I’ve got a fully built N/A engine with race cam (lots of overlap) and have noticed my braking feel a little less stiff. Coming to a light I’ll come to a stop fine but if I slowely pump my brakes 1-2 times as I’m slowing down I can feel the pedal stiffen up like it felt when I had my stock y8 engine.

Which should I replace to gain my brake feel back (and some more if possible), and which components are the best.

91 civic EX sedan MC? Integra? Prelude?

Should I replace the booster as well? With which.

I’ve searched and it seems everyone’s got any kind of booster/MC you can think of…maybe we need a “OEM Honda Brake Upgrade” thread hehe.

P.S. - this is in an 88 crx with stock calipers up front…I’d like to upgrade these as well at the time but DO NOT want to swap knuckles…in this case what can I do? I know the 91 Si brake calipers look a little bigger w/bigger rotor. Since the knuckles are the same would I only need the 91 Si caliper/caliper bracket/rotor?

Thanks a bunch guys,
Vince

 

Damn what kind of cam do you have??

http://www.z10motorsports.com Vacuum pump that run off the motor..

Edit::Actually it looks like they dont make one for d-series..Maybe you can use a electronic one like the v8 guys..

 

I would get a Helms and follow the troubleshooting section in it to determine where your problem is.

When the master cylinder is leaky it gives symptoms for what you are describing.

The brake booster is what gets vacuum.
With NO vaccum the brakes should be VERY stiff.
Booster is like power steering for your brakes.
It just makes it easier to press the pedal down.


As far as upgrading yor brakes without changine your knuckles, take a look at FastBrakes
http://fastbrakes.com/products/index.php
I'm pretty sure your rotor diamter is the same as the Si.
Not much of an upgrade there.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 4drEF &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I would get a Helms and follow the troubleshooting section in it to determine where your problem is.

When the master cylinder is leaky it gives symptoms for what you are describing.

The brake booster is what gets vacuum.
With NO vaccum the brakes should be VERY stiff.
Booster is like power steering for your brakes.
It just makes it easier to press the pedal down.


As far as upgrading yor brakes without changine your knuckles, take a look at FastBrakes
http://fastbrakes.com/products/index.php
I'm pretty sure your rotor diamter is the same as the Si.
Not much of an upgrade there.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I appreciate the help guys...

Well my brake fluid hasn't went down in the past year since i bled them last.

Fast brakes may be a little too much for me right now...i guess i'll have to stick with the stockers for now.

What will upgrading only the MC get me?

Cam is crower stage 3 race cam for d16y8...vacuum isn't that bad considering the cam but i can tell a difference in braking.

Thanks!

Vince

 

Do you have a vac canister? If not, get one and you should be alright.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AgentJam &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What will upgrading only the MC get me?</TD></TR></TABLE>

A larger master cylinder will get you a stiffer pedal, definitely not what you're looking for. I would hesitate to say something smaller, as that will kill the brakes when you have enough vacuum for the booster to work right.

If you ever get larger calipers in the front, it will make the pedal softer, but you're still going to have the low vacuum problem.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by AgentJam &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

What will upgrading only the MC get me?

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Putting a larger MC pushes more fluid to the calipers.
If you put on calipers that require more fuild volume to actuate the caliper piston then you might look into a larger MC.

Lets say you press down the brake pedal 3/4 of the way to lock the wheels up at 35 mph.
In the same situation a larger MC (depending on it's size) could have you locking the wheels by only pressing the pedal 1/2 way down.
For optimum braking you want to have contol over the brakes. You want to be able to find that sweet spot just before the wheels lock up.
With the larger MC and reduced pedal movent it will be harder to find that point and keep it.
With the correct MC you can get to that sweet spot and easily modulate the brakes for optimum braking.