Brakes

[sisforsurfing]

I finally put the nail in the coffin on my stock brake pads during the Route 125 run, so it's a good time to get in there and make the (pretty poor) stock brakes a little better. I'm curious what setups everyone else is running (and experience with others) before I spend the rest of my money on brakes. And I've done searching on NASIOC, but wanted to get local opinions.

I'm not looking to go with a "big brake" setup since I don't track the car enough to worry about that much fade, plus that's more cash than I can spend. So no new rotors or calipers yet, though feel free to say your personal preference on them anyway (that Legacy setup sounds good for a budget.)
For pads, I've heard good things about the Carbotech Panther P+'s performance but they dust and/or make lots of noise. I'll probably chose between those and the Hawk HP+'s, which I hear the same things about. Suggestions? edit: I've heard nothing about the Cobb Street Formula pads, but someone's selling some for crazy cheap on nasioc, and Revitup carries them.

I don't know if the type of stainless steel line kit matters... and are speed bleeders worth the 30 bucks? Then I feel Motul RBF600 or Superblue fluid is the norm. Just typing it all out before I buy everything. What do you recommend?

[TROLL]

you're on the right track here... the best bang for the buck is upgrading to ss lines, upgrading fluid, and upgrading pads. if your stock rotors still work then they are fine and unless you're tracking the car regularly then the stock calipers can hang in there fine too.

most go with goodridge ss lines... but i would assume that most are pretty equal.

most go with ATE Super Blue or ATE TYPE 200 brake fluid... they're actually the same thing, just differenc colors for ease of bleeding. Its a good brake fluid but doesnt break down nearly as fast as other high performance fluids so its a good choice for a street / light track car.

now for pads... thats the question. more aggressive isnt necessarily better. i'd recommend a street pad or a mild track pad at most, depending on the driving you do.
different pads have different operating temp ranges, and no matter how hardcore you think you are, its just not physically possible to heat up your brakes enough on most public roads as it is on the track. what this means is if you get track pads and use them on the street they will never heat up to proper temp and as a result offer poor braking.
as far as street / autox / light track pads go, i would recommend:

Street / Auto-X:
Ferodo DS2500
Carbotech Bobcat
Hawk HPS

Light Track:
Ferodo DS3000
Carbotech Panther Plus
Hawk HP+

These are the pads I either know about or have experience with. Of course there are others out there that might be great (like i hear great things about Pagid pads, but dont know much about them).

hope that helps!

edit: another upgrade i've been looking into is a Brake Master Cylinder Brace... i know that Perrin and MRT both make them, they arent too expensive, and I've read some promising reviews...

edit2: I forgot to mention a great upgrade for RS and WRX guys... you can do an "H6 Upgrade" as it is called... it uses a Legacy H6 rear rotor and caliper bracket. The rotor is 290mm instead of the stock 266mm... and the bracket relocates your stock caliper out farther to work with the larger rotor. This increases rear clamping force and shifts the brake bias roughly 10% rearward on a very front brake biased car, so it is a good thing.

[gregfeder]

Carbotech Panther + is definitely streetable but you have to put up with some squeeling. Other than that, theyre amazing on street/track.

[sisforsurfing]

Thanks for the info. The Ferodo 2500's are what I'd like, but I don't know where to purchase them. They're pricier than the Carbotech's and Hawk's, but I've heard great things.

Right now if I can't find somewhere local to get the Ferodo's, I'll probably get the Bobcats or HPS pads. I've read they're MUCH easier to deal with daily than the Panther +'s and the HP+'s, and are easier on the rotors. Once I go with bigger calipers and rotors I'll worry about better pads. Depending on how much I spend f+r pads I'll get the rear H6 setup too

Should I be concerned with running different pads in the front and rear? The only problem I can see is that if the rears faded after the fronts I'd get some scary balance issues, but otherwise I dont know.

[specVogel]

im running hawk hps pads and i love them. very good bite but fine for daily driving. i installed them with a set of powerslot rotors and the rotors are fine, no abnormal wear or any noise. as for having different pads front to back it really doesnt matter. im still on the stock rear brakes on my car and they have some life on them. you dont use the rear brakes nearly as much as the fronts.

[RayArroyo]

im swithcing brake pads on my sti this week. the stock ones suck. im sick of cleaning brake dust

[TROLL]

haha sick of cleaning brake dust? get a kia then you sissy!

and sisforsurfing... pulled my H6 setup off yesterday so if you're interested in picking it up from me let me know... you can swing by and we can install em in my garage one day if you want.

bryan

[sisforsurfing]

Originally Posted by TROLL

and sisforsurfing... pulled my H6 setup off yesterday so if you're interested in picking it up from me let me know... you can swing by and we can install em in my garage one day if you want.

Sounds good. I'll probably be ordering the Ferodo's on Monday, should get them shortly after. I'll be in touch late next week

[TROLL]

ferodo fronts? if you want the rear 2500s dont forget i got em for sale! good for me to finally sell them and good for you cause they're brand new and i'll be sure to save you some cash.
talk to ya soon...
bryan