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Best brake setup for the bucks?

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 3:23 pm
by mhrallyteam
What is the best setup. I want something for 800$-1000$can max. Sould i swap WRX brakes, use stock Leg turbo with aftermarket disc and pads.

Give me your feedbacks, would appreciated, THX Mat

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 5:58 pm
by QuickDrive
I think best bang for buck is WRX Front swap, upgraded/cryotreated rotors and good pads, and same with the rear for rotors and pads

And a stage 1 brake booster like vrg3 was selling...

You're looking at close to 1000$ for all that.

probably 250-300 for the wrx swap sometimes they go for dirt cheap on nasioc... local you might pay more..

Rotors all around cryotreated, probably 500$ maybe less, just ballparking.

and pads...

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 6:47 pm
by BAC5.2
You can save some money and not get cryotreated. Not going to hurt anything by doing that.

I'm not sure what cryo treating does for braking performance, I just know that it makes the rotors last a helluva lot longer, and that VRG3 and Evoloutionmovement swear by it.

Posted: Fri Aug 27, 2004 8:31 pm
by ultrasonic
I'd say that WRX front take-offs shouldn't cost more than $150-ish. You might even expect to get some usable life out of the pads. If you are REALLY lucky, you might get usable rotors. Shipping may be an additional cost if you don't know anyone locally.

My recent experience is that you might expect to replace guide pins, locking pins, and sleeves when you rework your rear brakes.

Add new pads and rotors for the rear, new fluid, maybe stainless steel brake lines.

Do all the work yourself, and you can still expect to get near $1k without anything terribly exotic like cryo treating, expensive pads, and single stage booster.

With WRX fronts and the stock rears working properly, you'll have a pretty good setup. If you can get stainless steel lines while you're at it, then it'll feel significantly better, too.

Posted: Sun Sep 26, 2004 5:09 am
by dscoobydoo
Ok, given wrx front, and slotted/cryotreated discs for the front/rear are the best inexpensive upgrade, where would you find these discs?

What company makes the discs for the turbo? ( specifically the slotted/cryotreated ones? front and rear?

Ferris? Buehler? Anyone?

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 12:21 am
by sillyp

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 1:48 am
by turbonator
I want these suckers with some green stuff maybe..

Image

I want the black ones.

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 2:54 am
by evolutionmovement
What are the black ones? Are they just a wear anodizing? And do they come without slots?

Steve

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 3:21 pm
by 90LegAWD
OEM legacy brakes are quite large, and offer plenty of power. 99% of braking performance is in the pad compund. i always use generic brand blank rotors from USA chain autozone/napa stores for ~$20 each. brand name, slotted/drilled and treated rotors are pointless on a street car.

ALL pads from EBC are complete $hit. junk worthless crap. true story.

PBR/axxis brand pads (australian made!) are THE best performance pads made for the cost. period. after years of pad use, on many different vehicles, you should take my word for it

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 4:04 pm
by evolutionmovement
I've heard the PBR a lot of times. Are they hard on rotors, though?

You should see how worn my cryo-rotors are! Over 4 years of abuse where non-treated would be shot after a few months and they don't look cementited at all. They do have a vibrationthough. I blame the bent wheels I've been driving on for over a year. Yet the original bearings still don't care.

Steve

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 5:39 pm
by Legacy777
90LegAWD wrote:OEM legacy brakes are quite large, and offer plenty of power. 99% of braking performance is in the pad compund. i always use generic brand blank rotors from USA chain autozone/napa stores for ~$20 each. brand name, slotted/drilled and treated rotors are pointless on a street car.

ALL pads from EBC are complete $hit. junk worthless crap. true story.

PBR/axxis brand pads (australian made!) are THE best performance pads made for the cost. period. after years of pad use, on many different vehicles, you should take my word for it
I agree with you to a certain point.

Pads will make a huge world of difference. I had a set of performance friction carbon metallics that were absolutely amazing. So yes, good pads will dramatically improve the stopping power and performance of the brake system.

Most people look at rotors as something that will make the car stop better. That's not really the case, rotor is a rotor...spinning disc that absorbs heat. With that comment, the larger the rotor, the more heat you can sink. Or if you get a rotor with better internal vanes for cooling, you keep the entire braking system cooler.

I am running cryo'd rotors, and will say hands down it is the best thing you can do for a brake rotor....forget slotting, cross-drilling. It does make a difference!

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 5:54 pm
by 90LegAWD
of course, larger brakes not only disapate (sp?)heat better, but they provide more braking power

the problem is that the cost of upgrading (in both brakes and wheels/tires) gets quite expensive.

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 5:58 pm
by 90LegAWD
evolutionmovement wrote:I've heard the PBR a lot of times. Are they hard on rotors, though?
not any harder than any other performance pad

you're going to trade more dust, noise (potentially) and wear for improved braking. i am VERY hard on brakes. i don't even bother turning rotors any more. i just pick up a generic el-cheap-o rotor, throw new pads on and go. hell, it costs ~$10/rotor to resurface, why not just replace it altogether for another $10?

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 8:07 pm
by turbonator
I noticed a huge difference with the slotted rotors on my bimmer.

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 8:30 pm
by ultrasonic
turbonator wrote:I noticed a huge difference with the slotted rotors on my bimmer.
exactly what kind of difference did you notice?

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 8:41 pm
by 90LegAWD
i notice a HUGE difference in my car's handling when i wash it, too.

it's called the placebo effect

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 11:44 pm
by BAC5.2
90LegAWD wrote:i notice a HUGE difference in my car's handling when i wash it, too.

it's called the placebo effect
Ding ding ding ding.

Although the "increase" in performance does help you approach your limits. If you feel very comfortable in driving, and it feels better, then you can drive better.

Some days you drive poorly, and you feel like the car isn't performing well. Some days you are ON FIRE, and you feel like the car is a race car.

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 11:46 pm
by scottzg
BAC5.2 wrote: Some days you are ON FIRE, and you feel like the car is a race car.
On those days, it IS a racecar. :twisted:

Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2004 11:51 pm
by BAC5.2
scottzg wrote:On those days, it IS a racecar. :twisted:
Damn right :). Today was one of those days for me. The thing felt SO good. I was just rippin into it. Mmmmm backroads :)

Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 10:55 pm
by mhrallyteam
Just to come back on the topic,

I have a legacy L swapped with the turbo engine.

So the rear brakes sucks, I managed to find front caliper from an SS, front disc from a wrx for free and ss brake lines

What should i do with the rear setup, swap with Turbo parts is too expensive to my taste.

THx for the help :D

Posted: Tue Oct 05, 2004 11:29 pm
by Legacy777
is your L a sedan or wagon? If it's a sedan, I'd suggest finding a set of wagon calipers. The piston on the sedans was smaller then the wagons (1.374" dia vs 1.5" dia) This will increase rearward bias. The turbo legacy setup adds nothing to improve the rear braking setup. Just adds more thermal capacity.

Like I said....if you have a sedan...find wagon caliper, and get some decent pads.

Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 4:44 am
by skid542
Are the wagon calipers a direct fit to a sedan? Seems like a cheap way to even out the biasing a little. Thanks.

Lee

Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 2:37 pm
by Legacy777
yup....they'll bolt right on. In fact you don't even have to switch caliper brackets....just the caliper.

Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 2:41 pm
by legacy92ej22t
Legacy777 wrote:is your L a sedan or wagon? If it's a sedan, I'd suggest finding a set of wagon calipers. The piston on the sedans was smaller then the wagons .

.
Does this hold true on the turbos as well or do they have the same rear setup on the sedan and wagon? IIRC they're the same but thought I'd make sure. :)

Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 2:44 pm
by Legacy777
All turbo's have the 1.5" diameter rear piston calipers. Regardless of being wagon or sedan.