best brake upgrade w/o going bbk
 

for all the suby guys on tst. what would you say is the best option for better braking other than going with a big brake kit? i have ss lines (for background info) other than that im all stock as far as brakes

wednesday bump......

are STI or LGT(would that work?) bigger? I would try that.

sti upgrade wouldnt work cuz id probably spend more doing sti brembos than just getting a bbk and idk about the lgt's

Hawk pads, with slotted/drilled rotors.

how much do you notice from just the pads and rotors

well, ceramic/carbon ceramic pads obviously never fade, so under constant heavy braking they grab just as hard as they heat up. The rotors help to dissipate the heat which also keeps from fade which allows for a much more consistent and stronger stopping power. I've noticed a difference just in the pads, they bite harder and better, also release less brake dust.

Pads are going to make the most difference. I HAD to have slotted rotors. In the end they just chew up the more expensive pads faster. I run stoptech slotteds now but will eventually go with a BBK. If your rotors are in decent shape just go with pads. If you want more stopping power after that then do the rotors. I'd stay away from DRILLED & slotted though. I've heard that if you get inexpensive ones they're prone to cracking between the drilled areas.

i think im gonna go with powerslot sloted rotors and either hawks ceramic pads or the hps's

what pads are you running

Definitely don't cheap out on the rotors or the pads, the one area of your car to never cheap out on is the brakes. Other than that you should be gold.

any suggestions on rotors?

Brembo, stoptech

First off, your front brakes do 90% of the work. I would recommend focusing there and leaving your rears stock or nearly stock in order to be the most effective with the money you spend.

Rotors dont do anything... so I'd save your money there and just use stock till they wear out and just replace with Brembo blanks or whatever else is low cost and still decent quality. Ask guys who race regularly, they'll tell you the same. Cross drilled is an extra big no no. Slotted isn't bad, but its really not necessary.

The pads are going to make the absolute biggest difference. There is no one 'best' pad though, there is a proper pad for each application. If you want high street performance then please stick to a street pad like a Carbotech Bobcat, Hawk HPS, or Ferodo DS2500. Dedicated race pads suck when they aren't HOT, meaning if you try driving them on the street your performance will be noticeably worse, arguably dangerous.

Brake fluid is another good upgrade because its cheap and will help ensure that you don't boil your fluid under extreme conditions. I like to recommend ATE Super Blue or TYP 200 for a street car that gets worked pretty hard.

When changing fluid, its a good time to think about doing stainless steel brake lines as well... they will not make your car stop better but they should improve pedal feel which is beneficial when you're at the limit.

If you want to take it a step further, then look into an OEM front brake upgrade like the Legacy kit or Brembos. The Legacy kit uses an opposed caliper setup like stock but utilizes a larger rotor which will basically lighten the workload of the caliper and result in better performing and better lasting brakes. The Brembos will the similar except they are even bigger and they use a 4 pot caliper which increases pedal feel further for precise braking.

So with that said, for a basic and very effective brake upgrade I would recommend in this order (go as far as you like, or just do 1 or 2 things)

1) front pads
2) fluid
3) stainless brake lines
4) rear pads
5) front big brake upgrade like the affordable Legacy kit or a reasonably priced used Brembo kit

i have ss lines front and rear already.
ive never seen the legacy kit do you know a site that i could read up on it? also the reason i didnt want to get into changing calipers yet is becasue my 05 has the "ugly" calipers from the factory and i dont wanna change just the fronts becasue the car will look even worse then imo

as for fluid i was planning on using motul.... what are the benefits of ATE Super Blue or TYP 200 over the motul?

Over time brake fluid absorbs water, and as it does that it doesn't perform as well.
Motul has a higher dry boiling point than ATE but a lower wet boiling point. That basically means that when its new it should perform better, but as they both age it will fall off faster. Either will be great though, I just go with the ATE cause it requires changing less and is a little cheaper. The Super Blue is blue in color and may stain your brake fluid reservoir, not that I really care.

If you do a Legacy front upgrade it wont look silly, it'll be the same style as your rear rotors, it will just be a larger rotor (and caliper).
The other option I forgot about is the JDM / 06 4 pot WRX calipers... depends on price.

i think im just gonna get the powerslot slotted rotors. hawk ceramic pads and the motul or the ate fluid. btw where can i pick up the ate fluid?

www.extremepsi.com stocks it

I'd much rather see you spend the money on a front Legacy upgrade than aftermarket rotors all around, but its your choice in the end, just trying to give you the info...

Pads, lines, fluid.

Oh and one more thing to add that most people dont think about... you can only stop as quickly as your tires grip.

+ TROLL and DaveSTi. Just restating that there's no need to do rotors, not even fluid unless you're tracking the car. Pads will make a difference, otherwise save your money. If you NEED rotors just get blanks, and if you have money burning a hole in your pocket slotted is fine. Word.