DIY - Upgrading NSX brakes to Racing Brake kits

[stuntman]

How?

2,500lb Acura TSX, 200whp (roughly), on tires a little less grippy than RA-1s.

FYI - Most NSX's weigh more than 2,500lbs and have more than 200whp and many run RA-1s or grippier tires.


To answer your question, It was during a Grand-Am race weekend, happened during qualifying (thankfully) -because it would have ended our race and our chances at the championship if it let go during the race.

 

[goldNSX]

@stuntman: and thanks that you've provided these pics JIT I'm thinking about these brake discs.

 

[MvM]

2,500lb Acura TSX, 200whp (roughly), on tires a little less grippy than RA-1s.

FYI - Most NSX's weigh more than 2,500lbs and have more than 200whp and many run RA-1s or grippier tires.


To answer your question, It was during a Grand-Am race weekend, happened during qualifying (thankfully) -because it would have ended our race and our chances at the championship if it let go during the race.

Very annoying pictures indeed
Did you contact Racing Brake about this?

I have seen a friend of mine at Spa-Franchorchamps who had exactly the same thing with a new OEM front brake disc on his NSX.
Just before the turn at the end of the long strainght the heart of his OEM one-piece rotor broke away. Luckily, he did not crash, but he was of course very very pissed. Even more so when he found out that Honda would not warranty the disc even though it was very new.

 

[IsR]

You got me worried now!

 

[stuntman]

Guys, I wouldn't be too worried, and Racing Brake does offer a great product for the price.

We have used Racing Brakes rotors and calipers on Factor X's Multi-Time Attack winning FX500 NSX (550+whp.) without any major problems or catastropic failures.

I am not trying to deter anyone from buying this product, but just the awareness of an issue. This could have been from a bad batch, or even a fluke malfuction -which DO happen and are sometimes unpreventable.

With my personal experience, I would not be too concerned or think it's the end of the world if you already have or purchased them.

I think their are better options out there, but Racing Brake does provide a good product for a pricerange below the industry-leading BBK manufacturers. And again, Racing Brake has won many Time Attack events in Modified RWD on the Factor X NSX.

 

[ediddynsx]

I have the two piece oversized open slotted kit. It was me and 3 other guys who bought this kit. All the calipers had to be grinded down a little to make it fit. So far I have no problems with the kit at all......I don't think I will have any problems since I don't track my car and do a lot of hard driving like Billy.

As far as the braking performance it feels great......bites down hard. Like Billy said theres a lot of better options out there but for the money the RB kit is pretty good for the money. If you do mainly street driving then these brakes are more than good enough.

 

[stuntman]

I have the two piece oversized open slotted kit. It was me and 3 other guys who bought this kit. All the calipers had to be grinded down a little to make it fit. So far I have no problems with the kit at all......I don't think I will have any problems since I don't track my car and do a lot of hard driving like Billy.

As far as the braking performance it feels great......bites down hard. Like Billy said theres a lot of better options out there but for the money the RB kit is pretty good for the money. If you do mainly street driving then these brakes are more than good enough.

Thats not a good thing (and bad for RB) that you had to modify your calipers. But its not the end of the world that you had to grind them down.

They are fine for track use too, again, theve won many Time Attack events on Factor X's car.

On the flip side, my experience:
TSX
-Great initial bite
-2.5lbs/rotor lighter (very good!)
-stock rotors: no pad knock back
-RB 2-pc rotors: had pad knock back
-re-installing stock rotors: no pad knock back

FactorX NSX: RB Caliper and rotors:
-good initial bite
-mild pad knock back
-some fade and inconsistant feel (due to flex) of the calipers.

 

[goldNSX]

We have used Racing Brakes rotors and calipers on Factor X's Multi-Time Attack winning FX500 NSX (550+whp.)

without any major problems

or catastropic failures.

What about the MINOR problems?

 

[stuntman]

What about the MINOR problems?

Brake pad knock-back
Inconsistent pedal feel (also due to caliper flex)
Hairline/spider cracking (normal for any rotor put through abuse -nothing extreme, out of the ordinary, or dangerous).

 

[L8apex32]

Where do you get "pad knockback" from if you are using 1-piece rotors? Are you saying that the OEM calipers resist pad knockback but the RB ones do not?

And, how do you know the RB calipers flex?

 

[enkrypt3d]

Will these 13" rotors fit in the OEM 2002+ style 17" rims? It seems like it might be a tight fit... thanks

 

[kkt]

Will these 13" rotors fit in the OEM 2002+ style 17" rims? It seems like it might be a tight fit... thanks

I have RB's 324mm (F) and 330mm (R) rotors on OEM 17" (F/R) rims.
However, on my '94, it was necessary to shave the rear plastic caliper protectors to prevent contact with the rim.

 

[enkrypt3d]

I have RB's 324mm (F) and 330mm (R) rotors on OEM 17" (F/R) rims.
However, on my '94, it was necessary to shave the rear plastic caliper protectors to prevent contact with the rim.

so you have the 2002 style rims on your 94? thx

 

[kkt]

so you have the 2002 style rims on your 94? thx

Yes.
If you would like a pic, PM me, I'll be glad to send it.

 

[MvM]

Update on the Racing Brake upgrade.

Last week, I heard the familiar grinding noise from my left front wheel indicating my brake pads were in desperate need for replacement.

As it turned out, the Hawk HP+ pads I had installed during the upgrade last June (2007) were already worn out. On the left, they were also in need of replacement.
And all this in just 13082 km / 8176 miles !!

Not only that, it seems that the Racing Brake 324x28mm rotors ALSO need to be replaced. I had bought the slotted version.
On the right side, the slots are completely gone and on the left side rotors. almost. And this is with NO track days, just street driving.

On the rear though, the 1997+ sized rotors and pads, are still doing fine.

I will readily admit that I really use my brakes on the car. And with the improved braking ability of the Racing Brake upgrade, which is quite significant compared to the OEM brakes, this has been even more so. But still, I did not expect the rotors to wear out this quick.

I used to have the Stoptech Aerorotors in the front in the OEM sized and like them a lot. In fact, I still have them and they are not nearly as worn out as the Racing Brake rotors I have now.

So, right now, I have several question for all you people who have installed the Racing Brake upgrade kit.

• Which pads are you using on your car?
• How many miles have you driven with these rotors and how hard are you on them.
• Has anyone experienced more wear on their rotors than usual compared with the OEM rotors you had before?

 

[IsR]

I've used Endless brake pads. I've got them April/May 2007 insalled together with F/R RB BBK 324mm
I guess I've put about 8-9k km. Street driven- occasionally brake hard
Rotor still seem fine. I'll recheck tomorrow how much more pad left.

 

[Risen]

Nice write up and good pics.

One question I have is - why did you feel the need to remove the parking brake cable from the rear calipers? I think they can be safely moved out of the way with the cable (and brake lines) still attached.

Also, I am fairly confident that the bolt sizes you listed are incorrect. Or, at the least, they are different than my 1992. If you are reading this as a guide for DIY, don't be surprised if you have different bolt sizes than reported here.

That's correct. I just changed my rotors yesterday and did not have to remove the hand brake cable. I removed the one 12mm bolt and two 10mm bolts that hold the brake line and that allows the caliper to move away from the rotor.

 

[scammy]

Since Racing Brake is now live again on this forum direct and not through Dali as originally done they are advertising this system has anyone running their rotors got anything more to say about these kits notably stuntmans issue in post #24 , I am actually keen on the rear kit as I have my fronts sorted

 

[MvM]

Since Racing Brake is now live again on this forum direct and not through Dali as originally done they are advertising this system has anyone running their rotors got anything more to say about these kits notably stuntmans issue in post #24 , I am actually keen on the rear kit as I have my fronts sorted

I still have the larger RB rotors on my car, 324x28mm front, 330x23mm on the rear.
The fronts are due to be replaced for the second time, but this is to be expected. They've seen about 15.000 km on the road and about 6 track-days.
I used Hawk HPS pads for a while, but felt they performed less than the Hawk HP+ pads. So last time, I switched back to the Hawk HP+ pads again, even though they are harder on the rotors. They also dust a lot more, but I kinda solved that problem by having my wheels powdercoated to a dark color.
The dust is still there of course, but you don't see it as much.

The rear rotors are still fine. Obviously, the rear brakes don't nearly do as much work as the front so they last longer. And the 330x23mm do last a long time.

Am still thinking to get the RB calipers for the front as well. Will do this later this year I think.

But first, I am going to replace my ABS with the later type NSX-R ABS system.

 

[scammy]

thanks [MENTION=5180]MvM[/MENTION] for the update, I did the ABS upgrade a few years ago and have'nt looked back, the rear wear is good to know

 

[CB72]

Since Racing Brake is now live again on this forum direct and not through Dali as originally done they are advertising this system has anyone running their rotors got anything more to say about these kits notably stuntmans issue in post #24 , I am actually keen on the rear kit as I have my fronts sorted

I'd be wary of any "cheap" solution for the rear brake rotors.
My NSX is fitted with "Stoptech" 303x24 rotors with modified AP racing 7611 calipers and last year when braking from 220 km/h before a hairpin, one of the rear rotors went "kaput".
FYI I have a little less than 40% brake bias towards the rear.
Here's the result:

In the meantime, I upgraded my front disks to slotted Brembo rotors with hats provided by [MENTION=9035]titaniumdave[/MENTION]

 

[Hapa88]

I have the Racing Brake +2 kit slotted with the 324x28mm front, 330x23mm on the rear which I got back in mid-2010. I have probably a just shy of a dozen HPDE events on them using Project Mu Track pads for the track (just switched to Carbotech XP10 and XP8s last event) and Hawk HPS pads for the street. I estimate about 20,000 to 25,000 miles on the brake kit.

I am by no means a hardcore track rat and drive for fun in the NSX at HPDE events (usually in the high intermediate groups) and usually about 8/10s of my ability.
So far the kit has held up exceptionally well. I've been through that 1 set of Project Mu pads and half of an OEM pad set. The rotors look fine with no hairline cracks and no evidence of any issues of Stuntmans #24 post (though I'm willing to bet I'm driving 1/2 as fast as he is on the track). I'll see if I can get some pictures when I get home tomorrow.

 

[scammy]

I have the Racing Brake +2 kit slotted with the 324x28mm front, 330x23mm on the rear which I got back in mid-2010. I have probably a just shy of a dozen HPDE events on them using Project Mu Track pads for the track (just switched to Carbotech XP10 and XP8s last event) and Hawk HPS pads for the street. I estimate about 20,000 to 25,000 miles on the brake kit.

I am by no means a hardcore track rat and drive for fun in the NSX at HPDE events (usually in the high intermediate groups) and usually about 8/10s of my ability.
So far the kit has held up exceptionally well. I've been through that 1 set of Project Mu pads and half of an OEM pad set. The rotors look fine with no hairline cracks and no evidence of any issues of Stuntmans #24 post (though I'm willing to bet I'm driving 1/2 as fast as he is on the track). I'll see if I can get some pictures when I get home tomorrow.

awesome thanks Adrian, I have a Stoptech front 2 piece rotor with the Spoon caliper so looking for the rear system only and need to keep the OEM parking brake setup, my biggest issue is the quality of the rotors and finding a rotor at this size for the rear is hard work there are plenty of options at 28mm thick but not the 23mm or even 25mm to fit the existing caliper so machining one down is the only other option to look at.
wow [MENTION=19738]CB72[/MENTION] that looks scary I have good quality DBA rotors in the 97+ sizing so don't want inferior rotors on the car for this reason trouble is they stopped making those sizes

 

[CB72]

I understand the issue of the parking brake as I had to buy the Brembo kit for that function but why not use a hydraulic parking brake like the ones used in Rally cars?

 

[scammy]

yeah thought about that a lot, the brake balance is fine as is so don't need more than the standard caliper, but the main reason is for certification for road use it has to work and a lot of those don't work well enough for that