Originally Posted by mrheeltoe

When it rains it pours. Just when one vehicle of yours needs service, or registration, or new tires...they all do. Right now, we have three cars here that all coincidentally need brakes at the same time.



The second car in line for brakes is Elise's MDX. Earlier in the year we picked up this car for the occasional parts run and general family hauling. Of late we have been towing a light trailer with it though, and the added duty cycle has begun to show the weak side of the OEM brakes. Characteristic of many Honda and Acura vehicles, when faced with a little too much heat there is a juddering in the steering wheel and brake pedal that is nothing less than disconcerting. Many people mistake this phenomenon with "warped rotors."

We had discussed at length in forums and with customers how warping of rotors is really a mythical, or at best very rare, occurrence. The problem lies nearly 100% in the brake pads. Pads get too hot for their intended operating range, the material breaks down and slathers deposits all over the rotors, and you get an inconsistent friction area that causes that shaking in the steering wheel many people use fractured common-sense to call “warped rotors.” Whenever I hear someone say they have warped rotors I immediately think to myself what an uphill battle undoing this lie is. I used to try and fight it. Alas there is too much inexperience and hearsay online to make any ground there. I rather wait for people to call and I get them straightened out, one at a time.

The MDX is getting a top-shelf street/sport service. We are changing the rotors out for RB’s Open-Slot one-piece units, which have a patented design that evacuates dust away from the pad surface better than any other slot or drill we have seen. The convergent-vane design of the vented section will keep the rotors at a stable operating temperature even when bringing the mass-in-tow to a stop. Grabbing the rotors are RB ET500 brake pads which I have found to be top-notch all-around pads, standing up to cold temperature and spirited driving just this side of track-use. Rounding the package out is a full set of Fastline Performance Stainless Braided Brake Lines. This vehicle has a unique 6-piece kit that should benefit quite well in the form of a firmer, more confident brake pedal.