simple brake questions

[elYk7kYle]

so i have been searching around for about an hour now and found some information but not all that i was looking for... i have a 1990 legacy that needs brakes... i was thinking that since i plan on going with more power soon i might as well just look into upgrading the brakes now.

i was thinking of going with:
16x7" 2.5RS wheels
and
11.4" rotors with pads and callapers
all around

but for starters?:
what are the front and rear break sizes on the car?
how big can you go before needing bigger wheels?
can you use a set up off of a car with abs on a car that is non abs?
and
what brakes are easily swaped over without haveing to change to much?

thanks kyle

[IronMonkeyL255]

so i have been searching around for about an hour now and found some information but not all that i was looking for... i have a 1990 legacy that needs brakes... i was thinking that since i plan on going with more power soon i might as well just look into upgrading the brakes now.

Good idea. Brakes are a good place not to skimp or put off doing.

i was thinking of going with:
16x7" 2.5RS wheels
and
11.4" rotors with pads and calipers
all around

Good choice, since that's basically exactly what I'm running, except I still have the stock Legacy Turbo rear brakes (10.5" vented rears).

but for starters?:
what are the front and rear break sizes on the car?

IIRC, a '90 legacy with disc brakes all around will have 10.5" vented rotors front and 10.5" solid rotors in the rear.

how big can you go before needing bigger wheels?

Bigger than the RS alloys? 11.4" WRX brakes are about the limit. Keep in mind, though, you can also use the 4-pot calipers from the '06 WRX. It uses the same size rotor as the earlier WRXes, but has more pistons for better pedal feel.

When I say they are the limit, my '01 RS alloys are close enough to my '02 WRX calipers that I can't fit a finger between the wheel and the caliper.

can you use a set up off of a car with abs on a car that is non abs?

Short answer, yes. The calipers and rotors and everything are the same on ABS vs non-ABS. The difference comes at the master cylinder and proportioning valve, as well as the ABS unit. Basically everything up to the ABS unit is different, whereas from then on everything is the same.

what brakes are easily swapped over without having to change to much?

Pretty much any more recent Subaru brakes except the STI Brembos, and those only require a little more work (extra bracket, IIRC). Pretty much, as long as you get the bracket, caliper, and the rotor you will be fine. Subarus are like legos. I just swapped to 2002 WRX front brakes, and it was only slightly more complicated than doing a normal brake job. Everything just bolted up.

I didn't see you say it anywhere, so I would recommend braided stainless brake lines as well. Avoid the cheapy ebay ones and go with a good quality brand like Goodridge.

Also, speed bleeders are SO FREAKING HANDY. I put on a set when I did my brakes, and it made bleeding the brakes SO much easier and quicker.

WRX brakes are a real good upgrade, since the pads are easier to find, and you can get them for relatively cheap.

Hope that answers a few of your questions.

[elYk7kYle]

My idea for now was to call spaldings wrecking yard since its close to home, about an hour, and see if i can get four 16x7" rims... gold would be great, and then all four calapers pads and rotors... i think that way i can get it cheep and hope the condition is good and get better pads and maybe turn the rotors then if need be... i think thats what im looking at... what do you think? what year would i need to look for to make sure i get the 16x7s and 11.4" rotors. or does anyone know any selling any?

[IronMonkeyL255]

The rims would be off of a '98-'01 2.5RS. '98-'99 had a 5-spoke design while '00-'01 had a 6-spoke design. They are both 16x7 and will clear the brakes.

For the brakes, any WRX from '02-'05 will have the 2-pots, while '06-'07 will have the 4-pots.

[jamal]

The rear brakes you want are from any 00-04 Legacy with discs. Most 98+ rear calipers will work with the brackets. I was quoted $45 for the brackets from a yard since I already have a few sets of calipers.

I'm doing the same swap eventually and pretty much only need to buy rotors to finish it. I'm using Axxis Ultimate pads, goodridge SS lines, and Motul RBF600 pads.

Last week I managed to cook my Hawk HPS pads so I think I might be due for some bigger brakes.

My costs so far:
$100 for the WRX front calipers and brackets (from a guy on nasioc)
$60 for WRX rear calipers and SS lines (from a rally shop)
$80 for all four Axxis ultimate pads (from importrp.com and that same rally shop)
$35 for a full set of RS calipers and brackets which included all the clips, shims, backing plates and slider pins/ dust boots I'll need. I'm still not sure what setup I'm going to go with.
$30 for two bottles of RBF600

importrp.com sells a brembo blank WRX front/H6 rear package for $220 + shipping last I checked. They're a vendor on nasioc. That and the rear brackets are all I need.

Also 02-03 and 03-05 have different pad styles so keep that in mind.

I guess now would be a good time to finish up my brake information thread and post it. Possibly later tonight.