JTso

iTrader: (2)

All of my other cars (most cars for that matter) usually wear the front brakes more than the rear. However, if the amount of brake dust on the wheels is any indication of brake wear, then the rear brakes on my TSX seems to be wearing faster than the front. Has anyone replaced the rear pads before the front? Those who has replaced rotors and pads, what were the condition of the old pads?

sauceman

Looked good, but I`m pretty easy on the brakes.

Mine too wear out faster at the rear than the fronts. I`ve come to conclude that the pads were probably smaller than the fronts by proportion to the weight distribution, but maybe I`m wrong...

Ellas9

Since Honda instituted the "48K" pads on most all its cars and trucks, the rears tend to wear down a bit faster.


What kind of kms (miles) have people got on the original pads (front or rear) before the squeal warning was heard?

moda_way

32k on the fronts, but had a bit left on the pads... changed out the rotors to brembo blanks and more agressive pads... SS lines too and a complete brake line flush.


Still have the rears on at 47k, but they need to be replaced soon... real soon.

I'd say my brakes would've worn equally front and rear on mine.

iTimmy

I've noticed that on most newer cars, the rear brakes wear faster then the fronts(only when the vehicle has 4 wheel disc). The proportioning must have changed some time in the late 90's giving more pressure to the rears - which is a wise move aside from the added rear brake wear - IMO.

Still Water

I'm having the same experience. The TSX is my 3rd FWD car and the 1st to have the rear pads wear out faster than the fronts. I'd estimate about 30%+ faster. I was somewhat surprised when I first found this out and couldn't come up with a viable reason other than "oh well...." I don't "slam & lock" my brakes but still drive rather agressively using but not abusing them. Based on past experience I expected the fronts to wear at twice the rate of the rears.

I'd be interested to hear how some of the higher mileage members have faired with this FWD anomoly. Short of replacing the OEM rotors; etc., what's the best "fix" that others have found to help even out the braking system.

JTso

iTrader: (2)

Interesting feedbacks! The traditional thinking is the front does most of the work . It still does, but the rear is also doing a little more. In this case, it sounds like a better rear brake setup could be beneficial for the TSX.

JeffTSX

I've replaced my rear pads and rotors at 40000KMs. My rear pads were down to 10%. This summer coming, I'm going to try putting a higher grade pad for the rear.

sauceman

That might even have the benefit of putting less strain on the front brakes, keeping them cooler and etc.

moda_way

Could just be that Acura put less material on the rears or softer material. No telling..

Ellas9

Visibly, the rear pads appear to have had the same "thickness" of material as the front. But, I think a combination of softer material and more work being done by the rears as opposed to the mid 90's are the factors. My 94 Accord got new pads and a resurface of the rotors at 115K; I have the original rear drums/shoes - the car has 165K! This is a result of harder material and using engine braking where possible.

Still Water

OK - So who out there can contribute with some "... put on XXX brand pads, F/R and this resulted in... wear pattern." Also how has a SS line upgrade impacted brake ratio loading, rear-end feathering, etc.

What interests me is the possibility of stiffening the pedal response while increasing the feel & control of the rear-end under hard braking. Not that I do it much anymore, but I'd still like to have more control of the rear-end when doing heal-toe, induced rear-squat situational driving.

P.S. BTW, for those of you who haven't yet done so, upgrading the RSB changes our little 4-banger into quit the turning machine. Even with the Michman AW OEM tires. WARNING: This will only wet your appetite for better brake control and predictablility.

moda_way

I have SS lines and I say it has made a good impact on the brakes. Definitely more force all around... couple that with a fluid change since Honda makes our master cylinder lids about as tight as a sieve.


Well known!!

Still Water

Elaborate please. I understand the how's & why's concerning the SS upgrade, but I was thinking and you just mentioned the rest of the system, e.g. MC lid, as a weak point. Did upgrading to the SS lines then cause any other anomolies, etc. and if so what did you do to address them. Also how did the SS upgrade affect brake control & feel vs. OEM. In particular are they now too touchy (all or nothing) or did you get rid of the bottom end fade feel and in return gain more control & feedback. Any thoughts?
-Thanks


I only mentioned this for the newbies and soon to be newbies. Call it a crusade of sorts but well intended.

JeffTSX

When I upgraded to Hwak HP Plus front with Powerslots, I've noticed a huge difference in stopping control and power over stock. On track, there were hardly any brake fade. When summer comes by, I'm going to try a Project Mu pad at the back

moda_way

When I did the brake job, I replaced front pads, rotors, all lines went to SS and flushed the system. So I can't conclusively say the SS lines made a diff., but I know this much, I now have much better feel as well as stopping power. This could be b/c of the brake pad material but I feel that the SS lines had something to add too.

As for all or nothing... heck no. I have sweet brakes. I don't buy into the slotted rotors and cross-drills b/c I have no use for it. I am an aggressive driver and my brakes have NEVER faded, so unless I intend to track it some day, stock rotors and agressive pads are plenty.

SS lines IMO would really be noticeable further down the line, but b/c I got such a great deal on pads, rotors and the SS lines, I figured, why the heck not.

Let me no if there is anything else I can describe.

Still Water

My thanks to JeffTSX & moda_way

Good feedback and validation. I also think that the first thing to do given no rotor problems is to upgrade the pads all around. I've zeroed in on the street ver. Hawk pads (can'[t recall the mod#). Acura like most OEM's stock pads are designed to be quite, long-lasting and clean. I for one do not have the extra time to keep testing different pads for that perfect fit. Soooooo.... thanks again and I'll continue to spread the wealth.

moda_way

hahaha... not sure about the long lasting part, but quiet, yeah.

EveofNemesis

hey, this is bringing up an old post, because ive searched and searched and found no "newer" posts about this problem....

so anyways, has anyone found out if this is normal because i have 33k miles and my rears need replacing. ive had problems with my brakes too, bringing it back to acura to have them tell me i dont drive right (needed my rotors cut, which they were not happy about doing and did it as a one time courtesey) but i got pissed and demanded they do it because they were telling me i needed them cut with new pads and was going to charge me over 300 bux for the work, im like WTF....

ok so anyway, is the rear brake problem an actual problem or its normal? i would assume normal with so many people having the same issue, but again, i havnt seen any recent posts about it so i was wondering if anyone found out for sure....

in the meantime, im thinking of getting slotted rotors but not great ones cuz rear is still supposed to be less than fronts, so when i need fronts i will get better ones...
Billy

Still Water

All I can say is before I upgraded the braking system, my rear pads were wearing at about a 2-to-1 rate vs. the fronts. I'm not one to slam or stand on my brakes. I much rather modulate the brake pedal and control the rear end, avoiding a nose dive stop. I've upgraded all the rotors, pads and brakelines and am very happy given the undersized rear rotors.

Not knowing how many miles you have on your car nor when the rotors were last turned, I would suggest you upgrade the pads to something like the Hawk pads (take your pick) and you will see a very noticable improvement in your braking response. BTW - you will have more brake dust but all in all a more than fair trade-off.

aaronng

If you drive mostly highway miles, then the rear will wear quicker than it would normally if you were braking in the city (you brake to stop, so more weight is transferred to the front as you brake)

CGTSX2004

iTrader: (1)

On my 2004, the rear brake pads were totally shot by around 22k miles whereas the front pads still had plenty of life left on them when I replaced them with Axxis Ultimates at about 25k miles.

I suspect that this is pretty typical for the TSX.

Still Water

Ditto.

dom

Ditto + 1

moda_way

If its of any worth, I'm on my 3rd set of front pads (OEM, Carbon Matrix, Hawk HPS) and on my second set of rear pads (OEM, Hawk HPS). I'm an agressive driver, so that probably explains it.

joerockt

Damn, mansauce hasnt been on since 12-19-06