Turbo Legacy Rotor Options

mikec · Post by **mikec** » Thu Jun 26, 2003 10:28 pm

Does anyone know if rotors off any other Subaru would fit a 92 sedan, aside from from the stock vented rotors? I'm looking for a temporary solution to very rusted and worn out rotors, until I can get some OEM rotors in. I don't want to have to change the calipers.

Also, is there a difference in the front, or just the rear?

Finally, anybody know the minimum allowable thickness for the turbo rotors? I may see if I can get them turned.

Basically the only thing keeping me from getting my car is the brakes, which are downright scary right now.

TIA for any suggestions!

Post by **Legacy777** » Fri Jun 27, 2003 2:00 am

No other rotors from any other subaru will work on the rear turbo legacy.

The diameter of the rotors are the same as the other legacy rotors, but they are obviously not the same thickness, and if you put solid rotors on there, you will probably push the caliper piston out of the caliper........not good.

The front and rears are different. Besides size and thickness, the rear incorporates the parking brake assembly.

Thickness service limit is probably around 16.5mm

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Fri Jun 27, 2003 4:05 am

how can th diameter be the same and different at the same time josh?

my rears on my turbo weren't salvagable and i was really broke at the time so i went to my local scooby dealer and bought used rears of a wrecked n/a legacy.they are the solid ones not the vented and i've had no ill effects.my car just went through state inspection and passed with flying colors.I specifically asked the mechanic to check my brake work,as it was my first time,and he said that everthing looked great.i had also done the fronts but was able to turn them.josh,not saying you're wrong just want to know if i'm screwing something up on my car.when you say push the piston out of the caliper do you mean becuase its thinner the piston has to extend much further to seat the inner pad?thanks

ciper · Post by **ciper** » Fri Jun 27, 2003 4:17 am

You will cause damage when the brakes get worn. The brake pad will come right out of its "channels" and the piston will not only overextend but contact the rotor as well. You also have to worry about the pad (which will end up coming into contact with the wheel at high speed) flying out and coming though the bottom of the car or puncturing the gas tank!

I dont understand you guys, you have one of the best rear brakes available yet you lame out and get solid rotors

If you like Id gladly sell you the correct calipers for the solid rotors, heck Id even trade straight across and cover shipping both ways for your current hardware.

mikec · Post by **mikec** » Fri Jun 27, 2003 5:44 am

I don't want to cheap out at all! But I want to get the car out of where it's been sitting for 4 months and close to me. Believe me, I wasn't even close to thinking about putting solid rotors on the rear. That's why I asked about the minimum thickness. I was hoping another Subaru had been built that used the same rotors, so that I wasn't looking for a very rare part.

I guess I'll have to wait and see what I can dig up as far as turbo Legacy specific rotors go then.... Of course that means I've still got turbo envy!

I hope this post makes sense, I've been indulging in the drinky drinky!

Post by **Legacy777** » Fri Jun 27, 2003 1:23 pm

legacy92ej22t wrote:how can th diameter be the same and different at the same time josh? my rears on my turbo weren't salvagable and i was really broke at the time so i went to my local scooby dealer and bought used rears of a wrecked n/a legacy.they are the solid ones not the vented and i've had no ill effects.my car just went through state inspection and passed with flying colors.I specifically asked the mechanic to check my brake work,as it was my first time,and he said that everthing looked great.i had also done the fronts but was able to turn them.josh,not saying you're wrong just want to know if i'm screwing something up on my car.when you say push the piston out of the caliper do you mean becuase its thinner the piston has to extend much further to seat the inner pad?thanks

Sorry,

I had a typo. I used diameter twice, should have been thickness is not the same.

Brat4by4 · Post by **Brat4by4** » Fri Jun 27, 2003 2:25 pm

Might as well look for some used WRX brakes, calipers, and brackets and do your swap now. I guess you could swap just the back or all the way around (ummm.... if you have 16" wheels, which I think is necessary for the fronts at least

). Used WRX brake assemblies shouldn't be too hard to come by since those guys are always upgrading theirs.

vrg3 · Post by **vrg3** » Fri Jun 27, 2003 2:52 pm

The Legacy Turbo rear brakes are better than the WRX rear brakes.

The Legacy N/A rear brakes are better than the WRX rear brakes, too, I think.

IggDawg, I think, did originally have solid rotors on the rear in his turbo; a previous owner cheaped out. He had the pads fall out when they got worn down.

If you can get any stock Subaru rear calipers and rotors you can temporarily put them on as long as the calipers match the rotors... Maybe someone who's upgraded has the stock ones lying around? It's unlikely that used calipers and rotors would be cheaper than new rotors alone though.

mikec · Post by **mikec** » Fri Jun 27, 2003 2:57 pm

Hrm.... I suspected as much about the rotors being specific. I wanted to avoid doing a complete swap, as I don't have the budget for that right now. I do have the stock rotors, pads and calipers off my 91 wagon, and there's no way I'm going to be needing them any time soon.

So that takes care of the back. What about the front? (I just reread the posts, and I don't think I missed a discussion of the fronts) Is there any difference between the fronts on the turbo and other cars? Same deal as the rear (they're turbo specific, necessitating a swap to use other rotors)?

Why didn't they maintain the brakes?!?! Even just 10% left on the pads would have been better than this!

Post by **Legacy777** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 1:32 am

I will caution you about swapping on WRX brakes. The front caliper piston size is the same as the turbo legacy. The only difference in the front is larger rotor, which creates more brake torque & acts as a larger heat sink. Only problem is with more front brake torque, you increase the already heavy nose diving under braking. My suggestion if you want good braking power without swapping lots of stuff to keep bias where it should be, would be to get a set of cryo-treated rotors and good set of pads.

Turbo legacy rear rotors are the same diameter as the WRX, but the turbo legacy has vented rotors, (better). Caliper piston size is the same as WRX.

n/a Legacy rear brakes are identical to the WRX in rotor size. Caliper piston size will vary on the 1st gen legacies. Sedans have smaller rear caliper piston sizes. Wagons have the same size as the WRX.

The rotors/brakes/etc off your 91 n/a are different sizes then your turbo legacy. If you wanted to swap the entire caliper, rotor, pad, etc that would work. Be it a lot of work to cheap out on brakes IMO though.

How much money do you have right now? I could probably get new front rotors and pads for 120 bucks or less

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 1:58 am

holy crap!I didn't know it was that big of a deal.when I put those solid rears on it was supposed to be a very cheap and temporary fix.I was hoping to get some gas slotted ones all the way around,but as most of you know I keep having little problems with the car that eat my money.to be honest though too I kinda let the rotors slip to the back of my mind cause I have boost envy and need some more real bad.so I guess boost & i/c even further away

I'm really glad I found out about the rotors so I can dump them quick.oh ya check out ebay some dealer is on there selling new brembo cross drilled rotors for subaru legacy's cheap.I wonder if they would be ok?

Post by **Legacy777** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 2:33 am

stick with OEM rotors......just my opinion.

mikec · Post by **mikec** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 4:10 am

We've (totech and I) finally worked out a solution. He can get OEM stuff for cost, but due to some time restraints, he's gonna give me the pads and rotors off his 91 turbo, and either wait for new stuff to come from his friend, or do a WRX swap. I'm gonna point him to this thread tho, as there's been some interesting discussion regarding the WRX brakes.

Thanks again guys, and don't worry, I'll be back with a slew of new questions once I finally get the car in my possession.

czo79 · Post by **czo79** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 6:07 pm

From what I remember of josh's write up on brakes, combined with what I think I know...If I wanted a "performance" brake set up...I would probably go with mintex pads...as they don't offgas, (but the dust is a itch) and cryo-treated rotors without cross-drilling or slots. It seems to me that these would be the best for resisting warpage (is that a word?) and since the mintex pads really chew through rotors, it should help them stand up. Since the pads don't offgas, no slotting should be necessary I would think. With other pads that will offgas if brakes are really hot, I might get slotted rotors...I wouldn't think it would be as detrimental to the strength of the rotor as crossdrilling, since it probably takes much less mass from the rotor. Anyways, I'm going with the mintex and cryos in a couple weeks here, SS lines too. I would like to upgrade my fronts and rears to something larger eventually, but now I am kinda worried about brake balance being negatively affected...
Micum

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 9:48 pm

the brembos on ebay are a set for the front only.129.99 USD it's a pretty good price though if anyone is interested do a search for subaru rotors.that price is for the pair not each.

LegacyT · Post by **LegacyT** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 10:54 pm

Like said, N/A rotors on the turbo rear is definate no no, get OEM Turbo rears or Subaru 6 star rotors for cheaper than OEM. If your hung up and want N/A rotors your gonna need the narrower pad holders from a salvage yard. My advice though, get Turbo rotors.

Mark,

evolutionmovement · Post by **evolutionmovement** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 4:42 pm

I also highly recommend getting stock rotors cryo-treated with good pads and tires. I used to warp new front rotors every 4-6 months until I got them cryo treated and now it's been almost three years and they're fine. Don't even seem to rust as badly either. I run EBC Green stuff for pads and Falcon ZE502 tires (cheap, great in rain, ok in snow, pick up too many stones in gravel, but otherwise kick ass of the more expensive Pirellis I had). I embarrass the hell out of most snything diving into a turn now. I need to put a sign on the back of my car that says: 1990, 220,000 mi + and stock. How about yours?

Sorry but I love my car.

Steve

Post by **Legacy777** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 8:05 pm

I don't think the mintex pads dust all that much more then the axxis pads I had before. Beats me?? Unless I got some weird pads. Neither front or rear seem to dust as bad as everyone says.

Rotors are in good shape even after a year of use. I really think the cyro-treatment helps a lot.

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 9:23 pm

well I guess I get to be doh-boy of the thread 'cause what is cryo-treatment?I have never heard of it.

Post by **Legacy777** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 2:02 am

Cryo treatment is a process where they crogenically freeze the parts in steps and hold them at a specified temp for a certain amount of time. What this does is change the crystalline structure of the metal. Cast metal is very poor quality metal compared to other types. It can have more porosity and different uniformities.

This process helps improve the metal's internal structure, and is followed by a tempering process to put some ductility back in the metal.

Read through some stuff on google. I'm sure there's some more info out there.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=& ... +treatment

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 2:03 am

done deal,just got done ordering 2 new rear oem rotors.89$ shipped for the pair!pretty good price I think.did a lot of compairing and they were cheaper then anywhere else by about 40$.{buybrakes.com}should have them on by this next weekend..hopefully.I'm glad I jumped in on this thread I had no idea I was running a dangerous setup.thanks guys

legacy92ej22t · Post by **legacy92ej22t** » Sat Jul 05, 2003 4:23 pm

got them on yesterday,the only draw back are two things.1-now I want new fronts cause the rears look damn good!2-now I need some nice after market wheels to show these babies off

yazmo · Post by **yazmo** » Tue Jun 16, 2009 12:10 am

hello guy i have a big favor to ask! i want someone to buy me the 4 cryo rotor and and a good set of pads, i would paypal you the ammont of money to buy tem plus the shipping of course

here in montreal we dont have these and i dont want to buy some rotor and ship them to cryo etc... would be a way too expensive
i know i am asking a big thing here and time is precious if nobody reply or want help i could understand.

i just change last year front rotr with brembo rotor i paid like 100$ come from usa now when i brake i feel like my pedal jump a little
seem like my rotor are bad. also when i brake i hear some toc toc sound. anyone can help me PM mme

legacycentral bbs

A forum for 89-94 BC-BF(BJ) Legacy Owners and Fans

Turbo Legacy Rotor Options

Turbo Legacy Rotor Options

help brake rotor cryo