Performance brake upgrade on 2011 GTS

Let others know about your performance modifications, and help members find the parts they want.
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johnhenrydale
Posts: 100
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 6:08 am
Location: Miami Beach, FL

Hey Kizashi Clubbers,
Been a while since I posted but my 2011 "GLS" manual is still going strong with around 90k miles and I plan on keeping her for a long time to come.
Last summer I had the front brake calipers and rotors replaced with some Carquest generics at Fitzgerald Used Cars in Wheaton MD (a former Suzuki dealer in DC area). The results have not been ideal and the front left brake pad was rattling inside the brake caliper due, presumably, to a badly reconstructed caliper or just bad quality control. You can see what I'm talking about here:

I'm looking to upgrade to some quality calipers and rotors and these Wilwood calipers I found on Car-Id seem like the best option that's easily available. I remember seeing someone mention a Wilwood brake upgrade on here a while back but can't seem to find that post. Can anyone (ie @kuroNekko :) Confirm these will fit ? Car-id says that they will , but wanted to check with the real Kizashi experts here on the OG forum.
Here are the calipers I'm looking at:

https://www.carid.com/wilwood/wilwood-d ... hicle=7544
https://www.carid.com/wilwood/wilwood-g ... hicle=7544

If these are not a good upgrade possibility, can anyone recommend anything else equivalent in quality?

Thanks so much for your help!

JHD

PS: you can keep up with my Kizashi posts and my new Cayenne Diesel on https://www.instagram.com/jkizashi/
2011 Kizashi Sport "GLS" 2WD
(GTS Upgrade project)
6sp MT
Azure Gray Metallic
Anthracite Gray Vossen CVT 19" / 5 x 114.3 +32
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KuroNekko
Posts: 5170
Joined: Wed Aug 15, 2012 5:08 pm
Location: California, USA

The post regarding the Wilwood brake upgrade is related to this post below by CG1. I think CG1 first posted about his Wilwood upgrade in another thread and then later posted the following link when he decided to sell the kit. Hopefully, all the details you need are in the post.
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=3881

Personally, I think sticking to the OE calipers is best so you don't run into fitment and quality issues. The upgrade should come from the brake pads and rotors, not the calipers. After all, the Kizashi isn't some sort of power beast that the OE calipers can't adequately handle. While I personally upgraded the brakes on my Kizashi, I got satisfying results from just upgrading the pads and rotors. Just my opinion.
Good luck.
2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport GTS 6MT (Black)
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johnhenrydale
Posts: 100
Joined: Wed Oct 23, 2013 6:08 am
Location: Miami Beach, FL

Thanks Kuronekko,
Yeah unfortunately my OE calipers failed and the Carquest calipers and pads that Fitzgerald replaced them with have not been very satisfactory. i definitely do some spirited driving on WV backroads (which is where I keep the Kizashi full time now) and feel like a performance caliper would not necessarily be overkill. But agree that pads and rotors are just as much if not more important. Thanks for the info!
JHD
2011 Kizashi Sport "GLS" 2WD
(GTS Upgrade project)
6sp MT
Azure Gray Metallic
Anthracite Gray Vossen CVT 19" / 5 x 114.3 +32
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