Upgrade Your 5th Gen's Front Brakes

[NstyGrnHatch]

Well Im at it again posting up another DIY for you guys.

This time: Upgrading your 5th Gen Brakes from the puny stock ones to big ole GSR front brakes.

Tools & Things Needed:

Sockets:
12mm
14mm
17mm
19mm
32mm

Wrenches:

10mm (Flare Wrench)

Other:

Ball Joint Seperated
3/8 Drive
1/2 Drive
Decent Size Hammer
Flat Blade Screw Driver
Drill

Procedure:

Step 1: First jack up the vehicle and place a jackstand under the vehicle for safety. Dont want the car falling on you while your doing this. You could possibly be injured badly or possibly DEATH!



Step 2: Loosen and remove all 4 19mm Lugnuts

Step 3: Remove the cotter pin and 17mm nut from the upper control arm and take the ball joint seperator and seperate them.



Step 4: Look on the bottom of the knuckle, you will see a 17mm bolt held in with a cotter pin, first remove the cotter pin, and then remove the 17mm nut



Step 5: On the side of the knuckle there is the steering rack/Tie rod end. Remove the cotter pin on that bolt and remove the 17mm nut on that end. then use the ball joint seperator and seperate the joint from the knuckle



Step 6: Now you will need to unbend the bend in the axle nut with a flathead screwdriver and a hammer. Like so.



Step 7: Time to remove the axle nut. Now if you have an air compressor and a 1/2 inch Impact gun this job will be cake. If you dont my advice to you is, before you go to step 3, take the wheel turn it one way completely so that when you put the 1/2 breaker bar on the nut it will not be in the way of the fender and you can literally kick the bar until the nut comes loose. Just to let you know honda puts around 135 ft/lbs on these bad boys, so its gonna be tough with no air tools.

Step 8: Take the 10mm Flare Wrench and loosen the hard brake line from hose to remove the brake line.



Step 9: Take a flatblade screw driver or a pair of needle nose plyers and remove the clip the holds the brake hose up onto the hardline and seperate the hose from the hardline.



Step 10: remove the 2 12mm bolts the hold the brake line to the strut.



Step 11: Now its time to pull the hub off. Take the axle out while pulling the hub off and thats it.

Everything should bolt up from the GSR to your 5th gen, so just go in reversal order. Once everything is together you will need to bleed the brake system (that will be a later DIY)


Tips:

Tip #1. If you have an older car use the crap outta this stuff:



Tip #2. If it does not fit, DO NOT force it. Stuff like putting the axle back into the transmission and hub, if it doesnt fit, play with it until it slides in, if you force it, you could possibly ruin the splines, meaning BIG $$$$ repair bill.

Tip #3. If you cant get your cotter pins out easily, and have to destroy them to get it out, I reccoment replacing or even if you can get yours out easily, replacing the cotter pins every time. They are VERY inexpensive and can be found at your local hardware/automotive store.



Tip #4. Always torque your wheels down with a calibrated torque wrench when installing your wheels back on the vehicle. It could lengthen the life of your rotors.



Comparison:

I wasnt able to use the Integra Master Clyinder or Porportioning Valve because they dont bolt up to your stock 5th gen stuff, im not sure what to use, but if you were to use the integra stuff you would have to do alot of bending and moving stuff to get the brake lines to match up.

But look at the difference in diameter in the brakes.

Stock VX Brakes vs. GSR Brakes : Immediatley you can tell in diameter that they are a bit bigger than stock. It is still a single piston setup but the piston is larger on the GSR wheels as is the caliper.



Now for the measurements:

Stock VX Brakes measure in at a little over 9" in diameter



Stock GSR Brakes measureme in at a little over 10" in diameter



So you get a little over an 1" in bigger braking surface. I will update you more when I get the proper master clyinder and perportioning valve in.