The impact driver sold at Sears works just fine to remove the screws. If they are siezed, it is the hardest part of the job. An impact driver, used properly and in conjunction with penetrating oil (PB Blaster, Liquid Wrench), makes their removal easier.

 

i just did the fronts this weekend. bought the impact screwdriver from harbor freight and now the bit is stuck.... haha one time use is true.

the screwdriver worked for my passenger side but i couldn't get the screws off my driver's side. ended up drilling the head with a 1/4" bit and using a 3lb sledge to knock the rotor free.

to the OP, a 2.5 to 3 lb sledgehammer or dead blow hammer and wood block to knock the rotors loose is helpful too.

 

Hammerdrills are key for getting the screws out. If you have to drill a stuck one out, they are available from honda for about 50 cents a pop. My local dealer had a bunch in stock for me

 

LOL, this couldn't be more true. You may just want to skip ahead to step 3 and be done with it. I tried #1 & 2 and was able to get only one of the screws out. A hammer drill is NOT the answer as I tried it as well and only managed to destroy screws or drill bits (based on whichever was weaker.) PB Blaster and the impact driver may have been effective if I took extra time, but I was in a time crunch. Between the drill and driver I destroyed 6-7 bits.

I eventually drilled out all the screws with a 1/8" bit to get things started and used a step-down bit to get a nice cylindrical cut. It took 30 minutes to drill out 7 screws. I did not and will not install new screws on any car. As long as the wheel is on the car the rotor is good to go.

BTW, my car is garaged, seldom sees rainy days, and has never seen snow...

 

it doesnt matter at all. when i am talking about the caliper, i am referring to the bracket that holds the caliper in place.

 

i left the screws off but kept them in my tool box if the rotors do happen to come loose. i just remove the screw after the pad change.

 

I have done this a few times in my old Civic, and I mean HOT. A few washers and lugs hold everything in place just fine. Two reasons:

1) I hate screws.
2) Both brands of aftermarket rotors that used on the Civic didn't come with screw holes. They had the threaded holes for removal, but no screw holes. I'm surprised that aftermarket/performance rotors for the s2k come with screw holes. I can't speak on it as I haven't gotten to that stage yet...

It all depends on what you prefer, but I have zero interest in dealing w/ screws except for removing them on the 1st rotor turn/replacement. Washers+lugs FTW!

 

yep, just wear gloves (which you should always do anyway) and use a lug nut or two

 

Wait ... you can get the rotors swapped with the upper caliper bolt still installed but just loosened, and the caliper rotated up? I can't count how many front rotors I've replaced, but I never even thought to try that. Huh.

As for the screws, I've swapped rotors at the track many times both with and without the screws installed. The only problems have been when the screws were installed and didn't want to come loose.

Not having the screws is not a problem.

 

LOL! In all sincerity, I'm sure you're more knowledgeable than me based on your user age, the fact that you teach classes, and probably spend more time on a track in a month than I have in my life. I won't argue any further than this: a lot of people can agree that when these things seize it will cause quite a PITA, especially for your average joe who would need the answer to this question and will never see enough track time to need to change pads on the fly.