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Comments
Venting is however for cooling rotors.
Follow me here...
pressure is measured in lbs/sq. in.
If you reduce the surface area you increase the pressure proportionately. Being that the pad size never changes, the only effect will be on the longevity of the rotor which is negligible. Cross drilling only increases the effectiveness of the pad/rotor contact.
By the teensiest amount, but every ounce counts. :-)
Fowler3
Question: Are cross-drilled rotors worth the $$$ over regular rotors (price-vs-performance-vs-longevity)? What do you guys think? What about ventilated (the ones where 2 plates form the rotor) ones, like they have it on Porsches?
In other news, we're in mid-December and you can see grass in T.O. and the odd patch of melted snow from last week. Feels like a California winter so far. Fairly warm too (meaning I didn't get frostbite yet or "glued" my tongue on my jacket's zipper )
Cheers!~
Dinu
Grooves that form are due to uneven wear. It happens since the same arc on the pad travels on the same arc on the rotor. A small amount is OK. Too much can cause squeal, vibration, generally poorer braking.
Grooves machined into the surfaces are ostensibly to help clear air from between the pads and rotors. I don't think at most NA speed limits they do squat, since I don't think a significant air cushion forms between the pads and rotors.
Maltb is correct in that cross-drilled holes can relieve this air pad. I still think they play more of a role in cooling the rotors than in removing compressed air. Maybe at 65+mph, they start to make a difference in brake effectiveness.
I think the stock rotors in front are the ventilated type. Unless you race or live in tall, hilly terrain, cross-drilled rotors won't make a noticeable difference from ventilated discs. Of course, they look very cool when seen through alloy wheels.
Fowler: Chat in "on" for tonight?
Dinu
The fastest hour in the West.
fowler3
EVERY consumer magazine I have read has the Protege for the last few years as being a best buy and highly recommended with very few quality issues. That's one of the reasons I bought it. :-)
speaking of which, what does it do and how do I use it?
Zero personal problems with Nissan = Good Car
Multiple problems with Mazda = Bad Car
Hmmm, so since my Millenia has had one problem, and your BMW has two, that must mean that the BMW reliability is twice as bad as the Mazda, right? Of course it isn't. My point is that your personal experiences are coloring your objectivity here...A LOT!
P.S. This isn't a slam on Nissans or BMW
As far as the tranny issue goes, I hope it will hold well for a few yrs as I'm planning to keep the car for about at least 7 yrs. for your 626: It's NOT a Mazda tranny, but one made by the Recall Motor Company! You knew this when you bought it, so what;s the big deal?
Now if you plan to bash our PROs for the next few days I can tell you that you won't find too many sharing your views, so good luck.
Btw, I think the Mp3 is just fine the way it is. More hp is always good, but if you can drive a stick shift, you can get hp from any engine. In most countries on this planet, there aren't many V6s or 200+hp cars (see Europe, that I know for sure), and these cars still drive, b/c people can drive stick instead of auto. I'm not bashing the auto trannies as I have one, but just saying that asking for more than 140hp (if this is the sort of thing you were refering to) is not that relevant after all.
Dinu
I work in a call-ctr and I can tell you that this is the way we deal with "I wanna talk to a supervisor" requests. Most people think that talking to a supervisor will solve their problems. I can tell you that, unless it's an exceptional case where the company has scr*w*d up BIG time, what the supervisor will tell you is exactly what you would hear from the 1st person that takes your call.
Also, b/c of people calling in like this, supervisors can't take your call at that moment. If they do call you within 24hrs, then the company has offered you good cust svc. If not, THEN you can b*tch and complain all you want.
I am not able to understand your posts.
Have I lost my ability to read or understand?
I hope not.
So would you be kind enought to elaborate on your experiences without giving out vague answers and prevent us the effort to "read between the lines" ?
Thanks for your time.
I think this is it. Now if you live in thwe South States, I doubt you have a use for it. Which brings me to my next question: so where do you live?
Dinu
(It's sunny today in T.O.!)
Yes I've been spoiled by the 60-ish weather we've had in the past few weeks.
I'll look to see if indeed my car's been equipped with a block heater, if not the dealer's got some explaining to do... thanks for the help
The 2001 was a little bit more problematic. The radio died, it refused to start one on me (at less than 10K miles!), the driver's power window wouldn't go down, and the brake rotors were warped (my fault, from washing too soon after parking it). So every car is different.
Customer service: It depends on the dealership you go to. I have had great customer service before from Mazda, and poor customer service. The dealer where I bought the 2001 was great, but the one near my work (about 50 miles south of where I bought the 2001) sucked. I will say, however, that I get treated better with VW customer service than Mazda (hard to believe, eh?). They gave me a free loaner when I complained (twice!) and also wash and clean the car every time you leave it for service.
And yes I know having an engine block heater in my area is totally irrelevant, but what the heck
PF
Can anyone having the same tires please tell me your experiences? And why would Mazda want to sully their fine reputation by equipping new Proteges with such tires (if the bad notices are anywhere near to the truth)?
Another matter: Why on earth does the Owner's Manual say "Because you need a special tool to retighten the filter, an Authorized Mazda Dealer should do the work"? I haven't gone under the car yet, but I always change my own filters and if I can get the old filter off surely I can retighten the new filter?
Happy Holidays to all Protege owners!!!
And no they are not standard in Canada.
Alternator: The Poortenzas are not the greatest tires you will have, that's for sure. I did drive with them in the snow and they are ok. I initially wanted to have 4 separate snow tires for winter, but after a few cms (5-7 cms.) in Toronto last week, I changed my mind. The Potenzas LOOK LIKE they aren't decent tires, but I think they are ok in the snow. If you look ahead and anticipate other people coming into your path, there shouldn't be any problems. Also, use D2 if going below 40km/h (25mph???) as the engine brake will stop you without touching the brakes. If you have a 5 spd, then downshift. You can also have OD on, then to slow you down, turn it off so you have the "OD off" indicator on. This revs the engine, which in turn slows you down. Try it at different speeds and you'll see.
In the rain, they're not great if you need to make an emergency stop, say on the highway. So always look for an escape route if you have to slam on the brakes b/c it will take time. As long as you keep a fair distance and SCAN THE ROAD, all should be good.
Dinu
Block heaters are NOT standard in Canada, but the dealers here in Calgary (and probably many other cold places) install them immediately upon receiving the car because people are going to want them. However, there are many places in Canada where temperatures do not hit low extremes, and block heaters are not required.
The potenzas have perfomred well in the snow thus far. We've had some really nasty days and I've had no trouble (knock on wood) yet. I will use them this winter, but next year, I know that I will want/need a dedicated set of winter tires.
PF
In a previous life I did warranty claim processing and you quickly develop opinions of certain vehicles. The danger there is that you aren't always familiar with how many of those vehicles are on the road.
And a note to my buddy Offset:
If you think a CR rep has access to internal documents you are way too naive. No company is that stupid. They basically get scripted responses to common issues.
I bought myself a switch because mine seems to have shorted out. I bought it a day before I left on my road trip from Utah to the east coast, so didn't have the time to install it then.
Its much more humid here, and I think I should instll it soon. I received a quote which includes over an hour of labour - my question is- how difficult is it to instal it? Does the dash need to be dismantled? Can I just yank out the old switch and puch this in? (There are no wiring connections, just plug-in type contacts)
For those that have/had an older Protege, this switch is in the middle of the dash unit, and is about 0.75 in wide by 1.5 in high.
Available? If so where?
Any good? I have high profile 175-70 13 inch wheels, I might upgrade those too/instead. Although I have so much tread life still left on the Michelin X-Ones (13K covered, rated for 70K or 75K!), it would be a pity to have to trash them! And on the East Coast, there's no point (or space in my apartment) to store these to use as winter tires.
Any tire/wheel combo upgrade recommendations? Size, tire type (all-season, performance etc) (design too!). Virginians - how much does it snow here? It hasn't snowed once yet, but seems to rain a lot!
Is it easy to install the strut bar/brace? I don't have a cruise control unit in my car, I remember someone (speedyPT) had to cut away a part of that to make his brace fit.
There's probably around 2-3 'major' snowstorms per year in N. Va., and to us, a 'major' storm would be anything above 1" of accumulation. So I would say it snows very little here, though it does rain quite a bit during winter, but not for a whole week like last week (or was it the week before that?).
I doubt you'll need snow tires.
When they are good --they are VERY VERY GOOD.
When they are bad, they are VERY VERY BAD.
Just wanted to wish everyone a very very HAPPY HOLIDAY and hope you drive safely.
fowler3
Still, about those Potenza tires: Do all of these furnished as OEM by Mazda have a lowly 160 treadwear grade? And also a "V" rating, which I understand means the tire is made to perform properly up to 140 mph!! What sort of silliness is that?