Honda Civic EK (1996-2000) brake interchange: rear disc conversion and Si front brakes

Published 2026-11-09 · Updated 2026-11-09

Can I put rear disc brakes on a 1996-2000 Civic?

Short answer: Owners say yes, with work. Forum posters bolt complete rear disc trailing arms from a 1995 Integra LS onto drum-brake 1996-98 Civics. They also needed Si brake hoses, matching parking-brake cables, new trailing-arm bushings, rotors and pads, and kept the Civic lower control arms. A Si proportioning valve is called helpful, not essential. This is forum-reported only (tier 1); Honda's 1999 Si press release confirms the Si shipped with 9.4-inch rear discs.

Guide · 5 sources · Facts as of 2026-11-09

What Honda says the Si had

Facts as of 2026-11-09. Honda's dated Feb. 10, 1999 press release for the 1999 Civic Si describes four-wheel power disc brakes: 10.7-inch ventilated discs in front and 9.4-inch discs at the rear, behind 15-inch alloys with 195/55R15 tires. It covers the 1999 model only and says nothing about parts numbers or what bolts onto other trims. Lower trims such as the DX used rear drums; this page is about swapping from those.

Rear disc conversion: what owners report

Everything in this section comes from owner forum threads (tier 1). No Honda document describes the conversion, so treat it as a lead for your own research, not a verified fit.

Donor: In one thread, owners of a 1996 EX and a 1998 EX describe using rear disc trailing arms from a 1995 Integra LS. A separate poster says the Integra arm bolts on and that rear calipers from 1992+ Civics and 1994+ Integras can be used.
Interchange claim: a moderator-level poster in a different thread says rear disc setups from 1988-2000 Civics and 1990-2001 Integras (except Type R) are more or less the same, with the 1990-93 Integra the odd one out (different bushings and probably caliper and hose). We did not find a second source for this.
Other parts: Si brake hoses (steel braided or rubber), disc-type parking-brake cables, new trailing-arm bushings, and new rotors and pads. Calipers should be replaced if worn.
Proportioning valve: one poster calls the Si valve not extremely necessary but helpful and says the EX and Si valves are very similar; another says it is not needed unless you also upgrade the fronts. A separate EG-side source says it is needed, so this is a disagreement (see the EG guide).
Lower control arms: keep your Civic ones. One poster says Si arms are the same and Integra arms will not work. Single-source claim.
Difficulty: bolts are often seized or cut; posters report snapped bolts, welding nuts onto cut studs, and a job that took a day longer than planned. Old trailing-arm bushings are rusted in and must be burned or pressed out.
ABS cars: one poster says to check the ABS sensors on the arms. We found no source on ABS compatibility beyond that.

Front brakes: Si on a non-Si EK

Unresolved. Honda's press release gives the 1999 Si 10.7-inch front rotors. A del Sol fan site chart lists the 1999-2000 Si as the 10.3-inch brakes and calls them a bolt-on. Those figures conflict, the fan site's chart has visible errors elsewhere, and it was unreachable on our last recheck (our claim rests on the earlier read). No source we read confirms knuckle compatibility on DX/LX cars. Verify the part numbers and rotor size with a parts catalog before buying.

One verified part: the rear trailing-arm bushing

Honda's service bulletin 00-006 (rear clunk or squeak over bumps) lists a single trailing-arm bushing, 52385-SR3-000, for 1988-2000 Civic, so the EG/EK part is shared. That is a bushing, not the brake conversion.

Related safety items

NHTSA recall 96V-106 covers a sticking brake booster check valve on 1996 Civics (check your VIN), and Honda TSB 03-078 explains a brake warning light that appears after a cold start. Brakes are safety-critical: have any conversion inspected and bled by someone qualified, and do not rely on this page as installation instructions.

What we could not confirm

A Honda parts catalog or bulletin listing the disc trailing arm and cable part numbers for a drum EK
Whether a del Sol Si/VTEC arm fits an EK (only a general interchange claim was found)
Whether Si front brakes bolt onto a DX/LX knuckle, and the real Si rotor size (10.7 vs 10.3 inch conflict)
ABS compatibility and whether a master cylinder or booster change is needed

Fitment answers covered by this guide

Question	Answer	Confidence
Will OEM rear disc brake on its trailing arm from a 1999-2000 Civic Si fit a Honda Civic EK (1996-2000)?	Fits with mods Yes, with extra parts or work	Limited
Will OEM rear disc brake on its trailing arm (hub, caliper, rotor 42510-SR3-A11) from a Civic del Sol Si / VTEC fit a Honda Civic EK (1996-2000)?	Fits with mods Yes, with extra parts or work	Limited
Will OEM rear disc trailing arm assembly from a 1994-01 Integra (non-Type R) fit a Honda Civic EK (1996-2000)?	Fits with mods Yes, with extra parts or work	Limited
Will OEM rear lower control arm from a 1994-01 Integra fit a Honda Civic EK (1996-2000)?	Doesn't fit No	Limited
Will OEM front brakes (rotor, caliper, bracket) from a 1999-2000 Civic Si fit a Honda Civic EK (1996-2000)?	Unclear Unclear	Limited
Will Honda rear trailing arm bushing 52385-SR3-000 (1988-2000 Civic, 1993-97 del Sol) fit a Honda Civic EK (1996-2000)?	Fits Yes	Confirmed

FAQ

Do Integra lower control arms swap over with the trailing arms?

A forum poster says no: keep the Civic rear lower control arms (Si ones are reported to be the same). Single-source claim.

Do I need a Si proportioning valve for a rear disc swap?

Posters disagree. EK-thread posters call it helpful but not essential unless you also upgrade the front brakes; an EG-side source says it is needed. We rate it unclear.

What brakes did the 1999 Civic Si have?

Honda's Feb. 1999 press release lists 10.7-inch ventilated front discs and 9.4-inch rear discs.

Will Si front brakes fit a DX or LX Civic EK?

Unconfirmed. Sources conflict on the Si rotor size (10.7 in. per Honda, 10.3 in. per a fan site) and none confirms knuckle fit on non-Si cars.

Is the rear disc conversion verified by Honda?

No. It is owner-reported only; Honda's documents confirm only what the Si shipped with.

Keep exploring

Sources

1999 Honda Civic Si press release (Feb. 10, 1999): engine, chassis, wheel and brake details — Honda press release, reproduced by The Auto Channel (mfr spec; read 2026-11-09; full page read)
American Honda press release dated Feb. 10, 1999 (Chicago Auto Show), reproduced by The Auto Channel. Typed mfr_spec for its printed spec values only (editor ruling 4): 1999 Si, 1.6 L DOHC VTEC, 160 hp, 8,000 rpm redline, 111 lb-ft at 7,000 rpm, 15-inch machine-finished alloys with 195/55R15, four-wheel discs (10.7 in. front, 9.4 in. rear), 26 mm front stabilizer bar, front strut tower brace. Marketing wording is not used as a spec. Covers the 1999 model only; gives no engine code, body style or peak-power rpm.
98 Civic rear disc brake conversion part list — Honda-Tech forum (forum thread; read 2026-11-09; full page read)
92-95 rear drum/disk trailing arm question(s) — Honda-Tech forum (forum thread; read 2026-11-09; full page read)
Honda brake upgrade information (fan site chart) — Del Sol fan site (editorial; read 2026-10-26; full page read)
Fan-site chart with visible errors (lists the 99-01 Integra Type R as 5x100 and 96-98 as 4x114); used only for the 10.3 in. bolt-on claim and the rear trailing-arm note. Connect timeout on the 2026-10-26 calibration recheck; claims rest on the earlier read.
Honda TSB 00-006: Rear suspension clunk/squeak on bumps (1988-2000 Civic, 1993-97 del Sol, 1997-01 CR-V) — American Honda (service bulletin) via Operation CHARM (mfr spec; read 2026-10-26; full page read)
American Honda service bulletin 00-006 (March 31, 2006), read in full as a complete text copy hosted on Operation CHARM (charm.li); bulletin number and issue date shown; figures not reproduced. Covers EG, del Sol and EK. mfr_spec only for the facts printed in it.

Summaries are in our own words. Fitment is not guaranteed; wheels, hubs and suspension are safety-critical. Disclaimer.

Report a correction — spotted an error or have a better source? Email hello@chassisdex.com.