Hey, I was wondering if there are upgrades available for the braking system. I believe the front's are 12.6" and rear 12.1" 4 and 2 piston respectively.

Are they the same as those for the 05-08 RLs?

I felt the braking was weak at high speed. Normally the brakes grip and hold. At 110 I felt like they were unable to lock the wheels no matter what you did with them...and that produced a sliding feeling I didn't enjoy.

If nothing else, I would like to reduce the braking distance so advice on rotors and brake pads are good too!

Thanks in advance.

 

Same brakes for the 05-08 RL. Yes I noticed the same problem. I was going about 125 and it the brakes were giving problems locking. Like you can actually feel the brakes digging in...

You can always go for a 8 Piston BBK with some rotors

 

show me

 

I would try stainless lines first, then other pads, these calipers should be fantastic.

 

Ditto that: stainless lines are your first upgrade for enhanced brake response. Of course, the oem brakes on the RL are essentially "Big Brake Kits" already. Line 'em!

 

check out ambigious626 ride.

 

Car may have generously size brakes, but the car is also very heavy which relegates the brakes to the OK department at best. At high speed and repeated stops, forget it with oem pads. The car just overwhelms these brakes in no time. I went with some aftermarket pads and even those are not impressive. My next move move being Endless pads, which pricey, might help the lack of braking on this car.

 

Please provide links to those fancy lines and brake pads. My other idea for big brakes would be to possibly look into the one's from the new TL which are bigger and brembo?

Let's go with the lines and pads as that seems less intrusive, thanks!

 

Upgrading the lines will offer nothing in terms of high speed braking improvements., just adds a firmer pedal.

 

Pedal feels fine, it's the lack of stopping that bothered me.

I looked at 626's ride and I can pretty much guess those 15"s won't fit stock 18"s.

What brake pads would actually help stopping if any?

 

just read that the TL awd stopping distance is 161 feet with 2 piston 12.6" up front and 13.1" single piston in the rear.

They weigh about the same, how could RL's brakes be any worse?

Am I wrong about the RLs setup being 4 piston by 2 piston F to R?

 

It is not merely the stopping distance from 161 feet but the ability to repeat that several times over which is the real test.
Tires can make a huge impact those type of test as well as weight.

 

It is a single piston rear for all years

Acuranews.com
http://www.hondanews.com/categories/757/releases/4410

Up front, 12.6-inch diameter cast-iron ventilated rotors team with 4-piston aluminum brake calipers. The multi-piston calipers are extremely rigid and are derived from racing applications. In back, 12.2-inch diameter cast-iron ventilated rotors (attached to their hub via lightweight aluminum collets) are gripped by single-piston aluminum brake calipers. For 2009, the RL receives new rear brake pads that improve performance while simultaneously reducing NVH.

 

Question is, are the 13.1" brakes on the TL stronger? Those are for the rear and would be a huge improvement over 12.2" of a similar type on RL, I think.

The article talks about Full ABS braking, I haven't tried that at high speeds...but does that mean that I wasn't using full force when I applied full brake pressure over time versus flooring the brake in an instant?

 

i don't think upgrading the rear would be much benefit cause the brakes on these cars are front biased, something like 70/30 i believe so upgrading to bigger rotors would only provide a slight improvement and the new 4g tl doesnt use brembo's or a bbk. Talk to Josh from xlr8 and see what options he can provide you with, I would go with ss Lines and some new c/d or slotted rotors and pads.

 

I ordered the Endless M-sport pads and will let you guys know on the feedback of them. I also got the slotted/drilled stock size Rotora rotors to pair with them. But the pads will take about a month to arrive from my dealer.

 

The reason that stainless steel lines do add to high-speed braking performance is that they do provide the "firmer pedal" in that they don't allow the heated/hot brake fluid to expand the brake lines. The expansion of brake lines is exacerbated by hot brake fluid in the (primarily) rubber lines, which soften as they heat, unlike the stainless steel sheathed lines. When the lines don't bulge, the brakes receive more power to the caliper.

You could put the most sticky pads in the world on there, but if you overheat those brakes from such grippy, gnarly pads... the first point of sponge is those rubber lines.

 

Can you show me what lines you got in mind? seems like a non intrusive mod.

I've been drooling over 15" Rotora's but besides being expensive they would also require too many mods.

 

I agree with you, the brakes on the RL are poor at high speeds. I have a BMW X5 and those are single piston calipers, and they perform much better at high speeds. It's nice that Acura put such awesome calipers on the car, but they don't seem to do much in terms of stopping at high speeds.

Chris

 

ok...I didn't say the brakes are poor, I just said they felt weak compared to going say 70 and slamming the brakes. I am coming from an 06TL which was a bit lighter and that's why I noticed the difference.

X5 is an even heavier beast so I don't see how single piston can stop the weight any faster than RL.

I am speaking comparatively as I would like to try to get my TL brake feel back as I always thought they were great.

 

What about the following:

Rotora BBK 8 Piston & 380mm Rotor Front, 4 Piston & 355mm Rotor Rear

could get em used for bout $2500.

Called Rotora, Todd don't work there no more...the front 8 pistons are $3600 according to them.

 

The issue is not braking power to the rotors or fluid temp, it is a heavy mass being slowed by inefficient brakes. Lines will offer zero improvement in this case. The brakes are just too small to do the job with such a heavy car. I have installed SS lines on every car minus the RL I have owned in the last several years. Pedal feel-yes, overcoming physics-no. Do they help modulate the pedal during spirited driving-depends on the car, most cases yes.
These would be nice brakes on a car weighing in at 3500 lbs, but 4100lbs...................
Most cars are not designed to brake from xxx speeds including Lexus's, etc. That is left for Porsches, etc.
Good rotors, good pads, flushed brakes, and SS lines will help, but not turn the car into a true sports car.

Upgrade to those Rotoras and you will be fine.

 

Because the number of pistons is only a portion of the equation. Total surface area (lining, piston diameter) and clamping power must also be factored in. A well made 4 piston setup will easily out brake a simple bolt on 6 piston setup. Just the same as a 2 piston setup can out perform a 4 piston setup. Don't get caught up in the total number of pistons. It is unfortunate that pad options are limited for this car.

 

of course, you could get these and look good. $128 on Ebay.

 

um...is that an ego mod?

 

Don't have to stop short while driving 110 mph and you should be cool.

 

i know i called about those also and i head 3600 for the front and around 2400-2500 for the rear and i was like

and may i ask where are you getting them used from?

 

Well, you're half-right and, if you can't be wrong then you're stuck there, but still therefore wrong. Nobody has suggested that high-performance brake lines will lighten the car or change the laws of physics. However, since they won't change the laws of physics either way and they don't expand at the same coefficient the rubber-based lines do, they will have an effect and actually make those brakes you're referring to "more efficient" -- especially once they heat up.

This is why we put them on our race cars, and on my inefficiently-braked Jeep. Because they do improve brake performance, particularly at threshold braking. If you don't do a lot of that with your cars, you may not know this. If you do, then you should and probably do.

Hard braking a heavy vehicle at 110 mph is taxing on a brake system. $4,000 rotors is an option to consider, but stainless steel lines will cost much less and can be installed at home if you really want to do it. When doing it, upgrade to a hi-temp racing brake fluid and the job is complete. Need to go BBK afterward? Do it.

 

Please suggest brake lines and brake fluid, thanks!

and...the used Rotora's are in a BMW forum last I checked. Google knows.

 

3600$ for those brakes!!

 

I think I'll start with brake lines and fluid first.

Please tell me what to get...

 

i've used Motul 5.1 on my accord and i bought the same for my rl, i like them and would def recommend it. I've also seen a lot of other people going with ATE super blue.

 

We will have to disagree on this one.
I recommend SS lines, don't get me wrong, but to turn a properly functioning braking system that cannot brake well from xxx speeds into something that will brake well with just lines is simply not going to happen. Unless the original brake lines have a hole in them, SS lines (which for others are only teflon hoses wrapped in SS) is not a miracle worker.

Pad choice is up in the air as options are limited and only now are people experimenting.
Good brake fluid like Motul RBF600, SS lines, good rotors ,will all help, but will not turn the car into something it is not without a complete BBK upgrade. The car is simply too heavy and the brakes are too inefficient.

 

These are the only SS lines I know of so far.

Stainless steel brake lines for RL--click

There are probably others, but these have been referenced on our site. I haven't used them on my car as my car will never see 110 mph. I'm too chicken to do that.

 

says 05-08. I really am too early to mod ain't I...they don't even have the full catering list for me to spend all the extra money I could spend on a wedding instead

 

Not sure who makes those, perhaps Visionary will chime in. I have used Goodridge lines in the past with success. Watch out for the cheapo lines on Ebay as there have been reports of premature failure.

 

I went up to 100mph a couple times, but other than that, I'll stay way under 100. I think I was just feeling crazy those days..

 

Good then, I think you actually agree, even if you didn't want to. I posted: "Ditto that: stainless lines are your first upgrade for enhanced brake response..." and you replied that "Upgrading the lines will offer nothing in terms of high speed braking improvements..."

Although nobody has suggested a brake line upgrade will convert the RL to a shifter cart with uber-brakes, only one person suggested a brake line upgrade would "offer nothing". It is this essential fallacy that I differed with you on and that you seem to recognize may have been going a little too far. Spending the big bucks on new rotors and Brembo sixs-pots would be rad, amazing and even worthwhile on a lighter car, but these RL's aren't light enough for us to be street racers and probably not the most likely candidate for street-racer brakes.

I guess one could point out that pads cost a lot less than new lines and fluid. I'd agree with that, but I think the OEM pads are pretty good.

 

ok, so everyone in agreement I should start with a set of these?

http://www.visionaryracing.com/store...&productId=154

What was that brake fluid I needed to get?

 

ATE Super Blue is what I swapped into my car when I flushed the system. If you get into it, you can alternate with their "amber", which is the same but for color and makes flushing easier to verify with your eyes (ie, by color of the juice running all over the...) Motul 5.1 is also good stuff, apparently.