted and drilled rotors make the rotors weaker.. but unless you track the car I doubt it would effect the life of the rotors.

but anyway I would check the pads with the rotors. It very unlikely you would have warped the rotors already.

There are also certain pads and rotor combo's that work well together. On my tsx I had powerslot rotors and hawk ceramics and they worked like a charm. Maybe do some research and see what kind of pads people use with these rotors?

KAHBOOM

iTrader: (4)

Update... 500 Mile Review

Brake Feel
... so its been a couple weeks since install... the vibration persisted and didn't improve beyond the 1st day of driving. The installer checked wheel lug torque and inspected the brakes and couldn't visibly see anything wrong. As per my conversation with the rep last Monday, they have never experienced such an issue before. but Stillen is sending me replacement front rotors to see if that addresses the problem... still waiting... I am also recently noticing an occassional left to right dart with the vibration... annoying! annoying! annoying!

The only issue with the return policy is that the Stillen warranty only covers parts. So I'll be paying extra out of pocket to change out the rotors...

Materials:
There apears to be a dark colored brake residue (looks like a stain) that I have not been able to successfully to get removed. Most of it gets on the hub area... The hub of the rotor is a bright color which I originally thought was great but since the residue is a bit darker, the accumulation of it and of dust etc is more easily seen and stands out like a sore thumb. Stillen might ocnsider making darker colored hubs to address that (just a thought).

As I am driving long distance on the weekened, if my replacements dont get in I may just go back to stock. I now get annoyed whenever people in front of me brake excessively. My car sat in the garage most of the weekened simply because I didn't want to drive it anywhere. I drove the wifes car instead... It's a bit more difficult to hug curves in a Pathfinder 4X4... but hey... her stock Nissan brakes felt great!