fangtl

For a 2000 Civic EX, currently stock disc/drum, running on stock 14" steelies.

I know, I searched but didn't find anyone who has had experience with both. So if anyone has experience with both setups please comment on which you found to be better in terms of street, track (plan to do about 4-6 events a year), ease of install, price, and any other variables that persuaded you to go one way or the other.

Please also comment on the potential downfalls of either setup. Thanks.

navin

iTrader: (1)

Well the fastbrakes setup with def. be lighter than the ITR setup...

thats all I have

Apex i ITR

Whatever is cheapest.....and not stolen.

That being said I boughtthe fast brakes upgrade for the front of my hatch. I want ot see how the rears do stock before I go swapping them out.

fangtl

apex i ITR: do you have rear discs?

Apex i ITR

Yup. i have the Pig Si (Well it weigh in about 2200 so it not that heavy I guess).

I wonder if my stock front discs are worth anything. I'd let them go for like 50 bux just to get them out of my garage.

euclid

are you talking about the wilwood fastbrakes setup? the wilwoods are advertised to save 8lbs per wheel in unsprung weight, which is huge... if you are just talking abou tthe 11" upgraded rotors then they will not help much. the itr setup would be better. make sure you change pads and get some ss lines too.

fangtl

Thinking about Wilwood 11" & 11" drum to disc rears

vtecvoodoo

Can`t go wrong w/ Fastbrakes, y0. Learn it, know it, live it.

qtiger

Fastbrakes means you don't need new rims.

fangtl

I need new rims regardless, I am currently on 14s

phantomsi

go with some wilwood big break kit for front, thats what im running and there 12.9 inch rotors and 4 piston calipers and i have 16inch rims and they barley fit...

euclid

id say go with the wilwood front kit, but hold off on the rear kit untill you have the front installed and see what the brake bias/lock-up is like. dont forget the wilwood kit doesnt have dust seals so youll need to take the calipers off and rebuild them once a year most likely, ive decided i dont really care though and im getting them anyway.

fangtl

Hmm...should i really hold off considering i have drum rears right now? Brake bias will be like 80/20

Also, I have to rebuild the Wilwoods once a year? What does that involve? cleaning and new seals?

Mike D

i looked into that kit also. Nice piece for sure, but i dont think i would buy it.


For that cash, the 5 lug is a sure thing as far as proven braking power. I would want to look into the actual size of the pistons in the calipers if i was serious about the kit.

Not saying it doesnt work well, but ive always been unsure how much these big brake kits actually work.


Mike

euclid

i overlooked the part about you having drums in the rear, does the 11" rear upgrade fit onto your trailing arms even though you have drums, or do you need to get integra ones? i was thinking of my situation, i have an integra rear swap already and im not upgrading to 11" rotors in the rear unless i find out i really need them.

and as far as the rebuild it is new seals and a cleaning, like $20 per caliper, and you can do it yourself aparently(if you have compressed air). not really a big deal but something you should be aware of so you dont ruin your brakes. they are true racing calipers, not designed for the street.
edit: i just clicked on that link, the drum to disk setup must be relatively new b/c ive never heard they make that... definately convert to disks, 550$ is alittle high but you get new parts. unless you can find an integra swap for dirt cheap buy this fastbrakes kit.


[Modified by euclid, 8:37 PM 3/11/2003]

.Ryan

Does any know if the willwood 11" front kit fits 15"x6.5" +35or+45 offset Spoon wheels? Are spacers needed? And if so, which offset would be better with the fastbrakes wilwood kit?

vtecvoodoo

you should e-mail brian just to be on the safe side.

.Ryan

I did, but no positive answer, any have experience?

euclid

its either they fit the rota slipstreams but not the *real* spoons, or vice versa, im 90% sure they dont fit both on a 92-95. they do fit the mugen replicas though b/c the spokes are curved rather than flat like the slipsteams. you should email fastbrakes they will know for sure, but i think you need spacers or grind the wilwoods down a few mm, for them to work with the slipstreams

FritzInTN

I believe they *DONT* fit the slipstreams, but do fit the spoons. Ive lost my email from fastbrakes , but you are correct in that they do not fit the curvature of the rim. I'll have my wilwood kit here in a few days from smoothy here on HT (hopefully ), and I'll be sure to do some fitment tests.

fangtl

So for my situation, would it be best to just go 5 lug then? Pricing wise, the ITR/CTR 5 lug actually costs less (that is, depending on what kind of deal vtecvoodoo can get me)


[Modified by fangtl, 8:13 PM 3/11/2003]

FritzInTN

To me rear discs are not quite a necessity, the roadrace/autox forum guys will attest to this. The ITR setup is a well balanced braking solution and is more than most of us will ever need, but the majority of people get it for the 'bling factor'. This setup makes more sense if you need rims. If you have rims this could be a negative point (unless you get the more rare 4lug setup (pre 95 jdm?)). Anyhow I opted for the wilwood setup since I plan on eventually dedicating the car to track only use, and i felt it was the best brake setup for the price, overkill but most of my car will be.

euclid

Anyhow I opted for the wilwood setup since I plan on eventually dedicating the car to track only use, and i felt it was the best brake setup for the price, overkill but most of my car will be.[/QUOTE]

well said, im doing the wilwoods, and other things, for the same reasons. y0 be sure to post about how you like the 4pots when you install them, or if not at least im me to give me some input about them.

edit: and im pretty sure the 4 lug jdm itr swap isnt 4x100 either...


[Modified by euclid, 9:21 PM 3/11/2003]

kgrcr1

Here's another opinion on the Fastbrakes setup....not that my opinion matters much but here it goes. I have the big brake kits on both the front and rear on my 93 EG 4dr. I had to change the master cylinder out to one from an EX civic. Other than that I am still using the same prop valve that was for the front disc/rear drum setup and the stock calipers. The front discs are 11" and the rears are 11.5". I have no problem with braking in that car. It is a good setup if you are on a budget and can't afford the Wilwood or Baer kits or even the 5 lug ITR setup. I would have probably gone with the ITR setup but for the money I spent on the kits I have I think I am getting alot of bang for the bucks I spent ($600 for both kits, rebuilt master cylinder, and all new pads) which was a lot for my budget at the time. I'm not saying that this is the best setup but if your on a budget this is one alternative. If you still have the rear drum setup you can figure on spending around $225 for an Integra rear setup.


[Modified by kgrcr1, 5:30 PM 3/11/2003]

fangtl

My priorities (most important to least important):

1) Price
2) Brake balance
3) Overall performance
4) Ease of install
5) Future upgradability
6) Looks