Better pads, rotors(not drilled, slotted for daily drivers), fresh fluid, and tires.
Folks have various opinions on what brands are best.
Folks have various opinions on what brands are best.
'08 brake upgrade
My biggest complaint with my '08 2.5i 5spd is how crappy the brakes are when coming to a hard stop, for one reason or another. What are my options when it comes to upgrading? Something simple as upgrading brake pads or a full XT conversion? I done a little research but I guess I'm looking for advice from member who have done something to their 3rd gen.
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XTs do not have different brakes- one of the weakest points of the XT, given the powertrain involved.
Better pads are a great start. Fresh fluid & better tires help too. I got a nice boost in quickstop stability when I replaced the lower control arm bushings.
You could also convert to Legacy GT brakes- that's an easy bolt-up. There are also ways of putting WRX brakes in but I have no details.
I upgraded to Wilwood calipers on LGT rotors. Expensive and they will only fit with certain rims, and the caliper mount adapters are no longer available. The fabricator is looking into a 2nd production run currently. With this setup, the stopping is incredible- but I am having noise issues which I hope to eliminate with an alternate pad.
A guy i know has also added the Grimmspeed master cylinder bracket, which stiffens up the firewall/master cylinder interface. He claims that it's a huge improvement- I'm thinking that will be my next trick.
Better pads are a great start. Fresh fluid & better tires help too. I got a nice boost in quickstop stability when I replaced the lower control arm bushings.
You could also convert to Legacy GT brakes- that's an easy bolt-up. There are also ways of putting WRX brakes in but I have no details.
I upgraded to Wilwood calipers on LGT rotors. Expensive and they will only fit with certain rims, and the caliper mount adapters are no longer available. The fabricator is looking into a 2nd production run currently. With this setup, the stopping is incredible- but I am having noise issues which I hope to eliminate with an alternate pad.
A guy i know has also added the Grimmspeed master cylinder bracket, which stiffens up the firewall/master cylinder interface. He claims that it's a huge improvement- I'm thinking that will be my next trick.
yeah, I've read of one person that noticed an improvement with a MC bracket. He had some braking issues towing on mountain roads and was investigating a lot of upgrade ideas..
on your list of pads to try/research, put Stoptech Street Performance, they grab from cold (at least the lower20s) but are still easy to modulate. They are affordable too.
run stickier tires, even if they have worse tread life. Tires stop your car, brakes stop the wheels.
on your list of pads to try/research, put Stoptech Street Performance, they grab from cold (at least the lower20s) but are still easy to modulate. They are affordable too.
run stickier tires, even if they have worse tread life. Tires stop your car, brakes stop the wheels.
Start off with the cheep upgrades/ maintenance and work up from there. So, Start with COMPLETELY flushing the brake system. I used my brother's vac bleeder and you will be amazed on how much crap I sucked out of the brake system and how much air and water was sucked out. That alone made a huge difference in the pedal feel and stopping power.
Next up would be new pads. I like the Hawk HPS, while they are dusty, they have good initial bite and have a very linear friction vs brake pressure feel.
Next would be SS brake lines.
Next up would be new pads. I like the Hawk HPS, while they are dusty, they have good initial bite and have a very linear friction vs brake pressure feel.
Next would be SS brake lines.
Legacy gt brakes would be very easy and make a decent difference.
You can always swap a set of hub units and brake parts from STi or Tribeca, just sayin'. Will need new wheels though.
Thanks for all the tips. Very helpful.
I am upgrading my 06 OBXTs brakes to Wilwood fronts and legacy gt rears. Does anyone know if my ob parking brakes will work with the legacy rotors? Sorry for the thread jack!
I can't imagine why Subaru would use a different parking brake between the nearly identical platforms vs simply a larger disc that fits their standard parking brake unit which is probably the very same unit used across all their models except maybe the Tribeca.I am upgrading my 06 OBXTs brakes to Wilwood fronts and legacy gt rears. Does anyone know if my ob parking brakes will work with the legacy rotors? Sorry for the thread jack!
I bet it is identical
Thanks Subiesailor, that's what I was hoping to hear, just need to find out for sure.
It is -I can't imagine why Subaru would use a different parking brake between the nearly identical platforms vs simply a larger disc that fits their standard parking brake unit which is probably the very same unit used across all their models except maybe the Tribeca.
I bet it is identical
R180 / DCCD cars (except '95 STi Ra) tend to have the Large parking brake / BIG rear axles combos but all others (? tribeca) have the same small parking brake.
I did the 2005 LGT (2006-2007 WRX rear rotor) conversion on my 2003 Legacy L-SE everything was bolt-on, BUT you have to use 2005+ LGT calipers / caliper brackets.
2005 LGT Front/Rear brakes = cheap upgrade but you need 17" wheels + they are ugly.
I use 4pots on my OBS-t with project u pads + a simple JDM STi Vented rear rotor / stock pad set-up + braided lines / superblue fluid & the braking power on my wagon is INSANE - part of my demo ride is stopping & everyone that gets in the car LOVES the brakes, I plan on doing the 2 pot rear conversion to get rid of the ugly 1 pot rear rotors. Our '02 WRX with HPS pads / always fresh fluid does not even come close to the stopping power on the OBS-t.
Common front brake upgrade in Japan that slots between brembos & 4pots is to use 2005 LGT front rotors with 300zx 4pot calipers - they actually sell adapter brackets for this conversion over there.
I have a nice set of aluminum 300ZX 4pots sitting in the garage & was planning on making a set of adapter brackets but have changed plans on this conversion as I want to stick to 15" wheels on my OBS-t which already is running Subaru 4pots.
If anyone would like to do the 300zx conversion PM me...
I use 4pots on my OBS-t with project u pads + a simple JDM STi Vented rear rotor / stock pad set-up + braided lines / superblue fluid & the braking power on my wagon is INSANE - part of my demo ride is stopping & everyone that gets in the car LOVES the brakes, I plan on doing the 2 pot rear conversion to get rid of the ugly 1 pot rear rotors. Our '02 WRX with HPS pads / always fresh fluid does not even come close to the stopping power on the OBS-t.
Common front brake upgrade in Japan that slots between brembos & 4pots is to use 2005 LGT front rotors with 300zx 4pot calipers - they actually sell adapter brackets for this conversion over there.
I have a nice set of aluminum 300ZX 4pots sitting in the garage & was planning on making a set of adapter brackets but have changed plans on this conversion as I want to stick to 15" wheels on my OBS-t which already is running Subaru 4pots.
If anyone would like to do the 300zx conversion PM me...
[resurrection]
Bringing this to life cuz its the first post I found in my search that was relevant.
Having said that - if anyone has updates on what was discussed here, I'd be interested in hearing how things turned out - LGT upgrade, willwood w/brakets, 300zx 4pots, etc.
For me, I'm in a 07 2.5i and need to do brakes and rotors so I am exploring an all around upgrade. Oh, my parking brake is shot too so that partly plays into my interest in what I can do.
So, I don't have nor want to go over the top with the expense here. I will be doing some moderate off-roading but no rallycross or anything of moderate to high speed. I am not towing with this vehicle but could be carrying an additional 400-500 lbs every now and then (so suspension is a different conversation).
From this thread, I gather I can go the LGT route - although it was not specified, I am assuming that is caliper, rotors, and pads and that will bolt up to what I have now.
If my parking brake is salvageable, will that matter or do I have to go with the LGT full array?
Thanks in advance.
Bringing this to life cuz its the first post I found in my search that was relevant.
Having said that - if anyone has updates on what was discussed here, I'd be interested in hearing how things turned out - LGT upgrade, willwood w/brakets, 300zx 4pots, etc.
For me, I'm in a 07 2.5i and need to do brakes and rotors so I am exploring an all around upgrade. Oh, my parking brake is shot too so that partly plays into my interest in what I can do.
So, I don't have nor want to go over the top with the expense here. I will be doing some moderate off-roading but no rallycross or anything of moderate to high speed. I am not towing with this vehicle but could be carrying an additional 400-500 lbs every now and then (so suspension is a different conversation).
From this thread, I gather I can go the LGT route - although it was not specified, I am assuming that is caliper, rotors, and pads and that will bolt up to what I have now.
If my parking brake is salvageable, will that matter or do I have to go with the LGT full array?
Thanks in advance.
Yeah the LGT front swap is very easy. You just need calipers, brackets, pads & rotors from an LGT. Not difficult at all.
I think the parking brake components are identical- I think the rear rotors are identical but not positive, maybe opposed forces catalog will reveal the truth?
To revisit my earlier post- I did put in different pads, and my noise problem changed. As in I still have one, but with different dynamics. Likely to live with it.
I also added the grimmspeed brace and it did add firmness to the pedal.
I think the parking brake components are identical- I think the rear rotors are identical but not positive, maybe opposed forces catalog will reveal the truth?
To revisit my earlier post- I did put in different pads, and my noise problem changed. As in I still have one, but with different dynamics. Likely to live with it.
I also added the grimmspeed brace and it did add firmness to the pedal.
Thank you much!Yeah the LGT front swap is very easy. You just need calipers, brackets, pads & rotors from an LGT. Not difficult at all.
I think the parking brake components are identical- I think the rear rotors are identical but not positive, maybe opposed forces catalog will reveal the truth?
To revisit my earlier post- I did put in different pads, and my noise problem changed. As in I still have one, but with different dynamics. Likely to live with it.
I also added the grimmspeed brace and it did add firmness to the pedal.
Moving to StopTech Street Performance pads is a nice upgrade from stock. They do dust a lot but that's how you know they are working!
Recommend mating them with Centric Premium rotors.
What makes you think your parking brake is shot. The parking brake is adjustable.
Recommend mating them with Centric Premium rotors.
What makes you think your parking brake is shot. The parking brake is adjustable.
Thanks for the feedback.Moving to StopTech Street Performance pads is a nice upgrade from stock. They do dust a lot but that's how you know they are working!
Recommend mating them with Centric Premium rotors.
What makes you think your parking brake is shot. The parking brake is adjustable.
If you don't mind me addressing the parking brake question by linking in the forum to this post where a discussion about this took place - don't want to hi-jack this thread.
http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums...48-new-07-owner-ebrake-hood-latch-issues.html
But, in short, it makes a loud, clunking sound when engaged, pulls real easily, and doesn't do much at all when applied.
Possibly a busted spring, or it has been out of adjustment for so long that the cable fell off the hook on one side and is just knocking around loose. You can get kits with all the parts and just use what you need to rebuild it.Thanks for the feedback.
If you don't mind me addressing the parking brake question by linking in the forum to this post where a discussion about this took place - don't want to hi-jack this thread.
http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums...48-new-07-owner-ebrake-hood-latch-issues.html
But, in short, it makes a loud, clunking sound when engaged, pulls real easily, and doesn't do much at all when applied.
1 - 20 of 34 Posts
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