ok i guess everyone has had there rotors faded/warped. mine have been warped several times and ive been noticing something.

the honda accord and cl/tl uses the same brake system.

the accord weights 3100 pounds
the cl/tl weights roughly 3500 pounds

when i had my accord i never had problems with my rotors warping. the cl/tl weights about 400 pound more then the accord and i think thats why our rotors are fading because they cant handle the extra weight.

ive notice some other things too. if i brake under 60 mph i have no problems with my rotors. the only time i have a problem is when i have a full car (4 people or full trunk) or if i brake from above 70 mph my rotors warp.

i have also discovered that when the rotors are warp you can fix them by soft braking. last week i had 3 people in the car and everytime i hit my brakes my steering wheel would go crazy. well this whole week i have not used my brakes hard (brake under 60 and no aggressive braking) and i notice that the vibrations have almost gone away.

now my question is this- do we need to get bigger rotors or do we need to change the entire braking system (master cylinder, rotors, lines, and calipers)? i know some people have uprgrade rotors and pads but is that still enough? could it be that our entire braking mechanical system is underpowered??????

sidemarker

 

Well the Comptech Sema Cl has brembo's and it only gained 5ft in stopping distance(-5ft). But they said it helped with the fade. They obviously didn't test it long enough to see if the rotors warped. I think our rotors warp because they don't disperse heat very well. As far as performance enhancement I don't think the gain is worth $2,200, maybe if you autocross, but our car is not even made for that...

 

in my personal experiences, everything makes a difference...just the rotors and pads alone u can feel it...ss-lines help as well

so i am of the opinion that a rotor, pad, and line change will complement each other very well, and u'll have more confidence

and let's not ferget the proof of stopping distances in the C&D article last year on the WRX

 

True enough.. I have SS lines and it made a difference, but 5 ft for $2200 thats $440 a foot. I could knit a parachute out of spidersilk for that. LOL.
The rotational mass though could help, lighter rotors, pads, rims, as far as accel, minimal in braking unless you can drasticly reduce total weight.

 

I have serious doubts about the numbers published in C&D. Their 1/4 times were worse than stock CLS autos. So, I also doubt their claim of 5 ft less for stopping distance using Brembos.

Look at it another way... 5 ft less stopping distance could mean the difference between totaling your car or not when the unexpected happens. In that instance, $2200 is certainly worth it.

 

Or you could just drive 3mph slower, and save 5ft. I don't race my car trying to beat anyone into a turn, because our car likes to go straight, not turn. In everyday driving I don't see 5ft warranting over 2k, but that is IMO. But I understand what you are saying, if grandma pulls out in front of you 5ft could be the difference.

 

You are correct that the CL & TL do weigh more than the Accord. However, you did not mention the fact that they also have larger rotors that the Accord (except the 2003 V6 6 Speed Accord) to compensate for the extra weight and power.

 

i understand that new rotors and pads will help the stopping distance but will a new master cylinder maybe like from a MDX if is somehow compatible with the cl would maximize the brakes???

sidemarker

 

SEMA CLS-6:

Acceleration Numbers:

1/4 mile in 14.2s At 104 MPH
0-100 in 13.2s!!

There is something wrong here: You do not need 1s to gain 4 MPH!... Clearly the this CLS can do 13.5s!

 

well if the cl does have larger rotors then how will aftermarket rotors help? i think they will still warp and fade. i mean can anyone explain why the rotors warp? the only thing i can think of is that the brakes are not strong enough for the pads to press against the rotors surface causing them to warp?

sidemarker

 

Heat dissipation is a big thing, actually the majority of warped rotors come from having different tq on the lugs of your wheels, also the pad might not be having a perfect contact angle, that can cause uneven wear in pad and rotor.

 

IMHO...

Aftermarket cross-drilled rotors like Brembos help disipate heat and brake pad gases that cause fading and/or warping.

 

so what would be the best way to fix those problems? im tired of my brakes warping and i want to do something about it. ive been pondering new lines, rotors and pads but i just want to make sure if that is all. would putting in the RL or new TL or possilbly a MDX brake system in our car make any difference???

sidemarker

 

but why is this a huge issue with our cars???

sidemarker

 

because it not made by porsche...
No seriously it probably has to do with the material and thickness of our rotors, mixed with the fact that the car/wheel design probably doesn't flow much air. You could try running a duct for brake intake, but that could make the car scary at high speeds if you don't know what your doing. As far a master cylinder or slave, its only going to increase the pressure going through the lines, I would imagine that would cause problem with abs settings. And not give much of an advantage anyway, however a larger rotor and caliper would give some advantages. I would say drop the money on Baer Eradispeed +1's before switching to another Acura OEM setting, price would be relative cause Acura is gonna jack you!!!

 

good point

sidemarker

 

Sorry I couldn't find it in the search, but has anyone here ever done a poll on how many people end up with warped rotors? I've seen numbers from 1-3% for the auto transmission problem, but no percentage chances of needing new rotors.

Also curious if anyone thinks it'll be different for the '03s due to different wheels or any other changes in the newer models. I know I've seen threads from '03 6-speed members with warped rotors so it's definitely not totally fixed...

 

im pretty sure the braking system is the same for the 03s i know someone with a 03 6 speed and his rotors are warped at 10k miles

sidemarker

 

My brakes are going strong at 10500 miles. It seems the brake issue goes across all the Honda car line. I just heard someone at the dealership bitching about his RL having warped rotors and a bad caliper. I know two Civic drivers with the same issue.

I won't be going OEM when I need new rotors and pads.

 

I have been wondering about wheel design being a factor. Wondering if the OEM wheels (being shaped like fan blades) don't allow enough air through to the brakes.
Bigger, heavier wheels will obviously make the problem worse.
If we could hear from folks with performance wheels ( SSR, VOLK)
NO BLING BLING (sorry Ballers)
I would like to know if they are having the same problem...

 

I've got new rotors and pads curtesy of Acura...The tech told me the pads are DEFECTIVE on many of the cars, and it is the defective pad material that caused the early warping of the rotor...
Dunno, but that's what the tech advised...I haven't had ANY problems since...

 

03 cl T-s 6 speed , rotors warping at 12,000 Kms
(8,000 Mi), got worse by 18,000 Kms dealer,
turned down rotors, says to document any future
problems, 22,000 Kms(2,500 Mi)later warping again
steering wheel shaking. Im easy on brakes, never a problem with my mx-6 or my crown vic
police criser which gets alot of HOT braking.
Looks like a life time of brake problems with the
03 Cl

Not impressed