Brake Pad Review: Project Mu B-Force Sport

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Project Mu B-Force Sport Brake pads:

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Here is a quick review of some new brake pads I decided to try out. After upgrading my front brakes to the larger TSX calipers I needed pads to fit. The exact calipers I am running are compatible with the 1st gen TSX but came off of a 2012 Accord V6 EX-L coupe. Based on part numbers these should also be the same calipers on the 2012/2013 Si.

This means these pads should fit your car. The fitment is not listed on most websites but if you can find a vendor who carries these pads you need Part #: PBF304

I got mine from @THMotorsports

That is the pad size that should fit your calipers.

Project Mu website for this pad:

http://www.project-mu.co.jp/usa/products/pad_bforce.html


So far I have had them on for about 10k miles. Including one serious Dragon run weekend. These were a replacement for the AXXIS ultimate pads I had previously. While I love that pad I cannot find them. These are the closest replacement based on operating temp range and friction coefficient rating.

They have held up quite well but they are noisy when cold. Once the pad warms up a little they are quiet. I am talking the first stop of the day they make noise. After that they are silent unless you let them cool back down completely. There doesn't seem to be any loss of brake when they are cold either. The bite is not as hard as the AXXIS pads but they are not as dusty. They are dustier than the OEM pads but I feel that they are not terribly bad. They make a nice compromise on dust/aggressiveness. They are much more expensive but we shall see how they hold up long term.

Previously on my smaller brakes with the AXXIS pads I had smoking and loss of pedal. These did not give me any issues under the same conditions. I attribute that to the larger heat capacity of the system which is what I was going for with the upgrade. Overall, running nearly the same setup as the current gen SI I would recommend this pad to anyone looking for a replacement pad if you do more than daily driving but not track sessions. Maybe the auto-x guys and anyone making frequent dragon runs should look into these.

I'll try and update as I get more miles on them. I will also try and answer any questions anyone has about them. Thanks!

And yes they come in that awesome TEAL color. You can see it through the caliper.
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Thanks!

In comparison I think the AXXIS ultimate is a better overall pad but their current market unavailability makes the Project Mu pad a contender.
 
UPDATE: 12/2/14

So having driven in quite a bit of rain lately I can give an update on these when they are wet. There doesn't seem to be any loss of brake feel or power which is nice but they groan really really bad when they are soaked. It only takes a few second to dry them off when you push the pedal but the noise can be unsettling. Just a heads up for anyone who buys them. I will say compared to the AXXIS pads they stop better when they are wet. You could really feel the AXXIS Ultimates seriously ramp up the brake force when they were wet. They went from 0 to 100% really quickly and you could end up pushing the pedal way harder than you meant to. These Mu pads seem to have the same brake force/feel if they are dry or wet. Just "groany" if they were wet to start.
 
No, not exactly. Since I have a different car I have non OEM rotors. They are brembo blanks. However, the caliper I am using I believe is the same as the new 12/13/14 Si. These pads "should" fit. If anyone purchases a set just to test fit and they don't work I would be happy to pay you for them and take them off your hands.
 
How do you like the tsx calipers in terms of performance and ease of installing? I've been reading 8thcivic on how-to's and reviews on the tsx / tl-s brake upgrades. And how long have you had these pads on for?
 
Love them compared to my old brakes. Install was super easy. Just instal rotor, bolt on new caliper, run new lines if needed, bleed and go.

They do what I needed them to for cheap. I had an LX so I had a much smaller caliper than the Si guys anyway. I know a lot of the guys who were tracking their 8th gens were having brake fade issues. Mine became very evident once I started pushing the car even with upgraded pads and fluid. I started losing the brakes pretty consistently and the small size did not shed heat well at all.

So far I've had them on for about 5-7k including 2 runs to the Dragon. They performed very well. I definitely like the upgrade and it fixed the issues I was having. The brakes are a lot more reliable in high use/extreme conditions. A long downhill mountain run no longer kills the brakes and I'm not losing my pedal by the end. I don't think the pads are as good as the axxis ultimates I had before but they are definitely more tolerable for everyday use. They are a world of difference in terms of brake dust.

The TL-S upgrade is a step beyond the TSX upgrade but require a lot more work and some permanent modification to the knuckle. I had looked into it but the issues of drilling the mounting points and then having to get wheels that would also clear the calipers was beyond what I was willing to do. The cost of the TSX upgrade is definitely less than the TL-S route and less than a real BBK option.

I think the new Si has the "TSX" calipers already. The only upgrade you guys should need for track/touge/auto-x is pads and fluid. My calipers are technically off of a 2012 Accord V6 EX-L coupe. They are almost exactly the same part number. The TSX caliper that work for the 8th gen are the 04-08 TSX and also the later V6 accord coupes as far as I know.


Do you have an 8th gen or a 9th gen?
 
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