Route for brake upgrade?

[scottzg]

I really ought to do something about my brakes. I currently have some spare "deluxe" pads in that i just threw in, but they're woefully inadequite. The last set i had lasted 17k and i overheated them more than once every time i went for a drive.
I also don't wanna spent a ton of cash, I'm living on my student loans right now.

So, are uprated brake pads a worthy investment? I already have brand new normal pads on.

Or, should i just grin and slurge on wrx equipment. I am apprehensive about this because i dont wanna screw with my biasing and because of the $.

What would be more effective, short term, wrx brakes with "deluxe" stock style pads or my stock brakes with uprated pads.

I don't wanna turn this into a "which pad" discussion, there are other threads for that. Personal experience is great, especially of the nature "i burned my brakes all the time, but now i never do" Pedal feel is secondary.

Thanks for the help!

[BAC5.2]

If you can find a good deal, then WRX brakes will be about the same amount as a set of really good pads.

A set of Carbotech Bobcats will set you back about $100.

FWIW, Autozone has pads for like 20 bucks. They SUCK, but they are cheap. I am using "Napa Premium" pads now, and they have good initial bite (surprisingly), but I've been ripping them up. They fade pretty bad sometimes. I don't drive VERY hard on them because I don't trust them at all.

I'd say get a set of good pads until you can free up some money for a more reliable and durable setup. Otherwise, just stop driving fast, and you'll keep pads around longer.

[scottzg]

Yea, when i got my car it came with a stack of spare parts (oil filters, air filters, a fuel filter, some spare brake pads...) and these are the new pads i have now. Raybestos.

Bac, did you had bobcats on your stock sized rotors before? How did they compare to your current brakes?

I've gotten pretty adventurous on el cheapo pads; ya learn when they're gonna go.

[BAC5.2]

No, I don't have Bobcats.

I HAVE driven a WRX with bobcats, and a WRX with stock pads, and the difference was insane. The Bobcats are really great, but I think they wear down quickly, and at about 100 bucks a pop, that'll get expensive.

My brake upgrade path:

WRX fronts (gonna use the stock pads, since they have almost no miles on them).

Brake Prop Valve from an ABS equiped BF.

ATF Superblue fluid.

Eventually:

Racingbrake Street front rotors, Cryo Treated.

Cryo Treated new, stock rear rotors (no one makes a better quality rear rotor that I know of for the Turbo Legacy)

Bobcat pads

Earls stainless steel lines and a stage-1 brake booster.

The final setup should stop on a friggin dime. And not be outrageous in price either.

[greg donovan]

upgrade to a hight temp fluid. i did this and tried to cook the brakes. it took alot of abuse to fade. and then i put the PBR Deluxe pads on and they were a great improvement over the stock pads. bang for the buck the fluid change was the best thing i ever did for my car.

[BAC5.2]

He's cooking pads, not fluid (well, most definately fluid too). I do recomend a better fluid, to anyone. And change the fluid somewhat often, maybe every 6 months if you don't boil the stuff. My buddy boiled some Superblue on The Dragon last year in his WRX. He said he was actually surprised that he was going fast enough to cook it.

ATF Superblue is only like 10 bucks for a bigass thing of it (more than you'd need to do your car, available at www.OGRacing.com )

[NuwanD]

Definately go with the upgraded pad route, i'm running PBR metalmasters which are fairly inexpensive and work amazingly well, (a former rally legacy turbo in canada was using them). If you aren't picky with your brakes being very forward biased then just put good pads in the front and leave the cheap stuff in the back to save money.

BTW my brake setup is;
- Good fluid
- Good pads
- SS lines
- Wilwood proportioning valve
also removed ABS

Remember that WRX brakes (caliper and mounting brackets) will require 16" rims if you don't have 'em already

[vrg3]

Nuwan, did you have to tee together both fronts and both rears (eliminating the dual-diagonal setup) to use the Wilwood proportioning valve? I thought the WIlwood prop valve only had one fluid channel.

[MY92]

If you're on a budget.

Good pads on the front and rear
Machine the rotors before fitting them
Flush out the brake fluid with something like Motul RBF600

You'll be in the business.

[skid542]

This is just something I saw on Speed, I've never done it and it's the first I've heard of it so take it with a grain of salt.

If you put the car up on blocks and take off the wheels and rotate the rotors, let it idle and let the wheels spin, and then take a rotary sanding disk for like a drill, a fine grit, and hold it to the rotating disk it will create a nice looking concentric scored surface. I'm sure there is a little technique to it to match speeds but the guy on TV said that it helped him considerably.

Like I said, don't know how effective, damaging, etc. this may be but it would be cheap. I'm sure some people more knowledgable than me can comment.

Lee

[QuickDrive]

Nuwan, just for infor, where did you get the PBR's in toronto?

[NuwanD]

vrg3; yep no more dual diagonal brake circuits, just front and rear... one output from the master cylinder tees off to the front brakes, and the other goes inside the car to the center console and the proportioning valve and then back out and tees to the lines going to the rear brakes, when adjusted properly to maximizing the use of the rear brakes i can get much better braking

quickdrive; i got them through a friend last year, not sure if i'd be able to get anymore... not sure of any other suppliers in toronto but i'll ask around

[vrg3]

Woah, so you have cockpit-adjustable brake bias? Neato.

Is your car technically street legal that way?

[LaureltheQueen]

I have ebc redstuff front pads, and they're non-ceramic, as the company hasnt developed ceramic fronts for the turbos yet. I would not recommend these brake pads. They suck until heated up, but then they work like champs, i get a burning smell after a drive with heavy braking, but i've been told that's normal. They dust like no other.

I've heard nothing but good things about the ceramic pads though, so we'll see. I also haven't bled my brakes, and i think that will make everything feel much better

[NuwanD]

Woah, so you have cockpit-adjustable brake bias? Neato.

Is your car technically street legal that way?

yep, i have no idea if it is legal or not.. i think the package may have said for "off road use only"

[kidatari]

vrg3; yep no more dual diagonal brake circuits, just front and rear... one output from the master cylinder tees off to the front brakes, and the other goes inside the car to the center console and the proportioning valve and then back out and tees to the lines going to the rear brakes, when adjusted properly to maximizing the use of the rear brakes i can get much better braking

quickdrive; i got them through a friend last year, not sure if i'd be able to get anymore... not sure of any other suppliers in toronto but i'll ask around

NuwanD- Can I get some more specifics of your setup with the prop valve? This is exactly what I want to do to my Legacy. What kind of work did you do with the lines (fittings, new hardlines, etc)?

[BAC5.2]

Kid - Check this out...

http://home.att.net/~teaguesauto/brakeswr.htm

Just a bit into the page, it's a prop valve made by Russell.

[NuwanD]

NuwanD- Can I get some more specifics of your setup with the prop valve? This is exactly what I want to do to my Legacy. What kind of work did you do with the lines (fittings, new hardlines, etc)?

I did a quick write-up and posted it on my cardomain site...

http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/322940/3

hope that helps

[tris91ricer]

Cardomain must have changed.. I don't see anything on that link there for your writeup.. is it anywhere else? I'd really like to read about it.