Auto Repair and Maintenance

"Odd" Brake Query
I own a 2000 Honda Odyssey with 74,000 miles. I purchased it new and it's excellent in many ways, primarily its handling ability! The problems I have had are in the brakes and headlights, both of which are very weak. My question for you is, how can I upgrade the front brakes? Seems to me that Honda's brakes are seriously under-designed and the discs get warped very quickly. By the way, the '00 Odyssey has drums in the back. They were changed to discs starting in 2001. Please advise.
Costas
Via the Internet

Honda's brakes are not nearly under designed; they're just made for the average soccer mom to drive the kids to school with. Your Odyssey is a relatively massive vehicle that needs brakes that are powered accordingly when driven any harder than the average old lady would drive it. Before you get upset at Honda, though, remember one of the major reasons why we all love the H-badge so much: cross-platforming.

The Accord V6 and wagon, base model Acura Legend, '96 to '00 3.5RL, and even the Integra Type R share your front brakes. What that means to you is any front brake upgrade that will work for one of those vehicles will work for yours. You've got viable options.

The first is upgrading using OEM parts. There are two factory calipers that are more powerful than the ones you have and will also bolt directly to your stock mounting points, the '94 to '95 Legend coupe calipers and the bad-ass looking (yet overpriced) NSX calipers. Both are a two-piston design, which not only translates to more braking power, but even distribution of force as well. The pistons in the Legend calipers are 2mm larger in diameter than the NSX offerings (more power), but they're cast iron, while the NSX versions are cast aluminum (meaning less unsprung weight). The debate over which of these two calipers is the better will likely never be resolved. Match a set of the calipers of your choice with some rotors and a set of steel braided brake lines for the linear pedal feel you're looking for and you'll be more than satisfied with the results.

The second option is for guys like myself who can't help but think that modding a minivan is the coolest thing since fuel injection. Since your front brakes are identical to so many other vehicles, you can use aftermarket brake kits made for those vehicles on your ride. If there is any vehicle in the world that may have too many big brake kit options, it has to be the Integra Type R. How sick would a set of 13-inch Wilwoods, Stoptechs, Brembos, or APs look in the wheel well of an Ody? The major concern in this case would be money. Not only do most of these kits cost upwards of $2,000 or more, you'll have to buy a set of 17-inch+ wheels to fit over them. The OEM option will let you rock the stockers and no one would be the wiser.

As far as the rears go, drop the dated doorstops that came stock on it and upgrade to rear disks. All you need to do is get trailing arms from a newer Odyssey that had factory equipped rear disks and bolt them on. You'll also need the e-brake cables and the proportioning valve from the newer model. These parts should be readily available at a salvage yard or on the Internet.

Last but not least, your headlights. Stock halogen headlights suck. Upgrade to HID's and you'll never look back. You can get a kit that will plug right into your existing headlights for a few hundred dollars. This kit will brighten the intensity of your headlights but will not alter the direction in which the light is dispersed. One trick way to do it is to retrofit a set of projector HID's from a BMW, Mercedes, Acura, etc. There's even a company that now specializes in this, The Retrofit Source (www.theretrofitsource.com). The projector setup will focus the light where you need it most and provide a cutoff line so you won't be lighting up the street signs as well as the street.

Let us know which direction you decide to go. Maybe someday after you drop the big brakes and some bad ass 18s on there, throw some CL Type-S heads and a six speed tranny in the mix, slam on a Fabulous kit and some Recaros, we might be bangin' on your door for a feature. - Dr Barrios