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

Posted: Wed May 22, 2019 5:07 am
by KuroNekko
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.

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

Posted: Wed May 22, 2019 7:31 pm
by LPSISRL
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.

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

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 6:17 pm
by WESHOOT2
Last tank all Mobil premium 29.4MPG!


Warm weather, and blend?





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

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 7:37 pm
by Ronzuki
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.

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

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 10:07 pm
by WESHOOT2
Test then know.
Ammo, wives, gas, etc.....

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

Posted: Thu May 23, 2019 10:34 pm
by Ronzuki
:lol: yeah...apparently the wife doesn't monitor your posts here :mrgreen:

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

Posted: Fri May 24, 2019 1:46 pm
by WESHOOT2
30th anniversary this July 2nd with the current wife....... :facepalm:

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

Posted: Fri May 24, 2019 7:02 pm
by Ronzuki
ok...got it...you're well beyond hurting her feelings at 30 years. 8-)

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

Posted: Sat Jun 01, 2019 5:22 pm
by WESHOOT2
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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Re: 114 Days: Pt III (3rd time's a charm)

Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2019 2:00 pm
by WESHOOT2
Yesterday's drive gave me mud from hell,, and open roads from heaven. I took advantage of both........





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