So I received this catalog from FVD-usa.com, mostly 911 stuff, but I've wanted to check out their catalog for sometime...

Anyway, on page 101 of their catalog, they list "Drilled Brake Discs" for the 914,
Front & Rear. They are $95/ea

if you go here: http://www.fvd-web.com/phpkatalog/index.php3?lang=usa

then put this part #: fvd 351 08 and then enter
the Rear # is fvd 352 07



Yes, I know, the picture has 5-lug, but the catalog does list the 914-4 separately from the 914-6

i'd love to be wrong, but i don't think they "really" exist. (yet...)

i do believe there were some drilled 914 rotors (solid/non-vented) available a few years ago, this might be what the catalog is referring to.

Hi,
I bought cross- drilled nonvented rotors from "Troutman" in Temecula, Ca. They were I think a bit cheaper than $95. I don't know what good cross-drilling is but it looks cool. Troutman can usually be found in the Porsche Panorama mag. They have a small add sometimes.

Cheers, Elliot

Yea, at Troutman (800) 356-9307 they go for 50.00 PLUS 100.00 for the crossdrilling.

They are advertising FREE S.S. braided brake lines with your order of rotors.

Pelican has sold in the past, and may still sell, drilled solid 914-4 rotors. A waste of time and $$$ IMHO to get drilled solid ones. And they will crack at some point in time--so now you have to inspect them every month... Not so great for a street car.

Vented rotors will not fit under stock 914-4 calipers. They're fine if you've upgraded to 911 brakes, but those are a different animal than 914-4 brakes.

--DD

gas slotted is a better method. They won't crack and will still vent gasses.

I personally won't drill rotors as in the Troutman scenario (not even for the free lines) but slotted rotors do sound tempting. Does anyone know of a place that would sell these in the 4 lug?

Jason at Paragon Products had mine done for me.
They used to be available on their web page. If you ask, he can probably still get it done.

Thanks a bunch Seanery! Scott, maybe you'd want to consider this alternative?

I got my VW rotors cross-drilled and they haven't cracked yet (and I don't drive like a grandma!):

Great for really wet weather! Quicker braking than when solid (noticable) in the wet. My personal opinion is that cracking isn't as common as what everybody rumors it to be. You have to really push your braking to the limits for this to happen, like on a track. For spirited street use I've yet to ever have a problem.

C.H. Topping (California, (562)432-0901)
These guys did my Jetta REAR drums as well:


Painted w/high temp stove paint:

To this day they still look great (no chipping/peeling) but good prep work is what helps.

I just got a set of the Paragon slotted rotors. They appear to be stock with a couple of slots machined into them. Nice but if you know someone with the facilities, you can save some cash by buying stock and having them machined.

29.00 difference. How much to grind? Maybe have the shop dimple the rotors. I still will go for slotted.

Are there any vented rotors with matching calipers available for our four-lug set up?

No

yes and no

for the total do-it-yourselfer, (or for a small fee, hahaha)
one can use Wilwood hats and rotors...one problem with this is it'll move the wheels approx. 1/4" outboard, which for the front is normally not a problem

the other solution is in the works (i'm getting tired of saying that....)....basicly it's a new billet hub which uses 911 rotors.....

Hey Brad, if you read this, can I have the phone number for the shop that is doing our prototyping???

Keep us all posted on the progress of your prototype. That sounds like an interesting project...

Why do the Wildwood units force you to move the wheels outward? Is it a wheel clearance issue?

UPDATE


So I sent an email to FVD about the Drilled & Vented Brake Discs, here is the response I rec'd from them....

> Hey Scott
Sorry I have been away for a few days. Fvd does offer drilled brake disc for your car with the 4 bolt pattern. As a funcarsonline member (6speedonline.com)
i can give you a 10% discount on the brakes.
cheers
Bryan <


So, it does sound like they do exist.

Dave said something about the Drilled discs would crack, that you'd need to check them once a month.
But, I wonder if that would be such an issue on our light-weight cars, 98% of which do NOT see the race track?

Yes, it would be. Because all it takes is one crack to propagate until a section of the rotor breaks off while you are using the brakes. It'll ruin more than just your day...

I feel that drilled solid disks are useless. Drilled vented disks have some use, but even then I feel that they are more for looks than any actual benefit on a street car.

--DD

the purpose of a drilled or slotted rotor is to relieve gas buildup. the drilled rotors do fail. if you want the functionality get the slotted, it's a no brainer in my book.

I also have the slotted solid rotors from Paragon... price was right....

On this and other items, Jason was a pleasure to deal with. He took time too look over some e-photos of some 911 front brakes and 914-6 rears I that came with a different 914 to help me determine what I had.... good guys there at Paragon in my experience.

- Dave

FWIW virtually ALL of the Porsche race cars at the VARA event last weekend had drilled rotors front and rear. (I didn't verify this, but assumed the 914's had vented fronts and solid rears.)

I always thought that drilled (as opposed to cast-in holes) were kind of bogus too, but now seeing them show up in droves at the track makes me kinda go "hmmmmm"

Since my regular smooth rotors are only a year old and nowhere near wear limits, I'm not gonna stress over it for now.

It works.. but the drilled ones crack MUCH sooner from each hole and leave you with small fractures running out to the very edge of the rotor (if not caught in time)


B

Chris makes the point I've always thought....
why are they on race cars then?

But, a couple of weekends on the track isn't the same as out on the street,
and there's usually alot more *insurance-claims* out on the streets also


I did send another question to the FVD guy about the discs cracking, here's what he had to say:

-> You might experience some cracking but it is rare on a new rotor,
maybe after extensive use or ware, nothing to worry about. <-

Absolutely true!
Drilled rotors have no benefit. They WILL crack prematurely. They're only manufactured by the brake companies to satisfy customers who insist on them and don't know about their lack of benefit and proneness to cracking. Just about all racing sanctioning bodies outlaw them (Excluding bikes but in the case of bikes they're drilled for weight reduction and heat dissipation isn't so important) due to their tendency to crack. For a great source of info on brakes go to the Stoptech tech pages for more info than you ever could want.

I think a reason you'll see them on race cars is because those cars are gone over before they hit the track. Do you do that everytime you hit the streets? I didn't think so.