New Brakes / Pads / Lines

I had 3 other people riding in my CT this summer, and I was shocked at how much braking distance a fully loaded CT requires...

And so, I've got new Brake Rotors, Pads, and Steel Braided Brake Lines.

I just wanted to share with you guys in case you wanted something similar, as it was pretty hard to find the parts / and I took a gamble that the 2012 parts would work for the 2014 model.

Note: Since most online stores don't have the 2013/14 parts listed, I used Majestic Honda Parts' listings to try and match parts between 2012 and 2014 to make sure I can order the 2012 parts and it would work.

I got black dimpled & slotted rotors, because supposedly the dimples / slots help with cooling, while still maintain a better structural integrity than fully drilled rotors... from what I've read, the dimples are better for an SUV type application.

I find that there are very few options when looking at Brake Rotor upgrades for the CT. Although Brakeperformance isn't the cheapest, I felt it had the best rotors for Drilled / Dimpled / Slotted rotors (Yes I bought mine Dimpled mostly for looks, but also partly cause I want to drive aggressively in the mountains).

I think CarID had better selection for Front Brakes, but those brands didn't have anything for the rear... and I wanted a whole set, which is why I went with Brakeperformance.

Note: I believe they take OEM grade rotors, and machine in the Drills / Dimples / Slots themselves.

I got the Black (painted) Dimpled & Slotted rotors, and I know the paint comes off after bed-in, but the black doesn't really stick inside the dimples or slots, so it's kind of a waste... I think silver would have been a better choice (no price difference).

See Before & After pictures.

I've got EBC Yellow Stuff, which is more or less their street / track pads, that rivals Hawks, and is more generally more consistent than Hawks regardless of the brake temperature.

Front Axle Set: DP41743R
Rear Axle Set: DP41193/2R
*Each Set has 4 Pads

Techna-Fit Stainless Steel Brake Line Kit for Honda - Black - HN-2200BK

I looked up parts and only one of the parts matched the 2011 Model, so the Brake-Lines were a gamble that they'd actually work for the 2014 Model... and so far it's fine (will update if any problems).


Final Thoughts:

First of all, if you've never did these replacements before, know that you basically have no brake power at all when they're first installed...

I kind of followed the bed-in procedure for the Rotor, but failed to follow the bed-in for the EBC brake pads...

I drove very slowly out of the local area, and got onto the highway as soon as I could, and then found some service roads where I could warm up my brakes, and then do 60-45 / 60-20 / 45-10 mph brakes, and I had to basically go into N and slow the car down to a crawl when I saw a red light to avoid actually stopping and having the brakes imprint onto the rotors.

The EBC brake pads says to drive gently for 50-100 miles, and then do the hard braking after that... I did not.

Side Note: Because I got painted rotors, the paint initially doesn't come off evenly, and was squeaking on my front wheel every turn of the wheel, but after a while it went away.

Anyway, my first impression is that they don't bite as hard as OEMs, but I think this has to do with the fact that they're brand new, and or I'm messing up the bed-in process. I've read on other forums that after a few hundred or thousand miles, the EBCs really shine.

However, what I did notice by the end of the day (after doing +20 braking maneuvers, is that the brakes pedal pressure feel much more consistent when pressed as compared to the OEMs (I'm hoping this is the steel lines at work).

So unfortunately I don't have the best review for these items yet, but I hope that they'll do well for this winter season.