Maintaining the brake system on your vehicle is one of the most important things you can do to insure proper safety for you and the other drivers around you. Brake rotors are one of the main components in the system and they are constantly exposed to extreme temperatures and environmental conditions. Rust is one of the biggest issues with brake rotors failing.

General Motors has developed new technology to help make rusty brake rotors a thing of the past. They have developed a process that chemically changes the makeup of the components that can double the life of the rotor. The process involves heating the rotor to 560 degrees Celcius for a day in a giant oven. Nitrogen atoms bond the surface of the steel rotor, hardening and strengthening it.

The name for this technology is Ferritic Nitro-Carburizing, or FNC. It is commonly used to treat powertrain parts. This treatment is the equivalent of 1/10 the width of a human hair and creates sufficient friction and allows for effective braking performance while providing superior corrosion protection.

GM is the only company that has the technology to effectively treat rotors with the FNC process and holds several pending patents on this technology. It will be featured on 80% of GM’s US vehicles by 2016.