Why Does the Civic Type R Need ColdForge Pads?

The Honda Civic Type R has been a class leading hot hatch for over 20 years, with the latest FL5 model putting out up to 325hp from a 2.0L VTEC Turbo and employing a sophisticated braking system centred around the tried and tested Brembo M4 style caliper on the front axle. Although not purely “brake-by-wire”, this system employs what Honda calls the ‘Agile Handling Assist’ to apply light braking torque to enhance cornering. While this certainly improves handling performance, feedback has increasingly shown that this often comes at the cost of your pads and calipers, with many drivers reporting:

• Substantial pad wear
• Excessive pad temperatures leading to brake fade even after short track runs
• Extreme caliper heat leading to brake fluid boil and caliper damage

Brake performance is clearly a substantial challenge on the Type R, with many drivers opting for aftermarket caliper upgrades, but before going to those extremes, Tribol’s ColdForge Carbon CF-3 brake pads can take care of all your heat related worries. By combining a track spec compound with a highly insulating backplate you get:

• Unrivalled pedal consistency from the first corner to the last lap
• A best-in-class thermal barrier keeping heat out of your caliper and brake fluid
• A 1kg reduction in unsprung mass on your front axle

And it’s not just us who feel that way – Phil Crafford, owner of Dream Automotive, the leading Civic Type R tuning shop in Europe, spent a day beasting our pads on his custom Civic Type R earlier this year and had this to say:

“It was a different feeling to what I’ve been used to currently, it was there all the time, it responded and it bit very very well, I haven’t been able to fade them all day.”

Be sure to check out Dream Automotive on their website, Youtube and Instagram – and don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter to make sure you don’t get caught in traffic when our pads go up for pre-order this summer!

About the Author

Dr Sam Erland
CEO & Co-founder, Tribol Braking

Dr Sam Erland is the CEO and Co-founder of Tribol Braking. With over a decade of experience in the composites industry, Sam has worked across both aerospace and automotive sectors, specialising in the practical challenges of manufacturing advanced composite materials at scale.

His background sits at the intersection of materials engineering and real-world application – bridging the gap between what composites can do in theory and what they can deliver in demanding environments.

That focus ultimately led to the creation of Tribol Braking, where Sam applies his expertise to bringing high-performance composite solutions into braking systems – an area long dominated by conventional steel.