SKSDTHKT6PBC

SKSDTHKT6PBC

Adding some braking power!

Now it's been a long time since I haven't written a new post for my Mazda MX3 KLZE but I've been very busy at work and also I've bought a 1996 GMC Suburban 4X4 Diesel that I've also started to modify. For the people who are also into this kind of thing, I've put a hell lot of work into my nuclear and natural disaster blog entitled Global Warming or Nuclear War? Choose your End... mainly because of the Fukushima Daiichi incident this year. But sticking to the my MX3 KLZE, I have wanted to write up a post on the brake upgrades that I've done on my MX3. When I first planned to upgrade the brakes on the MX3, I had planned to use Porsche callipers and make custom brackets to mount them on the MX3. This would give me more braking power because of the better and stronger callipers which have more pistons and bigger rotors. However, one day, I was going down a hill on the highway and when I pressed the brake pedal to the floor, not much happened but a grinding sound and no slowing down at all. My rear passenger calliper piston had melted and leaked all of my brake fluid, thus depriving the other 3 callipers of precious fluid. The situation was more dramatic because my handbrake was already broken and it was planned to be replaced sometime, but I never got to it. I am still here to tell the tale luckily and my precious MX3 KLZE is in one piece thanks to a lot of luck, downshifting, and steering in ''S'' patterns to slow the car down because if I hadn't mentioned, traffic was stopped at the bottom of the hill. Now, I won't go into more details for the incident, what there is to know is that the upgrade is not the best thing around and more of a do it the quickest you can so I can get the MX3 running again.

I'm a person who does it all or doesn't do it at all, so for this upgrade I was going to change it all not just add a little nice looking part that doesn't do much. The parts I changed are:

• 4 new callipers
• 4 new brake lines
• 4 new brake disks
• 4 new sets of pads
• New parking brake cables!

New callipers:

Because I was quite in a hurry to replace the callipers I opted to get ready to fit MX3 callipers instead of  bigger ones that needed custom brackets. A-1 Cardone makes great replacement callipers for the MX3 for very good prices. The plus to their callipers is that you can get some custom coloured ones (Red, Black, and Yellow. They are part of their Custom FX Series Powder coated Callipers, here is a link to their PDF catalog. I really liked them because they are not some paint sprayed callipers that will chip and rust, they are actually painted to last. The objective for the my MX3 is to get it a flat black paint and all-black look so I chose to go for the black callipers, but if you like to flash the red ones look awesome. The only problem I had was that I couldn't find the rear callipers in black so I ended buying unpainted ones that I'll get powder coated when I have some spare time. For the part number and prices, look at the summary section at the bottom of the post. If you want the black rear callipers instead of the unpainted ones I got, the part numbers are 191698XB (Rear-left )and 191699XB (Rear-right).

New Brake Lines:

Now since I was going to redo the callipers, I'd have to unhook the brake lines and since those very lines had been emptied of brake fluid by my little incident and I'd have to flush them of any moisture, I decided to go along and change them to something better. When it comes to custom MX3 parts, CorkSport is the best in my opinion. Their MX3 section is slowly dying at the car model ages but they still have some awesome things. One of them is their stainless steel braided brake lines sealed in plastic. They are much tougher than the OEM rubber hoses and by coating them in plastic you can get the colour you want. Here is what they have to say about their brake lines ''CorkSport brand brake lines offer a host of features and benefits. All of our brake lines are built to MVSS-1006 specifications (DOTcertified). Each set is built specifically for your car. Constructed from Teflon hose and covered with braided stainless steel, these brake lines limit volumetric expansion thus minimizing or eliminating 'mushy brakes' compared to the OEM rubber lines. These highly efficient brake lines allow you to brake deeper into the corner and get onto the accelerator faster. You'll immediately notice improved pedal feel. CorkSport brake lines are plastic coated to protect the steel braiding and reduce premature wear.'' I took the black coated lines to go with the black MX3 look I'm slowly building for. For the pricing and part numbers it is included in the summary at the bottom of the post.

New Brake Disks (Rotors):

Now for the brake disks, I wanted to get drilled rotors for better cooling of my brakes in the future autocross races I want my MX3 KLZE to go safely though. The brand KVR makes awesome drilled rotors for the MX3 with an optional Cadmium (CAD) plating to prevent them from rusting. This is what KVR has to say about their rotors: ''By using superior materials and state of the art manufacturing methods, OE Replacement 1pc Discs from KVR Performance provide a dramatic decrease in stopping distance. All discs are CNC Machined for Maximum Precision, and are designed for direct, bolt-in replacement of your Original Equipment discs. Disc Surface options available are Plain, Cross Drilled or Slotted. Optional Cadmium Plating is also available in a variety of colors for additional protection against corrosion and enhanced style. KVR uses a specially designed end mill to bore the holes into the rotors. This process is more acurate than drilling, and has proven to be the best way for limiting stress relief. Cross-Drilled rotors run cooler, reducing brake fade and warpage while increasing rotor life. You'll enjoy shorter stopping distances, esepcially in wet weather, whit a set of Cross-Drilled.'' I bought my rotors from CorkSport but I checked today and they only have rear rotors left. You can also purchase them from the KVR site directly (kvrperformance.com). I chose the black CAD plating option for my black looking MX3 but they also offer silver and gold CAD plating.

New Brake Pads:

For the brake pads I chose to stay with KVR for the sake that I was all buying it from CorkSport that carries the KVR brand, but like I said above you can also buy it directly from the KVR website. The pads I chose are semi-metallic to conform to both street and racing. The big problem with full metallic pads is that they take very long to heat up and thus for use in the street they are well suited for doing 10 stop signs in a row. The semi-metallic version is better in both worlds and I'm going to stick to it until I can afford to buy a trailer and use the MX3 for track only. This is what KVR has to say about their pads: ''KVR Performance delivers the Superior Stopping Power of Carbon Fibre Pads at prices Affordable for Everyday Use! You'll get superior performance from our semi-metallic carbon fibre pads; their metallurgical formulation exceeds all O.E.M. standards, creating a quiet running brake pad that performs with minimal increase in dusting. The perfect choice for Street Performance vehicles that may see occassional on-track action. Designed to compliment our 1pc O.E. Replacement Discs, they work great with plain, drilled or gas slotted rotors.''

Now for the parking cables, I'll save you the details, just make sure you have some and that they work, I could of scrapped my nice KLZE engine if I would of rammed into a car just because I was too stupid to have a working parking brake!

So here is a summary of what I bought:

• 74.79$US - A-1 Cardone Front-left calliper (part #191337AXB) from RockAuto.com
• 74.79$US - A-1 Cardone Front-right calliper (part #191336AXB) from RockAuto.com
• 78.79$US - A-1 Cardone Rear-left calliper (part #191698) from RockAuto.com
• 72.79$US - A-1 Cardone Rear-right calliper (part #191699) from RockAuto.com
• 21.79$US - Beck/Arnley Rear-right Parking Brake Cable (part #094-1192) from RockAuto.com
• 21.79$US - Beck/Arnley Rear-left Parking Brake Cable (part #094-1193) from RockAuto.com
• 109.76$US - Corksport Stainless Braided Brake Lines (Black) (part #Mx3-3-116-1) from CorkSport.com
• 53.22$US - KVR Carbon Fiber Rear Brake Pads (part #Mx3-3-400) from CorkSport.com
• 58.76$US - KVR Carbon Fiber Front Brake Pads (part #Mx3-3-410) from CorkSport.com
• 187.36$US - KVR Cross-Drilled Front Rotors (part #Mx3-3-401) from CorkSport.com
• 165.19$US - KVR Cross-Drilled Rear Rotors (part #Mx3-3-411) from CorkSport.com

To conclude on this post, I spent an amazing 919.03$US to do a complete overhaul on my brakes which is worth every penny. With all new components, it will last very long and since I did it myself, like I recommend you to do, if something breaks, you'll know how to fix it because you installed it. Just a side note, use Glycol-based (DOT 3, 4, 5.1) brake fluid. DO NOT USE DOT 5 FLUID. However good it is advertised to be it does not mix with all the other fluids, and if you are stuck in the middle of nowhere with no fluid, no gas station and even most department stores do not carry DOT 5 fluid. DOT 3, 4, and 5.1 fluids can be mixed together. Personally I use DOT 4 because it is more affordable than 5.1 for almost the same performance. If you use you MX3 for track only and do some serious braking, then you might consider the expense of DOT 5.1. This concludes this post, keep checking my blog for future posts!

Storing the Mazda MX3 KLZE for Winter

It's been a long time since my last update which has a lot to do with the fact that I've put the MX3 KLZE away since september. As good as the MX3 KLZE is, it's not a very good winter car. The previous and only other owner had to replace the frontal plastic bumper and garnish several time because the MX3 KLZE sits so low that is collides with even minor snow banks. So, for the good of my Mazda and to keep it rust free, I decided I might as well put it away and get myself something that can handle winter driving in the country a little better. For those interested in this other vehicle check out my GMC Suburban Diesel blog! Back to the MX3, I'll be discussing 4 aspects of what you should consider when storing your Mazda MX3 or any other car.



1 - Where to store:

Like the popular saying goes ''Location, location, location...'' it is very important that you store your MX3 at the right place. An example of a bad location is where I stored the my MX3 KLZE last year. Because of space constraints (I love vehicles and have a lot...), I put the MX3 half under the carport and half in the lawn. It looked like a good idea until there was heavy snow and ice that started to build up on the rear hatch glass. Snow was falling from the carport roof onto the car and at some point the back of the car was buried some 6 feet under snow and ice. Now that I gave an example of where not to store a car (ie. near the side of a roof where there is falling ice and snow...) I'll tell you where you should store it. Now there's no problem in storing it in the open. I've seen people leave there MX3 be buried under multiple feet of snow with no adverse effects. The show builds on and around the car which distributes the weight and will not crush the car or break the huge rear hatch on this little Mazda. I personally have access to a full carport and now it is under it so there is very light snow accumulation on it, but like I said, you can store it anywhere as long as it is not being hit by anything.


2 - To cover or not to cover:

As another popular saying goes, ''If your gonna do something, you might just as well do it right...''. Now I'm saying that because if you decide to put some sort of cover on the MX3 you might just as well do it professionally. I've seen too much people put a blanket, cardboard, wood, and other inadequate materials to cover there MX3 which was worst than not putting anything on at all. For example any material that will retain moisture will be a HUGE rust promoter for the body of the MX3. A blanket, cardboard or other water retaining material would stay humid against the metal body and help develop rust when it is over freezing temperatures. Other materials such as wood if it is not built tough enough could ''cave in'' under heavy snow or ice loads. What I personally went for is a Custom Fit Weathershield HP Black car cover that I bought from www.CarCoverUSA.com for 288.99$US. The advantage of a good car cover is that it will not absorb humidity and not trap humidity between the car and the cover.


3 - Adding additives:

For those living in places where winter hits very hard, your local store is likely filled with additives for storing your vehicle. The most common being fuel tank antifreeze. I'm going to keep it short on this subject but all I have to say is that for my case it's been pretty useless. Winters where I live can be as cold as -30C or -22F, and I have never noticed any problem running the car after leaving it there all winter without any additives. My trick it to simply relieve pressure. I make sure that all tanks filling caps are loose in order to relieve any possible pressure exerted by expanding freezing liquids. It takes me less than a minute to do and doesn't cost anything. Just be sure to leave the motor oil, coolant, power steering, and fuel caps loose. This may sound obvious to some and not to others but DO NOT leave the brake fluid cap loose as the brake fluid will absorb humidity and thus you will have a mushy brake pedal and it could lead to a ''steam lock'' if too much humidity it in the brake fluid.


4- How about the shoes:

Another important point to discuss is on what to store your MX3. Some people go for blocks, some leave it on there summer wheels and some go for a separate set of wheels especially for storing. There is good and bad points to all 3 options and I'll try to make it short. The advantage to blocks is that you can save you nice summer rims from rust. The problem is that the MX3 has a weak base frame. and that I find it hard enough to leave it on blocks when I change the brakes because I hear cracking and the blocks sink into the rusting and aging frame. The advantage to leaving your summer rims on is that its simple and requires no effort. The problem is that they might rust and your nice summer tires don't like standing still for 4-5 months without moving. The advantage with putting a separate set of ''storing only'' rims and tires is that it saves your summer rims and your MX3 is more comfortable sitting on rims than blocks. The problem is that if you don't own a set of old tires and rims, it's very expensive and pretty useless to go out and buy some. I had the good idea of keeping my old and worn tires and stock aluminium rims and use them to store the car. The tires are so worn that you can see the metal wires in the rubber, so they are of absolutely no other use than to store the MX3 KLZE.

I hope everyone the best of luck if you plan on driving your Mazda MX3 this winter or if you plan of storing it safely. My MX3 should back on the road in mid march or april. Until then happy holidays and good driving. Like I said in the beginning of the post I shall be driving and modifying the GMC Suburban Diesel this winter and will be posting a lot of information.