I would like to substantially improve my brake pedal response. My GE8's pedal requires a lot of effort for stopping power.

I'm thinking of getting Hawk HPS pads for the front, but are there any brake lines out there that will contribute to better stopping power or friction?

 

why not get front and rear pads? im sure theres a SS line kit out for the GE8 by now.

 

Rears are drums.

 

they still have pads in them..

 

imho, changing just brakelines is like changing the drop-in air filters with K&N. but that's just me.

i recommend you get lighter wheels and swap the rear drums to discs.
but i never thought the brakes on my FitS was that bad... (?)

 

fit brakes arent bad but they could be better.

 

The GE8 is not the GD3. Big difference in braking performance and feel.

I don't want to spend more than I have to, IOW, I'm not going to "upgrade" to a lighter wheel or even change rears to discs. If there's a noticeable improvement in brake response just by upgrading pads, then that's all I need.

On my RSX-S, the stock brakes were excellent, but I upgraded pads all around anyway and that made the brakes just about perfect as one can hope for.

 

sounds like it's worth a try if you have previous experience.

yah, ive yet to drive the GE8 so not sure how the brakes feel.
the larger tire diameter probably kills it.

 

It's not really due to that as the re-designed brake cylinder that's supposed to provide improved feel.

 

There are no "pads" in drum brakes. They are oalled "brake shoes" in drum brakes. The frictional wearing surfaces in both disc and drum brakes are called "brake linings".

 

Get stickier tires if you want to improve braking.

 

Uh, no that's not what I said in my posts.

I'm looking for better brake RESPONSE for every given amount of pedal effort.

 

Rae,
I am looking for a source for these too. I don't think that there is one, yet. Maybe SS lines for a different car will fit, but I will just wait until somebody else with access to those parts can figure it out. Otherwise, a stainless steel brake line manufacturer will eventually offer some for the GE8's.

I will also switch to the Hawk pads when I find/buy/install the ss brake lines.

 

The steel lines may improve pedal feel and they may reduce stopping distance under extreme circumstances, but in stock form under normal driving conditions the brakes are not the problem: the '09 Fit has long stopping distances because it has cruddy tires. If you have a Fit Sport then you have ABS. I don't know about you, but on a perfectly dry road I can cause my ABS to activate if I jam on the brakes. That means that the brakes have the stopping power to completely lock up the wheels if I didn't have ABS. This means that it's not the brake system that is underpowered but that the tire itself doesn't have the adhesion to keep up with the brakes. Upgrade to a more performance-oriented tire and the braking distances will improve, not to mention the improvement in the handling department.

I see so many people talking about a rear disc conversion for these cars. Why? It's not needed. A set of high performance tires will do more for your braking performance than any mods to your stock braking system, and will cost less to boot. Of course, with an upgraded tire with more grip it is possible that you could then see real braking performance benefits by upgrading to rear discs or larger front rotors/calipers, but those modifications would be useless without a very grippy performance tire.

 

I don't understand why you folks don't read the title or posts! I'll say it one more time:

I'M NOT LOOKING TO SHORTEN STOPPING DISTANCES!!!!!!

So please don't recommend changing tires.

 

porterfield brake pads are the bomb!

 

"but are there any brake lines out there that will contribute to better stopping power or friction?"

You're right, I'm foolish for being so easily confused.

 

I thought better steel brake lines minimize or eliminate that spongy brake feel.

Can anyone confirm/deny this?

 

They can and do, but I doubt it under normal driving conditions. If you're tracking your car or attacking a canyon road or a downhill set of mountain switchbacks then your brakes and brake fluid are going to be very hot. It is at these high temperatures that rubber brake hoses begin expanding like a balloon when you press the brake pedal. The brake fluid is stretching the rubber lines instead of acting on the piston and caliper. This leads to both spongy pedal feel as well as increased stopping distances. Braided steel lines will help eliminate this, and if I were using my car for track events I absolutely would install steel lines.

For regular street driving I doubt you would ever know the difference.

 

I thought we had talked about this before.??? ....I can get you the lines for the Fit.... On a side note I just changed my stock front pads out to Hawk HPS ones and there already is a difference in pedal feel.... ( only one day so far with the pads.. ) but I think that that pedal responce that I think your talking about will change with the brake lines....I`ll be able to put that test here in about a month or so..