Wilwood Dynalite 12.2" Big Brake Kit Install (Honda Civic Si / Acura RSX)

Before touching the car, lay out every part and confirm nothing is missing: rotors (aluminum hats plus iron rings), calipers, pads, stainless flex lines, hard-line fitting adapters, caliper mounting brackets, and the assorted bolts and washers. Use the kit's instruction sheet to identify left/right side-specific pieces and set them apart so nothing gets swapped later. Bolt each rotor ring to its hat following the sheet, then torque those fasteners to 180 in-lb. Note the correction here: the original writeup listed 180 ft-lb, but a later builder snapped a bolt at that figure and confirmed the correct value is 180 in-lb. Use an inch-pound wrench, not a foot-pound one.

Once the hat-to-ring bolts are torqued, secure them with stainless safety wire so vibration cannot let them back out; a loose bolt at this joint can destroy the rotor and is dangerous at speed. Route the wire so tension on each bolt pulls it in the tightening direction. This step is tedious but not optional and was omitted from the original writeup.

Check that every bleed screw sits straight in its caliper bore. Leave them alone: they are set with thread sealant, and breaking that seal causes leaks under pressure. Be aware these calipers bleed through the black insert inside the brass fittings rather than a conventional external nipple. If a bleeder looks cross-threaded, contact the supplier for a replacement caliper before you install anything, rather than discovering the leak after the kit is on the car.

Loosen the 12mm bolt that clamps the stock brake-line bracket to the chassis to free up some slack, and keep that bolt for reuse later. Behind the rotor, back out the two 17mm bolts holding the caliper. Slide the caliper off the rotor with its pads and rest it on a suspension arm or hang it so the still-attached brake line is not strained.

Seat an impact driver in each of the two countersunk screws on the rotor face and strike it to break them loose; penetrating oil and a helper holding the rotor from spinning make this much easier. Remove both screws and keep them, then pull the rotor off the hub.

Open the master-cylinder reservoir cap so fluid can drop as the circuit is opened. Place a jar under the caliper, release the banjo bolt at the stock caliper, and let the old fluid drain into it. At the hard line, pull the retaining clip out with pliers and break the 10mm flare nut loose using a proper flare-nut wrench. Vice grips will work in a pinch but risk rounding the fitting, so avoid them if you can. Unscrew the line and keep the clip; it reinstalls later.

Thread the supplied fitting adapter onto the hard-line fitting where the 10mm flare nut used to sit, then thread the new stainless flex line onto that adapter and snug it with a 13mm wrench. Reseat the retaining clip or tab, tapping it lightly until it locks back into place.

Install the kit's caliper bracket at the two holes vacated by the 17mm caliper bolts, orienting it as shown on the instruction sheet. Stack the hardware in exactly the order the diagram specifies, typically crush washer, then large ring washer, then metal bushing, and tighten with the provided bolts.

Slide the assembled two-piece rotor onto the hub and secure it with the original countersunk screws using the impact driver. Directional rotors carry a rotation arrow; mount so the arrow matches the wheel's forward rotation. If the arrow appears to contradict the kit's slot diagram, follow the arrow.

Drop the pads into the caliper and lock them in with the retaining cotter pin, making sure everything seats squarely. Thread the elbow line adapter into the port at the rear of the caliper, behind the sticker marked "peel off." It is a pipe thread, so wrap it with PTFE tape or apply sealant, and run it in at least halfway before it tightens. Orient the outlet upward to make connecting the flex line easier.

Set the caliper over the rotor, aligning it against the bracket that is already mounted on the car. Install the two supplied black caliper bolts using the washer sequence shown in the diagram and tighten them down. One side may drop on easily while the other needs light tapping to clear the bracket and rotor.

Thread the stainless flex line into the caliper elbow and snug it gently. Clamp the flex-line bracket back to the chassis with the 12mm bolt you saved during removal, and check that the hose stays clear of suspension travel and the tire throughout its range.

Carry out the whole procedure on the opposite corner. Refill the reservoir with Castrol DOT 3/4 fluid and bleed each caliper through the black insert in the brass fitting until the pedal is firm and no air comes out, keeping the reservoir topped up so it never runs dry. Bed the pads in with progressively firmer stops before any hard driving.