I am considering changing ALL my brake rotors ('89 245) to better, maybe slotted ones? IPD has some things,I need good price also. By better, I mean better stopping power and cooler running. i know almost nothing about brake rotors tho I can change pads easily.

I cant afford "top of the line, premium rotors", but maybe decent "mid-grade" might do? Thanks for all and any suggestions.

Volvo OE rotors are a good deal at fcpgroton or eeutoparts for around $50 /ea. As others have mentioned, stay away from slotted / drilled. I just installed new rubber lines, calipers, master cyl and a good bleed. The brakes are fantastic! I will never again sacrifice rotors due to running my pads too low. I do a brake check when the snows go on and off.
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'90 245 285k, '93 945 296k

Slotted and drilled rotors are marketing tools. They are not superior to vented rotors - they may cool somewhat better, but they are not as durable and will not last as long. They also can cause weird scalloped wear on pads and rotors.

Instead of doing that, try the following:
Pull your rotors and have them measured for runout and thickness. If they're within spec, leave them alone.
Replace your stock front brake lines with braided (stainless) steel lines. This will eliminate any give in your old, probably original brake lines.
Flush all of your brake fluid every 2 years as recommended. Dot3/4 Brake fluid is hygroscopic - you can look up the problems with old fluid elsewhere, I want to keep this to the point.
Clean, lube, and replace if rusty the slide-pins (if you have sliding calipers, I'm not sure about the 89 240's. I would think they'd be standard, but my old 84's were not sliding type)

Use ... well, use non-organic pads. I swear by semi-metal pads. Never have tried ceramic or kevlar, but Axxis/PBR Metal Master pads are great, other than that they cause some people a lot of dust.




If you're looking to get better performance from something, you'll get easier and more reliable results by doing a "stage 0" - that is replacing ALL of your old worn components with stock before you go replacing one or two with upgraded components.

A brand new set of rotors in an otherwise unmaintained/worn brake system won't do much of anything. Other than vibration from high/low spots, brake rotors don't have that much effect on braking performance under normal use, even hilly use.

Hope that's a push in the right direction,
Cheers

Out of curiousity, do you know if the "standard" PBR pads for Volvo's are their organic pads? Quietest pads I have ever run and good in the wet but that was about all I had good to say about them on my highschool 1980 Corolla wagon.

I LOVE the metal masters (and all the other names they were marketed under) on most of my bikes. The solid rotors on bike were expensive to replace with the accelerated wear but tires and brakes were not a place to cheap out on two wheels.

To the OP, I am running EBC Yellows on my Saturn race car (when it runs) and they are extremely impressive. They will eat your rotors faster than organic but slower than semi-metallic. They are not as good as semi metallic in the wet but about as good as organic.

Where they suck...noise and break-in requirements. You have to get them very hot at least three times with cooling cycles in between before they are truly working to their full potential. If you do not get them hot occasionally after break in they are known to howl a bit. Also, not able to offer advice on pad life as race conditions kind of to not translate.

You won't improve stopping power by changing rotors. As long as they are thick enough and not shuddering when you brake, keep the ones you've got.

There are some very steep roads in our area, I just thought traversing them that slotted rotors would -ahh--breath--- better? Also when we travel in the mountains, lots of brake use, I would tend to think slotted rotors would be of use then, am I wrong? The 'stopping power' i refer to is at a time when rotors may get hotter than usual they might perform better than a non-slotted rotor.

I dont mind spending the $$ as long as I dont spend more than a (very) small fortune. Anyway, thanks for your inputs.

The Volvo teams that run their cars for HOURS at full speed with lots of braking from 90 mph down 30 mph over and over...they do it fade free by using good pads (Hawk blue, EBC yellow, Carbontech Endurance+, etc) and stock vented rotors. This is 14 hours of racing at full speed or full brakes over two days. Most use the same rotors for 3-4 races and the same front pads for 2-3 races.

The Volvo 240 brakes leave nothing on the table if they are all working properly. Use synthetic DOT4, good pads for your needs and stock style rotors.

I use PBR pads, are they an ok brand, in your opinion? Ive been told they are good brake pads; and u say 'stock VENTED rotors' so I assume my stock rotors are vented?

The rotors have never been changed (260k original miles)and look in good condition. I was just considering that slotted ones might be 'better' as far as running cooler in 'certain' braking condtions. Thanks.

Stock rotors are indeed vented. 260k is an exceptionally long time for rotors to last. Are you sure they are still good? They may not shudder (warped) and look good but they could be too thin. I used stock rotors and OEM Volvo pads on my 240 and that worked just fine.

ATE (OEM?) and Zimmerman used to be good rotor brands. Brembo also used to be good. My 240's Brembos and other BB's Brembos have warped quickly.

And I doubt you would every subject your car to such a thing, but LeMons endurance racing as proven...over and over and over...that smooth, vented rotors will last longer and be less likely to stress crack than slotted, cross-drilled, etc.

Rotors rarely improve braking unless they are flawed but good pads can make an amazing difference.