Hey Everybody, So the time has come in the life of my 2012 Sti sedan to start looking at replacing brake pads. So I figured why not upgrade the rotors as well? I did some looking around and reading on what people's favorite brands are to use when replacing this combo, but those threads were from a couple years ago+, and new stuff seems to come out every year. I am confident in my ability to change these parts out, but I've never sat down and thought about which combination of these parts would be best for the car? So, I thought I would put to MNSubaru to help me crowd source info, and lead me to an informed decision. Thanks in advance to all who bring their knowledge to the table!
The car is mostly a dd right now, with some autox here and there; nothing crazy. I'd love to have a lot of confidence in the brakes, even on the streets; but they don't need to be made of adamantium and cost me a donated kidney either...
Check out knsbrakes.com. He's got several rotor/pad combos available. I recently with with: https://www.knsbrakes.com/c/car-ser...d+Hawk+HPS+High+Performance+Street+Brake+Pads It seems Hawk and StopTech are probably the most popular pad for the STI. Both have some great reviews, both have some bad reviews. The StopTechs are a little more budget friendly and probably perform just as well. The Centric rotors are likely all you need for a DD and occasional track day. I've been happy with my Hawk pads, though they don't seem to have the initial bite that the stockers had. From the research I did, I believe I recall reading that Hawks have a little higher "working temperature", meaning they need to warm up a bit before working their best. I haven't had my car on the track at all, just spirited driving and they've been just fine for me. Good luck! EDIT: Use the coupon code 5OFFALL to get 5% off your entire order!
Centric rotors and Stoptech pads. All you will need for the requirements listed. I've been running this set up for years. Daily and autocross with some HPDE days thrown in for good measure. While you are in there, upgrade the brake fluid and possibly switch to stainless brake lines.
Im a hawk guy. If you dont mind the dust and the noise they HP+ is a pretty inexpensive great stopping pad for dd and autox
Centric Cryo Rotors and whatever pads make you happy. Stainless brake lines, a Grimmspeed master cylinder brace and DOT 4 brake fluid. That'll be all you need
I like hawk pads.. probably HPS for your car. Rotors? Metal ones. unless you're tracking, makes almost zero difference. I've been running duralast blanks on the Z because they're cheap as hell. Cryo blah blah blah.. without glowing the rotors, you won't see anything worthy of a return.
Thanks for all the replies! Would you all agree that "drilled" doesn't really do anything for what I'll be using them for? Does "slotted" actually help sweep pad dust? Or is that just a marketing tactic? Brake fluid will be flushed and fresh. If I decide to switch to stainless lines, who has the best quality to price deal? Are most pretty much the same?
Drilled is stupid for street cars and they have a higher chance of cracking. Slotted eats pads and is a waste of money. I've had my centric cryo blanks for a while now and they've been abused over several road course track days. Zero issues. For stainless lines, a lot of them are going to be pretty close to the same damn thing for around the same price. Find a good deal. Technafit, goodridge, etc.
I decided to go with the HPS 5.0 pads. Did some looking and comparing on other forums and a lot of Subaru peeps use HPS.
With the Hawk pads, invest in a good wheel cleaner and brush. You'll be busy. For your lines, again, just stick with a good brand name. All pretty much the same, Goodridge, Techniafit, Stoptech.
