8th Generation Honda Civic Forum - View Single Post

BigT · 08-07-2008, 09:34 AM

In my opinion you wouldn't see enough benifit from the disc brakes to be worth the cost/time/effort.

Disc brakes offer several advantages over drum. Then are simpler (less moving parts), offer much better heat dissapation, and far less fading when they do heat up.

Drum brakes are generally cheaper, they can offer the same stopping force with much less effort, and with a much smaller cylinder.

Disc brakes are the obvious choice in high performance situations where you will be using the brakes a lot, or very hard and want minimum heat buildup and fade. On larger vehicles where cargo/towing comes into play they can also be useful for when you have to stop a load and heat can build up fast.

On your car you aren't likely to push the brakes to their limit very often. When trying to get good fuel mileage it is best to push the brakes as little as possible. This cost/benifit likely why Honda put drum brakes on the Hybrid to begin with. The amount of benifit you would get from upgrading would likely be minimal if any. Probably not worth the trouble.

However, if you want to do it for looks, brake feel, or just because then go for it. The only thing that really matters is if it's worth it to you.

08-07-2008, 09:34 AM	#4 (permalink)
BigT Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Duff Beer Krusty Burger Buzz Cola Costington's Department Store Kwik-E-Mart Stupid Flanders Park Posts: 2,930	In my opinion you wouldn't see enough benifit from the disc brakes to be worth the cost/time/effort. Disc brakes offer several advantages over drum. Then are simpler (less moving parts), offer much better heat dissapation, and far less fading when they do heat up. Drum brakes are generally cheaper, they can offer the same stopping force with much less effort, and with a much smaller cylinder. Disc brakes are the obvious choice in high performance situations where you will be using the brakes a lot, or very hard and want minimum heat buildup and fade. On larger vehicles where cargo/towing comes into play they can also be useful for when you have to stop a load and heat can build up fast. On your car you aren't likely to push the brakes to their limit very often. When trying to get good fuel mileage it is best to push the brakes as little as possible. This cost/benifit likely why Honda put drum brakes on the Hybrid to begin with. The amount of benifit you would get from upgrading would likely be minimal if any. Probably not worth the trouble. However, if you want to do it for looks, brake feel, or just because then go for it. The only thing that really matters is if it's worth it to you. Last edited by BigT; 08-07-2008 at 09:35 AM.