Bimmerman
02-04-2008, 10:57 AM
A while back I was asking a lot of questions about an autocross-oriented brake setup. I've since bought a different car(89 325i) for autocross and track days, but I still had the parts lying around for the Scoob so I went ahead and installed them.
Car:
1995 Subaru Legacy L
Parts List: (from Raceshopper.com, highly recommended!)
Best Brakes Signature Series Rotors
Techna-Fit Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Ferodo DS2500 Street/Track Brake pads
ATE Super Blue DOT 4 fluid.
I installed the parts all myself since Midas and Brakes Plus refused to install parts I bought even though they were new in the box and also because the dealer charged waaay too much to do the job. I did everything in my garage on jackstands with a metric wrench set.
Install:
I installed the parts all myself since Midas and Brakes Plus refused to install parts I bought even though they were new in the box and also because the dealer charged waaay too much to do the job. I did everything in my garage on jackstands with a metric wrench set.
Installing the rotors and pads was very easy and took about 30 min per wheel to remove old, install new, check rotor runout, and torque everything down. Installing the lines was less fun, since removing the old lines starts leaking brake fluid everywhere. It took about 30 min per wheel to remove old lines and install and position the new ones. It is a really straightforward installation especially if you have the factory service manual.
After install, I bled the brakes twice to make sure all the air was out of the lines. For reference, the FSM gives the bleeding order as FR-RL-FL-RR.
Review:
Wow, these pads are awesome! I had boiled my brake fluid at the last track day and also cooked(and cracked) my old pads, so I knew I needed to replace pretty much everything, but I had no idea it would be this good.
Pedal feel is simply amazing. It's not overboosted by any means, but it really feels solid when you stomp on it. Before, when I was at the track and in normal driving, there was a lot of give in the brake pedal before it started to engage the brakes. After the track day there was almost no pedal feel, the pedal nearly going to the floor when you touch it. Now, however, there is minimal deflection of the pedal and rock-solid feel all the way to impending lock-up.
The stainless lines feel very high quality, and are very stiff. This makes installation somewhat of a pain, but helps give the pedal such amazing feel.
The rotors are not performance rotors per se but rather direct replacement parts. I bought them mostly because it was cheaper to buy better TUV-certified rotors than to turn the old ones for the first time. They are a direct fit and have less than 0.002" of runout, which is well within factory spec. The best part is that the rotors do not feel look or feel cheap at all.
The pads do not squeak or squeal, even without the rubberized backing plates/shims the original pads had. The stock pads, as I am sure you know, are barely adequate for city driving and do not inspire the most confidence. After autocrossing on the stock pads and going to a track day, they were beyond toast- the rear pads were glazed, had cracks in them, and were nearly completely worn down while the fronts were glazed and had burn spots. After the track day the pads barely wanted to work at all, and made me really reticent to drive the car anywhere. The new pads, however, are heads and shoulders above the stock pads, and really haul the car down from speed quickly and effectively. Despite being track-oriented pads, they have incredible cold bite. I have not driven them long enough to make any judgments on dusting or expected life, but I will buy them again regardless.
As soon as I have driven a few hundred miles on the system I will update with my impressions on hard performance driving.
Car:
1995 Subaru Legacy L
Parts List: (from Raceshopper.com, highly recommended!)
Best Brakes Signature Series Rotors
Techna-Fit Stainless Steel Brake Lines
Ferodo DS2500 Street/Track Brake pads
ATE Super Blue DOT 4 fluid.
I installed the parts all myself since Midas and Brakes Plus refused to install parts I bought even though they were new in the box and also because the dealer charged waaay too much to do the job. I did everything in my garage on jackstands with a metric wrench set.
Install:
I installed the parts all myself since Midas and Brakes Plus refused to install parts I bought even though they were new in the box and also because the dealer charged waaay too much to do the job. I did everything in my garage on jackstands with a metric wrench set.
Installing the rotors and pads was very easy and took about 30 min per wheel to remove old, install new, check rotor runout, and torque everything down. Installing the lines was less fun, since removing the old lines starts leaking brake fluid everywhere. It took about 30 min per wheel to remove old lines and install and position the new ones. It is a really straightforward installation especially if you have the factory service manual.
After install, I bled the brakes twice to make sure all the air was out of the lines. For reference, the FSM gives the bleeding order as FR-RL-FL-RR.
Review:
Wow, these pads are awesome! I had boiled my brake fluid at the last track day and also cooked(and cracked) my old pads, so I knew I needed to replace pretty much everything, but I had no idea it would be this good.
Pedal feel is simply amazing. It's not overboosted by any means, but it really feels solid when you stomp on it. Before, when I was at the track and in normal driving, there was a lot of give in the brake pedal before it started to engage the brakes. After the track day there was almost no pedal feel, the pedal nearly going to the floor when you touch it. Now, however, there is minimal deflection of the pedal and rock-solid feel all the way to impending lock-up.
The stainless lines feel very high quality, and are very stiff. This makes installation somewhat of a pain, but helps give the pedal such amazing feel.
The rotors are not performance rotors per se but rather direct replacement parts. I bought them mostly because it was cheaper to buy better TUV-certified rotors than to turn the old ones for the first time. They are a direct fit and have less than 0.002" of runout, which is well within factory spec. The best part is that the rotors do not feel look or feel cheap at all.
The pads do not squeak or squeal, even without the rubberized backing plates/shims the original pads had. The stock pads, as I am sure you know, are barely adequate for city driving and do not inspire the most confidence. After autocrossing on the stock pads and going to a track day, they were beyond toast- the rear pads were glazed, had cracks in them, and were nearly completely worn down while the fronts were glazed and had burn spots. After the track day the pads barely wanted to work at all, and made me really reticent to drive the car anywhere. The new pads, however, are heads and shoulders above the stock pads, and really haul the car down from speed quickly and effectively. Despite being track-oriented pads, they have incredible cold bite. I have not driven them long enough to make any judgments on dusting or expected life, but I will buy them again regardless.
As soon as I have driven a few hundred miles on the system I will update with my impressions on hard performance driving.