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Okay so I owned a 2014 focus and absolutely loved how sensitive the brakes were. Unfortunately lost it and I now own a 01 Civic EX and have been looking into how to make them more sensitive and what I have taken from my research is that I’m going to need to upgrade my brake booster. What Master cylinder/power brake boosters are interchangeable with my car? What’s the best option? Opinions? Tips? Advice?
For performance
-Slotted rotors to cool better.
-A good set of racing pads, something top shelf from Hawk.
-Dot4 fluid swap
-proper bleed at all four corners.
For feel
-braided steel lines with silicone coating.
I don't know that you will find an upgraded brake booster for one of these cars. A quick Google search didn't find anything. I have an 05 and IMO the brakes always worked well when they were functioning correctly, and after the upgrades listed above the brakes work great. So if your brakes are unresponsive, I'd start with checking the system for problems, like worn pads or improperly adjusted shoes. But remember that on most cars, the limiting factor for stopping distance is TIRES, not brakes.
Last edited by D17VTECPOWER; Sep 26, 2018 at 06:46 AM.
the brakes in my mustang squeaked so i went on a mission to upgrade them...
i bought drilled/slotted rotors, new bearings, and then got pads from the dealer. my thinking was that the rotors would help with brake fade and using factory pads they would be the least likely to squeak as. OEM pads are usually chamfered to reduce noise, have anti rattle clips, and make a fairly low amount of dust. after my "upgrade", my brakes actually feel a bit worse than they did with the crappy junk i removed, but they're quiet. i think the rotors having less surface area (due to all the cool looking holes and slots) is counter productive in a daily driver. a regular properly surfaced rotor will have more contact with the brake pad and more initial bite. it's something i read, but ignored. i shouldn't have. i plan to ditch the cool looking rotors. i'm like you in that i want more initial grip. most of my panic stops are at sane speeds during rush hour. brake fade is not a problem for a driver that drives sane.
for pads, you can ask companies for recommendations. Raybestos makes all varieties of brakes from economical to nascar. my friend built a 700 hp GTO for raybestos that actually has nascar brakes, and i remember commenting that the brakes squeaked. i thought it was funny, but i learned from it. http://www.hotrodchassisandcycle.com/1964_GTO.php
i would stick to a sane pad and a regular rotor. SS brake lines in front and a complete fluid flush is where i would start. the SS lines really help with a spongy pedal. it will start you in the right direction and won't break the bank... or you might look into the brakes on an SI version of your same year as they MIGHT be a bit bigger/better?
here's what i did that i now need to fix. they're pretty, but also pretty disappointing. the rusty rotors and cracked pads stopped faster
the brakes in my mustang squeaked so i went on a mission to upgrade them...
i bought drilled/slotted rotors, new bearings, and then got pads from the dealer. my thinking was that the rotors would help with brake fade and using factory pads they would be the least likely to squeak as. OEM pads are usually chamfered to reduce noise, have anti rattle clips, and make a fairly low amount of dust. after my "upgrade", my brakes actually feel a bit worse than they did with the crappy junk i removed, but they're quiet. i think the rotors having less surface area (due to all the cool looking holes and slots) is counter productive in a daily driver. a regular properly surfaced rotor will have more contact with the brake pad and more initial bite. it's something i read, but ignored. i shouldn't have. i plan to ditch the cool looking rotors. i'm like you in that i want more initial grip. most of my panic stops are at sane speeds during rush hour. brake fade is not a problem for a driver that drives sane.
for pads, you can ask companies for recommendations. Raybestos makes all varieties of brakes from economical to nascar. my friend built a 700 hp GTO for raybestos that actually has nascar brakes, and i remember commenting that the brakes squeaked. i thought it was funny, but i learned from it. http://www.hotrodchassisandcycle.com/1964_GTO.php
i would stick to a sane pad and a regular rotor. SS brake lines in front and a complete fluid flush is where i would start. the SS lines really help with a spongy pedal. it will start you in the right direction and won't break the bank... or you might look into the brakes on an SI version of your same year as they MIGHT be a bit bigger/better?
here's what i did that i now need to fix. they're pretty, but also pretty disappointing. the rusty rotors and cracked pads stopped faster
Interesting. When I installed Hawk brake pads and Powerstop drilled and slotted rotors along with steel braided brake lines, there was a significant improvement in initial bite, and the pedal felt a lot better. I've never had brakes fade under normal conditions, so I can't say how easily the brakes would fade though. I'm thinking that the drilled and slotted rotors may fade quicker than OEM rotors because they are lighter, but like I said, my brakes have never faded under normal conditions.
I did an EBC green stuff and slotted rotor upgrade to my Fit. Very nice improvement over stock. Initial bite feels OEM but when pushed she stops much better. Zero noise too. More dust but I spray this brake dust repellent on it and it helps. I have a set of SS silicon coated lines but have not installed them yet.
