I did a search and only found oem big break upgrades for si models. I have an ex and still appreciate better breaks. I have legend dual piston on my old 93 integra. So I was wondering if anybody knows if there are any upgrades I can do to my ex. Will si calipers and rotors fit on my knuckles? Do I need a bigger MC?
R18 civic EX brake upgrade?
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another discussion thread on other rotors. He ran these on his non-si civic
http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/project-mu-rotors-9th-gen-civic-si.11924/
http://9thcivic.com/forum/threads/project-mu-rotors-9th-gen-civic-si.11924/
Tak
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In my honest opinion, I would get the BBK than getting the si's brakes.
You wont see much difference between the EX and Si stock. However if you get the BBK, the main advantage is the weight reduction.
Moreover you will get 4 pistons on BBK.
The cons is the price. BBK will run you at least 800+ for 2 corners.
If I got $, I'd get the BBK on my r18 LX.
For now, I would get a better rotor like centric blank with a better pad.
Thanks
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Are you able to lock up the wheels on your car? The stock brakes have more than enough bite to overcome the limit of friction of the tires and activate your ABS. If the ABS is kicking on all the time you need a better tire or a wider tire.
The limit of your brakes is your tires.
Are you having brake issues? Car not stopping fast enough? Losing pedal due to fade?
I could recommend a few different routes so it just depends what you want. The stock brakes are pretty darn good with better pads and fluid but no one likes that answer.
The limit of your brakes is your tires.
Are you having brake issues? Car not stopping fast enough? Losing pedal due to fade?
I could recommend a few different routes so it just depends what you want. The stock brakes are pretty darn good with better pads and fluid but no one likes that answer.
Maybe. No.
One of my favorite upgrades to my car -
TSX calipers, Brembo rotors, Project Mu pads, ATE Type200 fluid. All streetable year round non-track parts.
I did this upgrade after I melted the piston into the backing plate of some pretty serious performance pads. I was getting brake fade on a long windy downhill mountain road. Thats when I finally realized I had overcome the stock system with upgraded pads/fluid. So unless you're constantly hitting track days or really really hard mountain/canyon runs I don't think you'll need a BBK.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/35....83907,-82.8870031/@35.2512721,-83.0322452,10z
This is the kind of road that will need a brake upgrade. Over an hours worth of driving, easily hitting triple digits on the down hill side then hauling the car down to 40/45mph, back up to 90+, back down, repeatedly until there is smoke coming off your pads and the pedal starts dropping to the floor..... then.... then you need a BBK. I do fine on that road now with a slightly larger OEM single piston.
TSX calipers, Brembo rotors, Project Mu pads, ATE Type200 fluid. All streetable year round non-track parts.
I did this upgrade after I melted the piston into the backing plate of some pretty serious performance pads. I was getting brake fade on a long windy downhill mountain road. Thats when I finally realized I had overcome the stock system with upgraded pads/fluid. So unless you're constantly hitting track days or really really hard mountain/canyon runs I don't think you'll need a BBK.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/35....83907,-82.8870031/@35.2512721,-83.0322452,10z
This is the kind of road that will need a brake upgrade. Over an hours worth of driving, easily hitting triple digits on the down hill side then hauling the car down to 40/45mph, back up to 90+, back down, repeatedly until there is smoke coming off your pads and the pedal starts dropping to the floor..... then.... then you need a BBK. I do fine on that road now with a slightly larger OEM single piston.
Ron Flood
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wow! you are hardcore @Nix ..... seeing this thread made me go check out eBay ... since I live in pacific northwest Canada, I'm having issues with rust and once it gets settled on your discs it just messes everything up, since I can go as long as a couple weeks with just my car sitting in the garage, takes 30minutes of driving to make the ugly brake noise to go away... I always knew someday I would have to get ceramic pads, never really thought pads and rotors would be so cheap tho.... damn, it all came back to me now why I bought a civic, cheap aftermarket parts!
Tak
Well-Known Member
I went with this last year, around the 110+ with discount after the OEM being abused. The pad was down to 3mm and braking started fading so much LOL
http://www.autoaccessoriesgarage.com/Brakes/Power-Stop-Brake-Kit
I know the cons of Cross Drilled and Slotted Rotors. However, so far, it's still running fine and strong for daily. The pad eats up a bit quickly though. Right now I am on 6mm after 1 year of abuse.
Tak
Well-Known Member
One of my favorite upgrades to my car -
TSX calipers, Brembo rotors, Project Mu pads, ATE Type200 fluid. All streetable year round non-track parts.
I did this upgrade after I melted the piston into the backing plate of some pretty serious performance pads. I was getting brake fade on a long windy downhill mountain road. Thats when I finally realized I had overcome the stock system with upgraded pads/fluid. So unless you're constantly hitting track days or really really hard mountain/canyon runs I don't think you'll need a BBK.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/35....83907,-82.8870031/@35.2512721,-83.0322452,10z
This is the kind of road that will need a brake upgrade. Over an hours worth of driving, easily hitting triple digits on the down hill side then hauling the car down to 40/45mph, back up to 90+, back down, repeatedly until there is smoke coming off your pads and the pedal starts dropping to the floor..... then.... then you need a BBK. I do fine on that road now with a slightly larger OEM single piston.
Great stuffs.
May you please provide all those parts # so we can take a look?
Initially, I thought that I may change the BBK for 2 front corners one day since I have LX. If this setup works as best as BBK, AND it's cheaper, I will definitely consider it.
However, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ is my friend now
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I really don't track my car. But I do drive a lot. I visit friends on the other side of the mountains on roads kinda like Nix's and you can feel the brakes fading after some turns. Do those tsx calipers bolt right up? I noticed on my teg when I put the dual piston legend calipers I lost some pedal feel. Will the same thing happen on my civic?
Nice! If you're just getting a little fade on the stock stuff then a pad/fluid upgrade should work great for you. The TSX caliper is essentially the 2012+ SI caliper. There are some revisions to the caliper itself so the pads are not interchangeable and I have not seen anyone swap SI calipers but I suspect they would bolt right up. There are limited performance pad options for the 2012+ Si and non-Si cars but, if you don't want the hassle or cost of a full brake install I would point you towards the Hawk HP+ brake pads and ATE Type 200 fluid to start.
Pads:
The Hawk HP+ is a great performance pad and they have a pretty wide operating window from 100°-600°F. That means you shouldn't have any trouble running them year round but they will probably be a little noisy when they are cold. Hawk lists fitment for a 2012+ EX on their website. They are a little costly but a great pad. I ran something similar on my stock calipers until I exceeded their performance limit. That said, it was a great solid setup in 99% of the driving I've done.
http://www.hawkpadsdirect.com/Hawk-Performance-HP-Plus-Brake-Pads-Front-p/hwkhb275n.620f.htm
Part number: HWKHB275N.620F
I'm sure another website may have them cheaper, just make sure you are getting the HP+ pads and not the HPS. The part numbers are very very similar.
Fluid:
I usually steer people towards the ATE Type200 brake fluid if they are having fade issues. It's what I've run for a few years now and it holds up very well. It's a good performance bump over the OEM stuff but unlike racing brake fluids like MotulRBF it does not need to be changed out as often. The high end Motul fluids are great but they are expected to be changed out pretty often, like more than once a year. The ATE stuff can stay in the system for a couple years before it really loses it's edge. Nothing lasts as long as the OEM stuff but the Type200 is a good balance of life and performance. It's also dead cheap. It's usually around $15 from tirerack or other websites.
You could easily just start with the pads and only upgrade the fluid if you need to. Less than $100 and swapping front pads should take less than 30min with hand tools. It'll probably take longer to jack the car up and get the wheels off than to pull the pads and put the new ones in. Your rotors should be fine to continue using. Stay away from the drilled rotors unless you just want them for looks. A blank rotor will have better brake performance for you.
I hope that helps a bit. If you want a BBK for looks and style, go for it but they are quite expensive.
EDIT: If you do swap to a larger caliper with a larger piston, Si/TSX, the stock MC and brake booster can handle moving the larger volume of fluid just fine. However, you will have a bit longer pedal movement. Mine is like this but at the same time I have a lot of modulation and I don't get full bite with just a small push. More control over brake pressure but sometimes it feels like you have to push far. I prefer it now compared to driving my wifes car with what feels like an overly sensitive pedal.
Pads:
The Hawk HP+ is a great performance pad and they have a pretty wide operating window from 100°-600°F. That means you shouldn't have any trouble running them year round but they will probably be a little noisy when they are cold. Hawk lists fitment for a 2012+ EX on their website. They are a little costly but a great pad. I ran something similar on my stock calipers until I exceeded their performance limit. That said, it was a great solid setup in 99% of the driving I've done.
http://www.hawkpadsdirect.com/Hawk-Performance-HP-Plus-Brake-Pads-Front-p/hwkhb275n.620f.htm
Part number: HWKHB275N.620F
I'm sure another website may have them cheaper, just make sure you are getting the HP+ pads and not the HPS. The part numbers are very very similar.
Fluid:
I usually steer people towards the ATE Type200 brake fluid if they are having fade issues. It's what I've run for a few years now and it holds up very well. It's a good performance bump over the OEM stuff but unlike racing brake fluids like MotulRBF it does not need to be changed out as often. The high end Motul fluids are great but they are expected to be changed out pretty often, like more than once a year. The ATE stuff can stay in the system for a couple years before it really loses it's edge. Nothing lasts as long as the OEM stuff but the Type200 is a good balance of life and performance. It's also dead cheap. It's usually around $15 from tirerack or other websites.
You could easily just start with the pads and only upgrade the fluid if you need to. Less than $100 and swapping front pads should take less than 30min with hand tools. It'll probably take longer to jack the car up and get the wheels off than to pull the pads and put the new ones in. Your rotors should be fine to continue using. Stay away from the drilled rotors unless you just want them for looks. A blank rotor will have better brake performance for you.
I hope that helps a bit. If you want a BBK for looks and style, go for it but they are quite expensive.
EDIT: If you do swap to a larger caliper with a larger piston, Si/TSX, the stock MC and brake booster can handle moving the larger volume of fluid just fine. However, you will have a bit longer pedal movement. Mine is like this but at the same time I have a lot of modulation and I don't get full bite with just a small push. More control over brake pressure but sometimes it feels like you have to push far. I prefer it now compared to driving my wifes car with what feels like an overly sensitive pedal.
Ron Flood
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dot3, dot4, dot5 etc fluids have different boiling points. The drawback is that you have to change them more often due to water absorption.
Tak
Well-Known Member
What do you recommend for a daily? want something better than OEM.
Ron Flood
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I NEVER change brake fluid unless bleeding my system, replacing a caliper etc.... I never ever heard that.... lol
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Oem uses a dot3 fluid. You can run dot 4 which has a higher boiling point, but you'll just need to change it out (people advise yearly). ATE type 200 dot 4 fluid is what nix was commenting about above.
Gixxerfool
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For contrast my bike takes DOT4 from the factory. It's recommended to change every other year. I don't get to ride as much as I would like and still find the fluid looking murky after two years. I would think a car system should be able to get at least that with the higher volume of fluid in the system alone. I could be way off though.
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Hey Nix thanks for all your suggestions. I'm not new to modding cars. Just new to the this platform of civics. I like the Si caliper and rotor idea. The increase pedal travel is what happened to me when I put the the bigger calipers on my old integra. Do you know if the si master cylinder will fit my civic to keep the stock feel?