TSX brake upgrade for the 8th gen

First off, before we dive into this, I know you are all excited to read about FK8 content. However, I still have two more 8th gen specific articles I need to post. I already have a few posts that are FK8 specific in the pipeline, and I figured I needed to at least finish off the 8th gen build for the people who are interested in that.

I’ll admit, I have an obsession with upgraded brakes. That is one of those things that really “does it” for me when looking at a car. You could have a cool-looking car, but if you’re rocking stock brakes, I won’t even give it a second glance. It doesn’t even have to be big-name aftermarket calipers. Anything that is upgraded from stock is alright with me.

Braking performance is often one of the most overlooked aspects of a build. It is also usually at the bottom of the list when it comes to upgrades. Not for me, though; I have had too many close calls with brake fade. Whether on the track, in the canyons, or just driving with four people in your car, it doesn’t take much to tax the stock brake system, especially if you have undergone a motor swap or added some sort of power adder. For me, I have come to form my own opinion. If your brakes are upgraded in some way, then you are a true enthusiast, and all others without them are just fakers.

Now the R18 8th gen Civic isn’t anything special when it comes to brakes, or anything else for that matter. Hell, some of the models even come stock with rear drums. In my opinion, drum brakes are one of the biggest turn-offs. If I’m ever considering getting a certain car and it comes stock with drum brakes, there better be a way to upgrade to rear discs; otherwise, I’m not getting that car.

When I first laid eyes on my 8th gen, I was relieved to find out that it did come with rear discs. However, I was not so happy about how tiny the front rotors were. On the EX model of 8th-gen Civics, the front rotors were even smaller than those from other models that came with rear drums. This is because having rear discs allows for a little more stopping power in the rear, and this meant the front didn’t need to be as large as on the models that came with rear drums.

After having the 8th gen for a few months and experiencing some frightening brake fade while merely exiting the freeway, I knew that 1. There was undoubtedly some service needed to be done on the brakes, and 2. I also wanted to upgrade to larger front brakes. Obviously, my first thought was to get SI calipers and rotors for the front, but after digging deeper into the 8th gen forums, I became confused about what brakes would and wouldn’t fit my car.

As with any forum, there is going to be some misinformation. In my case, since there were such a small number of people trying to upgrade the brakes on their R18 8th gen, there was never really a definitive answer out there. Most were only upgrading their SI brakes. I quickly realized that the front spindles of the SI and the R18 were different. I confirmed this not only on the forum, but by cross-referencing part numbers through Honda. It turns out, the difference is the wheel bearings. On the SI, they are much larger to handle the increased forces from being a more performance-oriented platform. The one thing I wasn’t clear on was… did both spindles share the same caliper bolt hole spacing? As it turns out, yes. You can interchange any caliper that would fit on the SI onto the R18 models and vice versa. On the R18 models, though, you wouldn’t have the benefit of the larger wheel bearing that the SI comes stock with.

After diving deeper into the rabbit hole of forum searching, I was lucky enough to stumble across a write-up about someone actually installing some SI brakes on their R18 Civic. This would give me the confidence I would need to think that an SI caliper would fit my chassis. However, it would now open my eyes to a whole new direction of brake upgrades. At this point, I’m thinking essentially any SI brake upgrade would work for my chassis because the stock SI caliper would bolt on.

Sure, upgrading to larger brakes was somewhat pointless. My car isn’t fast enough to need larger brakes. For me, though, it was more of just an aesthetic upgrade. Don’t crucify me for saying that! I know this is “FunctionTheory”; I’m only being honest, there really isn’t a need for me to have larger brakes on this car. However, my insatiable quest to upgrade cars wasn’t going to allow me to drive around on stock brakes. Plus, I love the look of having larger brakes.

It’s worth mentioning, though, another reason I wanted to do this upgrade was because I like having the added assurance that I can out-brake anyone on the road at any time. I also prefer to drive spiritedly, so having improved braking will surely instill confidence, too.

Top three brake upgrade options for the 8th gen R18 platform are (these three will all fit too)

• 8^th gen Si front calipers, pads, and rotors.
• 2004-2008 Acura TSX front calipers, pads, and rotors.
• 2006-2008? (it might be 04 to 08 but I’m not 100%) Acura TL type S front calipers, pads, rotors, and brake master cylinder (this is necessary because of the larger amount of fluid volume moving with the 4 piston calipers) You will also need to run a small spacer in between hub and the back of the rotor. This helps to center the rotor in the caliper so you don’t get pad drag or unevenly wear your pads. You will also need to drill out your spindles. This will accommodate the larger caliper bolts used with the TL type S brakes.

I really wanted to do the TL Type S upgrade. I thought it would look super sick, but at the same time, I had to restrain myself. There was no need for me to spend all that money on fancy brakes like that, especially for an R18 model. (It would work if you really wanted to though.) The other thing that stopped me from getting the TL Type S brakes was the fact that my RPF1s wouldn’t clear the calipers. You need a lower offset than the +35 I was running. I had also already bought the RPF1s and really liked the look of them. Getting another wheel wasn’t a viable option, especially with how long the wait is for parts due to COVID stuff.

In the end, I settled for the TSX brake upgrade. This is large enough to tickle my fancy and still low-key enough to fit the humble OEM+ style of my build. The TSX brake upgrade would not require any modifications to the spindle. Also, it meant not needing to upgrade the brake master cylinder because the TSX calipers were still only a single piston caliper.

The TSX brake upgrade is also a budget upgrade for the SI as well. The SI and TSX both share the same 300mm diameter size, but that’s where the similarities stop. The SI rotor is only 25mm thick, whereas the TSX rotor is a whopping 28mm, which is an 11% increase in thickness. The upside is these help with cooling (or prolonging overheating). The downside is the weight of the rotor is slightly more. The stock SI rotor is 14.6 lbs., and the TSX rotor is 15.2 lbs. Now, this isn’t that bad when comparing SI to TSX. When compared to the EX-rotor that I had, it was a significant difference in weight. The TSX caliper is also quite heavier, coming in at 12.6 lbs. compared to the SI 9.7 lb. caliper.

Overall, there will be a significant increase in unsprung weight and rotational mass. This can and will make a negative impact on acceleration, especially on the R18 model. The bright side is, what you lack in acceleration, you will be able to make up for by braking later. What I’m trying to say is, the power loss will be minimal compared to the increase in braking performance. Your R18 Civic is already slow! It’s not like doing this upgrade is going to be the reason it’s slow.

The major difference is that the surface area on the TSX pad is much larger than that on the SI pad. The SI pad has a 47.6 cm^2 surface area, while the TSX Pad has a 63.8 cm^2 surface area, which is 26% larger. Not only is this a substantial upgrade from my EX front brakes (as you will see below), it is also a viable option for budget-minded people trying to upgrade their SI brakes for some track time. The TSX brakes will provide much better heat dissipation. Plus, the larger pad surface, when combined with a good track pad, makes this upgrade a very budget-friendly solution for the SI.

Now the TL Type S brakes are the mac daddy of the budget brake upgrade for the 8th gen chassis. There are more challenges when it comes to doing this upgrade, though. The specs of the TL Type S brakes are… 310mm and are a 25mm thick rotor. You will also get the much-respected braking power of the Brembo 4 piston caliper, and the largest pad surface of all OEM style upgrades. As mentioned earlier, the downside is that you need to drill out your spindle. You can also choose to buy a TL Type S upgrade kit. This kit comes with inserts in the caliper so you can use the stock smaller sized caliper bolts. The other downside is if you wanted to run the actual 310mm rotor. You would need to get a custom machined spacer to ensure the rotor is completely centered in the middle of the caliper. (This is also included in a kit somewhere online). The other more “ghetto” thing you could do is, just run an S2000 rotor. The S2000 rotor has the correct offset needed to ensure the rotor is centered. However, the S2000 rotor is only 300mm, so you will have a slight amount of pad overhang, and you will need to monitor this as the pads wear down. Lastly, upgrading to a TL Type S brake master cylinder is a must. The amount of fluid needed to move the 4 pistons in the caliper is much more than the stock master cylinder can handle.

Here are some good things to note. If you have an R18 Civic with rear discs, you have the same sized pads and rotors as the SI. There is no need to upgrade the rear any bigger. If you have an R18 Civic with drums, you can get away with just finding an EX Civic to take the whole rear assembly from. Note, like the front of the R18 versus the SI, the rear also has some thicker, more beefy parts of the suspension (mostly the lower control arms). You can still swap either the rear SI assembly or the R18 EX assembly to get discs on your drum-equipped 8th gen Civic. As for brake lines, if you have rear discs, SS lines are the same for the SI/EX Civic. This means that if you have rear discs, you can use SS lines for the SI/EX. I’m pretty sure that some brands even have the same part number for SS lines for either model. The only real difference is disc or drums.

It is also worth mentioning that if you wanted to be super frugal and find brakes at a junkyard, I’m pretty sure the 03-07 Accord V6 manual coupe or the 08-12 Accord EX, EX V6 manual calipers are the same as the TSX. Honestly, for the price of what you can pick up a set of re-manufactured ones for, you’re better off saving yourself the headache and just ordering some remanufactured ones.

Ok on to the install process.

Below is everything I will be installing:

• Stoptech blank 04-08 TSX front rotors.
• Stoptech blank 8^th gen Civic SI rear rotors.
• Stoptech 04-08 TSX front street pads.
• Stoptech 8^th gen Civic SI rear street pads.
• OEM reman nissin 04-08TSX front calipers.
• Goodridge SS brake lines for 8^th gen SI
• Hawk performance brake fluid.

Im especially stoked that I was able to source OEM remanufactured calipers.

Like always, start by jacking the car up, placing it on 4 jack stands, and then take all four wheels off. Slide the wheels under the car for that extra added safety. Sure, I would be bummed if the car fell off the stands and messed up my wheels. However, I would be a lot more bummed if it fell off the stands and crushed me to death.

I would highly suggest getting one of these tools. It helps break free the set screws that are holding the rotor to the hub. If you don’t use one of these, you might end up rounding out the screws. You would then have to drill them out. While this is not impossible, it’s just something I don’t like to deal with. Do yourself a favor and order a 1/2 inch impact screwdriver set.

Below you can see what we are starting out with: itty-bitty, 100k-mile rusty OEM calipers.

Use the impact screwdriver to loosen the x2 Philips head set screws on the rotor. It is possible that you only have one, or it’s even possible that you have none.

Once you have loosened the set screws, remove the two 17mm bolts holding the caliper to the spindle and hang the caliper out of the way. No pictures of this part because it’s basic stuff. Make sure you do not disconnect the brake line from the caliper until you are ready to swap to the new caliper. Disconnecting the brake line will cause all the fluid to slowly drain from the master cylinder. If the master cylinder goes dry, you will need to “bench bleed” the master before bleeding each caliper. If you let the master run dry and don’t “bench bleed,” it will be difficult to get all the air out of the brake system, and your brakes will never feel good until you bench bleed the master. Just don’t let the master run dry, and you’ll be fine.

Below are some good comparison’s of the OEM R18 EX rotor vs the TSX rotor.

If you are doing this upgrade on an R18 Civic, you will need to remove the dust shield completely. The new TSX rotor is much larger in diameter, and the dust shield will rub everywhere. If you are doing this on an SI, you can leave the dust shield. However, you will just have to trim where the caliper bolts onto the spindle. This becomes obvious when you try bolting the caliper on.

Because I am doing this on an R18, I will need to remove the whole dust shield. There are three Philips head screws that hold the shield on, but you won’t be able to access them with a screwdriver. You will have to use vise grips or channel locks (like I did) to break the screws loose. Once loose, you will be able to use your fingers to unscrew the rest of the way. You will also need tin snips, dykes, or another sharp cutting tool to cut the shield off once all three screws are removed.

Below is what it should look like when everything is off. Also, you’ll notice that I am just hanging my caliper by the stock rubber brake line. I am doing this only because I am replacing the OEM rubber lines with SS ones. Normally, you would use an old coat hanger or some zip ties to hang the caliper so that there is no tension on the brake lines.

Below are great comparisons between the stock R18 brakes and the TSX brakes.

Below is the difference in the pad sizes.

I didn’t do step-by-step pictures of the installation process because this is an easy bolt-on project. I will talk you through the process, though. Begin first by making sure you have cleaned all the oils and grease off both sides of the rotor before installing it. Rotors are made of steel and will rust easily. For storage and shipping purposes, they are bathed in oil to prevent rust. Once the rotor is completely clean, slide it onto the hub and reinsert the two Philips set screws to fully seat the rotor. Next, take the new caliper. Using the two 17mm bolts you took off the car, then reinstall the new TSX caliper. (You do not need the TSX bolts.) Now, using a 14mm socket, remove one of the bolts that hold the caliper to the caliper bracket, and simply loosen the other. This will allow you to swing the caliper up away from the rotor. Now you can install the new brake pads. Once you have the new pads installed, swing the caliper back down onto the caliper bracket. Align the bolt hole and reinsert the 14mm bolt you removed. Now tighten both down and you’re good to go.

At this point, if you are using the stock brake lines, disconnect the brake line from the old caliper and transfer it to the TSX caliper. (Make sure you use two new crush washers per side on the banjo bolts). If you are also installing SS brake lines, like me, you will need to use an open-end flare nut wrench to remove the rubber line from where it connects to the hard line on the chassis. If you don’t use a flare nut wrench, you run a greater risk of rounding off the brake line fitting, which will totally ruin your day. The nut is attached to the hard line that runs along the chassis. Replacing this would be so much of a pain that I don’t even want to think about it. Just get the correct tool for the job. (And don’t get a cheap one either. Ones from Harbor Freight, or from auto parts stores, are cheap and will flex more. This can lead to stripping out the nut.) I would say go no lower tier than a Craftsman one.

Below is a good before and after comparison with the wheels on.

Now moving on to the rear. I did not take step-by-step pics of the rear either. I figured since I was only replacing the rotors with ones of the same size, changing out brake pads that were the same size, and installing SS lines, there was no need for pictures. It’s all very basic stuff that I have covered many times before in the blog.

So, starting with the rear, we are going to use the impact screwdriver to loosen the two Philips set screws holding the rotor on. Then, take a 14 mm socket. Loosen and remove the two 14 mm bolts holding the complete caliper onto the rear spindle. Once this is removed, you can now slide the old rotor off. Make sure to completely clean all the oil and grease off the new rotor. This can be done with a healthy amount of brake cleaner and a rag. Now slide the new rotor on and reinsert the Philips set screws into the rotor.

Now, since we are reusing the stock calipers, we are going to need to service them to ensure they will not bind or cause any abnormal pad wear. Remove the caliper from the caliper bracket (as you can see below). You are now left with the caliper bracket. It is important to clean out the area where the caliper slides back and forth. Over time this can get bogged down with dirt, debris, and lose its lubricating properties.

Below you can see the caliper pin will slide out of the caliper bracket. Make sure not to rip the rubber boot.

Above you can see the dirty pin and below you can see what they look like clean.

Cleaning out the bracket itself is a little more difficult. I just spray a large amount of brake cleaner and use Q-tips to clean it out.

Next, take some high-temp grease (preferably some Honda super high-temp urea grease). Generously lather grease all over the pins, and then reinsert them back into the caliper bracket. Push in and out repeatedly until the sliding motion feels smooth. Wipe away any excess grease that came out of the boots. (You don’t want any grease getting on the brake rotor or pad.)

Once that is done, take the caliper bracket and using the two 14mm bolts, reattach the bracket to the spindle. Now, you can install the new brake pads. Then slide the caliper over the pads and reinsert the bolts into the caliper pins. (This effectively makes the two caliper pieces—the bracket and the caliper—into one)

If you are using the stock rubber lines, then you won’t have to do anything. Again, if you are like me and you are adding SS lines, use the flare nut wrench and remove the rubber line where it connects to the hardline. Then install the new SS lines, making sure to use two NEW crush washers per side, where the SS line attaches to the caliper on both sides of the banjo bolt.

You are now ready to bleed the entire brake system. I am choosing to use high-temp brake fluid. It’s important that I ensure all the old fluid is flushed out of the system, while simultaneously not allowing the master cylinder to go completely dry. For this, I suggest using two people. You could use a power bleeder or speed bleeders, but I never really get the results I’m looking for when I use those methods.

Have your helper sit inside the car. Press the brake pedal firmly while you crack open the bleeder on either one of the front calipers. (Front calipers will move through the most fluid quickly since the pistons are larger than those in the rear. There is also more pressure being sent to the front). After each time you crack open the bleeder and reclose it, have the helper in the car pump the pedal three times. Then, check the fluid level in your master cylinder. You should be able to get the fluid level quite low without running it dry. Once low enough to your liking (or where you feel most comfortable), refill with new fluid and repeat this whole process a few times. This will ensure that all the fluid in the master cylinder is brand new, and you can now proceed to bleed the brakes as you normally would.

In the 8th gen, because of its ABS and VSA system, you are instructed in the manual to start bleeding at the FL caliper, moving to the FR, then the RR, and finishing the cycle with the RL. Do this cycle a few times through. It will become apparent when you have fully expelled all old fluid from the lines because the fluid color will drastically change (from an old brown dirt-looking to clear).

Now check for leaks at all your unions… hard line to SS line and banjo bolt on all calipers. Give all the brakes and calipers a healthy spray of brake clean. This will ensure any grease or oil is completely off, also ensuring that there is no residual brake fluid left. If any of it gets on your paint or wheels, it can damage the paint and finish.

If you have an R18 8th gen and want a way to not only increase the performance of your brakes but also achieve a more aggressive look for your car, I suggest doing either the SI brake or TSX brake upgrade. Both upgrades are not only inexpensive; they are also a 100% direct bolt-on with no need to shim, drill, cut, or modify anything (except the brake dust shield). Let me also help you by confirming that YES, either one of these upgrades will fit on both your R18 Civic and the SI model. Even the TL Type S upgrade will work on both the R18 and the SI chassis. I wanted to make sure I got this point across clearly to anyone who was unsure if it would work or not because, like me, I’m sure some of you are a little confused about some of the misinformation on the internet.

I have had this brake upgrade on my car since early March. In that time I have put about 4,000 miles on it, and there are a few things that I would like to go over.

1. ·  I chose the stoptech street pads because, I didn’t want to have squeaky pads or excessive dust. I also wanted some longevity out of the pads and rotors too. In hindsight though, I might have gone a different route. I’m not really a fan of the initial bite these pads have. Once they are warmed up, they work well but just driving from stop light to stop light they require a little more pedal pressure that I’m comfortable with to slow you down. Remember though, I much more prefer aggressive pads and love that aggressive initial bite that maybe some others don’t prefer. When it comes to performance, there is nothing wrong with these pads. They work extremely well; they just aren’t exactly what I was hoping for. I’m aware that these are more street than they are track and I knew I was taking a risk when buying them. However, they aren’t bad enough that I’m going to swap them out and I will continue to use them until they are all the way worn down.I went back and forth trying to decide if I wanted slotted rotor or not. In the end as you see I went with blanks. Sure, there are plenty of good reasons to run slotted rotors. Overall though, I felt that on a car I was trying to keep some what low key, they might attract too much attention. For daily driving the non slotted blanks will work just fine. Even when I lean a little on the brakes they will still perform very well.
2. SS (stainless steel) lines are not necessary. I only did them because, I prefer the feel of a really firm pedal. The stock rubber ones will work just fine. However, I did read on the forums that when people did the TSX upgrade. due to the calipers larger piston, there is slightly more fluid that needs to flow and people that did the upgrade said that, their brake pedal travel before getting some sort of feed back was a little too long. I however, never experienced that when I did my TSX brake upgrade. It might have just been because my old brakes were so worn down or, the fluid was so old that the pedal travel was already a lot compared to a fresh new stock car. Either way, I’m happy with the pedal travel and the braking power that comes with how little the pedal has to move. The sure fire way to not have any negative effect of pedal travel. Install a TL type S master cylinder. If my brake master ever goes out, I would probably upgrade to the TL type S master just because.
3. I went with the hawk brake fluid and in hindsight maybe that wasn’t totally necessary. I think originally, I thought that I might have been doing more spirited driving than I actually do. I’m sure that regular old Honda DOT3 would have done me just fine.
   1. Word of warning! If you are an avid track enthusiast, frequent the track many times a year, and are fast. The TSX upgrade might not be the best option for you. While it is an improvement over the stock SI brakes. Fast guys will still encounter some brake fade even with aggressive pads and slotted rotors. Best cheap solution would be the TL type S brakes, or an aftermarket BBK. Be honest with yourself about how advanced or fast you are on the track too. The TSX upgrade with aggressive brake pads will still be fine for 60-75% of the people out on track.

One other important thing to keep in mind… Make sure you properly bed the brakes in per manufactures instructions.

Sure, I could have just gone with the SI brakes since they are the same diameter as the TSX ones. I just really wanted the larger caliper though.

Thanks for reading, hopefully you got some good useful information from this article. If you have any questions about this post or any others. Please, feel free to reach out to me via email: Billy@Functiontheory.com, Instagram: @Functiontheory, or just simply comment on this post below. Also, if you like what you are reading please consider sharing the post and subscribing to the blog.