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In Reply to: Aluminum rotors / auto dimming side mirrors posted by David Zeckhausen on November 07, 2000 at 14:02:46:
It's correct that the Euro M5 has rotors that "float" on guide pins. However, they are not made of aluminum! Rotors are either iron (typical) or stainless steel (Porsche & a few other makes). The only exception is the new carbon rotors which are optional on the 911 Turbo and ceramic rotors on a high end Mercedes.
Aluminum rotors wouldn't survive very long.
Below is from the bmw.com web site. You can see they are lighter. There was another article that I believe referenced aluminum usage (perhaps it was not the physical contact rotor), but I cannot find it at the moment. Note: even though the below info is from the bmw.com site, these brakes are REMOVED from the US version of the M5:
M Compound Brakes
To safely master their staggering power and performance, BMW's M models come with a particularly large and efficient high-performance brake system featuring compound brake discs (M5 and M3 compound brake discs all round, M coupé and M roadster compound brake discs at the front). The big difference versus conventional brake discs is that compound brake discs come with a radial anti-friction bearing for the brake disc ring. This floating system allows free thermal expansion of the brake disc rings, thus providing the option to use different materials with the best properties in each case for specific purposes. This, in turn, means that each component within the brake system is able to do a perfect job according to its specific requirements. The result is not only outstanding stopping power, but also a considerable reduction in weight versus conventional brake systems, a significantly higher standard of driving comfort, and a much longer service life.
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