Im looking to upgrade/replace my brakes. What are some good brakes that upgrade the stock but aren't too expensive.

 

just switch the pads and rotors out, a whole break system is always going to be expensive I'm talking about over 1 grand. While just the rotors and pads might run you between 350-500 hundred.

 

Moda_way on here did a brake upgrade with the matrix pads and brembo rotors on the front. He then put on Stainless Steel brake lines. He says it's a huge improvement. I believe it's the same improvement without the SS lines since the SS lines only help when your brake lines are expanding when they are really hot. But it's up to you if you want to do those.

You might want to try a search under moda_way's username and the term "brakes" and you should at least come up with his initial thread and writeup.

 

I have a set of Hawk rear pads for sale in off topic

 

Lots of folks seem to like the Powerslot rotors with Hawk HPS composite pads. Can pick em up online at the Tire Rack.

 

Eeyore... do you have that setup on your TSX? Quick question... when you are braking... do you actually feel the slots in the brake pedal? Also... would you happen to know if the slotted rotors are machinable?

 

The Racingbrake rotors and Hawk pads are by far the best you are going to get. No other rotor can compare to the Racingbrakes. I sell complete fronts with pads and rotors for $320 shipped, and add rear pads for $55 more.

 

Is it necessary to change out the rear rotors if you change the front rotors?

 

No. As a matter of fact, I think it is kinda of pointless to upgrade the rears from a performance aspect. The rear do not get as hot, provide much braking, or wear out. There is no reason a set of stock Honda rear rotors should not go 100,000 miles without ever being so much as machined on a lathe. Thus, upgrading them is pretty pointless.

 

^^I agree, only thing is that I believe it looks a little wierd to have slotted rotors up front and not on back. Looks like you were too cheap to buy the second pair.

 

One note. I've read on this board that a number of owners have had their rear pads wear faster than the front pads. Based on that I would replace all four as it seems the rear brakes are doing as much,if not more, of the work.

 

Brembo, Power Slot, Racingbrake, ROTORA are all excellent companies. You can't go wrong with any of them. If you need some ROTORA's PM me with your zip code and year and model and I can give you a price.

 

Im pretty sure the fronts are doing the brunt of the work. I've heard this though about the rears wearing faster. I wonder if its because of the circumference around the rotor is smaller then the front. When the front has completed a full rotation, the rear is already passed its full and then some...
Does that make any sense or am I smoking crack?

 

Put the crack pipe down joe.

If the front and rear tires are the same, and on the TSX they are, the wheels and rotors turn at the same speed. (I hope I understood your statement correctly or this portion of my post is gonna sound stupid). I don't know, however, if the front and rear rotors are the same size and if the front and rear brake pads are the same size. Normally, the front brakes take the brunt of the load, both because the front of the car is heavier and because weight transfer is back-to-front during braking. Maybe the pad-to-rotor contact area on the rear brakes is so much smaller than on the front that they wear down quicker. Otherwise I can't figure why the rears would wear out faster.

 

lol yeah sorry guys thats what I meant just the pads and rotors not an entire redo

 

can someone post pics of these im kinda upgrading for looks as well as possible wear

 

I did the Rotora cross drilled rotors with the Axis Ultimate pads and it made a hell of a difference. Did front and back rotors-one thing i did from a cosmetic standpoint is have the rotors powder coated - the rotors were e-coated but there was about a 1/4 inch of the rotor on the front that did not make contact with the pads - hated the rust and the slop it tossed on the wheels. Whole thing was less than $500 including what I paid for the powder coat

 

then get the slotted and pads for the looks; otherwise just aftermarket pads or pads and brembo blanks will suffice nicely.

 

I just switched my pads to the Hawk HPS ones. I do not have the Powerslot rotots, my rotors were in excellent shape (no vibration under braking, even at high speed) so I didn't feel like spending the extra $. If the day comes that I need to replace my rotors, I will probably go with the Powerslots, or Brembo replacement discs.

I have never driven a car with slotted rotors, but my guess is that you cannot feel the slots in the rotors when you are braking. Just helps get rid of heat and gasses that are generated under heavy braking.

My original pads were coming up on 30k miles, and they still had quite a bit left when I changed them. I wanted to replace them before they had any chance to do damage to the rotors, and I was also curious to try something different for aftermarket pads. I like them so far, they seem to have a little more bite than the OEM pads.

 

I'm thinking of doing the same.

How many miles do you have on them and aside from "better bite", what else did you notice; e.g. less fade, more control, etc.?

 

Is it better to replace rotors and pads at the same time, or is there a preferred order?

About the rears, it makes sense to me that the rears should get less work, thus I don't think I'd replace those rotors, but my question would be, if I get upgraded pads for the front, should I get upgraded pads to match in the rear?

 

I thought this was some good reading material.

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/te...e_papers.shtml

 

How good or bad are the stock rotors ? I can't seem to find a definite opinion.

 

That is actually incorrect. No offense, but this is the kind of internet chatty speculation that causes misinformed purchases to be made. You are definately adept at deductive reasoning, but sometime people choose the wrong path...

The reason the rears wear out faster is because they are made of a much different material. Some of the Honda rear pads are made out of a cardboard looking material (I think they are actually kevlar based, but that is just a guess). The rear pads are much softer, and are much smaller. Do for the amount of force being applied to them there is a high amount of shear stress there. This stress causes the pads to wear, and the fact they are softer means they wear faster. Oddly enough, they are also more expensive than the rears. Go figure. I think Honda is just trying to make a few extra bucks.

Since the pads are softer, it actually means that the rotors wear out LESS. Replacing, or even resurfacing, rear rotors on Honda vehicles is just not something that is normally done. It is hardley ever needed, except in really extreme cases.

ut as far as braking performance is concerned, we are talking about brake size and the amount of brake torque you get. The pads and rotors are too small to really do anything really important. If you must upgrade rears, it should only be because the fronts are upgraded to the point that the rears are no longer effectice, and at that point we are talking about Brembo GT kits, which is way out of the scope of our conversation. We typically sell the Hawk pads for the rear because they do help balance out the better braking provided by the front, and they are less expensive than genuine Honda ones.

Marcus

 

They are fine. They are like every other run of the mill rotor out there. But many users on here find that they wear or warp the rotors prematurely or do not provide the braking performance people desire, so we upgrade them to better units. So while my Mom might think they are fine, I certainly think they are lacking. The car's potential for performance renders the rotors inadequite for those who drive a little harder.

All the ones being discussed here are good, and probably better than stock. But as far as I know, the Racingbrake rotors are the only ones here which have curved vanes and are heat treated. These two features really separate the RBs from standard performance type rotors. That is why they are the only ones I recommend.

 

Yeah, my deductive reasoning sometimes gets me in trouble. In a later post I was wondering if the contact area is smaller on the rear pads. And, I didn't know the rear pad material is different. Thanks for clearing it up.

 

Anyone tried Snyper Rotors and pads. I think they are made in Quebec and are available for the TSX in slotted and drilled. They are coated and won't rust....so I'm told. I'm going to buy a set and I'll report later.

 

Meh... just get the ones that Mr heel toe is selling. They seemed to be priced well.

 

Coated rotors huh...Thats a good one...

 

I have about 600 or 700 miles on my new pads. Overall I'd say I need to apply less force to the brake pedal to stop in the same distance as before.

The one thing I really notice about the Hawk HPS pads is that once the system (by system I mean the pads+rotors) has some heat in it, the grab and braking force increases a lot more than the OEM pads. This is the major difference I see.

I still have my Blizzaks on, so aggressive driving to guage fade and such is out of the question for a few more weeks at least.

 

I noticed that too. I kind of like how the braking is not aggressive driving normally, but when the braking gets hard the stopping is there for you

 

I think that's only for break in though. Once the pad gets more and more wear on there, you will notice this less and the braking will get better and better.

At least that's the way it was with my high performance pads i've used in the past. I think they were called performance friction. They actually stopped really weak the first time i had them on the car. Then as they warmed up, did very nicely, and then it was every morning the first stop of the day was a tad weak. But then the grip got really strong as the pads aged whether they were hot or cold. So... give it a little more time then report back.

 

Eeyore - Thanks for the feedback. I've heard nothing but good things about the Hawk Pads. I see a new set of four in my future.

 

Did u see those too at the WOodbine Acura in Toronto? I've seen them there at that dealership. They cant be that bad since the dealership sells them and if there's anything wrong they would be liable as they sell and install those products they sell.

 

Your are right. It really does depends on the compound though. Hawk has 6 or 8 difference compounds that all have different characteristics. I personally think the HPS is a reall awesome street pad because of the characteristics they possess.

Marcus

 

HeelToe, do you sell anything besides the Rotora's?

I think there may be a few of use more interested in a simpler, cheaper non slotted or drilled rotor.

 

you're kidding right? he talks about the Racingbrake rotors all the time!

 

Shit, I meant Racingbrake not Rotora's. I'm confusing him with Excelerate.

But the question still stands, he sells parts doesn't he.

 

BTW, nice avatar, dude! Dr. No is still one of my all-time favorites. Any of the Connery's for that matter.

 

Marcus, how long can we expect the HPS pads to last versus OEM? Is the wear rate similar?

Also, are HPS pads available in the OEM size? Maybe just looking to do a pad swap.