Hi,

I was wondering if you guys could help me with the brakes on my 91 CRX HF

I just picked the car up a couple weeks ago and the brakes are horrible

I am not sure what pads are on the car or if they are worn out or not

But either way

If i wanted better stopping power, what would be the cheapest way to go?

any help would be great

Thanks

 

power slot rotors
ebc, performance friction(autozone), aem(nissin)pads
goodridge brake lines
rear disc conversion

 

I'm pretty sure he said cheapest

First off, bleed your brake lines and put in some high temp fluid. Buy some new pads (just hit up the auto store and buy the medium grade, or high grade pads), and see how that does...That should help out a lot. Dont worry to much about the drums in back.

After that, if you want do the rear Si swap, change your fronts to slotted, get some braded lines, and a new master cylinder.

-Jake

 

stainless steel lines... $100.. and bleed the brakes well

 

Bigger brakes will not only stop you faster, but will lessen the ammount of fade you get. Smaller brakes heat up faster because there isn't as much area as the larger disc. The larger disc has more area for air to pass over and cool the brake off.... less fade. Going with an agressive pad on a small disc will heat the disc quickly. It may add to braking power, but your rotor will take a beating and will most likely warp under harsh braking. Cross drilled/ slotted rotors will help lessen that effect. I suggest you look into getting some used Civic sedan EX knuckles. The Si has the same size rotor as all the other civics ... EX is the only larger one. Yes, they bolt right on to your car without any cons - integra brakes have the same rotor, but will give you bad suspension geometry.

OH - you should also get the sedan EX MC (or better) if you do this upgrade. Using the stock MC will make your brake pedal REALLY mushy because it won't provide enough fluid for the system to operate correctly.

Yes, this is NOT the cheapest method, but it's BETTER in the long run.


[Modified by 4drEF, 6:41 PM 11/11/2002]

 

high temp fluid doesn't do ****
if you bleed and flush your brake lines you should go ahead and get a new master cylinder cause that old one will clog up
performance friction brake pads are cheap and can be bought at autozone

 

GUT THE CAR!!!

Improves handling, acceleration, braking AND fuel economy. Oh, did I mention it;s FREE

 

I second that

 

Bleed your brakes. This should help with stopping power.

 

you want cheap?

axxis ultimate pads, brembo OE rotors, ate super blue fluid. that should cost like $130.

http://www.cobaltfriction.com

 

Bleeding, new fluid (I used Castrol DOT4), new lines (Goodridge SS), and pads and rotors if you need them will help.

 

dude u have an HF unless u have a b20 like me go to autozone and get new rotors and pads a grand total of 25 minuites and 30-40 dollars makes a big diff.

 

brembo rotors and hawk pads

 

i second that...all good stuff

 

I third that. That's the best thing you can do. You should probably just flush the brake fluid at first, and see how much of a difference that makes. Brakes should be bled every once and a while, and chances are, the previous owner didn't do it.

Don't get slotted rotors, they are a big waste of money, they won't do anything but make your brakes look cooler. Don't get ebc or aem pads, ebc is crap, and with aem, there are better, cheaper options. SS braided lines are nice, but you most likely will be happy without them.

 

i'll have to 4th that
brembo blanks or autozone specials
axxis ultimates or hawk (like shawnd mentioned)
and some DOT4 fluid

 

i liked my EBC greens- they provided a great pdeal and good stopping, the only downside is horrible life. i only got 10k out of mine

 

This weekend I replaced my front rotors with some brand new autozone specials, replaced the pads with Axxis Ultimates, and flushed the old fluid for some ATE Super Blue. I didn't touch the rear drums at all. I was kind of dissapointed with the results. I mean, it's okay, but I guess I was expecting better results.

My Gtech-Pro meter was reading 188ft 60-0mph braking distances before the upgrade. Afterwards I was able to pull some 170ft distances. Which is an okay improvement, but I guess I was hoping for more. I'm sure on the track I won't have near the fade problems (with the fluid and pads high-temp resistance) I would have had with the old pads/rotors/fluids, so that's a plus too.

The one thing I noticed bad was that the pedal is going all the way to the floor now. I don't think it was doing that before. Anyone have any ideas on that one?

And here's a pic: (ahhhh, fresh!)

 

where did everybody get their axxis ultimates pads

 

Andie @ cobalt!

http://www.cobaltfriction.com

 

Ordering a set tonight

 

what's wrong with OE honda rotors?

 

nothing...

i like the earlier post, about bigger brakes.. the ONLY THING that bigger brakes will give you is less fade.. unless you are doing track days, then i could possibly understand this... as for a rear disk brake conversion, again, the only thing this will give you is better heat dissapation and cooler looks...

as for the design of rotors, whether they are slotted or drilled doesn't help..

"Crossdrilling your rotors might look neat, but what is it really doing for you? Well, unless your car is using brake pads from the '40's and '50's, not a whole lot. Rotors were first drilled because early brake pad materials gave off gasses when heated to racing temperatures, a process known as "gassing out." These gasses then formed a thin layer between the brake pad force.......but today's friction materials do not exhibit the same gassing out phenomenon as the early pads.... Contrary to popular belief, they don't lower temperatures. (In fact, by removing weight from the rotor, they can actually cause temperatures to increase a little.)"

Grassroots Motorsports
February 2001

if YOU haven't read it, you don't know anything about braking systems...

 

Im sure there has to be SOME benefit to using crossdrilled rotors, otherwise EVERY single highend braking system, on every race car would not have them. As far as using bigger rotors, yes alone they will not give you any increase. But if converting to bigger calipers, and rotors, then you will feel a great increase. A friend of mine converted to type-r brakes on his CX civic, and felt an awesome difference.

 

just out of curiosity. anyone else here besides be using Dot-5 brake fluid?? It may be a bit more expensive, although its got the silicone, so there's almost no way water can get into the fluid, causing the internals of the calipers so stay lubricated and keep them from rusting. its got the weirdest color too, its like neon purple, lol
good stuff if u ask me