VTEC Brake Swap SUCCESSFUL!!! - Honda Prelude Forum

SLICK96 · 12-26-2001, 01:08 PM

Hola! To all who were curious as to the VTEC caliper/rotor swap/upgrade I made on my 96 Si, all is WELL!!! I know many of you saw my frantic threads on the break-in period (sorry, Marcucci), but I'm out of the break-in period, and things are going VERY smoothly. I'm not used to such smooth brakes, as my old, cheesy Si rotors were warped for hundreds if not thousands of miles, and they shook the entire steering column when the brakes were used. That is a problem NO MORE! Not to mention the EXCELLENT braking power that I have now. Although I didn't upgrade to Baer brakes, my braking power has definately increased quite noticeably. FOR ALL THOSE CONSIDERING THIS SWAP, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. If you are not mechanically inclined, have a certified mechanic do the work, and the money you spend will be well worth your troubles.

Also, when you do the upgrade/swap, you WILL NOT NEED ANY ADAPTERS from a VTEC Lude. Just pick up a pair of VTEC calipers, some new VTEC-sized brake pads, and some new VTEC-sized rotors, and you'll be good to go. I'd also recommend some Goodridge stainless steel, braided brake lines, while you're at it.

Jordan_4WS · 12-26-2001, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SLICK96
Hola! To all who were curious as to the VTEC caliper/rotor swap/upgrade I made on my 96 Si, all is WELL!!! I know many of you saw my frantic threads on the break-in period (sorry, Marcucci), but I'm out of the break-in period, and things are going VERY smoothly. I'm not used to such smooth brakes, as my old, cheesy Si rotors were warped for hundreds if not thousands of miles, and they shook the entire steering column when the brakes were used. That is a problem NO MORE! Not to mention the EXCELLENT braking power that I have now. Although I didn't upgrade to Baer brakes, my braking power has definately increased quite noticeably. FOR ALL THOSE CONSIDERING THIS SWAP, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. If you are not mechanically inclined, have a certified mechanic do the work, and the money you spend will be well worth your troubles.

Also, when you do the upgrade/swap, you WILL NOT NEED ANY ADAPTERS from a VTEC Lude. Just pick up a pair of VTEC calipers, some new VTEC-sized brake pads, and some new VTEC-sized rotors, and you'll be good to go. I'd also recommend some Goodridge stainless steel, braided brake lines, while you're at it.

Cool. Did you do the work yourself? If not, how many hours of labor did they charge you to install each item?

-Jordan

SLICK96 · 12-26-2001, 02:29 PM

I had my uncle & cousin do the work, b/c I don't have the right tools, and don't know how to bleed brakes ... plus, I work full time. I'm not sure about how many hours I was charged, but the full install, including the purchase of a few MINOR parts from Honda (I think I needed some new caliper springs for the used VTEC calipers), was about 150-200 bucks, including new fluid, bleeding, install, rotor resurfacing for the rear. I hope this helps.

slo mo · 12-27-2001, 03:20 PM

what did all the parts cost?

i saw on the prelude forum at honda-tech.com that there is a guy making a custom brake upgrade for 5th gen. preludes. something like 12.2" rotors, 4 piston calipers, and all the adapters for 615. i know they're not for our cars, just wondering how that price compares with the vtec brake conversion.

the good thing about that kit (compared to the aem big brake kit) is that it replaces the caliper and you can also fit 16" rims. i hope he adapts his kit for the 4th gen lude cause it would be a nice little mod for anyone looking to upgrade brakes.

Jordan_4WS · 12-27-2001, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by slo mo
what did all the parts cost?

i saw on the prelude forum at honda-tech.com that there is a guy making a custom brake upgrade for 5th gen. preludes. something like 12.2" rotors, 4 piston calipers, and all the adapters for 615. i know they're not for our cars, just wondering how that price compares with the vtec brake conversion.

the good thing about that kit (compared to the aem big brake kit) is that it replaces the caliper and you can also fit 16" rims. i hope he adapts his kit for the 4th gen lude cause it would be a nice little mod for anyone looking to upgrade brakes.

That kit might be made available for 4g's soon. Also he is adding an optional 11.75" rotors so it can fit under 15" wheels!

SLICK96 · 12-28-2001, 02:41 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by slo mo
what did all the parts cost?

i saw on the prelude forum at honda-tech.com that there is a guy making a custom brake upgrade for 5th gen. preludes. something like 12.2" rotors, 4 piston calipers, and all the adapters for 615. i know they're not for our cars, just wondering how that price compares with the vtec brake conversion.

the good thing about that kit (compared to the aem big brake kit) is that it replaces the caliper and you can also fit 16" rims. i hope he adapts his kit for the 4th gen lude cause it would be a nice little mod for anyone looking to upgrade brakes.

All of the parts cost me 450-475 dollars. That includes: rebuilt VTEC calipers (200 bucks), Goodridge stainless, braided lines (120), Hawk pads (60 bucks), and Powerslot rotors (I forget exactly how much they cost ... check www.nipponpower.com. I went w/this conversion over another, like the Spoon calipers or NSX's b/c of how easy and headache free the swap was. Be careful about what you buy.