Originally Posted by AP - Chris_B

I am going to have to sit down soon and do a full, top/down write-up on this topic. In the meantime, I'll say that cross-drilling was developed initially a long time ago to reduce rotor weight. Benefits that were discovered were increased pad bite (more leading edges), better wet performance, (slightly) better cooling and elimination of pad off-gassing effects.

Pads today off-gas very little -- at least after their initial green bedding. But the other benefits remain. They are not ideal for racing or hard track use as the holes add stress risers, which can result in premature cracking. But for street and high-performance use, QUALITY drilled rotors usually perform great.

Looks? Well, that's up to you!