114 days

[WESHOOT2]

I lived in Arlington, right past the Pentagon, and then in Gaithersburg. I'd go out in my car(s) late at night and enjoy the roads the way way they were designed to be enjoyed; i.e.; full-stupid-speed ahead.
Full.
Stupid.
Speed.

Here, I get up early for the same stupid-speed enjoyment.
Otherwise I pick carefully my extreme-speed moments. 'Cause I'm old, and my eyes and reaction time remember that.

[mysuzyK]

would you have considered buying another kiz if Suzuki America didn't go under?

[nytq]

833 days 80,975 miles


I struggled mightily to ascertain the front rotor diameter (FWIW, 11.2") BEFORE I bought my Kizashi, but I had no luck.
I knew of the brake manufacturer's rep before I bought.
I bought anyways.

So, even though I know all that, I remain stunned by the power and longevity of my brakes.
Amazing, to me. (If one were to ride along with me one would appreciate my continuing amazement).

Gas mileage has stabilized around 26.5 MPG for most tanks (currently testing Mobil regular, because it was 49 cent a gallon cheaper).
Based on my unpaved travels, I'm pretty certain the undercarriage looks like a WWI battlefield.
No pieces left behind.....


Mud still attached (I think there's paint underneath).

I too cannot believe the quality of these brakes. I just performed general maintenance at 54000 miles, and found 7 mm still on my front brakes and 6.5 on my rear. That means 4/2.5 mm used in 54K miles. That is awesome! I can easily see these pads lasting to 100K.

I also live in hilly area, and don't see very much stop and go traffic. I use my engine as a break on long downhills.

[Kelevra]

I also live in hilly area, and don't see very much stop and go traffic. I use my engine as a break on long downhills.

I never really understood that concept.

Being an ex-Suzuki and Honda motorcycle racer, the rule has always been to stop your bike (or slow it down), with your brakes as pads are cheap, and transmissions expensive. Be it motorcycles or cars, the idea is the same: brake pads are hella less expensive than transmissions.

[nytq]

Well, The way I look at if engine breaking causes some kind of abnormal wear, Suzuki would state not to do it in the manual.

More importantly, the engine and transmission are covered under warranty for 100K miles. The brakes are not.

[babacu]

I also live in hilly area, and don't see very much stop and go traffic. I use my engine as a break on long downhills.

I never really understood that concept.

Being an ex-Suzuki and Honda motorcycle racer, the rule has always been to stop your bike (or slow it down), with your brakes as pads are cheap, and transmissions expensive. Be it motorcycles or cars, the idea is the same: brake pads are hella less expensive than transmissions.

Cost is not the only aspect here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brake_fade ... _technique

[KuroNekko]

Engine braking can be helpful, but utilizing engine braking or compression braking to slow down a vehicle is more important for heavier vehicles such as semi-auto trailers and trucks hauling cargo or trailing something. The reason being that their brakes overheat much faster than that of a lightweight vehicle like a passenger car. Semis even have jake braking mechanisms on their diesel engines because it is so critical for them. Even then, they can fail and many steep grades on mountains have runaway ramps for trucks.

I used to live on a mountain and going down it, it would require a lot of braking. I did not bother shifting down because I was able to get an optimal speed between braking and coasting. I simply did not use the accelerator that much and used the brakes to regulate my speed, especially before a corner. By simply not using the gas much going downhill, it was easier on my brakes to slow down the car.

Factors like brake fade are real but brakes and rotors would have to get very hot from constant overuse to get to that point. It's commonly seen in racing, not everyday driving.
The Kizashi's pads are also known to be very fade-resistant. Suzuki specially selected an upscale brakes component manufacturer (Akebono) for their brake components and OEM pads.

I too would rather leave the brakes to do what they were designed to do (also helps that they are wear items that are easily replaced) than compromise my far more expensive drivetrain components (not actually designed to be replaced unless something seriously goes wrong).

[Kelevra]

Cost is not the only aspect here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brake_fade ... _technique

So what is your point, exactly?

Brake fade doesn't apply to normal driving, unless you are trying to maintain a certain speed, while barreling down a mountain, or on a racetrack...

[murcod]

The EFI system should be using no fuel if you're coasting (decelerating) down a hill with your foot off the accelerator.

PS: There's also lifting off the accelerator to use the engine compression and changing down at high revs to slow a vehicle down - with a big difference on vehicle "wear and tear."

[babacu]

So what is your point, exactly?

Brake fade doesn't apply to normal driving, unless you are trying to maintain a certain speed, while barreling down a mountain, or on a racetrack...

That exactly my point. The post you replied to, initially, mentioned engine braking on long downhills:

I also live in hilly area, and don't see very much stop and go traffic. I use my engine as a break on long downhills.