4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
04-19-2013, 04:32 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
Hello all,
I have just finished my first mod involving a part I made myself, so I am especially happy with the results!
I know this has been done before, but supposedly the guy that makes the required hardware is hard to find, and I thought it would be fun to try it on my own.
People with TSX's frequently try to put TL-S brembos on their car, but I wanted to go a different route that didn't require swapping spindles, ball joints, tie rods, etc, especially since the TL-S spindle geometry isn't identical to the TSX. Also, you are limited to a smaller rotor with the TL-S.
This identical setup would work on all years of TSX, late model accords, 8th gen civics, and possibly other cars.
Here is the stock front brake on the TSX. Standard issue Honda stuff, a two piece single piston caliper on a 11.8" x 1.1" rotor (300x28).
I got a spare TSX spindle from a junkyard, and used '06 RL calipers via car-parts.com for $200
Had I more patience, the route to go would have been disassemble the calipers, have them powder coated, and then rebuild them. However, after some wirebrush, masking tape, black high-temp paint, and a high-temp clearcoat, I was happy enough with the results.
The next-step was to draw up the bracket to mount the RL calipers to the TSX spindle. The RL calipers are radially mounted, which makes that easier. Others in the past have made an aluminum block with threaded holes - I just couldn't find a way to make that work in a way I was comfortable with. The bolts through the spindle and the caliper bolts fight for the same space, and both would have far fewer threads to grab then they should - in aluminum. So, in the end, I made a steel bracket, with threaded studs cut out of the billet. A (very) small fillet blends the studs into the bracket to reduce the likely hood of stress cracks. The threaded studs mount through the spindle, and the threaded holes accept the OEM caliper bolts for an RL. This made the bracket a little more expensive, but I felt this was an area that couldn't afford compromise. The weight difference is negligible.
Eventually, the brackets arrived. Here is the bracket with the nuts & washers for the spindle, and the OEM RL caliper bolts. I gave them a quick clear coat spray to keep the corrosion down.
Install time! The stock setup.
This is probably a ghetto way of doing it, but I couldn't get the screws off for the dust-shield... so I cut it off as close as I could to the hub. Ugly, but no one is going to see it.
Before bolting the bracket on, I took a wirebrush to the area shown in the pic. (I don't recommend the ergonomics shown here!) The bracket contacts parts of the spindle that the oem caliper bracket doesn't, and I wanted to make sure it was absolutely clear of corrosion, dirt, debris, etc, to make sure the bracket sat straight.
On goes the bracket.
OEM TSX rotor vs powerstop cross-drilled, cryo-treated 350Z brembo option rotor. 300x28 vs 324x30. The rotor is about 3lbs heavier. The caliper is probably at least 3 pounds lighter, so in my mind it worked out. If you were more baller then me, you could use two-piece rotors, but I wanted to make sure this was actually going to work before I dropped $700+ on a pair of rotors!
More comparison
Bam. No more set screws, so you can use a lug or two over a stack of washers to hold it in place while you work...
Or, if you have OEM wheels, you're gonna need the spacers to clear the calipers. Not a fan of the spacers, so new wheels are high on the list now.
Not much left to do except load up the caliper and bolt it on!
Factory RL calipers are 28mm thick... these are 30. They fit... but man its close. There is less then 1mm of clearance between the rotor and caliper. Clearance between the rim & caliper however, is more then enough with the 1" spacer. 10-15mm would probably have worked, but I didn't want to mess with extended studs for a temporary fix.
All done!
I am still in the prescribed EBC break-in period, so I'm being nice to the pads. However, there are no surprises in the driving experience. Initial bite feels like normal new brakes, with a linear increase in braking torque as you apply more pedal pressure. Beyond a 'normal', gradual braking pressure, they are noticeably stronger then stock.
I know my car will not stop ANY sooner with this setup. I do however, have aspirations of participating occasionally in HPDE's, and hope this mod results in less brake fade, and better resistance to heat with the abuse that comes from track driving.
...and I can't help but say, they look fantastic.
Anyway, there ya go, thanks for reading.
I have just finished my first mod involving a part I made myself, so I am especially happy with the results!
I know this has been done before, but supposedly the guy that makes the required hardware is hard to find, and I thought it would be fun to try it on my own.
People with TSX's frequently try to put TL-S brembos on their car, but I wanted to go a different route that didn't require swapping spindles, ball joints, tie rods, etc, especially since the TL-S spindle geometry isn't identical to the TSX. Also, you are limited to a smaller rotor with the TL-S.
This identical setup would work on all years of TSX, late model accords, 8th gen civics, and possibly other cars.
Here is the stock front brake on the TSX. Standard issue Honda stuff, a two piece single piston caliper on a 11.8" x 1.1" rotor (300x28).
I got a spare TSX spindle from a junkyard, and used '06 RL calipers via car-parts.com for $200
Had I more patience, the route to go would have been disassemble the calipers, have them powder coated, and then rebuild them. However, after some wirebrush, masking tape, black high-temp paint, and a high-temp clearcoat, I was happy enough with the results.
The next-step was to draw up the bracket to mount the RL calipers to the TSX spindle. The RL calipers are radially mounted, which makes that easier. Others in the past have made an aluminum block with threaded holes - I just couldn't find a way to make that work in a way I was comfortable with. The bolts through the spindle and the caliper bolts fight for the same space, and both would have far fewer threads to grab then they should - in aluminum. So, in the end, I made a steel bracket, with threaded studs cut out of the billet. A (very) small fillet blends the studs into the bracket to reduce the likely hood of stress cracks. The threaded studs mount through the spindle, and the threaded holes accept the OEM caliper bolts for an RL. This made the bracket a little more expensive, but I felt this was an area that couldn't afford compromise. The weight difference is negligible.
Eventually, the brackets arrived. Here is the bracket with the nuts & washers for the spindle, and the OEM RL caliper bolts. I gave them a quick clear coat spray to keep the corrosion down.
Install time! The stock setup.
This is probably a ghetto way of doing it, but I couldn't get the screws off for the dust-shield... so I cut it off as close as I could to the hub. Ugly, but no one is going to see it.
Before bolting the bracket on, I took a wirebrush to the area shown in the pic. (I don't recommend the ergonomics shown here!) The bracket contacts parts of the spindle that the oem caliper bracket doesn't, and I wanted to make sure it was absolutely clear of corrosion, dirt, debris, etc, to make sure the bracket sat straight.
On goes the bracket.
OEM TSX rotor vs powerstop cross-drilled, cryo-treated 350Z brembo option rotor. 300x28 vs 324x30. The rotor is about 3lbs heavier. The caliper is probably at least 3 pounds lighter, so in my mind it worked out. If you were more baller then me, you could use two-piece rotors, but I wanted to make sure this was actually going to work before I dropped $700+ on a pair of rotors!
More comparison
Bam. No more set screws, so you can use a lug or two over a stack of washers to hold it in place while you work...
Or, if you have OEM wheels, you're gonna need the spacers to clear the calipers. Not a fan of the spacers, so new wheels are high on the list now.
Not much left to do except load up the caliper and bolt it on!
Factory RL calipers are 28mm thick... these are 30. They fit... but man its close. There is less then 1mm of clearance between the rotor and caliper. Clearance between the rim & caliper however, is more then enough with the 1" spacer. 10-15mm would probably have worked, but I didn't want to mess with extended studs for a temporary fix.
All done!
I am still in the prescribed EBC break-in period, so I'm being nice to the pads. However, there are no surprises in the driving experience. Initial bite feels like normal new brakes, with a linear increase in braking torque as you apply more pedal pressure. Beyond a 'normal', gradual braking pressure, they are noticeably stronger then stock.
I know my car will not stop ANY sooner with this setup. I do however, have aspirations of participating occasionally in HPDE's, and hope this mod results in less brake fade, and better resistance to heat with the abuse that comes from track driving.
...and I can't help but say, they look fantastic.
Anyway, there ya go, thanks for reading.
Last edited by Greyout; 04-20-2013 at 06:25 AM.
04-20-2013, 05:24 AM
#3
Re: 4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
Excellent job! I was thinking of a bracket similar to that for one of my projects. Bravo on the built-in stud instead of threaded holes.
04-20-2013, 10:39 AM
#7
Honda-Tech Member
Thread Starter
Re: 4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
Don't you have to be some sort of paid-marketplace-member thingy to sell stuff?
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04-21-2013, 05:38 AM
#10
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04-21-2013, 06:05 AM
#11
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Re: 4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
You could sell a few in the marketplace to get an idea of demand but if they did take off like I imagine they will, you would probably need to be a sponsor to keep the mods happy.
04-21-2013, 06:19 AM
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04-21-2013, 03:57 PM
#14
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Re: 4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
Thanks for the feedback guys.
Unfortunately, life's priorities would only allow me to sell these in a 'group buy' fasion. I can't afford to make a production run and sell them a pair at time.
...Which is too bad, I've never been a fan of the group buy thing. You have just to put on your big boy pants, take a risk, and hope you've come up with a quality part that people will buy up!
So, after the summer when things in the Greyout Casa settle down, maybe I'll invest in myself and you'll see these for sale.
...maybe you guys could help me figure out what cars these would fit on? I know they fit all years of the TSX, and at least the 8th gen civic, and some accords. I base the civic application on the fact that on an 8th gen civic forum, some guy bolted on TSX brakes and they fit perfectly with no modification. Ergo if TSX's brakes fit, these would fit.
Soooo.... any input?
Unfortunately, life's priorities would only allow me to sell these in a 'group buy' fasion. I can't afford to make a production run and sell them a pair at time.
...Which is too bad, I've never been a fan of the group buy thing. You have just to put on your big boy pants, take a risk, and hope you've come up with a quality part that people will buy up!
So, after the summer when things in the Greyout Casa settle down, maybe I'll invest in myself and you'll see these for sale.
...maybe you guys could help me figure out what cars these would fit on? I know they fit all years of the TSX, and at least the 8th gen civic, and some accords. I base the civic application on the fact that on an 8th gen civic forum, some guy bolted on TSX brakes and they fit perfectly with no modification. Ergo if TSX's brakes fit, these would fit.
Soooo.... any input?
04-23-2013, 07:50 PM
#16
Honda-Tech Member
Re: 4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
This is awesome!! It's a shame I'm selling my 8th Gen Si 
I have stock TSX brakes on it now (better thermal capacity than stock Si brakes) & this would be a great upgrade!
I have stock TSX brakes on it now (better thermal capacity than stock Si brakes) & this would be a great upgrade!
04-27-2013, 08:29 PM
#17
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Re: 4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
i WANTS IT!!!!! if u do get to selling those brackets let me kno i'm definitely interested... did u have to upgrade the master cylinder or booster?
08-02-2013, 03:09 PM
#22
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Thread Starter
Re: 4-piston RL calipers & 350Z brembo rotors installed on my TSX
Old thread, but to answer some questions:
The dust shield was cut because the thicker, larger rotor seemed like it was going to touch the shield.
Also, the only performance pads available for these calipers are EBC and Carbotech... I picked EBC. Horrible decision. they ruined these rotors in a few thousand miles.
I'll be switching to carbotechs!
The dust shield was cut because the thicker, larger rotor seemed like it was going to touch the shield.
Also, the only performance pads available for these calipers are EBC and Carbotech... I picked EBC. Horrible decision. they ruined these rotors in a few thousand miles.
I'll be switching to carbotechs!