Hello everyone,

Just bought a '03 CL-S 6MT last night.
Really like the car. Had Acura inspect it before I bought it and they said everything looked very well maintained.
The Tranny feels like butter!

Anyways, I'm sure this has been beat to death, but I had a question regarding brakes.
I've done some reading on these forums, and it seems like many people change to legend calipers. I don't really think I need to change out my calipers, since I don't race and don't plan on racing. For the most part, I drive like a grandpa except for the occasional WOT to redline.
My question is, what is a good upgrade for rotors and brake pads? I'm mainly looking for a slight bump in performance, but I would like to keep longevity and reliability at the forefront.
Any help is greatly appreciated.

Also, I noticed while driving the car home the brakes felt a little "mushy." Think I just need to flush the brake fluid?
Thanks guys, looking forward to driving the car!

Cheers,
Henry

 

most are doing the upgrade to RL Calipers ('05+) and larger rotors and you'll need a custom bracket to mount them, sold by a member here NAV6. It is a performance upgrade, as the RL are 4 piston vs 2 piston that comes stock on a CL. There is a mega long thread with everything you will need to know on doing this upgrade, good luck:

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-2001-2003-50/rl-calipers-fit-behind-05-tl-17-rims-757273/

Here's a few pics:

 

Wow, those look really good!
However, this is a bit much for me. I'm just looking to upgrade from OEM just slightly. I was thinking a brembo blank and hawk.ebc etc pads?
The car is going to need new brakes soon, so i thought I might as well upgrade slightly. Not looking to spend a ton of money.
I never race, and don't plan on it. I don't even really drive fast. I just want a good set of brakes that are slightly better than OEM. If there's something like that.

 

Powerslot Are Good rotors Too. Ebc Are Good too.

 

Congrats on your pick up!!! Nice choice!

 

Stock calipers are single piston, not dual. I would highly recommend getting yourself a pair of legend calipers which are dual piston. PM 1foxbody as he recently did the legend upgrade. In my many experiences, if you are hard at ALL on the stock brakes-even once or twice, regardless of rotor quality..they will eventually warp! In short, these are ACCORD brakes. Our cars our heavier and faster and they really are under engineered in my opinion. The legends seem like the medium you're looking for. You won't regret it as you'll be saving $$ in rotor replacement over the long term. Much better heat distribution with 2 pistons as opposed to 1. Congrats on the pickup! Make sure to post some pics!

 

Very good point. I was reading some other posts where members were able to return their old "core" for some cash back. Can anyone tell me what that is? Is it the core of the old caliper? Also, I see some legend calipers on autozone. Are those the ones I should be looking at?
And as far as rotors and brakes are concerned, assuming legend calipers, do I still buy rotors and brakes for the CL or the Legend?
Sorry for the newb questions, and I really appreciate everyones help.

Cheers,
Henry

 

As far as the cores go, as I see it people are just boxing their stock calipers and bringing them back as legend calipers to get the core charge refunded. Person behind the counter isn't gonna know the difference but that's your call. You also use stock rotors. Pretty sure they'll bolt right up like stock, but don't quote me on that..this thread should help you

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-tl-1999-2003-98/legend-calipers-628094/

 

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/web...zoneAssigned=1

Is this what I need??

 

Can anyone confirm the above?? Looking to perform this upgrade sooonnn

 

You can be hard on the brakes, just not with the stock calipers, been tracking my car with original rotors and NSX brakes calipers up front they have yet to warp with 185k miles on them, just have to use the right pad.

 

Ok, here is a quick answer for you. I bought my dual piston calipers at advanced Auto, though they were $100. If I give them a core (the old calipers) I get like $20 back for each. I would purchase new pads, I went with ceramic pads, a little more but less dust and noise. The nice thing about these is you can use the already existing mounts, though you have to put the right one on the left, and left on the right. There is a DoItYourself link on how to mount them. It's pretty easy, hardest part is bleading the brakes and that is not a big issue. Hope that helps. Here is the DIY link:

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-2001-2003-50/%2A%2A%2A-official-2nd-gen-cl-information-thread-%2A%2A%2A-480087/

 

195k miles on mine and I have been to the track with stock brakes. They are fine for daily duty unless you trying to set records for 60-0-60-0 times......

Just make sure to get some higher performance pads, SS lines, and maybe slotted rotors and it'll be fine.

Dont forget about clearance issues too, as I doubt the RL brakes work with the stock wheels, so add that to the budget.

 

Stock wheels won't work with the RL BBK.