8th Generation (06-11) Civic Si owner’s who road race often on Si brakes, at some point, may experience the same issue(s) that S2000 road racers have – ie. cracking rotors and a sticking caliper piston (in no particular order). Si and S2000 vehicles share the same exact front calipers. A friend of mine went through this and thus sparked the reason for this article. An affordable solution is to upgrade to 04-08 TSX front brake calipers and rotors effectively making this a plug-n-play OEM Big Brake Kit.
Upgrade Perks:
- 3mm Thicker Rotor
Si = 300mm x 25mm
TSX = 300mm x 28mm.
Both have the same diameter rotor but the TSX is 3mm thicker/wide. This means it has more thermal mass and offers better stamina in racing conditions (can store more heat for a longer period of time). - Bigger caliper
Bigger caliper means bigger piston and bigger pad. Bigger pad = larger footprint that translates into quicker stopping power and lessens chance of brake fade. A larger diameter piston compliments the bigger pad and overall performance. TSX caliper pistons don’t have a sticking issue. Bigger caliper also means additional brake fluid. - A budget upgrade over an expensive aftermarket 4 or 6-piston BBK.
- One downside – is the weight gain this upgrade adds. It’s several pounds heavier than the Si components but trust me, you won’t care once you’re driving around and are enjoying the performance benefits over the weight gain.
Installation Notes:
- The install is a pretty straight forward replacement swap.
- The edging of the Si’s brake dust/heat shields will need some light trimming in order to allow clean fitment of the TSX calipers.
- Si brake lines are 100% compatible.
- Use the proper brake bleeding sequence for your Si:
- A how-to article can be accessed here:
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/suspension-brakes/140394-tsx-brake-swap-upgrade.html
Tech Tip: when it comes time to ordering new front and rear pads for your Si, you can just order TSX front AND rear pads because 06-11 Si / all RSX / all S2000 / all Integra Type-R share the same rear pad shape and size.