This is the TYPE R Big brake mod for 92-97 Civic and Del Sol
with factory 10.4" front brake rotors and Nissin front calipers:
Author: Jeff Yatsko
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This is the TYPE R Big brake mod for 92-97 Civic and Del Sol
with factory 10.4" front brake rotors and Nissin front calipers: |
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Before attempting this upgrade, read these instructions 3 or 4 times and make sure you understand them. As always, have a factory service manual on hand to reference just in case. I assume NO responsibility for your safety after installing these items. Hell, I did it and it worked on my car, should work on yours. If you don't understand something, read this over again. If you have read it 3-4 times and still don't understand e-mail me, but if it is a question that can be answered in these instructions, I will just send you a link back to this page. If you feel something just doesn't seem right about something I described here, let me know. I will reword it to make it easier to understand. If you are uncomfortable doing anything in this install. Stop and get help from someone who is. I installed these on my 97 VTEC Sol with ABS, also installed Goodridge stainless steel brake lines and Castrol Semi-synthetic brake fluid at the same time. Total install took 4 hours including machining time. I had done this once prior to my install, so may take you a whole day. The vehicle stops very well, brake pedal feel is fantastic and fade is minimized due to the increased surface area of the larger Integra brake pad. I do not have any physical evidence to prove this upgrade will reduce 60-0 stopping distances.. I'm still working on gathering data.
A FEW THINGS BEFORE YOU BEGIN:
1) Verify you have 10.4" front rotors before attempting this installation,
other vehicles can be modified to fit, but require a more intensive installation.
See NOTES at end the bottom of the article.
2) This upgrade requires a 15" rim to be installed on the vehicle. measure the inside diameter of your wheels, They must be at least 13.25 inches across or they WILL NOT fit over the TYPE R brakes!!!
If both the above conditions are satisfied, you can proceed.
Preparation:
Jacking up front of vehicle and support vehicle using jack stands. Remove both front wheels, remove master cylinder cap and place several rags around master cylinder to soak up drained fluid. Start with right front leaving left front for a guide on re-installation. Remove stock rotor and caliper and bracket from spindle. Remove phillips screws from rotor. This may not be easy and may require use of an impact driver. You can use a #1 phillips head with vise grips to remove the screws but an impact driver will make short work of this task. Before you remove the caliper from the bracket, get a coat hanger and bend it into a "U" shaped hanger and attach it to the coil spring. (Can also attach 4 zip ties together and serve same purpose. This is to hold the stock caliper out of the way while you are working ). You can remove the caliper from the brake hose, but will leak fluid all over. The caliper would be disconnected for about 40-50 minutes, brake system would run dry) Remove upper and lower caliper slide pins/bolts (12mm), and hang caliper on coat hanger or tie up with zip ties now. Get it up as high as the brake hose will allow it to go. (If you are planning to install Stainless steel brake lines, Do it later after the Type R caliper is installed, will be easier) Now remove both caliper bracket bolts ( 17 mm) from the spindle.
1) Redrilling the rotors: (do it this way and save yourself a
few bucks at the machine shop)
Lay down a rag or cloth on your workbench. Lay your old rotor
hub side up on the rag. Get one of the Prelude VTEC rotors and lay it on top
of the stock rotor (flip it upside down See Picture 1) so that they lay hub
to hub. Center the 2 rotors on each other and line up the VTEC rotor
stud holes with the original rotors. Use a cone shaped grinding wheel to elongate
and connect both holes( See picture 2) (If you prefer, you can redrill the
stud holes completely. I chose to do elongate the holes because it is
easier and removes less material. But if you choose to redrill, do it like
this: Stagger the rotor stud holes 45 degrees from each other. Mark new
hole centers with a permanent marker and then remove the stock rotor from the
bench. Center punch the black marks on the VTEC rotor and begin drilling using
a 1/8" drill bit for a pilot hole. Work up in 1/8" intervals until a hole diameter
of 1/2" is reached. After all 4 holes are drilled in the Prelude rotor, de-burr
all the surfaces and proceed)
Test fit the rotor on the vehicle making sure the studs clear the rotor
completely and allow the rotor to sit flush on the hub. If you're not sure if
the rotor is sitting flush, take some Vaseline and coat the outer hub surface
with it, slide the rotor onto the hub and rock it forward and backward
a few times. Remove the rotor and check the backside. You should see/feel the
Vaseline on the back of the rotor. If not, find out why the rotor does not fit
flush and file any tolerance problems off with a file. Go slowly and take a
little off at a time, refitting the rotor after every few minutes to guarantee
a perfect fit. (After the rotor is sitting properly, you can also drill and
countersink the hole for the phillips head screws, I did not do mine, but if
you feel more comfortable, you can do them now. Just match up the screw
holes and drill similar to the way we re-drilled for the studs. )
2) Modification and installation of the caliper bracket and caliper:
Install the re-drilled rotor on the vehicle, install the Accord caliper bracket
on to the spindle. You will see the rotor is NOT centered in the bracket and
the bracket can not be tightened down all the way without making contact with
the back of the rotor. (See picture 3) We will fix this. Remove the caliper
bracket from the vehicle. (I made you do this to get an idea of how much material
needs to be removed from the bracket in order to get a proper install) Now
get your grinding wheel ready, remove the left and right side covers or if
you are using a file or dremel, get them ready. Mark the raised area on the
caliper bracket with black marker. These raised areas will actually all be
removed and the caliper bracket will be totally flat where it mounts to the
spindle. Remove most of the material from both the raised areas. The ideal
final thickness of the bracket is .450 inches or when rotor sits on center
in caliper. (See picture 4) After removal of about half the total material,
re-fit caliper onto the spindle. Check to see how much more you have to go.
Whence the the rotor is on center in the caliper bracket, bolt the bracket
down and torque nuts to factory spec (80 ft lb) and measure the distance from
each side of the rotor to the edge of the caliper bracket. It is crucial this
be as close to center as possible to avoid uneven brake pad wear and brake
pulling.
When you are satisfied with the centering, it is now time to install
the caliper. Install the brake pad retaining clips and hardware along with
the brake pads in the caliper, remove the caliper slide pins and make sure
they are properly lubed. Use only SYLGLYDE or a high temp silicone grease
specifically designed for brake caliper slides. The wrong grease will melt
out and could contaminate the pads. Re-install the slide pins and install
the caliper on the vehicle. Torque the slide pin bolts (17ft lb).
(On the ITR caliper, the slide pin bolts are 14 mm)Remove the original
caliper from the coat hanger/zip ties and remove the banjo bolt which holds
the brake hose to the caliper (If you are installing Stainless steel lines,
now is the time to remove the old line from the car and install the new
lines, follow the manufactures installation procedures and have the SHOP
MANUAL handy for reference). Install the inner sealing washer (copper
color), brake line fitting, outer sealing washer (also copper) and
banjo bolt onto the new caliper and torque the banjo bolt (25 ft lb). Your
done with the right side, now onto the left.........
Basically do the same procedure all over again. Same torque specs, same sequence and use the right side as a guide if you have any problems
3) Bleeding the system:
When you are finished both sides, time for bleeding
the system.. Install both front wheels (unless you have another set of
jackstands, 4 jackstands would be ideal considering Honda's need to be
bled from corner to corner not front to back) torque the front wheels (
60 ft lb) and jack up the rear of the vehicle, support the vehicle using
jackstands. Remove both rear wheels
Fill the master cylinder FULL of fresh brake fluid. Now loosen the bleeder
screw for the right rear caliper. Have a helper (or use vacuum bleeder)
to bleed the brakes. First RIGHT REAR then LEFT FRONT then LEFT REAR then
RIGHT FRONT.
Yes I know sounds backwards but this is the way Honda designed the
vehicle brake system to be bled. MAKE SURE TO TOP OFF THE BRAKE FLUID PERIODICALLY
or the system will run dry and you will have to start all over again. If
you choose to flush the brake system, basically re-do the bleeding process
4 times or spend about 15 minutes bleeding each wheel.
4) Road test:
When you are finished bleeding the system, re-install
all the wheels, lower the vehicle off the jackstands and torque wheels
(60 ft lb). Get in the car and pump the brake pedal 5 times, Does it
feel good? If yes then proceed, if not.. GO BACK OVER EVERYTHING!! When
you are satisfied with the brake pedal, roll the vehicle back 10 feet and
step on the brake pedal, set the emergency brake and re-torque the wheels
again (60ft lb). Yes this may seem redundant but, I can't tell you how
many times a wheel has not seated properly and created a really horrible
noise while driving because it was loose.
During the road test, drive the car gently for 5-6 miles braking very
gradually. DO NOT SLAM ON THE BRAKES, bed the brakes gradually to
avoid overheating the pads and warping the rotors. The manufacturer recommends
bedding brakes for 100-200 miles. During your initial road test, make sure
no noises are heard and if all is good, pat yourself on the
back, clean up and enjoy your massive stopping power!!!
NOTES: The easiest way to find out if you have 9.5" or 10.4" front brake is to measure the rotors, remove one of the front wheels and measure the diameter of one of the front rotors. If it is closer to 10.5" than 9.5", you can follow the installation instructions above to install the Accord Wagon calipers, and Prelude VTEC rotors. If you have 9.5" front brake rotors, do not dismay, this brake upgrade can be made to fit Civic and Del sol models with 9.5" rotors and AKEBONO calipers but requires the replacement of both front spindles, hubs and bearings. Consult with the factory service manual to replace those items and then integrate the above instructions for installation of the TYPE R brakes.