are coupe brakes different

[NOAHS88accord]

are the coupe brakes different from sedans?

[NOAHS88accord]

nopi has rear brakes for sei coupes, will these work if i get sei rear brakes and put them on my sedan? sorry for the noob question.

[markmdz89hatch]

Yeah, here's the break-down.

All 86-87's have the same front/rear brakes no matter of body style or trim level.

88-89 DX, and LX's (again regardless of body or trim) have the same brakes which are the same as all 86-87's.

Now, the 88-89 LX-i's (all body styles) came equipped with a larger rotor, hub, and caliper up front, but kept the same rear drums as all the others.

The SE-i's have the same fronts as the 88-89 LX-i's, but also have rear disc.

ALL of the body styles, as long as you follow the outline above, share the same brakes. The only time that the braking system changes between the sedan and coupe/hatch, is that the e-brake cables are different lengths. (But that proves only usefull for those doing a rear-disc swap, or replacing their e-brake cables.)

[NOAHS88accord]

so i am getting the sei brakes for the rear of my LX, i know i need to upgrade to LXI master cylinder and proportioning valve, so those disks for the coupe will work on the SEI hubs or whatever they are called? All I need is a ebrake cable for the sedan not coupe? i probably wont even get an ebrake cable for a while cause i have an auto and never use my ebrake anyways. Also if you could help me locate new brake lines, (webstore or something) I wanna upgrade everything, i plan on getting LXI front brake disks also, will I need to upgrade the calipers to bigger ones with LXI disks on there? sorry for so many stupid questions but i want to do this correctly and make it super safe dont want brakes falling off while driving hahaha

[markmdz89hatch]

I gotta run to work now so I don't have time to type up a full response. I'll get back to you when I get there (about 1 1/2 hrs.).

[markmdz89hatch]

OK, I'm at work now. Sorry for the delay.

Anyway, where to start....

....for the SE-i disc in the rear, the easiest way to do this conversion, and most cost effective is to get your hands on the whole rear assembly. Meaning the knuckle/spindle, and calipers w/brackets. Also, while you're at it, why not also grab the rear sway bar from the SE-i. This (i promise) will help out A LOT.

Quite honestly, I'd do the front upgrade first. Move up to the front brakes from an 88-89 LX-i or SE-i, and you'll see a significant increase in braking power. The rear disc will really only help under heavy, or constant braking, where the drums would fatigue a little faster and give a "mushy" pedal feel. Again, the easiest way to do this is to get the whole knuckle with caliper and all mounting brackets. Reason here is b/c the hub itself in the knuckle/spindle is a larger diameter. Also b/c it's a different (larger) caliper, the mounting brackets are different. So the expense of the whole knuckle assy. will be justified.

Now also keep in mind, as you already mentioned, you'll need to upgrade your brake master to one from an 88-89 LX-i or SE-i (they're the same). You'll also need the propo. valve from the SE-i only or if you can't get to one from an SE-i you can also use one from a Prelude (2nd or 3rd gen) which came with rear disc. The LX-i propo will not work well with the rear disc setup. You're braking will not be properly balanced front to back.

As for lines, I like your train of thought here. Re-using used line from the donor car is not a good idea. And if you're going to replace them, why not go with high-perf lines. I personally have used Techna-Fit line on the hatch and now I swear by them. VERY good quality lines and fasteners. They look cool as hell, and definitly (under heavy braking when it's hot out) give a better feel to the brake. If you order them, obviously be sure to order for the SE-i application, and just to be completely sure you're ordering the right part be sure to verify with the person you speak to that there are 6 lines included. 2 front, 4 rear. Also, if you want a different color, they won't ask you, you'll have to ask them, but they do offer red, blue, black, and regular SS (clear).

HINT: When searching for the donor car to pull these parts from, look for one with low mileage and/or signs that the bearings have been replaced. That is unless of course you decide to replace those as well.

Hit me with all questions that you can possibly think of so this can be as easy and painless as possible for you.

[89cordlx]

someone told me it'd be better to just buy remanufactured rear calipers and stuff instead of pulling from a junked car. And that it should all bolt up to a lxi just fine without pulling the arms.

[NOAHS88accord]

I think I will just upgrade my front brakes at this time, and when i find some good condition rear brakes get those, i dont want to get any that might be bad, and cost alot to repair. I am going to get LXI disks, LXI master cylinder, performance disk pads.


where do i get those upgraded high performance brake lines? I want blue ones.

What other parts/accessories should I get be in mind this is for front upgrades only. not doing rear disks at this time. I am going to get drums resurfaced, and new shoes though.

[markmdz89hatch]

Noah, I like your thinking. As for what other parts you'll need, I'd also get the proportioning valve from an 88-89 LX-i. If you don't, you'll be breaking a little more with the rear then was originally designed for the 3G. You can usually get that for $5-20 at any j/y. Just make sure that you specify an 88-89 LX-i, and make sure you don't get the 86-87 LX-i. That's really the only part that you'll have to replace again after you go disc out back.

The lines can be bought from www.techna-fit.com. I just went to their website and noticed that now they offer colored fittings as well. Personally, I would get the lines for the 89 SE-i, use the fronts now, then when you get the rear disc, use the techna-fit's on the rear. Just use the stock lines out back for now.

Don't forget, you also need the entire front knuckle from the 88-89 LX-i's, not just the rotors/pads and master.