Help please - 06' Wagon Brake Upgrade

[silver_streaker]

Ok so the otherday I almost did not stop in time at a light because my stock brakes are that bad. From what I understand the 06 wagon brakes are slightly larger than some of the previous years?? I need to upgrade the whole system as I am going to do a track day this year..

I am sure BBK would be the sure way to improve but are there 06 specific upgrades? Yes I searched but searching by year is a crap shoot on results.

Any help would be truly appreciated.

[CHAOS]

ive never heard this.

best upgrades without going BBK:

- stainless lines
- more aggressive pads
- better rotors
- better tires.

[Pocket_Rocket]

Originally Posted by CHAOS

ive never heard this.

From edmunds.. "Other improvements include a quicker steering ratio, standard 17-inch wheels wrapped in 215/45-17 Bridgestone rubber, and all models now get the same aluminum transverse links found in the top-of-the-line WRX STI (now all caps). Subie has even sprung for a completely upgraded set of brakes, with larger discs (11.5-inch diameter in front and 11.3-inch diameter in the rear), four-piston front and two-piston rear calipers. "

[CHAOS]

i know they upgraded from previous year in 06 but i didnt know the 07s were worse?

his car says hes got an 07

[Pocket_Rocket]

Same car basically so I guess that is why he posted 06 because the upgrade was in 06. Either way I think he is looking for specific suggestions..
IE what pad works best for his setup etc.

[CHAOS]

OP:

what kind of driving are you doing with the car?

street pads to look at... Hawk HPS, Carbotech Bobcat (i have these and love em), Ferodo DS2500, Pagid Blues

[WKderF]

the 4 piston front & 2 piston rear brakes you have are considered an upgrade from previous model years, and can work very well for autoX. I would suggest as others did, to look into batter pads - rotors, Stainless Steel lines, and a better brake fluid. I know of many people who AutoX the wrx on the older style stock brakes (2 piston front & single piston rear) and perform quite well with proper pad & rotor choice.

Depending on how much you are looking to invest, Powerslot & DBA make very nice rotors. I would look for a slotted rotor as opposed to a drilled rotor as many people feel as though drilling can affect the rotors overall strength.

and as for pad choice - this is where things get tricky. when it comes to brake pads, they make a pad for every kind of use IE: street, autoX, hardcore track racing. the thing is though, that race pads usually need to be warmed up - which makes them downright dangerous for street use. race pads also be loud & noisy. while this doesnt matter on a track - on the street it can get real annoying real fast. street pads are great for the street as they are quiet & grip well without warmup - but put them on a track and they will overheat & not work well at all. so the best thing to do would be to have separate pads for the street & the track (which many people do). if you cant swing 2 pad sets however, choose a pad that is one step up from being a "street" pad. the panther plus from carbotech is a popular choice.

[silver_streaker]

basically I'm doing everyday driving with a little speed heavy on the side. I'm really looking to upgrade for the upcoming track day, so whatever would be good on and off the track would be ideal.

[Pocket_Rocket]

I run Ferodo DS2500 on my car and they seem to make them for your car.
Anyone have any opinion other than mine on this pad for his usage?

[JnJAssociates]

Ferodo DS2500 are a perfect match.

The only thing I would do for a track day is make sure the brake fluid is fresh, good pads... Plenty for a track day.


Bryan

[KrazyHouseCustoms]

I upgraded to the Hawk HPS pads w/ slotted & drilled rotors. Huge difference. Only complaint is the insane amount of brake dust these pads shed.

[TROLL]

something a lot of people dont realize... can you activate your ABS on dry pavement? try it... if you can activate your ABS (or lock up the wheels if you dont have ABS) then your brakes are not the first thing to look at, your tires are. when you lock up your wheels or activate ABS whats basically happening there is your brakes overpowering the grip levels of your tires... its your tires not being able to keep up... they are the weak link in the system at that point.
it may or may not apply to you but just something that i wanted to explain since a lot of people dont realize that.
now on to your question directly...

not stopping at a light... its unlikely that your brakes are to blame there.

i would look at the amount of attention that the driver of the car was giving to the road and the traffic light first honestly.
if that isnt a problem, then the next most likely culprit of poor stopping distance would be your tires since they will lose traction much sooner than your brakes will lose their clamping force (unless you are doing heavy racing and heating them up a lot, causing brake fade).

for street driving, there's really nothing that your stock setup cant do... except save the driver from dangerous or negligent driving. the brakes will be able to slow the vehicle down fine, much better than your tires will have traction to slow the car down. basically, if you can activate your ABS then your brakes are overpowering your tires grip. if you need to reduce stopping distance, stickier tires may be a good solution. all in all though for street driving you really shouldn't NEED any upgrades.

but if you do want to upgrade and/or prepare for the track, you can also keep it quite simple... here's what i'd recommend in the order of importance...

1) pads: ferodo ds2500 are a great crossover street/autox pad and should work fine for light track use as well. also carbotech bobcat and hawk hps are good street pad options. these will make a huge impact on pedal feel and can directly improve your cars stopping performance at normal and hot temperatures.
2) stainless steel lines and upgraded brake fluid: do these together... goodridge makes lines and ate superblue or ate typ200 are the fluid i use. it wont improve your braking distance, but rather pedal feel when braking hard for better brake modulation.
3) tires: these are probably as or more important than the other upgrades to improve braking but they are more expensive. a summer tire is a must for performance driving and will have a huge affect on your cars performance all around
4)....
5)....
6)....
7) rotors: i am listing this so far down because its not important. rotors rarely make any performance difference at all. they are generally just for replacing worn rotors or for looking pretty. serious racers use generic rotors because they realize that spending more money here is pointless.
8) big brake upgrade: if all else fails maybe you do need a big brake upgrade, but dont even go here until you try all the rest. when you NEED this upgrade you'll know it, and you'll know why you need it. if you dont know why now, then you're not ready for it.

just my opinion and i'm sure others will think differently but hope that helps...

[Jeffros Spec V]

HOw about the ABS on an 03 Bugeye? If I'm on my brakes and hit a little bump my ABS goes crazy.

[Pocket_Rocket]

Originally Posted by TROLL

something a lot of people dont realize... can you activate your ABS on dry pavement? try it... if you can activate your ABS (or lock up the wheels if you dont have ABS) then your brakes are not the first thing to look at, your tires are. when you lock up your wheels or activate ABS whats basically happening there is your brakes overpowering the grip levels of your tires... its your tires not being able to keep up... they are the weak link in the system at that point.
it may or may not apply to you but just something that i wanted to explain since a lot of people dont realize that.
now on to your question directly...

not stopping at a light... its unlikely that your brakes are to blame there.

i would look at the amount of attention that the driver of the car was giving to the road and the traffic light first honestly.
if that isnt a problem, then the next most likely culprit of poor stopping distance would be your tires since they will lose traction much sooner than your brakes will lose their clamping force (unless you are doing heavy racing and heating them up a lot, causing brake fade).

for street driving, there's really nothing that your stock setup cant do... except save the driver from dangerous or negligent driving. the brakes will be able to slow the vehicle down fine, much better than your tires will have traction to slow the car down. basically, if you can activate your ABS then your brakes are overpowering your tires grip. if you need to reduce stopping distance, stickier tires may be a good solution. all in all though for street driving you really shouldn't NEED any upgrades.

but if you do want to upgrade and/or prepare for the track, you can also keep it quite simple... here's what i'd recommend in the order of importance...

1) pads: ferodo ds2500 are a great crossover street/autox pad and should work fine for light track use as well. also carbotech bobcat and hawk hps are good street pad options. these will make a huge impact on pedal feel and can directly improve your cars stopping performance at normal and hot temperatures.
2) stainless steel lines and upgraded brake fluid: do these together... goodridge makes lines and ate superblue or ate typ200 are the fluid i use. it wont improve your braking distance, but rather pedal feel when braking hard for better brake modulation.
3) tires: these are probably as or more important than the other upgrades to improve braking but they are more expensive. a summer tire is a must for performance driving and will have a huge affect on your cars performance all around
4)....
5)....
6)....
7) rotors: i am listing this so far down because its not important. rotors rarely make any performance difference at all. they are generally just for replacing worn rotors or for looking pretty. serious racers use generic rotors because they realize that spending more money here is pointless.
8) big brake upgrade: if all else fails maybe you do need a big brake upgrade, but dont even go here until you try all the rest. when you NEED this upgrade you'll know it, and you'll know why you need it. if you dont know why now, then you're not ready for it.

just my opinion and i'm sure others will think differently but hope that helps...

PM sent..

[pearl]

sounds like your brakes are shot, just replace them with stuff at napa.