Just replaced the front brake rotors and pads and put Stainless brake lines all around.

Time: 7 hrs

Brembo Front rotors from TireRack
Ceramic Matrix pads and SS Lines from Henderson Motorsports

Why? Let's just say, go out and get a set of Flare Nut wrenches to begin with. Lesson learned on my behalf.

A question was raised by JTso about the rotor weight difference. I didn't put them on a scale, but in hand, there was no noticeable difference.

Here are some pics:

 

Nice work. So what are your thoughts on the upgrades?

 

how much did it all set you back?

and reviews please! my brakes are shot

 

Definitely a must do!!! The SS Lines do exactly what you would expect them to... increase the strength of the brake pedal. Also, I have 36k miles and the brake fluid was NASTY!!! We flushed the system out. I'm definitely getting a set of socks for the ps and brake fluid reservoirs.

Haven't hammered the brakes yet b/c I'm still letting them seat, but I can tell they are going to stop the car instantly!!

My bud at Henderson Motorsports suggested the pads and SS lines... I now agree.

 

Review please.

 

Well, I'd say since I did it with some help from my friends, the cost was upper $300.

Trust me, this is easy to do if you have all the right tools. Tools you would need is an impact tool to remove the 2 per rotor phillips head screws, 10mm and 15mm Flare Nut wrenches (TRUST ME, just get the 6 pc set from Sears) and a bleeder bottle.

 

I'm still seating the pads in... <24 hrs with them on at the moment.

However, here is what I noticed coming from warped a$$ rotors and 70% used pads in the front.

The SS Lines are a fantastic adder. I see no need for slotted or cross-drilled b/c as of right now, these pads have got some SERIOUS bite to them. The pedal feels more solid like I can't even come close to 50% push on it. I would SERIOUSLY recommend a fluid flush at brake change.. this stuff was really bad. Also, be very careful not to touch your car with brake fluid. It can mess the paint up... I was lucky not to have an issue.

Install went as such:

1. Got the car prep'd (jacked up, on stands, and wheels off).
2. Took calipers off with brake line brackets too, left the OEM lines attached (left rear calipers on b/c I wasn't changing rotors there). Only 2 bolts on the back side of the caliper.
3. Removed pads from caliper bracket (don't mix up your sides so mark them).
4. Removed retainer clips and caliper braket.
5. Took impact tool (you NEED this) and removed phillips screws.
6. Rotor comes right off.
7. Got new pads and removed the shims. Put on corresponding pads immediately so as not to confuse.
8. Used flare nut wrenches (A MUST) to remove brake lines; on set at a time. Be careful
9. Installed SS lines. Torque to about 25lbs, so don't over tighten. Move to next set until finished.
10. Cleaned hands!!!
11. Cleaned rotors with brake cleaner.
12. Installed rotors and torqued the screws by hand. No need to use the tool.
13. Installed the pads, caliper bracket (clips too) and caliper. Torqued to spec.
14. Flushed the lines in this order per the manual... Fr driver, Fr passenger, Rear passenger, Rear driver.
15. Prep'd car for seating of pads... (wheels on, off the stands, etc).
16. Clean up rotors with brake cleaner again and cleaned hands!!!
17. Seated the pads with this process... 5 mph to stop, 10 mph to stop, 15 mph to stop and so on until I got to 60 mph.
18. Going to continue to be easy on them for the next few days then by the weekend, back to normal driving.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

Great write up!

 

Minus a few spelling errors, but I'm at work soo...

 

moda_way, thanks for the info. I'm going to be replacing my brake pads and flushing the brake fluid soon so this was very helpful.

 

moda, let us know if i can get the SS line or pads from ya

 

I'll PM whoever is interesting with contact information.

BTW, I didn't do them, but cross-drilled rotors are available too. I had a $$ constraint.

 

Well, I have about 100 miles on the pads and lines. Gotta say, the pads are excellant and the lines are a MUST DO. I still can't believe the pedal feel with the lines. I had to use the brakes at 40% the other day (typical numbnut jumping in front of me) and it felt like the OEMs at 60%. The pads are completely seated now, so I'm going to hit them hard at 60 mph to see how they do.

Don't know about dust yet b/c I haven't washed the car and I have a lot of dust from the old OEM set. It has been disgustingly hot (AND HUMID) here in Cincy this week, but I do intend to do a cleaning on the weekend, rain or shine.

 

can you attribute it to the lines alone? I'm assuming you flushed the fluid w/ something better. I put ATE Super Blue in and completely flushed the system (still w/ oem lines) and the pedal feel is much better, although stopping distance didn't really change. I'm wondering what the effect of just adding lines alone will be.

 

I used Honda fluid because of what I read in the manual. I wanted to use Motul, but it is DOT 5.1 and Honda says to only use DOT 3 or... 4 in case of an emergency. Honda/Acura a picky and I've never been given a reason why. Having said that, I can say the pedal feel is much stronger than previous, independent of braking distance, which I would attribute to the brake material. I can tell the brake material is significantly better because it bits in much better.

Can a fluid flush make for better feel.... sure, but I definitely think the lines added to the extra pedal feel. I mean, that is what they advertise to do and I have it and since I'm using OEM fluid, I can only say the lines make a difference eventhough my fluid was dirty, it still worked per my previous use prior to doing the work.

Everytime I hit the pedal, I have to back off a little because it is so much more responsive now.

 

Ok, that makes more sense since you're only changing one variable by not changing to new fluid. I'll probably pick up some Goodridge ones when I change my pads.

BTW, what tool do you need for the rear calipers? You mentioned that somewhere, is it shown in the helms?

 

Didn't do anything with the rear calipers at all, just changed the lines. BTW, I'm using Goodrige lines. If interested, I can give you my contact's number at Henderson Motorsports. They are about $110 plus shipping for a set.

The only special I need was a set of flare nut wrenchs. A must to do brake and fuel lines.

To get the rear pistons back in, you have to turn them clockwise back into the caliper. I guess they make a tool for this. More importantly, you have to align the tab on the back of the brake pad plate with the notches in the caliper piston. It is pretty simple actually. Just be careful with the boot around the piston.

 

dumb question, how do you stop the fluid from the master cyclinder spilling out when you remove each line?

 

You don't, but it drips fairly slowly. I used about 16 ozs of fluid (1 12oz bottle and part of another) and I left the lines off for a good amount of time.

 

so, do we need the inpact tool or not?

 

You can stop the flow or slow it down by placing a piece of plastic wrap over the reservoir opening. Then put the cap back on. No air, no flow.

 

The "impact tool" your reffering to is called an Impact driver and if you are good with a screwdriver you don't need it, but it can come in handy.

Also if your turning back your rear calipers and experience any trouble STOP. Its not that common with Acura/Honda's, but a lot of other cars who use turn in style pistons(cough-VW-cough) have a lot of problems with them hanging up, its a relatively new thing for Acura so time will tell. But if anyone can get it right I have faith in Honda. The tool used for turning them back the proper way is simply called a brake caliper set, as these cars age it will not be optional but required to turn the piston's back in safely.

Another step that I would suggest is to lube the slides where the pads ride. Even if you replace the pieces of tin a little synthetic brake caliper lube will yield longer brake pad life and reduce the chance of noise now or tomorrow. If your pads aren't shimmed you should apply an anti-squeel compound of some sort to the back of the pads where the caliper contacts them.

Be careful with SS brake lines a lot of them are not DOT approved and if you have state inspections in your state the vehicle may not pass. Also if you install a brake line that is not DOT approved and your ever in an accident and found to be at fault it could be a bad situation. Caveat Emptor.

I have performed roughly 4000 brake jobs, and have seen my share of weekend warriors do more damage then good- so be careful!

 

To get the rotors off, yes. It is called an impact driver. I found it at sears:

 

There seems to be some confusion about the impact driver it looks like this:



It is used by hitting the back with a hammer, it transfers that quick energy through the tool to what ever bit you have in it, it can be reversed so you can use it in either direction. It looks like this when you use it:



If you have a good sharp screwdriver you don't need it, in particular if you have a screwdriver that you can use added torque with a wrench- but it can be helpful and save time if you do have one.

 

Tried it. Unless you use some vice grips to get some leverage, mine weren't coming off. The impact driver did it for me.

You have a good point here. I have been working on cars since I could pick up a wrench, so I know my way around them. I also use the manual to follow step by step as well has having some of my racing buddies who must work on their own cars, so it is good to know what you're doing.

Having said that, I also delivered parts for a few years in high school and I've also seen my fair share of mechanic f'ups.

In the end, if you don't have the skills, the manual and the tools, it is best to leave it to the professionals.

 

very interesting piece of tool.

 

the first time I tried removing my rotors the damn screws started stripping. its difficult to press the driver in while turning, which is exactly what that impact driver does. one of my screws was stripped by the time I bought one, but it'll dig into the screw as you hammer it in, and got it out w/ no problem

 

I have a feeling the increased brake solidness has much more to do with the brand new pads and new rotor, than it has to do with the SS lines. SS lines only help is your rubber lines were expanding. But if they arne't, they dont make a difference.

 

So did you hit the brakes hard yet after the pads have bedded in? How did they feel? Performance? How much better than stock?
Do they still bite as hard or even harder now that they are bedded in?
How much were the pads alone?

thanks

 

Did some spirited driving this morning since the highway was pretty much dead. I intentionally did some late braking into an exit ramp and was pleasantly surprised as I was greated with some very good breaking. In comparison to stock, I'd say they are better by a good margin. I'm not sure I would use them for the track, but the payoff on the road is they do not make any noise; still have to clean the wheels and run them for a week to check out brake dust.

Again, I feel a difference in the pedal regardless of braking effort and I believe that is due to the SS lines.

As for cost, these pads go for $90.

One more comment overall, I now notice that my rear brakes aren't keeping up with the performance of the fronts... so as soon as Brembo (HELLO!!!) releases a set of rotors for the rear, I'll be picking up a set. If they don't before the summer ends, I guess I'll have to get an OEM set and get another set of these pads for the rear.

Overall, I'm very pleased with my investment in brakes. I wish I had an option to test out a big brake kit, but in lieu of that and the cost, this setup is a great option.

 

Also, if you aren't familiar with a flare nut wrench for doing the brake lines as well as fuel lines, here is a pic of what you'll need if you choose to do the brake lines.

 

how does the brembo rotors compare with oem ones. they look pretty much the same from the outside, but in terms of material, are they different, giving the brembo additional braking power?

 

I wouldn't say they give anymore braking power, but I would say the material will not warp like OEM since the metal composition and heat treat are better. The brake pads are what will contribute to better braking power and what I have is better than OEM.

 

A bit off the topic, but what is the main difference between slutted rotors and drilled ones? i've also seen rotors with both drills and slots

Also, I've noticed that the Brembo rotors you have sitting next to the oem one, they look thicker for some reason, is that another reason why your brake pedal is "tighter" than before?

 

There's nothing wrong with the OEM rotor's, they are "warped" from over/uneven torqueing of the wheel onto the vehicle. Even the cheapest rotors will provide vibration free service if the wheels are properly torqued.

 

Don't they get warped also when you sit on the brake for a prolonged period of time, then stop at the lights. The heat is what cause the warpage, correct me if i'm wrong

 

In the early days of tuning drilled rotors were created to provide better brake cooling. As technology advanced they found that slotted rotors will cool better in most cases. Since drilled rotor's started the trend, its what people wanted to see, so now you have drilled and slotted. Most die hard performance driven motorists will use slotted because form is a product of function.

Its probably an illusion, I have no doubt that brembo rotors are machined to the highest tolerances and in fact due to rust the OE rotors are probably a touch thicker.

The better brake pedal has more to do with the pads(new vs worn) then anything else. Possibly a little placebo too, the mind can be a powerful thing.

 

Yes and no, that is what causes the "warp" only if the wheels are uneven or over torqued on the vehicle. I have been throwing my car a beating for nearly 20k miles so far and its as smooth as the day I got it- as are all of my cars(I have 5, of which 3 are 2004 honda/acura's- with around 20k on each of them). So if you over torque or unevenly torque the wheels, you'll only notice the warp after the brakes have been heated heavily. I live in the North east and brakes get eaten up here with winter, salt, etc....

I started hand torqueing all wheels I see a number of years ago and I have not had a single complaint of warped rotors in that time period. Before that I would get about 1 complaint a week, so it was clear something had to be done.

 

Well, I can definitely assure you my rotors warped for other reasons than over/uneven torquing. 80 ft lbs, rotations every 10k miles, and they were only taken off by me. Torqued to spec every time. Any other insights?

 

Slotted rotors and cross-drilled provide better cooling; having both is the same principle, but you have to remember the side effect, less physical surface area on the disc itself.

Not sure why Tireguy wants to refute my claims of better pedal feel, but let's just put it this way, I have them on and am enjoying every bit of them. My recommendation is to get them.