114 Days: Pt III (3rd time's a charm)

Anything related to the Kizashi can go here, but please look at the other headings first. Your topic may fit better under something else.
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

Slotted and drilled rotors are designed that way for the "plasma gassing" that Weshoot2 referenced. Basically, they allow a space for the heated gas to escape instead of being trapped between the rotor and pad in intense braking. This allows for better braking performance and less brake fade. They are also said to be better for braking in wet conditions where water is constantly on the rotor.

Regarding slotted vs. drilled vs. slotted/drilled, it's really up to the intended purpose of the vehicle. Drilled obviously makes the rotor lighter but I've read that these also compromise the integrity of the rotor and make them more prone to cracking under high stress. The cracks often start around the drilled holes. Thus, the most demanding brake applications in racing often use slotted-only rotors. Of course, not all racing is the same so I'm sure there are variations, but that's the explanation I've seen from brake pros. Many high performance street cars often come with drilled or drilled & slotted rotors given they are appealing to aesthetics with thin-spoked wheels, colored calipers, and drilled rotors. I think it's a different set-up for track-use racing vehicles that need more robust and reliable performance.

For me personally, I went with slotted-only rotors given I wanted upgraded performance with little compromises with durability and rotor longevity. I had to replace my OE rotors after a spirited mountain drive with 2 others in my car. Long story short, we were supposed to meet others to hike a mountain but a guy with me accidentally had me drive to the wrong trailhead on the other side of the mountain. I had to quickly zip around to the other side to make sure we didn't miss the others. While the Kizashi was great in the curves, the brakes got overwhelmed from the constant downhill braking at a "spirited" but not ridiculous speed. I certainly experienced brake fade as the braking performance degraded and the brakes got a bit spongy. I definitely slowed down after that given I lost confidence in the brakes. Not long after, the rotors were shaking in light braking and it was evident they were warped.

Given I wanted brakes that would perform throughout and survive that sort of demand in the future, I went with slotted rotors and upgraded pads. Without a doubt, the new set-up was a noticeable performance upgrade. While I haven't since put the Kizashi in such a demanding situation, the brakes have been great and performed wonderfully when I descended the Rockies with a fully packed car with a roof box on my cross-country trip. The rotors and pads were certainly not new by that point but performed well.

So while slotted rotors may eat up pads faster, the rotors may themselves last longer in more demanding situations. Personally, I rather replace pads more often than rotors so it's an acceptable trade-off for me.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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LPSISRL
Posts: 991
Joined: Tue Jun 18, 2013 12:49 pm
Location: Chesapeake, Virginia

Good write-up, Kuro. I'm going to have to look into this plasma gassing thing. At first I thought it was something that I heard about on Ghost Busters.
2011 Kizashi SLS CVT (silver)
2005 Honda Odyssey
Priors:
2009 Suzuki SX4 Cross AWD 5-speed Tech package (vapor metallic blue)
WESHOOT2
Posts: 1975
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2011 5:37 pm
Location: Vermont

Last tank all Mobil premium 29.4MPG!


Warm weather, and blend?





90,488
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Ronzuki
Posts: 2382
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 5:33 pm
Location: Lancaster County, PA

Over many, many years and vehicles, I'd often wondered why it seemingly appeared that a blend yielded better results. I've no scientific evidence of this, yet it dawned on me occasionally when I used to run premium often back in the day.
Ron

2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded :D :D )
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top ( :| sold)
WESHOOT2
Posts: 1975
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2011 5:37 pm
Location: Vermont

Test then know.
Ammo, wives, gas, etc.....
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Ronzuki
Posts: 2382
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 5:33 pm
Location: Lancaster County, PA

:lol: yeah...apparently the wife doesn't monitor your posts here :mrgreen:
Ron

2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded :D :D )
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top ( :| sold)
WESHOOT2
Posts: 1975
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2011 5:37 pm
Location: Vermont

30th anniversary this July 2nd with the current wife....... :facepalm:
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Ronzuki
Posts: 2382
Joined: Wed Nov 17, 2010 5:33 pm
Location: Lancaster County, PA

ok...got it...you're well beyond hurting her feelings at 30 years. 8-)
Ron

2010 Kizashi GTS, CVT, iAWD (3/10 build date)
2011 SX4 Premium Hatch, CVT, iAWD (12/10 build date)
2018 Mazda CX-5 iAWD Touring
2014 Wrangler JKUW (GONE, traded :D :D )
1991 Samurai, 5-Speed, EFI, Soft-Top ( :| sold)
WESHOOT2
Posts: 1975
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2011 5:37 pm
Location: Vermont

Tranny beginning to whine a bit.......but still under warranty!

Mileage remains excellent, due in part to gas reformulation.

Throttle foot remains terribly heavy; oh my!




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WESHOOT2
Posts: 1975
Joined: Tue Jan 11, 2011 5:37 pm
Location: Vermont

Yesterday's drive gave me mud from hell,, and open roads from heaven. I took advantage of both........





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