thepdmm Posted June 15, 2006 Share Posted June 15, 2006 I have a 2005 Legacy GT, everything on it is stock and I didn't get to drive it all last week (drove the Jeep). Now this week I have been back in it and I feel like the brakes are kind of soft, compared to the Jeep. I THINK I have read in reviews that the Legacy's brakes feel a bit mushy. But I wanted to ask real people what they thought? you know how hydraulic brakes are supposed to get progressively harder to push down? well feels like they don't get progressively harder fast enough (they still do but not fast enough).. Already checked fluid levels and they are fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexylegacy Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 My Legacy does the same thing. I personally think it is a combination of cheap stock brake fluid that boils to easy and therefore breaks down, and also just plain crappy stock pads. I'm going to be upgrading my pads and fluid very soon to Super Blue fluid and Axis Ultimate pads. That should stiffen things up a lot. The only other thing I could think of it being is a crappy brake master cylinder, but I seriously doubt that is the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepdmm Posted June 16, 2006 Author Share Posted June 16, 2006 I noticed on the way to work the brake pedal felt a lot stiffer.. How much can heat play a part in this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldawg GT Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 I noticed this too. Seems like the brake pedal has to travel to far to stop compared to my wife's Saturn of all cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckzul Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Stainless steel brake lines and better brake fluid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsalicru Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 Stainless steel brake lines and better brake fluid What he said. "some say, his arms are made of coiled adamantium fibers. And that he tops his cereal with nuts and bolts. All we know is, he's called the Jose." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepdmm Posted June 16, 2006 Author Share Posted June 16, 2006 So I am assuming that heat does in fact play a part in how the pedal feels? If stainless steel lines improving the pedal feel implies that environment can play a part? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsalicru Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 heat can play a factor.. but only heat on the lines themselves... not outside heat. A 100 degree day isn't gonna make much of a difference on fluid that can take >400 degrees of heat. Same applies for the brake pads. "some say, his arms are made of coiled adamantium fibers. And that he tops his cereal with nuts and bolts. All we know is, he's called the Jose." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepdmm Posted June 16, 2006 Author Share Posted June 16, 2006 got it thanks! I talked to the dealership.. Basically a pedal feel, if it isn't a safety concern then I am not worried. They said they would look over it anyway for piece of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebpda9 Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 my brakes are shit when it's above 80deg outside Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtmenace Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 hot brake fluid will expand stock (read: crummy) brake lines, therefore increasing brake pedal travel. if you are gonna upgrade, the ideal points to touch on; without doing a full swap...ss lines, new pads, blue fluid - i promise it will make all the difference in the world:icon_mrgr Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulldawg GT Posted June 17, 2006 Share Posted June 17, 2006 guess this will be my next mod... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stanghater Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 i just bought ebc green stuff because of this prob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBIVALENCE Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 what keyword should i search to find the recommanded aftermarket brake line and fluid? THX~! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugblatterbeast Posted June 18, 2006 Share Posted June 18, 2006 technafit, goodridge. you can get ATE super blue for $20 cnd / liter at Precision Tuning at Keele & Steeles. Pac mall has Motul but it ain't cheap unless you bargain. From the factory my brakes were mushy when warm. They felt a lot better when I tapped the pedal before actually pushing harder to stop. I finally got around to bleeding them and tons of air came out. Two calipers had big bubbles in them. Now the pedal feels much better hot or cold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBIVALENCE Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 so which one you using now bug? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBIVALENCE Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 i dont want really sensitive brake, but i am expecting brake like BMW. But NOT the mini cooper brake, i had enough of those cooper brake. (i do not want nose dip with even a tap on brake!!) I just want my brake to perform at least the standard of a honda, but these mushy brake are really disappointing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jim malach Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Yea may dealer ship said that that they would resurface my rotors .Oh yea and they said pump the brakes what I said I did not buy a car with abs so I have to pump the brakes that's why. I went with the racingbrakes four piston calipers set-up two-piece stock sized rotor a one-piece rears both f@r slotted works for me really well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugblatterbeast Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 so which one you using now bug? ATE super blue. I just wanted a different colour fluid to make bleeding easier. The brakes are big enough on our cars for my street driving so I'm not worried about boiling the fluid..... sure beats the dinky brakes I used to deal with on Honda products I have awful memories of boiling Motul 5.1 in the Vigor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBIVALENCE Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 so you say ATE super blue is better than Motul? And also, when we are talking about mushy brake we are talking about the feeling of the car not stopping rite? Coz i had so many times that i am braking progressively trying to please the passenger, but instead makes them feel scare coz the brake is not progressive at all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugblatterbeast Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 so you say ATE super blue is better than Motul? And also, when we are talking about mushy brake we are talking about the feeling of the car not stopping rite? Coz i had so many times that i am braking progressively trying to please the passenger, but instead makes them feel scare coz the brake is not progressive at all... yes and no. I was talking about a different car. With the Vigor I got the brakes glowing more often than I should have I tried a few fluids on that car before using Motul. The stock honda fluid was hopeless. Ford HD was ok for about a month then it too would boil + it turned green (copper corrosion I assume). Motul 5.1 held up for a while but it too boiled after 4-5 months of service. I eventually used RBF600, which was fine in the summer but felt weird in the winter. The brakes would engage fine but were slow to release. On the Legacy, I've yet to boil the brakes. I only bled them because I suspected that they were full of air from the factory. I used the ATE because it was locally available, cheap enough and blue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMBIVALENCE Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 hmmm i may be stupid. but does colour matter for brake fluid or is it just a personal perference? If i bleed the brake fluid will the brake become very stiff and hard to press on in winter? Also how long would the ATE fluid last with daily driving? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugblatterbeast Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 there's no such thing as a stupid question when it comes to safety. the blue colour is a personal preferance. I alternate between clear an blue fluids so it is easier to tell when a flush is complete. if there's air in your lines the pedal will firm up with a bleed. the hard pedal you are referring to is more likely the pads being taken out of their temperature range. most brake pad upgrades will worsen your problem as the majority of performance pads are optimized for hot operation. I've had good luck with PBR ultimates and AEMs (during our winter conditions) on Honda applications but I don't think they make anything for the LGT. You might be able to find something for the 2.5i. KVR has released their new formulation for our cars but the pricing is still terrible. I think ATE recommends 2-3 year change intervals for normal driving. I prefer to just change the fluid out once a year for piece of mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpm6500 Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Its a good idea to change the "race" fluids more often because they absorb moisture more quickly and become "wet" sooner. Once the Hawks come out I'll change over to motul600 and bleed spring and summer. Its probably overkill. Bug, Thats an interesting comment about the Motul in winter time. How cold does it get where you are? Running HP+s and Motul 600 in 28-35 degrees I had a similar problem until I brought the brakes up to temp. I blamed the pads which needed heat to raise the modulation ability but if you had the same problem it looks like I was wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugblatterbeast Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Good point. I forgot to mention that. Of course there are a few exceptions like Castrol SRF. The ATE stuff is "reasonable" when it come to moisture. It can get pretty cold here. The normal winter temperature is only -10 to -15 C but I've driven in -40 C conditions. Even the ABS gets sluggish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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