fade can actually be caused by a bunch of things. there's pad fade, which is when the pad surface gets too hot for the material and it loses its friction properties, there's fluid fade which is when the absorbed water in the brake fluid boils due to heat soak from the brake assembly or the fluid itself boils because of the heat (generally around 400-500 deg. F), and there's pad glazing which happens if a pad isn't properly bedded, or simply because the pad craps out (like EBC's might on a track). slots do scrub the pad surface to help with initial bite, personally i think blank rotors are fine for 99% of the driving world (even club racers and auto-x'ers.)

the HP+ are a good pad, as are the cobalt friction GT Sports, carbotech panthers, and porterfield R4S's. These are the "A/X" pads of choice, since they offer better initial bite than OEM, but they will dust more, and some will squeak. So if those things bother you, get an extra set of OEM pads to daily drive, and one of the above 4 for competition. I know brake pads have no bearing on cars in the STS/STX/SM/SM2/SP classes, however, i'm not sure if they are allowed in stock classes.

AEM pads are pretty much OEM pads, with a tad bit more aggressive compound. They're not worth the extra money. Axxis Ultimates are a decent pad, though they dust alot.

Right now i'm on the last of my OEM pads, i've got a half used set of AEM's that will be finished on the street, and i've got cobalt friction GT-S's that i love for A/X. however, the cobalt's haven't always held up in HPDE/Open lapping environments, so eventually i'll prob move to the CF Spec VR's or hawk blues for the track.

i've had my CF GTS's for about a year and change now. they're about halfway done with roughly 10 a/x's, 5 track days, and 15,000 street miles on them.

 

I got the helms manual! WOOOOO

the great thing is I was a cheap ass about it, i got a digital copy off ebay that was on a CD with all the pages scanned into about 10 pdf files. It's about 650 megs of pure helms goodness.

If any 5th gen prelude owners need some help, I could send you a pdf file if you like. Good day then!

 

Just MHO and experience here
If you want a set of reasonably priced quality replacement pads go with the AEM/Nisswin ones. These are an upgrade from the stock Nissin pads. I bought mine from Summit for both the Prelude and the race CRX. Work just fine on stock rotors. ANother thing-if you you are unsure about when the brake fluid was last flushed-get that project done. This is something that should be done every 2 years or 30K or so. Moisture is your enemy when it comes to braking efficiency. Check the rotors for an uneven surface-if they have grooves you might want to consider replacing them rather than resurfacing-the price can be close to the same in some parts of the USA. We use nothing but Brembo blanks from Summit and have no issues. Several other race types will suggest that for both daily and track you can do fine with Hawk, Carbotech, etc pads on Autozone rotors.
The real question is what your driving style is and the intended use overall for the car. Doing disc brakes is a matter of unbolting the caliper, taking the pads out and then doing the reverse. Someone suggested anti-seize on the back of the pads; I use the CRC stuff in a spray can and it works fine since it is an anti-squeak compound that is recommended. If you have a torque wrench-use it. In fact, if you don't have one-BUY ONE. You will find it valuable for the lugnuts and most fasteners on the car.

Happy Luding

 

This is all great advice, thanks!

Question, does upgrade rotors+pads have a significant advantage over just pads?

 

depends on what you mean by "upgraded" rotors. Slots and x-drills will offer little (slots) to no (xdrilled) benefit over OEM. Rotors are a wear item.

however, if your rotors are warped or otherwise damaged (cracked, etc) it'll be a good idea to change them. If they look like they're true, and are in decent shape, get em turned (resurfaced), since last i checked it was much cheaper to do that then buy new rotors ($8 for turning, $16 for rotors).

 

Alright sounds good! Thanks for the response.

 

Random question not worthy of a new thread:

I have too much oil in my engine, it's above the full mark. Is this bad for the seals? Should I wait a couple thousand miles till I change the oil or act now and try to empty some out? How the hell do you do that anyway. Thanks for correcting my mistake.

Well, I could just hit vtec more and burn more oil...

 

ok
how much over the high mark is it? in inches.
if its less than an inch over the high mark (about 1 QT high) then i wouldnt worry, u will experience some windage or i should say ur crank will...but its no biggie.

~kris

 

less than an inch. Thanks kris - you're awesome