Can NSX 4 pot calipers fit in 15 inch wheels?

[slow integra]

Hi guys (mods shift this post where it seems the most appropriate)<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
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I don’t have an NSX but I do have an 2001 Australian Integra type R. I have driven NSX’s before (on road and on track) and greatly admire the engineering that has gone in to them.<o></o>
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My problem (bear with me it’s a long story, you can skip it if you want to):<o></o>
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I have a 2001 Australian model (very similar to the US model but RHD and only weighs 1100kg) fitted with standard road 15 inch wheels. As well as 2 sets of 15 inch road wheels I also have two spare sets of 15 inch wheels (Honda CRV alloys) that I have fitted with Bridgestone RE55 tyres for track days. My car has served me well for over 7 years as a daily driver and occasional track car. On average it goes out 6 times a year and while it doesn’t have much power I can usually make up time against the bigger capacity cars in corners and under brakes. <o></o>
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Braking is where my car usually shines as I can usually brake a bit later than most of the other cars out there and still carry similar or better corner speed. As a result of this my brake pads cop a bit of a pounding from the stock Honda 2 pot calipers. DC5R’s had 4 pot calipers the DC2R’s were stuck with 2 pot ones. I am finding that I am putting enough pressure on the brake pads that they are actually bending the backing plates. Fitting 4 pot front brake calipers would obviously help me a lot as I could get slightly higher force but more importantly the pads friction surface would be more evenly distributed in hard applications, which is good for wear and braking ability.<o></o>
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As I said I’ve got 4 sets of 15 inch wheels (and tyres) for my car. A lot of other companies (AP Racing, etc) offer front braking system upgrades for my Integra but these also require bigger rotors and consequently bigger wheels (17 inch minimum). I can’t afford to upgrade my brakes and get 4 new sets of wheels/tyres at the same time. I have heard of people upgrading to Acura NSX front calipers while keeping their stock 15 inch wheels. I know that I will be up for new mounting brackets, master cylinder, etc. I also know that the Honda Legend at the time (2500cc to 2700cc?) had 4 pot calipers but these were a heavier design than the NSX ones. I am only interested in the NSX calipers.<o></o>
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My questions (this is the important part):<o></o>
I know that the early NSX came out with 15 inch front wheels and I was told that the Australian market went to 4 pot front calipers in 1994. Can anyone confirm this? <o></o>
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What year did 4 pot fronts appear on the NSX and did it keep 15 inch front wheels or did they go up a size?<o></o>
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I can get rebuilt calipers from autopart warehouse (and they seem a pain to deal with, does anyone else have troubles dealing with them?) they list two models. One for the 1991-1996 C30A1 and one for the 1997 – 2004 C32B1. <o></o>
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/details/QQAcuraQQNSXQQNHT_CalipersQQBrake_CaliperQQ19911996QQ24B01010.html<o></o>
http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/details/QQAcuraQQNSXQQNHT_CalipersQQBrake_CaliperQQ19972004QQ24B01021.html<o></o>
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Is there any physical exterior size difference between the two calipers? <o></o>
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Has anyone bought the rebuilt 1991-1996 C30A1 calipers from autopart warehouse and are they available in a 4 pot configuration? <o></o>
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Have any NSX owners upgraded to 4 pot front calipers and kept the 15 inch front wheels?<o></o>
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Does anyone have a good source (i.e. cheap) for getting rebuilt/new NSX front calipers?<o></o>
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Thanks for reading this and I’m interested in any responses.<o></o>

 

[MvM]

NO NSX has ever been made with anything else than the OEM 2-piston front and single piston rear sliding calipers from the factory.

Even the NSX-R uses the same calipers as the standard NSX albeit with different rotors and different pads as well.

Have also never heard of 4-piston calipers for the 15" wheels. Racing Brake used to have a BBK 4-piston kit for the front wheels, but it required the 1994+ 16" wheels to be able to fit.

There are many people who have upgraded their brakes with either aftermarket kits from Brembo, AP Racing, Stoptech or other manufacturers.

 

[nsxtasy]

MvM is exactly correct.

I am confused by some of the terminology here. What is a "pot" and what is a "4 pot" setup? Is a pot the same thing as a piston?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there are some cars with four pistons, two on each side, with a fixed caliper. The NSX (and Integra Type R) use a floating caliper, in which the piston(s) are on only one side of the brake pads. I suppose there are some cars (or aftermarket braking systems) with floating calipers and four pistons on one side of the brake pads. Would either of these setups be called "4 pot"?

 

[stuntman]

Pot = piston. I don't remember if this is a racing, old school racing, club racer, or import created terminology but I do hear it often.

IMO the OP just wants to put stock nsx calipers on his car and didn't know that they are 2 piston sliders. I bet he just assumed they were 4-piston calipers.

I never heard of a 4-piston slider caliper with all the pistons on the same side. But yes a 4piston opposed (2 on each side) would be called a "4-pot" caliper under that terminology, just as the stock nsx would be referred as a "2pot".

 

[Whatwasthat]

stuntman is correct too.

and to answer another question. Yes the NSX caliper will fit on an ITR.

 

[slow integra]

Thanks for the replies fellas, very much appreciated. Thumbs-up!!<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
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As I said I was “told” that post 94 NSX calipers were 4 pot and wanted to confirm it. Thanks to you guys I now know that the original information given to me was wrong. I’m a lot less confused now and if I want to go 4 pot I’ve got to look elsewhere.<o></o>
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You guys were 100% correct in your assumptions regarding my original post. Pots = pistons and 4 pot = 2 per side. I have seen an original NSX on it’s 15” wheels and the calipers did look like a very tight fit in the original wheels.<o></o>
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I did manage to get an invite to a Honda preview of the 3.2 litre NSX back in the 90’s. The highlight of the day was a passenger ride with former F1 champ Jack Brabham when he was putting in a “hot” lap around Sandown racetrack. For a stock car the NSX’s performed faultlessly all day. <o></o>

 

[stuntman]

slow integra - FYI both of your posts have TONS of "stick tongue out" faces tongue that makes reading your posts frustrating. If they are not intentional, try to figure out why your computer is adding all of those faces. It appears they show up every time you hit "enter" on your keyboard (makes the most sense because of their location).

 

[nsxtasy]

Just a bit more information for you...

The NSX front brake pads are the same size/shape as the Integra Type R front brake pads. The calipers are different because the NSX has two pistons and the ITR has one. I am referring to the DC2 ITR ('97-01) such as the one in my avatar (and in my garage).

The NSX came with two different set of brakes, one on the '91-96 model years and the other on the '97-05. They changed the diameters of the brake rotors and of the pistons slightly between the two setups, but both setups have two pistons in the front calipers and one in the rear. The larger diameter rotors on the '97-05 front prevents them from being used with 15" wheels.

I have seen an original NSX on it’s 15” wheels and the calipers did look like a very tight fit in the original wheels.

There is less clearance between the front 15" wheels and the front calipers on the Integra Type R than there is on the NSX. I can use stick-on balancing weights on the inside of the NSX wheels, but not on the ITR wheels.

 

[slow integra]

Thanks NSXtasy exactly the info I was after!

Stuntman - Thanks for the heads up, sorry about the faces. That isn't intentional at all. I can't see them on my screen. I also tend to type my replies in Microsoft Outlook (using Word) then cut and past them in to the "reply to thread" box. I can see weird carriage returns but nothing else. I've typed this reply direct so hopefully it should come up as I "see" it.