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ok, the other night, i was doin, oh, about 110, and i wanted to turn onto this one road. so about 1/4 mile ahead of the road i applied about 50% pressure, and downshifted. within about 5-7 seconds, i had a nasty vibration in the steering wheel, and it didnt want to slow down . anyway, ive gotten the brakes hot already, and i know what it feels like, no friction, doesnt stop. what im saying is, givien the speed i was at, which ive never been that fast with hot brakes before, im guessing thats normal(?). i was away all weekend and havent driven it since, but i doubt theyre warped, just got really hot. i just didnt think it would happen cause i downshifted to help it instead of just using the brakes, then i woulda expected it.

 
Rep Power: 424

It's called brake fade. You hit them hard, and they heat up so hot that the pads don't want to stick any more. You have to take your foot off the brake and let them cool a little bit. Don't hit the brakes at 110 (why so fast anyway[IMG]i/expressions/demon.gif[/IMG] ). If you drive that fast and brake hard all the time, look into bigger drilled and slotted rotors and AEM pads.

 
Rep Power: 419

Yeah, sounds like either your rotors were too hot for them to be grippy or your pads were too hot and were gloazed over and were not grippy. I've been to 113mph with my car and I've braked to 65mph rather quickly with no noticeable difference in stopping power throughout the braking.

Edit: Oh yeah, I have cross-drilled/slotted rotors and AEM/Nissin brake pads.

 
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yeah im with grey I have had it up to about 111 then i had to slam the breaks because this guy cut into my lane man it was close. I bet i would have hit him if I didnt have my cross drilled/slotted rotors and aem/nissin brake pads.

 
Rep Power: 583

hey, this might be a bit off topic, but will honda put in other manufacturers brakes (pads and rotors) when its time to do so???
im kind of afraid now cause i go 100+ quite often, and i dont want to get into an accident because my brakes dont work.

i know its no big deal to change brakes and all, but id rather have honda do it and keep my warrantee. brakes are something that can have a lot go wrong with them, and id rather have something to back them up.

also, if honda would do this (accept this modification) what are some other good brands that they would consider? besides AEM. bigger, drilled or slotted rotors in particular.

 
Rep Power: 419

Well, the cheapest modification that gives you results is what I have. The next best thing IMO is the Wilwood big brake kit. You'de need bigger wheels though (at least 16's). It costs about $600. It depends on how much money you're willing to spend on better brakes.

 
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i remember i was going 90 and someone cut me off, slammed on my brakes and i was skidding for like 5 seconds... my brakes were fine but [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/IMG] my poor tires... its all ridgidy now and the steering wheel shakes since the tread is uneven... hehe sorry for going off topic..

 
Rep Power: 583

grey, i put on my 17's this past weekend (ill put pix in the members ride section after the photo shoot tonight [IMG]i/expressions/demon.gif[/IMG] )
but im looking for something better than stock but not a $600 replacement. im thinking just the front is fine, keep the drums like they are. are there any manufacturers that other cars use as stock equipment? i know brembo is on a bunch of performance cars, but anything like that but less expencive on like bmw's or lexuses...or better yet, whats on the s2000 or nsx??? if those are performance brands honda should approve them for the civic if the same company makes upgrades that fit the civic.

what do you think?

 
Rep Power: 419

I'm not quite sure what you're getting at? [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/IMG]

Right now the only choices in brake upgrades are:
- rear disc conversion from an Acura EL or 2002 Civic Si (too expensive though, and not very effective since the front brakes do most of the work)
- AEM's big brake kit (a little less than the Wilwood kit, but only includes larger rotors)
- AEM's rear disc conversion (not out yet, but maybe soon?)
- Wilwood's front brake upgrade (larger rotors and better calipers too)
- aftermarket OEM rotors that have been patterned (cross-drilled, cross-dimpled, slotted, whatever)
- aftermarket brake pads (AEM/Nisson, or EBC GreenStuff (not sure if RedStuff is out yet))
- better brake fluid (doesn't loose effectiveness when braking hard and heat builds up)
- better master cylinder (maybe off of a 2002 Civic Si or an RSX)
- aftermarket brake lines

That's about it. If you change your brake fluid and get aftermarket rotors and brake pads then you should be fine. This will allow you to stop quickly from high speed without having your brakes overheat and die out on you. I have yet to change my brake fluid. I have yet to get aftermarket brake lines. Although with these there's opinions that it doesn't give you any advantage. I just don't know the truth since the decision on whether it does or not is pretty split down the middle when searching for an answer.

Anyway, remember that upgrading your brakes only prevents them from overheating as the stock brakes have more than enough stopping power. Now, if you upgrade your wheels that's another matter. Now you'll have more grip of the road, so you'll stop quicker. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG] You'll still get overheated brakes though, so the above upgrades are a good investment. Especially if going fast and braking fast.

Oh yeah, I want to see your new wheels! [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/IMG]

 
Rep Power: 583

well...i didnt realize i was being confusing.
anyways, i searched a bit and found that Brembo makes aftermarket drilled or slotted rotors for the 2001 civic. you can get them as a set with their sport brake pads for $224. the actual calipers remain the same i think, its just an upgrade for the rest.
and im thinking since brembo is the OEM equipment on porsche, ferrari, i think bmw, and a few other performance cars they are definately quality. but what im wondering is if honda will put those on for me so that i dont violate the warrantee or if they wont since brembo is not honda OEM. im sure any shop can install brakes, but i just want my warrantee also. i dont need more stopping power, i dont think bigger callipers are neccessary (or are they????), but upgraded pads and rotors would be nice.

also, what are the differences between drilled and slotted? i mean does one type cool better, or are they pretty much the same but its just a matter of appearcance??

Link to Brembo slotted rotors/pads
Link to Brembo drilled rotors/pads

 
Rep Power: 419

Every dealer is different, so you may have to ask yours before buying any parts.

The cross-drilled are for cooling.
The slotted are for deglazing the pads. (maybe some cooling too, increased surface area)

I would get the pads and the rotors seperately and save some money. The anti-corrosive glazing is a good thing though. Mine are zinc coated. I have Brembo's cross-drilled and slotted by another company. I have AEM/Nissin brake pads. I think this is the best bang for the buck type setting. $118 for the rotors. $50 for the pads. [IMG]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/IMG]

 
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The October issue of SCC has the DIY Wilwood brake upgrade for the 7thgen on pg. 269, It looks phat too!!!!

 
Rep Power: 334

yeah i also have the Crossdrilled slotted rotors and Aem/Nissin brake pads like Grey.. i got them from irotors.com man they saved my life the other day.. i notice about 5 cars down a car was driving rather slow in the left lane.. the 4 cars in front of me we all having to slow down slighty.. doing like 60.. when we were all currently doing 70 untill that slower 5 car got into our lane.. next thing u know the slow car suddenly puts on his blinkers and begins to stop... quickly comming to complete stop.. man the chain reaction was crazy.. i didnt slam my brakes for fear of someone behind me not stopping in time.. so i pressed them rather hard.. no Screech.. ABS pumped once.. and i lett off and reapplied.. till i was a complete stop.. probbabyl went form 60-0 in like 7-10 ft or so.. i was like 3 inches away from the car in front of me..

if i woulda had my oem stuff.. i woulda surely not stop in time

 
Rep Power: 424

huh... you must have those new electro magnetic brakes and some super sticky tires. [IMG]i/expressions/laugh2.gif[/IMG] Cuz there's no way your brakes were stopping you at that rate. It took you at least 130 feet to stop. You may not realize it, but it did.

 
Rep Power: 419

Yeah, that's a better number. I think EX's with ABS have a 127 foot stopping distance when traveling at 60mph. If you let off the ABS then you stopped in a longer distance than that. Maybe it felt like it was short though...

 
Rep Power: 334

yeah probably wass.. wen things like that happen your mind sorta loses track of time and distances n stuff like that..

but im sure if i had stock equipment i woulda clearly smashed into that guys rear