DesmoTesta

Hey guys I need some advise.
I have a 99 A6 Avant and am looking to swap the front rotors. I can't decide between drilled and slotted rotors, the car will never be used for track days or street racing. I merely want the rotors for better braking power and ofcourse they look great.
Please let me know of any pros or cons you know by experience.
The price on Brembo and Zimmermann is almost the same so please let me kow which ones are better for daily use.
Thanks for your help

cuatrokoop

Ask a TT owner that was at Gingerman about x-drilled rotors, and what happens when you buy the wrong ones...He now needs a new caliper because the rotor broke. Expensive way to find out that there is only one way to properly manufacture a x-drilled rotor, and that is at the factory, during the casting process. Any x-drilled Brembo I have seen for any Audi besides the RS cars was not x-drilled by Brembo, it was by someone with a CNC Mill. Stay away, unless you want the risk...

ATE orbital slotted rotors sat at the front of the '86 5ktq (G54 single piston, 280x22 rotor), and I will say that whatever pads were matched with it stopped that car better than what is on the '87 5kq (G60 dual piston, 276x25 rotor) or what was on the '90 CQ (same as the '87).

Slotted rotors are ok, the lets-make-a-quick-buck x-drilled rotors are not, IMO. Anyone with a Materials Engineering back ground will say the same...I'd go with the blank Brembo, Zim, or ATE, or if you must go with a slotted ATE, but NO x-drilling...

NYLawyer

Zimmerman cross drilled rotors are cast with the holes from the factory.

S4inSoFla

Go with Hawp HP+ and motul fluid and braking should improve. I think the stock rotors are fine if you not tracking the car.

Spieks

Witnessed a brand new set of front zimmerman rotors crack in half like a Ritz cracker last weekend. They were cross-drilled and on a TT. I will never used cross-drilled rotors on the front of my car after seeing how weak the cross-drilling can make a rotor.

JWG

I have never heard anyone complain about their quality, because they take quality control very seriously over there. Whether chips or bars or whatever they have a quality control process to ensure proper tolerances, function, etc--whether it's "the" one guy who personally solders the chips at the factory (and never an unknown employee at a distributors place of business) or the perfectly flat granite slab to visually re-check for tolerance variations. Since my mechanic also services several of the Neuspeed guys' cars and as I live less than 10 minutes from their factory, I have indirect access to first hand information and hear only good things about them as persons and as professionals. I just wish that they did some mods for the old 12v since I live so close to them (but that's not to say that I do not love TDLracing's 12v mods).

cuatrokoop

"Witnessed a brand new set of front zimmerman rotors crack in half like a Ritz cracker last weekend. They were cross-drilled and on a TT. I will never used cross-drilled rotors on the front of my car after seeing how weak the cross-drilling can make a rotor."

I wasn't at Gingerman, but a friend from Fort Wayne was there, and told me about that car...You and I referred to the same poor bastard in our posts...!

Spieks

I was parked next to the TT in the paddock. The rotor cracked in zig zag fashion right down the line of cross-drilled holes. All I can say is what a ****ty piece of metal! Track workers found half the rotor in the grass outside the turn!

Spieks

I'm not so sure about that.

cuatrokoop

In my more ignorant days, I thought that x-drilled rotors were the ****...After taking MSE classes, talking with tuners/engineers/professors, I definately know otherwise!

No need for the apology either, its always a good thing to drill a point home to people (pun intended)

I think my next set of rotors will be AP racing or Willwood, assuming they fit my hats. The Colemans leave a lot to be desired.