I have a budget of 500 dollars and I want to upgrade my brakes in the next week or so.. (of course the less I spend the better)...I am not to familiar with lgt stuff yet, I posted a thread on lgt.com but got only 1 reply so here I am! what is the big difference between hawk hps and hps +??? also any suggestions on a good rotor? I plan on autoxing about 2 times a year and maybe a light track day (ie nf track day in two weeks). I was looking into centric rotors as that seems to be popular among lgt.com owners, but is also more of just a oem replacement. any suggestions or advice would be awesome thanks in advance- Emily.
These guys have a pretty good selection of rotor/pad packages. http://www.knsbrakes.com/searchResults.php?car_id=155
I have, I bought the centric premium rotors with stoptech pads for my old 05 wrx. Quick shipping and they are vendors on nasioc, so I pm'd them on there and got a little better deal. Centric is the same company that makes Powerslot, so they are a quality rotor. I will probably go with the centric rotors and hps pads when I need brakes for my LGT, though the DBA slotted rotors look pretty nice. Frozen rotors are also pretty popular, but a bit more expensive.
I had frozen rotors and hps on my wrx and liked them..guess I should see what they have available for lgt's ad they are local and can pick up.
HP+ are great for track... however they make a crap load of noise for DD. They also have a ton of brake dust. I would like to pick up a different set for DD and keep my hawks for track.
I have the exact set up, centric rotors and hps pads all around with the master cylinder brace. Way better stopping power, much shorter than stock and a firmer pedal feel. Only thing left is SS lines but its great for a dd All this, minus the ss lines should put you right at your $500 budget, if you install it yourself Not sure about the Hp+ pads
an STI master cylnder and brake booster is reportedly one of the best upgrades... the Legacy has a soft brake booster and cylnder that gives kinda ****ty feedback. Unless your rotors are shot, just do pads. might as well wear through the rotors you have.
The Stoptech Street Performance pad I think is the best pad for daily driving & occasional light track use. I've been running them for 2 years on my WRX with no issues. They handled a HPDE day at Brainerd and 2 full seasons of autocross. I reached out to Stoptech for some specs and was told they have a 1300*F temperature rating.
yes master cylinder forgot about that! will defiantly want one. ..not sure if i need lines yet..seems a bit much.
+1 Love the Stoptech Street performance pads. Probably the best blend of a track able pad that won't drive you insane when you DD. I also have centric premium blank rotors (fantastic cheap little rotors), but from what I've seen and heard here, frozen rotors are probably about the best rotors you can get (long life, durable, manage heat very well... spendy). Slotted and Drilled rotors are pointless for a DD car, even one with occasional track use. As far as other upgrades to the braking system.... The LGT master cylinder is 15/16, and switching to the larger STi 1-1/16 makes the Pedal travel less, and thus firmer and much easier to modulate. If you have VDC, you have to be prepared to do some custom lines to get it to fit. However, the STi single stage brake booster (verse the dual stage booster the LGT has), greatly increases the required effort via the pedal, which provides the single best upgrade for braking feel and modulation. It is an absolute PIA of an install, but completely worth it. Grimmspeed MC brace-awesome, uses more screws to brace itself than the competition, great increase in pedal feel, and looks awesome. SS lines-Meh, if you can get them for cheap do it, but they are more of an insurance upgrade (hard to have rocks slice a SS line) rather than a performance/pedal feel upgrade. Slight increase, but money is much better spent elsewhere. I have LGT front and rear calipers with Stoptech Street Pads, Centric Premium blanks, Stoptech SS lines, STi 1 1/16 MC and single stage brake booster, and GS MC brace on my Forester. Also use ATE for my fluid. Brakes like a race car right now! Let me know if you need more info on brakes, this is one area I know a fair amount.
I was pretty set on hawk hps due to previous experience but looks like no matter which I choose I will be happy, so at this time I am going to do the pads, gs master cylinder and rotors...seems like a basic good upgrade. ...now to the fun part purchasing!
I would I fully agree with this. I am still on my stock rotors with HP+ pads and have had zero brake fade during my track days @ BIR. Save your money and use what you have until your new pads eat through them. Also new pads + new rotors are a PITA to install. It is better to have pads with some use on them when installing new rotors IMHO.
You speaketh truth...good advice! I wasn't aware that swapping the master cylinder from the STi would provide better pedal feel and modulation - which is very important!
Oh ya Em, I don't think anyone has mentioned it yet, but remember to change your brake fluid also. ATE Super Blue (Diversified Cyrogenics that sells frozen rotors can get you ATE at a discount) should do the trick
perfect sounds good, I am getting an oli changed and breaks looked at today by my mechanic..if I just need pads then I will just get pads (saving money ftw!).. but I don't think I have enough time or patience to do the sti master cylinder swap in less than two weeks...and I think the brace will do the trick for now. thanks for all the suggestions I knew this site would yield much better help then lgt.com...
BTW - NF has ATE Blue and can check your car for you prior to DCTC. If your "mechanic" doesn't specialize in subies it might be a better option.
I've been running HPS pads, goodridge lines, and a Gspeed master cylinder brace forever on my 05. The OEM rotors are still in very good condition on my 90k mile leggy and work very well.
I went back and forth between HPS and StopTech too. I got tired of reading all the "That one is too dusty!" posts both directions and just picked one, lol... StopTech Street Performance brake pads & Centric Premium rotors for $377.68 shipped from KNS. Wish I could tell you how I liked them. but they're still sitting on my shelf waiting to be installed...
Good call, I forgot that they have the ATE. I would also trust NF much more than a local shop with bleeding your brakes!
He specializes in my subarus, and hes pretty awesome! He is an old coot like my dad, and my dads been going to him for 30+ years. I have a hard time going anywhere else for basic maintenance. I love supporting local small business not mention he charges us extremely cheap prices and gets me in when ever I need. Certain things I will go else where for when I know I need a real subi specialist but his thing is brakes, his shop is called Joes brake shop after all. I will see if I can stop by the day before though if needed (work till 3), I do need to come check out the shop! and hopefully this summer be seeing nuke for a tune!
If you're looking to enhance your braking power on a budget in the simpliest manner to meet your current objectives may I suggest just buying off the shelf pads of your choice and bedding them along with some Dot 4 fluids. Braking friction is important and you'll have plenty of it with this LGT upgrade, but unless you have adaquite tires to complement the increase in braking torque you'll have a new problem on your hands (understeer, and possible oversteer under panic stops). If you're planning on just doing at least 2 autox and 1 lapping event a year I don't see the point in spending more then this. It's much easier to teach yourself how to drive better with less brakes then it is with too much. All the cars (family & track) I've spent time bedding with off the shelf brake pads I've seen at least an increase of +15% in added braking power, shorter braking distance, firmer paddle, improved initial response, enhanced ability to modulate the threshold and most of all it's way more affordable then buying a performance pad which you may only see it's potential of less then 5% of your DD life. This will give you the benefits you're looking for without all the other commitments of noise and maintenance. You will also have a much lower learning curve going this route. Save your cheese for seat time yo.
Exact setup I've got on my '07 wrx...I really enjoy it. Like many others have mentioned here, definitely bleed your system and get some fresh fluid in there! I didn't source out ATE, but just went with off-the-shelf Valvoline DOT 3/4 and I noticed a fairly large difference after doing so.
so after further diagnosis by mechanic he said my brakes looked fine with lots of life left and that I just had a squeaky pad (shows how much I know...)..but doesn't solve the mushy pedal feel so looks like a master cylinder and a possible flush for better fluid is all I need for now...time to use up the life of brakes I have and spend my money else where !.....
Well, IIRC brake fluid is supposed to be changed like every 30k or every other year. Most people NEVER change brake fluid. On the GF's old LGT, I ran frozen rotors (centric premiums and cryo treated) with hawk hps pads and flushed the system with ATE super blue. He first set had 90k on them and they were less than 1/4 worn out. The 2nd set I installed, were like new until we sold the car. Only real issue we ever had with the brakes is that the fluid seemed like it would go "bad" after 18-24 months, so the pedal would seem real soft. Flush the fluid and it was like new again. If you are going to spend the money for brakes, spend the money. Get cryo treated rotors. They will most likely outlast the car and they will help out with any track/autox/rallyx days that you plan on attending. Just tell Mark (frozen rotors) you are from MNSubaru and he will cut you a deal. Russ
Here is my $0.02 If you plan to Track and AutoX this year I would get pads for sure. Not for the simple replacement of your OEM pads, but for the purpose of your pads. You don't want brake fade on the track. I don't have any AutoX time but I have been to BIR a few times for road course days. The OEM pads others had out there would fade on them. I think one of the guys was having issues his 2nd session out. The MCB is a very good idea. The upgraded pads will also come with a large benefit on the track. I also agree with Russ. My fluid is changed before and after every track even .... which means it is always in the car less then 1 year. It's less then $20 for a can of super blue so why not!
I'm with Musashi, Burn through what you've got. If you still have pad life left, end 'em with style. Just be ready to buy pads the next day Master Cylinder and Vac booster though will give you considerably better feedback as to exactly what the car is doing. More feedback can help shorten a learning curve, if you can listen.
This is a great idea especially for a daily driven auto (lots of heat cycling and hot spots). I'll be doing the same in a year or so (assuming we keep the lgt).
Come on guys lets be realistic here. Most new people who come out to a driving event don't even drive half the car's potential. You'll have plenty of time after the NF event to decide what to do next. There's a very good reason why you decided to sign up. We will help you figure this out and point you in the right direction. You show me what you can do and what you want to do with the car and then we can talk about what do to next. The last thing I want to do here is help spend your $$$ by guessing what's really happening in your situation. Everyone has a budget and often their goals don't align, but that's ok cause from experience more often then not the problem has less to do with their car and more with the driver. We can teach you the "NO BRAKING" technique so you will become less dependent on your brakes. lol Hold on I feel a fart coming.
Yeah I am not spending money when I don't exactly need too. I would love to spend it else where this spring to improve the suspension or going stage two earlier than planned. I have only had the car for a year and the previous owners did a nice job of maintenance (thanks bikeboy) so its not like I need to rush into buying things simply because I want something slightly better when what I already have can be fine tuned and work quite well in the meant time. I totally agree with Musashi I will not be going hard enough to warrant a full upgrade right away, that will take a while. I have been rallyxing for 5 years and I still don't use the full potential of what ever car I am driving. I am just doing this to learn and have fun, Cant wait to get some awesome feed back from some pretty experienced track gurus!
I had them on my wrx they are nice! and I know mark I stopped by and picked my set up the last time we did a group buy! great company and great customer service!
I think you're missing the point here... Develop your driving skills first. Then once your driving skills exceed the capabilities of your car, then upgrade ;-) Spend that money on seat time!
thats what my post was about...I am guessing your referring to the stage 2 and suspension...believe me that wont happen over night..going to need a lot more than 500 dollars for that...and it wont be a drastic change .
