Are Brake Rotors Directional?

Tips & Support
Sponsor
Bimmerworld
Location
Sebring, FL
Are brake rotors directional? Vented brake rotors will typically have cooling vents or vanes, as indicated in this video with OPTIMA Batteries sponsored BMW racer, James Clay. Most vented brake rotors for street car applications have straight vanes that extend outward from the center of the rotor, while some high-performance vented brake rotors for racing applications will have directional vanes. 

Some high-performance vented brake rotors also have slots of varying designs. As James indicates in this video one of the main purposes of these slots is to help keep the brake pads clean. However, these slots can help accelerate brake pad wear. The same is also true for drilled rotors. If the vanes in a rotor are directional, that means they should only be used on either the driver or passenger side of the vehicle for which they are designed. However, if the vanes are not directional, the rotor can be used on either side of the vehicle, regardless of any pattern in the slots or drilled holes.

Good battery maintenance can be every bit as important as good brake maintenance and good battery maintenance starts with maintaining proper voltage levels whenever possible. OPTIMA offers three different battery chargers and maintainers that do a great job of maintaining proper voltage in your 12-volt lead-acid or lithium car battery.