Performance Brake Rotors for the Hatchback!

derbo904

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Big +1 to the Stoptech article. Across my four cars over the last 27 years, I only "warped" the rotors in the first few months of my first car -- and it was due to the abuse I put them through on a daily basis (stop hard, leave my foot mashed on the pedal, and never let them cool, thereby baking pad material onto the rotor).

Generally speaking, and in this order, improved braking comes from:

1. Tires. If you need shorter braking distances more often, get better tires. If these aren't enough, then move to...

2. Pads. You can change the bite and temperature range of the brakes by getting different pads. I had semi-race pads on my EP that had a nice, grabby feel (great for auto-x) and could stand up to anything this side of an extended FATT session. If you're still getting fade (and I hope you're only driving this hard on a track and not on the street), then...

3. Fluid. Fresh, high-temp fluid will help avoid boiling. And if you've ever boiled the fluid, you should replace it as soon as you can. In fact, if you do a track session, it's a good idea to flush-n-fill with new fluid beforehand, and then flush-n-fill again afterwards. And if THAT isn't enough...

4. Bigger brake kit. And figure out how to balance the brakes correctly, too. You don't want bigger front brakes that overwhelm the front tires and invoke ABS long before the rear wheels have reached their maximum braking power. Stoptech has a good reputation for bigger kits that maintain correct front-to-rear brake balance.

Drilled or slotted rotors? I'm kinda "meh" about them. Maybe I'll try a set when I wear out the original rotors on mine. At the rate I've been going, though, I might be selling or trading in this car with these same rotors on it.
This is great advice that I would also give out. I would suggest step 2 and 3 to be performed at the same time and include SS brake lines if track sessions are part the gameplan. That is usually more than enough to get most users up and running.

I ended up doing all these on my E46 and ended with a Stoptech BBK years later as my driving level improved.

Honda Civic 10th gen Performance Brake Rotors for the Hatchback! VUJlHY9
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Nexus90

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1. Tires. If you need shorter braking distances more often, get better tires. If these aren't enough, then move to...
Bro this entire post was awesome but I wanted to ask you in your in opinion, the HB ST comes with the continental tires what would you say is an upgrade from that? I'm asking because I always thought continental were good tires but I'd be willing to pay for better ones. My corolla has firestone tires and I like them too, but I also think my corolla has bigger brakes and it's a disc/drum system idk if drum brakes are better or worse but I can def say my corolla stops better, the fact that its much slower im sure is a factor. And I'm not trying to have an on off switch like the other gentleman said but definitely something a little better to what it is now.
 

BarracksSi

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Bro this entire post was awesome but I wanted to ask you in your in opinion, the HB ST comes with the continental tires what would you say is an upgrade from that? I'm asking because I always thought continental were good tires but I'd be willing to pay for better ones. My corolla has firestone tires and I like them too, but I also think my corolla has bigger brakes and it's a disc/drum system idk if drum brakes are better or worse but I can def say my corolla stops better, the fact that its much slower im sure is a factor. And I'm not trying to have an on off switch like the other gentleman said but definitely something a little better to what it is now.
Hard to say definitively which tires would be an upgrade --

But, generally, the tire with the lower treadwear rating (like "400AA" or "200AA", etc) will be stickier.

This won't matter if you've never invoked ABS or traction control, though. And, bad weather throws everything out the window, too -- what's good for the dry, which is fat tread blocks and wide tires, is terrible for the wet and snow.

The most aggressive tires I had on my previous car were Falken Azenis RT-215s. Super sticky in the dry at moderate temperatures... but, I gotta be honest with you: they're a bad choice for daily driving. They give up ride comfort (stiff sidewalls) and wet traction (almost-slick tread pattern) to enable a style of driving that's either illegal or unsafe on the street.

If you're braking hard enough to turn on ABS, accelerating hard enough to activate traction control, and turning fast enough to make the car slide (throttle-on understeer doesn't count), then firstly: I hope you're not doing it on the street or where you'll go upside-down into a tree, and secondly: you should ask the older guys who are in the paddock with you about what tires they recommend.

</soapbox mode. ;)
 

Nexus90

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Hard to say definitively which tires would be an upgrade --

But, generally, the tire with the lower treadwear rating (like "400AA" or "200AA", etc) will be stickier.

This won't matter if you've never invoked ABS or traction control, though. And, bad weather throws everything out the window, too -- what's good for the dry, which is fat tread blocks and wide tires, is terrible for the wet and snow.

The most aggressive tires I had on my previous car were Falken Azenis RT-215s. Super sticky in the dry at moderate temperatures... but, I gotta be honest with you: they're a bad choice for daily driving. They give up ride comfort (stiff sidewalls) and wet traction (almost-slick tread pattern) to enable a style of driving that's either illegal or unsafe on the street.

If you're braking hard enough to turn on ABS, accelerating hard enough to activate traction control, and turning fast enough to make the car slide (throttle-on understeer doesn't count), then firstly: I hope you're not doing it on the street or where you'll go upside-down into a tree, and secondly: you should ask the older guys who are in the paddock with you about what tires they recommend.

</soapbox mode. ;)
Thanks papa I appreciate the response.
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