I drive approx. 40,000 mi/yr and tend to be hard on my brakes (my wife says that I only brake upon impact). As a result, I have had bad luck w/ my rotors warping. I just acquired a '97 850 GLT and am wondering, when (not if) I need to replace the current rotors does anybody know of a particularly rotor out there that will hold up better? What about cross-drilled rotors?

Thanks

By the way, this '97 replaced my old '97 (base) that "gave all" in leaving me w/ nothing more than a half-inch scratch on my forearm when, alone in the car, I: (1) slid off the road into a 5 foot deep ditch (due to hydroplaning), (2) hit 2 or 3 trees w/ the right front end which was pushed all the way to the windshield (both airbags deployed), and (3) rolled the car onto the driver side. God bless Volvo!!

I purchased a pair of cross drilled Zimmerman rotors and mintex pads from eeuroparts.com for $95. I haven't had a chance to put them on yet but it sure seemed like a good deal to me. It seems like there are mixed feelings on cross drilled, but they certainly would stay cooler and maybe stop some of the warping.

40k isn't bad for front rotors in an 850.

The PO lived in the mountains and was only getting 20k due to his heavy brake loads. He switched to IPD'd Powerslot rotors and PBR metallic pads and doubled the life of his brakes. I just did a 4-wheel brake job and installed the Powerslot rotors and PBR Metallic pads on all 4 wheels. I was careful to break them in and so far they are great.

Rotor Warping is usually caused by 2 things.
1. Unevenly or improperly torqued wheel lug nuts. Buy a torque wrench and learn how to use it. Don't let tire shops use the gun to tighten your wheel lug nuts.

2. Long gradual braking causing excessive heat buildup. Volvo 850's prefer shorter faster stops than the long gradual stops.
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Nathan Valles, Black 855R, Tint

I must be doing great then. I am pushing 60000 miles on original rotors with no warping. On my second set of pads and have plenty of room left.

Rotor warping is usually caused by highway driving. And 40K a year tells me you're doing plenty of that.

Brake pads are suspended above the rotors by mere microns, and this is close enough to cause friction. If your pads absorb heat, the rotors will stay cool enough to resist warping. If your pads reflect heat back to the rotors, then the rotors will overheat and eventually warp. Since I switched to softer, so-called organic pads beginning in 1996 with my 88 745T, I've never warped a rotor. (I have to deal with a little dust, which I wipe off every couple days with a bit of cloth. Personally, I feel the excellent squeal-free braking I get with softer pads, and the true rotors, are worth this minor aggravation.) Like you, I drive a lot of miles, typically 30-35k per year. Hope my experience is helpful to you.
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(98 S70 T5SE misc mods, mostly lighting) (92 940GLE)

Send you new rotors off to be cryogenically treated. It costs about $25 each. Check your Yellow Pages or do an internet search for a local shop. It's effective to reduce warping.

PBR pads, from ipdusa.com, and others, is giving me very good braking and longer life.

Buy better rain tires.
Ken

front rotors last about 40k. rears seem to vary, depending on whether they warp first or wear out first.