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Legacy GT brakes plug and play on my Outback XT?


shralp

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Hi all,

Considering putting some Legacy GT / Spec B OEM brakes on my '08 Outback XT. The stock set up, particularly the fronts are less than great. I think having the StopTech trophy kit on my '05 GT Wagon track car has jaded me a bit as well :) It seems that these would be a direct swap over for me with no mods yeah?

 

Thanks for in info you can offer.

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Mechanically, yes, direct fit! All you need are the caliper brackets as well. Fitment wise, the rear rotors are the same diameter(just vented instead of solid) and the fronts are a larger diameter. you'll need to trim the front heatshields but that's really about it.

 

I think having a BBK on your other wagon definitely spoils ya! :lol:

MTBwrench's Stage 3 5EAT #racewagon 266awhp/255awtq @17.5psi, Tuned By Graham of Boosted Performance

 

Everyone knows what I taste like.
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oh right gotcha! Just purchased these refurbs off a forum member so it appears I'm good to go. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/ne-stoptech-rotors-pads-rm-black-calipers-258002.html

 

Had considered waiting and doing a the Cadillac CTS brake upgrade but frankly thats just overkill for me and I really wanted something that was an easy fit. The OEM GT set up is perfectly fine to handle stage 2 power levels so I'm glad to have found a set in good nick. My stock Outback set up saw many winters in Ohio before I purchased the car last summer from a forum member and while they are fine functionally they are just rusty, horribly pitted pieces of crap. That and the aforementioned lack of stop they seem to possess. Can't believe that Subaru spec'd out the XT with these. Even at stock power levels I really feel the car is under braked.

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In ascending order of performance it goes red, yellow, blue, then orange. I had yellowstuff in my obxt stock brakes, and now I have bluestuff in the Brembos on the spec.B. Both have been excellent performers and both of them very quiet. The bluestuff definitely makes more dust that the yellow though. Both offer excellent initial cold bite.

 

For a DD/street car I'd go with the yellows. I've also tried Stoptech pads, Hawk HPS, and Hawk HP+.

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I was running my obxt with stock brakes with EBC yellowstuff pads and a 16G and felt like I had plenty of braking for the road honestly. If you pair the lgt brakes with some good pads you'll be solid for a DD.

 

I'll admit, I never tried my OBXT braked with some good pads. Only the OEM stuff. I never bothered, as the LGT setup all together between pads, DBA rotors, fluid, and calipers/brackets only cost me about $450. I imagine, as with most things, using quality parts would make it a just fine braking system(within reason, of course).

 

For a DD/street car I'd go with the yellows. I've also tried Stoptech pads, Hawk HPS, and Hawk HP+.

 

What was your impression of the HPS pads, in respect to the EBC yellow compound? I have a love/hate relationship with my HPS, mostly due to the poor heat tolerance and inconsistent friction delivery. Some days they have great initial bite and hold well, others they feel like stock.

MTBwrench's Stage 3 5EAT #racewagon 266awhp/255awtq @17.5psi, Tuned By Graham of Boosted Performance

 

Everyone knows what I taste like.
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Aside from the stock pads, the Hawk HPS are my least favorite pads I've ever used.

 

The bluestuff definitely dust more than the yellowstuff, but both were/are completely quiet. Initial bite on both is excellent, and the total grip with the bluestuff is enough to make my eyeballs fall out when running sticky rubber.

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Aside from the stock pads, the Hawk HPS are my least favorite pads I've ever used.

 

The bluestuff definitely dust more than the yellowstuff, but both were/are completely quiet. Initial bite on both is excellent, and the total grip with the bluestuff is enough to make my eyeballs fall out when running sticky rubber.

 

Good to hear. I was considering bluestuff, DS2500's, and Carbotech AX6's. I'll fully agree with you that the HPS are just a crap pad. I got them because at the time they were the "newer and better 5.0 compound"... such is false.

 

Sory to thread jack, Shralp. Back to topic! :lol:

MTBwrench's Stage 3 5EAT #racewagon 266awhp/255awtq @17.5psi, Tuned By Graham of Boosted Performance

 

Everyone knows what I taste like.
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Ditto, never had luck with the HPS's either on my GT wagon. pretty much ran Carbotech Bobcats on the street and XP10's and XP12's on the track. I transitioned over to Cobalt XR2's a few seasons back and these with my StopTech Trophy Kit brakes are just awesome
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Sorry for another thread jack - what pads a suitable for street mostly, and a little track use (HPDE)? I have Bobcats on the front right now, but have heard they overheat too quickly for the track. Need new pads on the rear soon, IIRC (all stock '05 LGT brakes).
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Sorry for another thread jack - what pads a suitable for street mostly, and a little track use (HPDE)? I have Bobcats on the front right now, but have heard they overheat too quickly for the track. Need new pads on the rear soon, IIRC (all stock '05 LGT brakes).

 

I think you're looking for the holy grail of brake pads, which has yet to be engineered. The general consensus is to do what Shralp does on his wagon; a second set of pads for the track. The only way to get a daily driver capable pad to not suck on the track is to not use it on the track. :lol:

MTBwrench's Stage 3 5EAT #racewagon 266awhp/255awtq @17.5psi, Tuned By Graham of Boosted Performance

 

Everyone knows what I taste like.
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I think you're looking for the holy grail of brake pads, which has yet to be engineered. The general consensus is to do what Shralp does on his wagon; a second set of pads for the track. The only way to get a daily driver capable pad to not suck on the track is to not use it on the track. :lol:

 

Thanks. Do you generally swap just fronts, or front and back?

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Ditto, never had luck with the HPS's either on my GT wagon. pretty much ran Carbotech Bobcats on the street and XP10's and XP12's on the track. I transitioned over to Cobalt XR2's a few seasons back and these with my StopTech Trophy Kit brakes are just awesome

 

What size wheels are needed for the Trophy Kit? 17s? 18s? Just fronts, or both front and back? Sorry for all the questions. Trying to decide between beefing up the LGT, or just going big and getting an STI..

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Thanks. Do you generally swap just fronts, or front and back?

 

I personally have never done the practice myself as my wagon only sees autocross, where heat buildup and fade are really never an issue. However, if I were to do it and do it right, I would swap all four corners. If you only swapped the fronts and the rear end faded it would place more strain on the front end to create the same reduction in speed. In that situation you could either break traction, or cause the fronts to prematurely fade.

 

This is probably better answered by Shralp though, as I have precisely zero track time under my belt!

 

What size wheels are needed for the Trophy Kit? 17s? 18s? Just fronts, or both front and back? Sorry for all the questions. Trying to decide between beefing up the LGT, or just going big and getting an STI..

 

you need 18" rims to use the trophy kit with the largest rotor size. I think the smallest rotor size can squeak its way into some 17" rims, but I wouldn't bother chancing that! Your money would probably be better spent on some nice stock fitment LGT pads, rotors, fluid, and sticky tires though. I'd buy a set of RE71-R's, or Direzza ZIII's before I blew it on a StopTech kit.

MTBwrench's Stage 3 5EAT #racewagon 266awhp/255awtq @17.5psi, Tuned By Graham of Boosted Performance

 

Everyone knows what I taste like.
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you need 18" rims to use the trophy kit with the largest rotor size. I think the smallest rotor size can squeak its way into some 17" rims, but I wouldn't bother chancing that! Your money would probably be better spent on some nice stock fitment LGT pads, rotors, fluid, and sticky tires though. I'd buy a set of RE71-R's, or Direzza ZIII's before I blew it on a StopTech kit.

 

Yeah.. If I take the wagon, I'd probably take her as she sits, with Pilot AS3s on OEM wheels until I figure out what I want to change. They're not ideal tires, but they're as good as high-performance summer tires were 20 years ago, so I think they'll be ok for a few sessions.

 

Too many choices!! :lol:

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A friend is running 17" Enkei RPF1's with his StopTech trophy kit so I know those work, (also a huge bang for your buck for 5x100 offerings in a quite light wheel) but some 17's won't fit. Front pads would be more important to swap out than the backs for sure. By the time you strip the car to pass tech inspection there's just not a lot of weight back there. I will admit that when I had stock brakes I've run my Bobcats in the rear from time to time in the past because my rear track pads where backordered :). The StopTech Trophy kit is awesome, but I wouldn't spend the money to run it on a daily driver, the Brembos would be fine, (as well as the OEM for light track use)

 

Rhitter's point it valid as well, you won't stress the system as much if you're running a less aggressive tire.

 

I had considered just running a used Brembo Sti front only back in the day and I still consider that a good middle ground. Stock rears are totally fine with a decent pad set up, (and they are REALLY quick to change, just one 14mm bolt and the whole caliper swings up allowing both pads to just pop out). Pretty easy to find a used brembo front (or the Cadillac swap now available) and you have a marginally bigger rotor as compared to the GT, (which is already quite good for typical OEM specs) and it simplifies the front swap out as compared to the OEM fronts, which isn't all that bad.

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