Project mu brake pads (NS type) for EK. Thoughts?

[Alvis]

Hi Guys,

I'm looking to upgrade my stock OEM pads and after originally thinking of getting Bendix Ultimate I've read a couple of reviews of people saying they have a too high temp to be most effective for street use - they are more for hard repeat stops like you would do on a track + they are also quite noisy, dusty and harsh rotor wear (again just what I've read, not personal experience).

So I'm considering Project mu NS type pads - has anyone had any experience with these?
http://www.project-mu.com.au/en/products/pad_ns.php

I think the NS spec is more than enough for the street but interested in your thoughts...?
The pads, front and rear, can be bought from the US for around $330 delivered or locally around $380.


ALSO, should I be looking to upgrade my OEM rotors at the same time, or is there no harm in leaving them on and seeing how they go with the new pads? Given pads and rotors are meant to work together, but considering I am on a budget, I am thinking of possibly upgrading to Project mu SCR Pure Plus 6 front rotors only (http://www.project-mu.com.au/en/products/rotor_scrpp6.php) and leaving the rears stock OEM.


Thanks for any thoughts...
Cheers,
Alvis

[mugen_ctr]

Rotors, just remachine them... remember a normal rotor has more surface than any cross drilled/slotted rotor

Im in similar boat as well, would like to know as well

[Alvis]

Just came across this review, but still waiting for some advice on the above please guys!

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=96693

[Alvis]

Another very interesting read below - sounds like a good first step is to check the thickness of the rotors + any grooves and go from there.

Seems like the best options are:

1. If disks are still above minimum thickness have them machined before fitting new pads regardless of the disk condition to ensure optimal brake pad life. If you can afford new rotors at the same time, then by all means go all out.

2. If disks are under minimum thickness or close to, have the rotors changed with the fitting of new pads

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090512040338AAdrlRv


Any other thoughts? I'm slowly answering my own thread question I think! LOL :)

[Alvis]

In summary:

In general, brake rotors should be re-surfaced when you replace the pads. As brakes wear down, the surface of the rotor will become worn as well, and will not be even. Re-surfacing restores the rotor surface to a smooth, flat, uniform finish - which is a nice match for the new, flat brake pads.

However, re-surfacing removes metal (it essentially removes all of the high spots until the whole surface is even with the lowest spot previously found). This will result in the brake rotor being thinner than when the car was new. All brake rotors have a specification for minimum thickness. If resurfacing the rotor causes it to be less than this minimum specification then it cannot be used on the car (at least by a reputable shop).

So, if re-surfacing results in the rotors being too thin, they need to be replaced.

In order to save the cost of re-surfacing first, a good mechanic should be able to tell you before s/he re-surfaces the rotor if it will pass the thickness specification after the re-surfacing. If not, then it will need to be replaced. Most rotors today can be resurfaced at least a couple of times before getting too thin. The exact specfication for your rotor will depend on the year and exact model of the car.


-------------------------------------
Of course, you can always opt for neither. If you leave the rotor alone the brakes will be somewhat grabby, and will not be quite as effective since the braking surface is not optimal, but it's always an option.

Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Should_you_replace_rotors_at_the_same_time_as_the_ brake_pads#ixzz1WBZ2TZW4

[Alvis]

minimum rotor thickness for ek civic

recommended:
front: 19.0mm
rear: 8.0mm
http://www.acdelco.com.au/PDFs/Catalogue_ACDelco_Rotors_02-03-11.pdf (page 20)

my readings from dec 2010 (pedders)
front: 24.1mm
rear: 9.2mm

So based on this what I have decided to do is most likely purchase the Project mu NS pads (just getting a comparative quote on OEM pads atm) and have the disks machined before fitting the new pads.

I think the next level up B spec pads will provide better stopping power, but only when they get up to a high enough temp aka on the track or repeated hard stops. Which is not what I want for the street.

In saying this the NS pad should hopefully be a good compromise between something better than OEM, but not too hard for everyday spirited driving.

They will most likely be harder on the stock rotors reducing life, but they are the same rotors that came on the car in 1998 so I can't really complain if I need to change them in around 18-24 months time :)

[Alvis]

Quote from Honda off the shelf - I think this is a bit rich - might ring up my normal guy on Monday...

Front: $206.20

Rear: $202.00