Our Top Recommended Big Brake Upgrade Kits For Your Honda Civic
The Civic is one of the two or three cars we get asked about most, and it is the one where the first question is different. On most cars we start with the wheels. On a Civic we start with which Civic, because the range on our shelves runs from the EE9 through the EG, EJ and EK, on to the EP3 and FN2 Type R, the FK and FN hatches and the FD2, and the kits are listed per generation.
Get the generation right and the rest is a straightforward ladder. Below are the five kits we would actually fit, from the two brands we lean on: Tarox in northern Italy and HiSpec Motorsport in Dartford. The full Civic range is on the site if you want to browse it raw.
- Every kit here is a complete front conversion: calipers, two piece discs, brackets and fitting hardware
- Tarox list the Civic by generation, so the chassis code decides which listing is yours
- Minimum wheel sizes run from 16 inch at 300mm up to 18 inch on the biggest kit, and they are set by the kit, not by the car
- Tarox kits arrive with braided hoses and Corsa pads fitted; HiSpec price theirs without so you pick the compound
What is on this page
Two brands, two ways of building a brake kit
Both machine their own calipers from billet aluminium and both build for the specific car. The differences are in the detail, and the detail is what you are choosing between.
Tarox
Built at the Tarox factory in northern Italy. Calipers CNC machined from European billet alloy and hand assembled, discs heat treated, CNC faced and hand balanced to 0.05mm. Kits arrive complete, with vehicle specific braided hoses and Corsa pads already fitted, and Tarox state compatibility with ABS and ESP. Listed per Civic generation.
HiSpec Motorsport
Machined in Dartford from aerospace grade billet aluminium, calipers and pistons both. Made to order, with the calipers finished in your choice of black, gold, silver, blue or red. Pads and braided hoses are priced separately so you choose the compound to suit how the car is used.
Which Civic have you got
This is the part worth two minutes before you look at prices. Tarox build to the chassis code, and the code is what decides which listing fits your car. If you are not certain which you have, the V5 and the year will get us there on the phone in a minute.
| Generation | Roughly | Tarox kits we list |
|---|---|---|
| EE9 | Late 80s and early 90s | 306mm, 318mm, 325mm |
| EG53, EG63, EG95 | Early to mid 90s | 306mm, 318mm, 325mm |
| EJ1, EJ6, EJ8 | Mid 90s | 306mm, 318mm, 325mm |
| EK4 | Late 90s | 318mm |
| EP3 Type R | 2001 to 2005 | 300mm, 318mm, 330mm |
| FN2 Type R | 2007 to 2011 | 300mm, 318mm, 330mm |
| FK2, FK3, FN1 | 2006 onwards | 315mm, 340mm |
| FD2 Type R | The saloon Type R | 340mm |
HiSpec take a different approach and list most of their Civic kits generically, with a few called out for the EK and the Type R. That means the fitment conversation on a HiSpec kit happens with us rather than through the listing title, which is the honest way to put it.
The wheel question, answered honestly
Here is the useful part, and it is worth understanding once. The smallest wheel a kit will go behind is decided by the kit itself, the disc and the caliper sitting over it. It does not change from car to car. So a figure published against one car holds for every car that kit is listed against, which is why the table below can give you real numbers instead of a shrug.
One thing to watch on the Tarox side. Tarox publish their minimum per kit, and the figure is not always the same for the same disc size, because the caliper and the application differ. The two 340mm kits we list for the Civic are exactly that case, so that row gives you both numbers. What nobody can publish is depth: a spoke can sit close to a caliper on a wheel of exactly the right diameter, and that is the check worth doing before you order.
| Kit | Disc | Smallest wheel |
|---|---|---|
| HiSpec 310mm Billet 4 | 310mm | 16 inch |
| HiSpec 325mm Billet 4 | 325mm | 17 inch |
| HiSpec 325mm Monster 4 | 325mm | 17 inch |
| HiSpec 335mm Monster 6 | 335mm | 17 inch |
| Tarox 300mm and 306mm Sport | 300 / 306mm | 16 inch |
| Tarox 340mm Super Sport | 340mm | 17 or 18 inch, depending on the kit |
HiSpec 310mm Billet 4: the sensible way in
The cheapest route to a proper conversion on a Civic, and for a lot of road cars it is enough. The Billet 4 is HiSpec’s most popular caliper, a four piston design they have built for years, CNC machined from billet so it stays rigid where a cast caliper flexes. Behind it sits a 310mm two piece disc, which is a serious step over anything the standard car ran.
At £1,130.00 inc VAT this is several hundred pounds under the entry Tarox, and it is the kit we suggest most often to somebody upgrading a road going Civic that sees the occasional track evening.
- £1,130.00 inc VAT
- 310mm two piece discs
- Four piston billet Billet 4 calipers, five colours
- Brackets and fitting hardware in the box, pads and hoses priced separately
- Clears a 16 inch wheel
HiSpec 325mm: Billet 4 or Monster 4
The next rung, and where the money starts to go further. Both kits run a 325mm disc; the difference is the caliper. The Billet 4 at £1,470.00 is the same family as the 310mm kit with more disc. The Monster 4 at £1,596.00 uses a pad a third longer than the Billet 4, which puts more material against the disc and takes more heat before anything starts to fade.
Garreth’s view: on a road car that does a couple of track days a year, the Billet 4 is plenty and the extra £126 is better spent on a decent pad. If the car is genuinely being driven hard, take the Monster.
- Billet 4 at £1,470.00, Monster 4 at £1,596.00, both inc VAT
- 325mm two piece discs on both
- Monster 4 carries the longer pad and more clamp
- Pads and hoses priced separately, so budget for both
Tarox 306mm and 300mm Sport: the complete kit
This is where Tarox start, and it is the easiest kit on the page to buy because everything is in the box, down to the braided hoses and the Corsa pads already sitting in the calipers. Six piston billet calipers, two piece floating discs balanced to 0.05mm, and you pick the disc face and caliper colour when you order.
Which one you want depends on the car. The 306mm kit at £1,882.67 covers the older Civics, the EE9 through the EG and EJ. The 300mm kit at £1,986.49 is the Type R fitment for the EP3 and FN2. Same idea, different brackets, and the listings are separate for exactly that reason.
- 306mm for older Civics at £1,882.67 inc VAT
- 300mm for the EP3 and FN2 Type R at £1,986.49 inc VAT
- Corsa pads and braided hoses included and fitted
- Six piston billet calipers, hand assembled in Italy
- Discs hand balanced to 0.05mm, four face styles to choose
HiSpec 335mm Monster 6: the track pick
When the Civic is doing proper track work, this is our HiSpec answer. The Monster 6 is the six piston version of the Monster 4: same pad size, but up to 63 per cent more piston area, which means more clamp and a firmer pedal that stays consistent as the temperature climbs. The 335mm disc gives more leverage and more surface to shed heat into.
We list it both generically and specifically for the Type R at the same price, so pick the listing that matches your car and we will confirm the bracket before it is built.
- £1,773.00 inc VAT, either listing
- 335mm two piece discs
- Six piston Monster 6 calipers, up to 63% more piston area than the Monster 4
- High temperature seals and stainless wear plates
- Pads and hoses priced separately
Tarox 340mm Super Sport: the flagship
The biggest brake either brand lists for the Civic, and the one for an FD2, an FN1 or an FK running serious pace. The Super Sport uses sequentially sized pistons so the pad wears evenly and the pedal stays consistent when everything is hot, on a 340mm two piece floating disc.
One word on the name, because it matters. The listing calls it the 10 pot, which is what the older B34 design ran. Read the description and the specification and both say eight pistons, which is what actually arrives. We have flagged the titles internally; in the meantime, the kit is an eight piston caliper and a very good one.
- £2,610.00 inc VAT, complete
- 340mm two piece floating discs
- Eight sequentially sized pistons, despite the 10 pot in the title
- Corsa pads and braided hoses included and fitted
- Listed for the FD2, FN1, FK2 and FK3
The bigger kits
Three more sit alongside the five above. HiSpec’s 360mm Monster 6 is the largest disc they list for the Civic. Tarox’s 330mm Sport is the step up for the EP3 and FN2 Type R, and their 315mm covers the FK2, FK3 and FN1. All three are big wheel territory, and at this end of the range we would rather talk the build through with you before you order.
What is actually in each box
The headline prices sit further apart than the finished builds do. HiSpec price without pads or hoses so you choose the compound; Tarox include both, with the pads already fitted. Spec the two level and the gap narrows, so compare the finished build.
| In the box | HiSpec | Tarox |
|---|---|---|
| Calipers | Billet 4 or Monster 4 / 6, billet aluminium | Six or eight piston, billet alloy, hand assembled |
| Discs | Two piece, with mounting bells | Two piece floating, balanced to 0.05mm |
| Brackets and hardware | Included | Included |
| Braided hoses | Priced separately | Included |
| Pads | Priced separately, your choice of compound | Corsa pads, fitted |
| Caliper finish | Black, gold, silver, blue or red | Black, red, blue, green or gold anodised |
| Listed by | Mostly generic, some Type R specific | Chassis code, generation by generation |
Every kit on this page compared
| Kit | Disc | Caliper | Pads and hoses | Price inc VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HiSpec 310 Billet 4 | 310mm | 4 piston | Extra | £1,130.00 |
| HiSpec 325 Billet 4 | 325mm | 4 piston | Extra | £1,470.00 |
| HiSpec 325 Monster 4 | 325mm | 4 piston, longer pad | Extra | £1,596.00 |
| HiSpec 335 Monster 6 | 335mm | 6 piston | Extra | £1,773.00 |
| HiSpec 360 Monster 6 | 360mm | 6 piston | Extra | £1,863.00 |
| Tarox 306 Sport | 306mm | 6 piston | Included | £1,882.67 |
| Tarox 300 Sport, Type R | 300mm | 6 piston | Included | £1,986.49 |
| Tarox 315 Sport | 315mm | 6 piston | Included | £2,045.00 |
| Tarox 330 Sport, Type R | 330mm | 6 piston | Included | £2,280.00 |
| Tarox 340 Super Sport | 340mm | 8 piston | Included | £2,610.00 |
Prices include VAT and were correct on 12 August 2026. Minimum wheel sizes are in the table higher up the page, and because they come from the kit they hold whatever car it is going on. Choosing the disc face at the same time? The disc guide covers it, and the pad compound guide covers what to put in a HiSpec kit.
Common questions
Which kit fits my Civic?
On the Tarox side, find your chassis code in the table above and the listing will say it. On the HiSpec side most listings are generic to the Civic, so tell us the year, the model and whether it is a Type R and we will confirm the bracket before anything is built. The V5 answers all of it.
Will it clear my wheels?
On diameter, yes, and the table earlier on the page has it: 16 inch from 300mm, 17 inch from 325mm, and 17 or 18 inch on the 340mm depending which kit you take. Those figures come from the kit, so they hold whatever car it goes on. Depth is the part a listing cannot answer, because a spoke can sit close to a caliper on a wheel of exactly the right diameter. Give us the make, model and size of your wheels and Cameron will check the specific kit against them before it goes to build.
Why is the Tarox so much more than the HiSpec?
Two reasons. The Tarox kits include the braided hoses and a set of Corsa pads already fitted, where the HiSpec price is for the kit alone. And they are built and hand assembled in Italy to a different specification. Spec a HiSpec kit with pads and hoses and the gap narrows, though it does not close. For a lot of road cars the HiSpec is the better buy and we will say so.
The 340mm kit says 10 pot. How many pistons does it have?
Eight. The 10 pot in the title refers to the older B34 design; the current caliper uses eight sequentially sized pistons, which is what both the product description and the specification say. We have flagged the titles for correction. The kit itself is not in question, only the name on the listing.
Do I need to change the rear brakes as well?
Usually not. The front axle does the overwhelming majority of the braking, and on most Civics a front conversion with a decent pad transforms the car on its own. Rear upgrades earn their place on heavier cars and on cars used hard on circuit, where you are chasing balance. Ask us before you spend, because the answer is often no.
How long does a kit take to arrive?
HiSpec kits are made to order in Dartford, so allow a few weeks. Tarox kits are built for the specific car in Italy and lead times move through the year. Ask when you order and we will give you the current picture instead of a guess.
What we would actually fit
On a road going Civic, the 310mm Billet 4 at £1,130.00, and put the difference into a decent pad. That is the answer for most of the cars we get asked about, and it is a big step over standard. If the car is driven hard, move up to the 325mm Monster 4. For a Civic doing regular track days, the 335mm Monster 6 is the one that stops fading when the session gets long.
If you want one box with nothing left to add, the Tarox Sport kit for your generation is the tidiest package here, hoses and pads included. And on an FD2 or a quick FK, the 340mm Super Sport suits what those cars are.
Whichever way you lean, ring us on 0115 9893488 with the chassis code and your wheel details before you order. On this car those two things decide everything, and it takes about five minutes to get them both right.