Ok, once the Mustang is sold, I'm starting the buildup to turn the Civic into a track capable car. I will probably autocross, do a few HPDEs and at least one point-to-point timed road race, I have no plans for wheel to wheel action, I just want to have fun. First stop (no pun intended) are wheels and brakes.

Currently, I have a '93 Dx Hatchback (d15b, Koni, GC) with stock disks/drums. Sitting in the garage I have what I believe to be the rear trailing arms/disks off a '92-95 Civic Ex with ABS. I'd like to use these trailing arms because I can assemble new hubs, bushings, etc. without any down time on the car. If I buy new hubs and bearings, can I use non-abs hubs in these arms?

I've looked over fastbrakes.com and I seem to be left with more questions than answers.

Do you guys recommend staying with brakes that are small enough to run 15" wheels?

Are the fastbrakes 4 pot calipers good, or should I spend a little extra for the Wilwoods? How about pad availability? I'd like to keep my parking brake, so the Wilwood calipers in the rear are a no go.

I really see no reason to upgrade to Integra knuckles since they make the same kits for the Dx, am I right? What should I do about my master cylinder?

Of course, money is always a factor. What do you guys recommend?

 

There is no need for you to get any brake set up that will require you to have a bigger wheel than 15in. I have a B18C modded and stripped CRX track car and the type r brakes (upgrade) are more than enough heat sink for dedicated track work. If you go with a larger wheel you are just sucking acceleration and for that matter deceleration out of the car. Bigger wheels equals more unsprung weight and any rotor large enough to require bigger than 15s is overkill and more weight than necessary.

There are plenty of pads available out there for Honda brake set ups. Carbotech is my recommendation on both product and service.

Barry H.

 

for what you'll be doing,i'd say good pads,new rotors and good fluid would be enough with the stock setup.
on my hatch,i upgraded to Integra 10.3" front kes and rear discs only because i had them already from a car i parted out.with that setup,Carbotech pads,Auto Zone blank rotors and Valvoline fluid,i have more brake than i can use.
i think the main thing you'll find is that there'll be a wide range of opinions on this.i say for the relative low cost of a set of good front pads,cheapo rotors and fluid,why not try it for one event?if it ends up being all you need,you've saved yourself a ton of money.
Chris

 

go to gsr fronts ...nice upgrade w/ oem parts

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TeamNextGenChris &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">for what you'll be doing,i'd say good pads,new rotors and good fluid would be enough with the stock setup. Chris</TD></TR></TABLE>



That's what I found too, I tried some other stuff last year (first year of track events), but this year on OEM-sized Rotora rotors (long story, but that was all that was available when I cracked my old rotors, about any brand will do) with some upgaded pads (EBC Yellow Stuff R-compound) and fresh Valvoline fluid from Pep Boys, I had plenty of brakes at VIR, no heat issues, and I was braking as hard and late as my intermediate foot knew how to. The disks still look perfect and there's plenty of material left on the pads. I also had the rotors cryo-treated because it was cheap and just took a day to do, but I'm not sure how much, if any, that helped.

 

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



That's what I found too, I tried some other stuff last year (first year of track events), but this year on OEM-sized Rotora rotors (long story, but that was all that was available when I cracked my old rotors, about any brand will do) with some upgaded pads (EBC Yellow Stuff R-compound) and fresh Valvoline fluid from Pep Boys, I had plenty of brakes at VIR, no heat issues, and I was braking as hard and late as my intermediate foot knew how to. The disks still look perfect and there's plenty of material left on the pads. I also had the rotors cryo-treated because it was cheap and just took a day to do, but I'm not sure how much, if any, that helped. </TD></TR></TABLE>
similar setup here.Auto Zone rotors,Carbotech Panther Plus front pads,Axis Ultimates rear pads,Valvoline fluid.
i've heard of plenty of people using OEM pads in the rear(or shoes if still drums),and they work fine.i only used the Ultimates out back because the disc conversion i was swapping on needed new pads anyway,and i got a good deal on the Axis pads.when they need replacing,i'll just use OEM equivalent.
the Carbotech fronts are awesome.plenty of bite and heat resistance for my unskilled driving.very noisy,very dusty,but i don't care-that's what black wheels are for,and a polite nod to the occasional "hey man,sounds like you need new brakes" you get at stop lights from time to time.
for a streetable pad that isn't as noisy or dusty,but still works well for track use,i've seen a lot of people using the Ultimates up front.

BTW-how much was the cryo treatment?who did it?
Chris

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by atc5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">go to gsr fronts ...nice upgrade w/ oem parts</TD></TR></TABLE>
Why "GSR" specifically? All '94-01 Integras except the Type-R have the same brakes.

 

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1618443

 

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

BTW-how much was the cryo treatment?who did it?
Chris</TD></TR></TABLE>

http://www.ecmtinc.com/

They are in Raleigh, near downtown. I dropped the rotors off one day and picked them up the next day. It was $95 for all four rotors, including initial heat teating to remove residual stresses, cryo treating, and heat tempering after the cryo treatment. They mostly do big commercial heat treating jobs, but a couple of the guys there used to do brakes for circle track teams and knew the process for cycling the disks.

 

Thanks guys, I appreciate the advice. I'm used to thinking about a Mustang that weighs 3600lbs so I'm still in the "biggest brakes you can afford" frame of mind.

It looks like I'll put on the rear disks and get some light 15" wheels and start hitting it.