Crossdrilled rotors are a dangerous SCAM

So, I had been having vibration from my brakes that I thought was due to warped rotors(it turns out the the idea of rotors warping before cracking is mostly a myth, my research seemed to indicate that most "warped" behavior is actually due to uneven deposits of brake pad material on the rotors caused by high stress heavy braking, which causes the rotor thickness to vary, and thus produce symptoms that people associate with warping). Anyways, I then started to do some research into cross-drilled and slotted rotors. I found some disturbing information.

In the short, crossdrilled rotors where originally used to address a problem caused by brake pad compounds from the 40's and 50's, a problem which has long since been fixed. Today, crossdrilling rotors only serves to make a rotor look cooler and to create stress concentrations that can lead to rotor failure.

Here is a good article I found summarizing the opinions held by most highly knowledgeable people in this area : Signal to Noise - cross-drilled rotors

Here are some of the quotes from that article to give you an idea what it says:
AP Racing:
"Grooves improve 'cleaning' of the pad surfaces and result in a more consistent brake performance. Grooved discs have a longer life than cross-drilled discs."

Baer:
"What are the benefits to Crossdrilling, Slotting, and Zinc-Washing my rotors? In years past, crossdrilling and/or Slotting the rotor for racing purposes was beneficial by providing a way to expel the gasses created when the bonding agents employed to manufacture the pads...However, with today's race pad technology, 'outgassing' is no longer much of a concern...Slotted surfaces are what Baer recommends for track only use. Slotted only rotors are offered as an option for any of Baer's offerings."

Darrick Dong; Director of Motorsports at Performance Friction: "Anyone that tells you that drilling makes the disc run cooler is smoking crack."

Waren Gilliand:
(Warren Gilliland is a well-known brake engineer in the racing industry and has more than 32 years experience in custom designing brake systems ...he became the main source for improving the brake systems on a variety of different race vehicles from midgets to NASCAR Winston Cup cars.) "If you cross drill one of these vented rotors, you are creating a stress riser that will encourage the rotor to crack right through the hole. Many of the rotors available in the aftermarket are nothing more than inexpensive offshore manufactured stock replacement rotors, cross drilled to appeal to the performance market. They are not performance rotors and will have a corresponding high failure rate"

Grassroots Motorsports:
"Crossdrilling your rotors might look neat, but what is it really doing for you? Well, unless your car is using brake pads from the '40s and 50s, not a whole lot. Rotors were first drilled because early brake pad materials gave off gasses when heated to racing temperatures, a process known as "gassing out." ...It was an effective solution, but today's friction materials do not exhibit the some gassing out phenomenon as the early pads. Contrary to popular belief, they don't lower temperatures. (In fact, by removing weight from the rotor, they can actually cause temperatures to increase a little.) These holes create stress risers that allow the rotor to crack sooner, and make a mess of brake pads--sort of like a cheese grater rubbing against them at every stop. Want more evidence? Look at NASCAR or F1. You would think that if drilling holes in the rotor was the hot ticket, these teams would be doing it...Slotting rotors, on the other hand, might be a consideration if your sanctioning body allows for it. Cutting thin slots across the face of the rotor can actually help to clean the face of the brake pads over time, helping to reduce the glazing often found during high-speed use which can lower the coefficient of friction. While there may still be a small concern over creating stress risers in the face of the rotor, if the slots are shallow and cut properly, the trade-off appears to be worth the risk. (Have you looked at a NASCAR rotor lately?)

Power Slot:
"At one time the conventional wisdom in racing circles was to cross-drill brake rotors to aid cooling and eliminate the gas emitted by brake pads. However, today's elite teams in open wheel, Indy and Trans Am racing are moving away from crack prone, cross-drilled brake rotors in favor of rotors modified with a fatigue resistant slotting process."

Stop Tech:
"StopTech provides rotors slotted, drilled or plain. For most performance applications slotted is the preferred choice. Slotting helps wipe away debris from between the pad and rotor as well as increasing the "bite" characteristics of the pad. A drilled rotor provides the same type of benefit, but is more susceptible to cracking under severe usage. Many customers prefer the look of a drilled rotor and for street and occasional light duty track use they will work fine. For more severe applications, we recommend slotted rotors." (Note that even though Stop Tech sells both drilled and slotted rotors they do not recommend drilled rotors for severe applications.)

Wilwood:
Q: Why are some rotors drilled or slotted?
A: Rotors are drilled to reduce rotating weight, an issue near and dear to racers searching for ways to minimize unsprung weight. Drilling diminishes a rotor's durability and cooling capacity."

On the other hand, it appears that slotted rotors do not noticeably diminish rotor strength and provide the benefit of sweeping the brake pads and expelling water from the braking surface. I think I'm going to go with a set of slotted rotors for my replacements.

On another note, I am slightly disturbed by the fact that I had to search so hard for this information. I feel like this should be common knowledge that is mentioned to anyone who discusses buying crossdrilled rotors, which i definitely did not see while looking through some of the archived threads.

Here is a thread about a person who had a set of crossdrilled rotors fail BECAUSE of the crossdrilling.R1concepts Drilled And Slotted Rotor Failure - MyMonte.com - A 1995 to 2007 Chevy Monte Carlo Community Scary thing is they where rotors that have recieved good reviews on nearly all of the automotive forums that I found where they are common upgrades.

If you dont touch the brakes and like to look cool with inferior parts that most people will think give you some advantage, then crossdrilled rotors may be for you. But if you value functionality and realistic gain over looking cool and you like to push your brakes pretty hard, stay away from crossdrilled rotors.