Why NOT?
because your first post on my thread here are talking about TECH

This below is your post right?

so AFTER I satisfy your curiosity in detail,
you then turn with your reply saying "whatever floats your boat" ?

Now, regarding disk in the rear is NOT necessary?
well, then why for every other market beside US,
Honda equipped their Top performing RS model with disk brake?
(again not all JDM Honda Fit had disk brake, their 1.3 liter economy model and some other NON RS model
do NOT came with disk brake),
the only Honda Fit that came with disk brake is either the RS or RS HYBRID, (Their TOP PERFORMING model).
or on some model you can choose (OPTIONAL) to have rear disk brake but you got to pay extra (this is in Japan).
This mean Honda Factory realized that for TOP PERFORMANCE, rear disk brake is necessary.

and I am very sure if you were given choice by Honda,
to buy your USDM Honda Fit with disk brake or with drum brakes, (both for the same price),
you will gladly choose to buy disk brake.

unfortunately Honda of North America decide that in order to be competitive in their price range,
they had to limit their MSRP and thus cutting corner on several things, like for example this disk brake.

Now, I on the other hand decide to UPGRADE my car even more than OEM.

some people upgrade their car looks with wheel, I upgrade one step further.

I post this thread NOT to persuade you to spend your hard earned $$$
to buy this kind of modification, it is not for everyone,

and you are NOT the only reader on this forum.
some others do have interest in upgrading their rear drum brake to rear disk brake.

but if you reply on MY THREAD asking about some tech question,
it is my duty to answer to you since this is my thread

 

Oh, OK,

I see now that you just EDIT your reply.

so I will answer again related to your EDITED reply.

well mkane,
as I had wrote previously,
a matching caliper which in your definition a larger looking which also mean a larger caliper will upset the brake bias balance to the point that it might be dangerous for our Honda Fit application.
Plus it would require a vented disk which mean thicker rotor and even more heavier and this would not be good for our weak motor and will make my already heavy car even slower.

if you can find a different Honda OEM caliper that have parking brake function, with a larger size caliper for rear brake application, that can use a 9mm thick SOLID rear disk brake, then please kindly let me know,
if I see that it would not make too much rear bias, I might want to use that caliper,
and I will Thank You for giving me that information about that caliper.

edit:
but once again I want to point out that I NEVER persuade you to spend your hard earned $$$
to do this kind of modification.
Many people post their wheel mod, suspension mode, lighting mode, audio mode,
but that do NOT mean they are persuading you to do the exact mod like they did.
They (like me) are just SHOWING OFF our mod to other.

if you don't like my mod, that is ok, that is fine, I would totally understand that.
but if you ask the "technicality" of my mod, on my thread, then it is my duty and I want to answer that.

I point out to you that it is my Hard Earned $$$
because I totally agree (and in response to) with your statement,
statement on which you said "Whatever Rock Your Boat",
yes I agree with that statement of yours,
which you wrote when you reply to my technical answer to your first post about technical details.

 

Well since you're not going to be driving hard, added stopping power is basically irrelevant. But that pic you posted with the yellow caliper looks ridiculous. I can't decipher what you said, but it's going to look silly if you have those huge rotors but don't get larger calipers.

 

I am NOT going to be driving hard on the track,
but added stopping power on the road is always a good improvement.
I had owned a big brake kit before,
I already feel the advantage of being able to stop shorter, and had brake that response and modulate better.
On daily driving,
with standard brakes, you need to push harder and wait longer before you car came to a stop,
with my upgrade, my car would be able to stop much easier with less effort on the pedal and this mean more comfortable ride for me.
In the end, imagine doing 70mph on freeway, and suddenly you had to brake hard to avoid the car in front of you,
then I will have the advantage of having more powerful brakes.

and don't forget, I already solve the weight transfer problem with my Bilstein coil over which is LOWER
(thus lowering the center of gravity, preventing weight transfer to the front too much)
second again with my Bilstein coilover having twice the spring rate in the front again preventing the weight transfer to the front,
third again with my Bilstein coilover having less spring rate at the rear compare to the front spring
allowing more grip to the rear which mean I can utilize the extra braking power to the rear with this 12in rear disk
forth, with my larger 18in wheel and 40 profile tire combo which mean more contact area (more flatter area) compare to the 17in wheel can ever achieve, allowing my tire to grip longer before start locking up,
fifth with my larger 225 wide tire which again give much more grip than factory tire for sure,
thus allowing me to deploy my much higher braking power,
sixth with my choice of Michelin Pilot Super Sport tire which have a world class compound an it is choosen as OEM equipment on world class car including the latest Corvette Sting Ray.
Remember the latest Corvette Sting Ray tire width is actually smaller than the width of the previous generation corvette, but since this Michelin Pilot Super Sport had so much better grip, it allow them to do this.

so the technical question I believe had been answered completely and in detail.

Regarding the yellow caliper looks ridiculous?
well it is just a matter of personal taste

I think it looks Gorgeous,
but of course I understand that you don't like the looks,
because
on this thread alone,
you had question me several time regarding this modification.

First when you say, why I want to do this on a car with AT transmission ?
(which I had answer above that Honda factory believe that a car with AT transmission can take advantage of rear disk brake as long as they are in their RS trim )
Second when you questioning me why I want to buy ATE racing blue brake fluid ? (which turn out many other fitfreak here had the same brake fluid)

so when you don't like the looks of my yellow caliper,
I already expect that and respect your personal opinion.

Hey, not everybody had the same taste hahaha
otherwise the world would be a boring uniform place hahaha

 

It's not the yellow color of the caliper that looks silly, it's that the caliper is tiny on that big rear disk. I don't know why if you're spending all this money and time on the modification you wouldn't get a larger caliper...

 

because he wants too- its his car. Why do you have to understand it/ accept it?

Its his hard earned $$$ - if you dont like it move on

Keep going BMW A- Looking forward to seeing you complete this.

 

I know that you are talking about the size of the caliper, and not about the color, I already understand that from the beginning.

I had explain to mkane on my post before this one,
that getting a larger caliper means:
1. too much brake bias to the rear
2. no larger Honda OEM caliper can fit a 9mm solid disk (non ventilated),
3. most (not all) larger Honda OEM caliper (which will force me with a heavier ventilated disk combo) would most likely be for front caliper) and this mean a much larger piston diameter inside the caliper which mean too much hydraulic pressure will be shifting to the rear which mean
even worse rear brake bias.
4. most (not all) larger Honda OEM caliper will NOT have a built in parking brake function and as a daily driven car, this is important.
5. Fastbrakes utilize a rear Honda Civic Si couple with 11 in rotor (only 1 in smaller in diameter or 0.5in smaller in radius), and this Honda Civic Si
caliper is similar in size to my stock RS caliper, and that already overwhelm the stock front brake.

so, if I want a 12 in rear disk brake to match (brake bias wise) the size of the upcoming front 14in disk brake, I need to keep this stock rear caliper.

as I had said, if you have a larger caliper that suit all my requirement above (most important fit 9mm thick rotor and parking brake function), please kindly let me know.

and please keep in mind that I do NOT want to upgrade to ventilated rotor, (too heavy, and too wide which will give problem with fitment)
because as you know, I just want increase braking power for street use
and NOT track use.

 

Okay unsubscribing, this thread's too confusing for what it's worth. Am interested in seeing your car when it's done though so make sure to post in one of abundant "what did you do/pimp my ride/look how low I am" threads.

 

Thank You True Adrian,

if it is a matter of personal taste, I will not debate it,
but if it is matter of technical discussion,
I want to debate it till we know the truth,
(not necessarily endless debate but just enough until we can know the truth),

because

I know I still had to learn a lot and if I am losing a debate
but at the advantage of getting/learning new knowledge/truth/facts,
well that is worth it for me

 

How about a brake bias valve?

 

well, that is a contradiction on your reply here,
you said you are interested in seeing my car when it is done,...
but then you told me that you are not subscribing here any more ???

and then you told me to post a "DOUBLE POST" on another thread about this same project ?

if you are interested in suspension, brake modification,
this thread here is the CORRECT one.

and you also said the word "abundant"
and the word "pimp my ride", and "look how low I am" ?

first of all, I appreciate your post,question and doubt here,
that is why
I answer all your technical and non technical question with a TECHNICAL answer in detail,
I do can be categorized as "pimp my ride"
but NOT in the categorized "look how low I am".
I stick within the safety and technical limitation, with performance in mind.

if I want to just "look how low I am" I would put a FRONT CALIPER on that rear brake of mine,
you know just so I can satisfy the "look how low I am" requirement as you had suggested me to do (put larger caliper, brake bias and safety be damned).

now regarding "what did you do" statement,

well as I had said, many (if not most) people post on internet car forum to SHOW OFF, to show people what they did to their car,

if it is "ABUNDANT" then it will NOT be interesting anymore,
and I am pretty sure my mod is NOT abundant

 

ah mkane,

Thank You for providing me with this technical question,

Ok, since few years ago, Honda's car NO longer had Proportioning Valve.
The reason is they now use the VSA servo to proportion the brake bias.
which is software controlled.

I don't want and don't have the capability to reprogram this VSA,
so I had to admit that I am NOT able to adjust the brake bias.
so I have to work around my limitation.

of course you can add brake bias (proportioning) valve AFTER the VSA,
but since I don't know the standard parameter of the VSA to begin with,
and this will mean even more complicated modification,
I decided not to do this.
and if you do it AFTER the VSA than the VSA would be confuse because it do not know
the real feedback,
but if you do it BEFORE the VSA then you are at risk for the VSA making ADJUSTMENT
to compensate the lack of pressure and this can lead to failure of the VSA system.

Thanks Again mkane,
by the way, I need to go with my family to take my younger son to dentist,
so I might not be able to answer your post again until later tonight.

I also want to apologize if somehow I said things that might offend you on my previous reply.
but you might realize that I am a passionate person,
and I also see that you are a passionate fans of car, that you even Auto-X your car,
someday if I decided to try doing Auto-X,
I might (or surely) need your advice, and I hope at that time, you are willing to help me understand more about that

 

No apology needed hot rod. Keep on truckin, drive safe.

 

WHOA what the heck is up here? A member does a fantastic job of explaining his every move with DETAILS of his ideas, not just speculation, and debbie downers jump on his dream WITHOUT even bothering to read his whole thread and explanations.

If you do not agree just move on as they say no need to bust stones because YOU don't like it lots of us are following his build and are interested in seeing this finished for WHAT EVER his reasons are for doing it so don't drive him away just to get your jollies. And the sarcasm about putting it into pimp my rides may have gone over his head but some of us know just what you were trying to say and it's not pretty.

 

I agree completely. Here is a person actually using FitFreak for what it was intended and is kind enough to let us in on his fun as well as thought process and someone has to try to ruin it for everyone.

I can stress this enough, if you dont agree... just move on. Life is too short.

 

Keep up the good work I enjoy my car and still relativity new at this point I am not interest in doing this but who knows maybe in the future I will and this could be my reference point.

 

Alpina, in my searching I found that the 1.3L & 1.4L variants of the GE8 Hybrid also have rear discs, but not sure if they have the factory RSB, the axle looks quite similar to yours...


You think it's a possibility?

 

Hello,

from what I know (I could be wrong though)...
every axle that equipped with Rear Disk will also be equipped with INTERNAL Factory Rear Sway Bar

all I know is the latest RS Hybrid do have rear disk and do have internal factory rear sway bar, but I can not confirm about the 1.3L and 1.4L hybrid model though...

I had found a simple way to have a SLIGHTLY larger looking REAR Caliper for my car, and still keep the factory emergency brake...

that is by using the Integra Type R rear brake caliper BRACKET and brake pads combo, and I still can keep my original brake caliper it self (not the bracket)...
but I am still researching the bias effect if I upgrade my brake caliper bracket to ITR bracket, because this mean a much larger brake pads
(although the caliper piston will stay the same since I am using the original caliper piston).

well if I want to do it further,
I can also just swap the entire ITR caliper and bracket and this mean the caliper piston will go up from 30mm to 34mm, so this mean upgrade in both piston size and pads size
The e-brake function will stay the same, I just need to swap the mounting pin/lever.

so many options,
Still have many more things to research and study

oh wait,
come to think of it,
if you interested in keeping your current USDM rear axle and
just upgrade to disk brake and caliper by making a custom bracket,
then I want to offer you my JDM RS original disk brake,
caliper and brake pads (you might need to rebuild my brake caliper and change the seal though cause I think I cook it too hot in the oven during my painting process, but the rebuilt seal from Honda (same as USDM Civic Si) is very cheap )
please take note all this item are all brand new from JDM RS,
the caliper were BRAND NEW and the Rotor is BRAND NEW and I had painted the center part of the rotor silver with high temp paint too !!! oh of course the brake pads is also brand new

this way, you had a BRAND NEW original JDM RS parts (not re-manufactured used parts),
and they will have the FACTORY Brake Bias set up too

I don't need them since I had my custom rear rotor,
and I might just buy an ITR caliper set

all you need to make is custom bracket and as I had shown you,
it is very simple to design

 

Actually Alpina, after I hit reply I thought.... I might not need nor care for the OEM RSB. After reading your review after you installed the Progress RSB, I think I'd rather not have the OEM RSB.. lol

I also decided against going for the brackets... I found a complete rear axle off a 2012 GE8 1.4 Hybrid for only ~$200 more than the brackets - and that's SHIPPED to NY.

I'm consulting with a local performance shop to see what the install price would be... I'm hoping all in w/front brake upgrade (Integra Type-R) the total w/install will be ~$1000 or so..... So hopefully if things pan out I'll be going this route.

I'm planning on going with the Bilstein/Spoon FSB/Progress RSB combo like you... but I'll be either on 16" stockers, or my 15" lightweights (both w/ 205 width tires), those are the rim sizes I'm most concerned about since I'll be on those sizes the most. How do you think that suspension combo would ride on 15's or 16's?

 

Wow, that is so cheap price !!!, is it shipped by sea or by air ? from Europe or Japan?
Just make sure that the rear axle is not bend (and caliper/rotor/internal wheel bearing) is in good condition though...
but than again, at that price, it is worth the risk !!!

I also recommend you to buy the Spoon Rigid Collar for the rear axle (cheap price too) since you are going to all those suspension upgrade,
and don't forget front camber bolt (4 piece/2 pair)...

with the 16" or 15" and only 205, I think you will have a firmer ride than mine because the suspension will have more control on the lighter wheel/tire, will be more responsive (lighter unsprung weight) than mine.
You also should have more oversteer then mine since your tire contact area is much smaller than mine... basically should be more "exciting/fun" ride than mine hahaha

but I think my ride will be comfortable because my 18in wheel and tire diameter is much larger so it can "glide" past roads hole/imperfection easier compare to your 16/15in wheel despite a slightly lower sidewall on my tire...

and you also might experience more scraping because you will be much lower than mine...
you see, currently with just 1 inch lowering at the front and maximum lowering at the rear,
my car lowest height to the ground is similar to stock,
so the 18in wheel bring back the car height, but of course no fender gap on mine.
this mean more practical to enter driveway,... no need to enter an angle...
but
then again, your lower overall height should contribute to a better center of gravity compare to mine, so your handling should be better than mine too

but then again, the Bilstein is a comfortable shocks, so you should not notice much different...

in summary, you will love it