Hey all!


So, it's about time I get my brakes upgraded from stock, because I'm going to start to auto X next year.

So, teach me, what brands are both cost effective and quality products? What have you guys used?

 

Well, I SCCA Solo autocrossed a couple of times in my 09 Civic Si. I upgraded to Hawk HPS pads and ATE Super Blue Racing brake fluid, and Dunlop Direzza Star Spec tires. I don't know if the pads are available for the GE8. The pads are quiet and require no warm up unlike race pads. Honestly though, I was surprised at how little I actually used the brakes on a course. The speeds are usually slow in a low HP car, even though it feels like you are going fast enough to roll the car lol. I do not recommend cross drilled rotors (don't flame me) due to the fact that it greatly reduces the swept area for the pads, and the Fit rotors are super tiny already. Been there, done that, back in the day with an Integra. I'm no expert so I'm sure others will chime in. My brother in law was though, and his 2003 EVO was stupid fast in those races.

 

i have used wagner thermo quiets with good success. last vehicle i had was a dodge dakota, i put the thermo quiets on and got better stopping, AND i had no more brake dust on the front wheels. you can buy more expensive, but i dont know if it really gets you a lot more.

 

Hawk HPS are very meh pads.

 

Yeah, that's what I was saying "meh". He should probably go all out with some super high torque pads to really throw throw the anchor out. What do you use when you autocross? I'm not really familiar with anything other than stock or mild stuff.

 

Here's a thread I found, not sure if you saw this or not.

https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/fit-...fit-autox.html

 

I don't autox. Strictly hardpark.

 

ferodo ds2500, albeit a bit pricey, u can use those on street and track without having to swap em out.

 

Agree with Mike that HPS are meh. Better than stock though.

Unless the course designer is completely sadistic you don't need anything too crazy for autocross. We're not talking 120 mph speeds here, tires are much more important.

"stock or mild stuff" is fine really. I'd say HPS or Greenstuff w/ blank rotors. Don't worry about cross drilled/diamond drilled/slotted/gold plated rotors, you don't need any of that BS.

 

Agreed, I've found out recently that rotors aren't as important in under powered cars.

Are greenstuffs that good? I've heard mixed reviews about them, and they seem kind of "gimmick-y"

 

I have seen pretty good things about these, I may go with them once I do a bit more price research hahaha

 

Greenstuff worked fine for me on street and quite a few HPDEs (not on a Fit), the car wasn't really fast enough to tax the brakes very much and the tires were able to do most of the work since I wasn't going fast enough into the turns where I had to brake much to scrub speed. Not a lot of dust and no noise.

I never had them crack or fail in any unusual ways and it stopped the car well. Just not sure about fade, but they are not a track dedicated pad anyway.

 

We auto x our 2012 with stock brakes. No complaints.

 

I take my GD to race tracks and I do some road racing with it. I've used the stock Honda/Nissin brake pads and they did a respectable job, although they didn't last too long afterwards.

Later on I switched to Tanabe pads. While they were dustier they were also a bit better at speed retardation, and I've been running them since. A friend of mine imports Dixcel brake hardware, which is a Japan-based brand, and I've been considering using their pads next.

I don't think much of slotted or cross-drilled rotors but I do think that bigger blank rotors will help with brake cooling. My instructor drove my car hard enough around Batangas Racing Circuit in 2010 to induce brake fade, and I figure the bigger rotors will help handle the heat better.

 

Good idea, I LOVE tanabe products, so I may go with them. Have you had any experience with vented rotors? I was thinking of switching to them because I eventually want to do a turbo at some point and thus my car would be faster hahahaha.

 

The balance between betting on greater thermal inertia in a rotor of greater mass.. vs one that can shed heat more effectively as well as clean the pad surface is something to consider.

But a 2500lb car with a 110HP at the crank does not necessarily need a super fancy braking system unless you will be hot-lapping for 30 minutes or more at a time.

Good pads and fluid are going to be the most important parts of this equation, more so than the rotors.

 

I agree on the merits of better fluid and pads more so than the rotors (DOT4 fluid in particular is cheap insurance).

However, I'll also share that one hot lap around Batangas Racing Circuit in my GD is 2:20-2:21 when I'm driving - and the brakes have no problem with heat soak at this kind of pace. My instructor manhandled my car for three hot laps and clocked a consistent 2:17-2:18, cutting three whole seconds just by carrying more momentum and having full commitment under braking. I guess it really depends how hard you are on the brakes, or if you trail-brake a lot.

I couldn't believe how bad the brake fade was after the nine-minute exercise; I had the old brake fluid flushed as soon as I was able to. I do agree though, for most folks fluid and pads are enough. I'm not sure if there are aftermarket blank rotors out there that'll fit a 15" wheel anyway - most big-brake kits I've seen require 16" wheels and bigger.

EDIT: Actually I got a true story to back your post up - the last time I went to a trackday, this time at Clark International Speedway, I indeed put in about 36 minutes' worth of practice in the morning. I guess I have to qualify that this is "practice" and I was incrementally feeling out the braking points and pedal effort required, but I suffered no fade whatsoever within that period

 

Thats basically what I was getting at, a DOT4 fluid and an appropriate pad can deal with the heat.

Were your stock rotors cracked or warped after your instructor finished?

 

I've got:
Powerbrake slotted GT discs (increased ventilation size over stock, stock diameter)
Braided brake lines
Endless CC-A pads
Motul RBF 600 brake fluid (DOT4)

I experience little to no brake fade and I'm not replacing pads after trackdays with this set up.

 

Nope, no warping at all, no odd juddering or pulsation from the pedal either...my GD1 has no ABS, so definitely not from anti-lock doing its thing.

One positive about Tanabe's pads is that they last a pretty damn long while. Even with daily duty and track abuse, they can go for months and multiple trackdays before wearing down too close to the backing plates for comfort.

As for brake fluid, I've run both ATE and Motul - both DOT4 blends and both very dependable. RBF600 is great if you can get your hands on it, but Motul's "ordinary" DOT4 blend ain't shabby either from my experience.