I'm thinking about upgrading my brake, and while I know there are a tons of different routes one car take, I have a few questions:

1)How much do legend calipers run? NSX calipers?
2)Are slotted brembos availible for rears as well as the fronts? (I think they are for the fronts).
3) What would be a more effective setup. the legend calipers/brembo rotors, or the AEM big brake upgrade which uses the stock calipers?

Thanks.

Chris

 

I got my rebuilt Legend calipers for $206 shipped from http://www.thepartsbin.com
I also got VTEC Brembo blanks for the front for $36 each shipped...and Brady blanks for the rear for $16 each shipped.
I got Axxis Ultimate brake pads for the front and rear for I think it was like $138 shipped from Cobalt.

If you look into thepartsbin.com..CALL THEM about your parts. They sometimes have deals on parts that aren't listed on their website. I got my Brembos for that and I wasn't even expecting to pay that little for them. I was expecting to pay $60-$70 each....and for non Brembo parts at that.

I haven't been able to test them out yet. Still waiting to get my car inspected.

 

I just answered this post at PO.com, but in short, the AEM kit with some SS lines is the way to go! You will get the largest bang for the buck going this route. Those rotors are HUGE. I have both F/R on my car. They grab like you wouldnt believe. Go to PO.com to check out the other reply.

 

Blah blah, and 500$ later you still have a cheap, unnessicary setup..

You have a 5th gen right?? All you need is GOOD pads (axxis ultimates from Cobalt), and maybe SS lines, with fresh fluid, and that is all you need buddy... Car will plant its nose no problem now.. Only change the rotors if they are warped heavily or cracked.. Don't waste your money on anything else

 

Blah blah, and 500$ later you still have a cheap, unnessicary setup..

Yeah, and this person knows what he is talking about. Going to a larger rotor(60% more surface area) means larger braking surface which means less heat, which means less brake fade. Please....

The AEM brake kit reffered to BTW is just rotors and adaptor plates to allow the STOCK CALIPERS to be utilized, but from the sound of your ignorant response you may have overlooked that.

 

I thought I read somewhere that NSX calipers are the same as the Legend Calipers, without the NSX logo. Is this correct or am I mislead?

 

Ritteri you still don't understand... Larger breaking surface doesn't mean less heat, you're still changing over all the forward movement energy to heat so it's the same amount of energy and therefore same amount of heat. Also, considering that you have holes and slots put into the rotor you have an even smaller braking surface. Please don't start on "slots and holes make it cool faster" since all it does is evacuate any gas under the pad. Not to mention that these slots and holes eat your pads faster.

 

318dx, my rotors are warped a bit, but can't I get them shaved or something like that?

And come on all, let's just have a friendly conversations, no need to flame.

Chris

 

Rotors are so cheap, not worth getting them turned... Usually, what you think is warpage is just pad film transfer, and taking the rotors off, and sanding them by hand with some 100 grit or so sandpaper will usually break up the pad material built into the rotor.. Or, just go to NAPA, and get a set of Acura Legend GS rotors, they are only about 26$ each, and don't have to pay for shipping, and hold up excellent, Thats what I use on my racecar (not legend rotors, because they are 5 lug, but NAPA rotors)..

Sorry about my bark about AEM kits.. I and others that actually know about real brake setups are tired of hearing crap from Ricers who buy they kit and think they got the best thing possible.. First of all, the slots and holes are for looks, they don't do **** but eat up pads and under hard conditions, crack and build up w/ pad material, cool faster? My ***... They also come with AEM pads, big deal, they are Nissin, SAME AS STOCK.. I good hi performance pad is all you need really..

 

No, that isn't correct, but the Legend Calipers actually have BIGGER pistons then the NSX calipers, but, from what I remember, have to be mounted unverted, so they have the bleaders on the bottom of the caliper, not a big deal, just makes it a little troublesome to bleed the brakes..

 

From what i have heard, Legend GS calipers are the same as NSX calipers. But other Legend models were smaller. Also, the NSX rotors had cooling fins on the caliper, but I am not sure how much difference this makes.

One thing is for sure, it is usually a lot cheaper to get the Legend calipers if you can find them.

Honda318dx,
You mentioned Legend GS rotors. Is that compatable with a stock 5th gen Prelude setup? I thought the rotor would be too big.

Neel

 

lol @ people who call others ignorant when their very own post is full of ignorance. great job of making a fool of yourself.

 

Blah....60% more surface area, but the same contact area. You said it already, AEM uses stock calipers, that means same brake pad size, same contact area. Hmm....shouldn't you be the ignorant who has overlooked that?

 

Totally agree!!! A confession though, I do have cross-drilled rotors but those will go away when it's time to change new pads. I'll just go back to stock rotors. I got the cross-drilled rotors for..........looks!

 

The light of reason and truth will free the dark side! Even Brembo/Wilwood's site says xdrilled/slotteds are for looks. LOOKS dammnit.

Back in the days of the old asbestos pads, they had legitimate reasons for having drilleds/slots, but not anymore...

David

 

This is good stuff. You guys saved me some cash before I went about and bought the bling bling. So I guess I'm going to grab some stainless lines and look for some soild rotors (if mine are truly warped). And are axxis ultimates from Cobalt the pads to get?

 

Oh, one more thing, where's the best place to get Axxis Ultimates?

 

Funny you should say that. If Brembo/Wilson told you its healthy to jump off 50 ft. bridges on to jagged rocks would you believe them too?? Sorry but there are actually alot of NASCAR vehicles(and many others too) using slotted or drilled rotors, WHY IS THIS? Slotting or drilling a rotor does 2 things. 1. Reduces weight thereby effectively increasing brake torque. 2. helps ventilatealso, dissapating heat, which also reduces brake fad which also again, helps increase brake torque.

Funny, Brembo also has alot of things themselves to say about slotting or drilling rotors. Here is a link: http://hp.brembo.com/edit/faq/index....D&PrCatID=3#22 So which statement or theories are correct??

Too many folks read 1 or 2 things and take it as bible. There are many theories and applications for various things. But people who think slotted or drilled is just "bling bling" should start taking some more physic or chemist classes on simple things like heat/energy transfer properties of various materials and compounds and simple laws of motion.

On a side note: Yes NISSAN does make AEM pads, but calling them stock is a joke. Completely different compound all together. Just because they are made from the same company does not mean they are the same product. Think its not the case? Post a pure fact link on the exact chamical makeup of both the stock calipers and the AEM pads.


[Modified by Ritteri, 10:36 PM 12/4/2002]

 

I'll admit that I'm going with the majority, but for my application I think soild rotors coupled with good pads will suffice. I'll also admit that I don't know tons about cars, but based on some of the physics classes I have taken, it seems that slotted/drilled rotors are weaker (shear stress) in the long run and will wear pads out quicker than solid rotors due to increased friction at the contact point of the slot/drill. I guess I'm also not looking to increase my brake expense too much.

 

Ritteri hits again! The ONLY reason that a NASCAR vehicle would use vented (slotted or drilled) rotors is for the gas evactuation they provide. Most of these racers are running high carbon content compouds for pads and rotors and those rotors GLOW with heat. Being the fact that they're probably over 1600 degrees some of the first part of the pad that touches the rotor incinerates into, you guessed it, gas. This causes the pad to hydroplane on the rotor surface and not allow the pad to fully seat on the rotor, these vents dissapate that gas and allow the pad to seat correctly on the rotor surface. Now are you going to tell me that happens to you too?

Now on to the second "point" that you made. Slots and holes do NOT help with ventilation for the same reasons stated above. It's ONLY to remove the gas under the pads and looks. And since when did vented rotors help brake torque?? The magical book that I read believes that brake torque doesn't change. Efficiency of the system, boiled brake fluid or cooked pads/rotors, will reduce the efficiency and not allow the maximum to be found, but the "brake torque" is a given in each system.


Referring to the quote below, then tell me Mr. Physicist, why would this help? There is NO ventilation though these points. So how does holes help again, or maybe the chemical make up of a hole is so great it sucks all the heat in! Personally I'd rather get some dryer hose from under the front bumper and route it to the back of the rotor and call that "cooling."

 

Vented rotors do alot for the brake systems, b/c they increase surface area and also help in the disspation process of the heat. This all helps the brake fluid from boiling over, thereby decreasing your chances for brake fade. No one here disputes that by increasing the size of the disc, you will decrease your chances of brake fade by having a larger amount of surface area. And combined with some killer calipers, it'll also increase brake torque.

However, if you are defending the use of slots and x-drilleds, I would like to see more reasoning behind your arguments. Especially if they pertain to a decrease in tempratures across the disc. It cannot. Not only does xdrilled/slotted decrease the overall structure of the disc, it also decreases the overall surface area. Surface area=good. Less surface area = bad. I do agree, that it'll decrease unsprung weight, but...nothing more then that. Yes, they did have a place in racing history, as old-school pads were made of asbestos. Asbestos pads created alot of gas, which did need venting (slots). But today's pads create little-to-no gasses at all, thus making slotteds/x-drilleds obsolete.

No, if Wilwood/Brembo told me to jump off a bridge, I wouldn't do it. But...they do know their stuff in brakes: http://www.wilwood.com/faq.asp#question7

David

 

Ritteri,

Do you have a race car?
Do you have a championship in roadracing?
Have your Glowed your rotors solid red in the daytime?
Do you know what its like to hit 145 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, and have to stop for 60mph T1 for 15+ laps, not able to let off because the ITR trying to pass your ***?

I doubt it, but I do, with a prelude stock brake setup.. Yes, 11.1" Solid NAPA rotors, with SS lines and Ferodo DS3000 pads, and Cobalt XRF fluid, thats IT.. If your saying you need anything better than stock setup that I use for the street, your just a retard for spending to much money...

Argue all you want, your still an Idiot for spending too much money.

 

I will outbrake your *** in a stock Accord with a good set of pads repeatedly..............

 

Yeah, I never saw the point of cross drilled/ slotted rotors. 99% of use don't use our brakes enough to justify getting them. I heard the major reason to get slotted/drilled rotors was to let the gases escape from in between the rotor and the brake pad. But again, do any of us use our brakes that much to actually reap the benefits of slotted/drilled rotors??

When I bought my brake setup, Acura Legend GS calipers, the guy advised me to get Brembo blanks and a nice set of pads. I told him I planned on using my car primarily for daily driving, autoXs and occasional track events. I bought my Axxis Ultimates because Andie Lin from Cobalt recommended these for my application. I have yet to see many posts about how most of you guys actually drive your cars at the track or autoXs.
In my opinion, most people buy these slotted rotors just so they can tell people they have it. That's all. But do what makes you happy.

 

Track and auto-x are different. For track, you could be braking from 100+mph to 50-60mph for a turn, T1 of Willow Spring big track (118mph to approx. 70mph) comes to mind. And you do it repeatedly on the track. OTOH, you could be braking only from approx. 65mph to 30mph in an auto-x, and you do this for maybe 3 turns for 3 runs (some regions have more than 3 runs). But that's it. IMO, it's really a waste to go with big brake kits for auto-x. I can't say too much about track racing because I probably won't be driving my car as hard as Corey does. But my current brake setup is efficient enough for some track days. My current setup is Goodrich SS lines, Project Mu HC Titan Kai pads, Brembo/Stillen x-drilled rotors (these will be replaced with stock rotors), and Motul fluid.