Project Honda Civic EJ: Fast Brakes Big Brake Kit

 

To complement the upgraded rotor, the Fast Brakes kit mounts a Wilwood Dynapro Radial four-piston caliper to the Civic hub via an aluminum dog bone bracket. The radial mounting style of the Wilwood Dynapro allows for a compact design, which is needed to fit under a 15″ wheel. A typical lug mounted Wilwood Dynalite caliper would require a ridiculously large rotor and rim diameter due to its mounting style.   

 

The Dynapro Radial is a multi-piece caliper machined from billet aluminum weighing in at a mere 3.5 pounds. This is about 3 pounds lighter than the OE cast iron caliper. Since Project Civic is slated to not only serve track duty but also function as a streetcar, which is going to see thousands of miles, we opted to have our kit come with the optional dust seals located around the circumference of each piston.  

 

 

The Dynapro Radial's spring style clip retainer and common pad shape, allow us to quickly change from our Wilwood BP10 pads to several different compounds and brands of race pads. Admittedly, the convenient quick-change option and lack of a structural bridge running across the top of the caliper opening comes at a cost of caliper stiffness.  

 

 

Picture the caliper from the side view as a simple “C” shape that's clasping the pads and rotor. When the brake pedal is depressed, hydraulic pressure forces the pistons against the pad and also exerts force against the inside of the caliper, spreading the ends of the “C” to more of a “(” shape. To help stiffen the caliper assembly (and obviously hold the caliper together), Wilwood uses two large steel bolts on each side of the caliper. Notice how the bolts have been positioned as close to the piston's center line as possible to improve caliper stiffness.   

 

 

Fast Brakes has put a lot of detail into the brake lines, which come with their front big brake upgrade. The Fast Brakes brake lines are tough, DOT approved lines, which have a Teflon liner wrapped in a stainless steel braid.  The steel braid protects against road debris abrasion and also helps reduce expansion of the brake line, which translates into a better pedal feel under braking. The Fast Brakes steel braided lines also feature application specific mounting tabs to ensure that the brake lines stay out of the way of the wheels or other moving suspension parts. We've come to appreciate details like this after having to use janky zip ties to secure other aftermarket lines in the past. Also, note how the Fast Brakes steel braided lines have an additional polymeric coating to protect from debris lodging in between the steel braids, which could eventually rupture the inner lining.  

 

 

With Project Civic's OEM front brakes now taking up residence in the scrap bin in favor of the Fast Brakes big brake kit, we'll shift our attention in the next article towards addressing the rear drum brake lameness. Want  more Project Civic EJ in the meantime? Check out more Project Civic EJ fun here.