Thoughts on my Brembo Setup

[integroid]

I have read the forums and I know that the Brembo setup is not that much better than our stock LGT setup. I got a great deal on a complete front Brembo setup so I figured why not.

 

What I had - Sotck LGT calipers, DBA4000 rotors, Stainless Steel Lines, ATE Fluid, Hawk HP+ and Carbotech Panther Plus pads.

 

The intial bite on this was OK but not great. After about 1-2 secs, the pads would warm and really grab. The brakes were actually pretty amazing for being stock calipers. Dusitng and noise are VERY bad

 

What I have - Brembo 4 psiton calipers, Stoptech Slotted Rotors, Stainless Steel Lines, Motul Fluid, Stock Brembo and Hawk HP+ pads.

 

I was VERY dissapointed when I first installed this setup with the stock pads. I would say it was better than the stock LGT brakes, but was not what I was thinking it should be. I swaped over to the Hawk HP+ pads and it is a completely different story. Intial bite is very good, 1-2 seconds and they grab like a raped ape. Dusting is VERY bad but there is barely any added noise.

 

My thoughts - If you can find a complete Brembo setup for cheap, go for it. If you are paying over $600 for the setup, save your money and get some great pads, rotors, lines, and fluid. The stock LGT setup is actually pretty good if you can upgrade the pads and dont mind the dust and noise.

[mustangendsley]

put some hps pads in and see what it does. they will not dust bad, but you will loose just a little on bite.

[whitetiger]

I have HPS on my otbk sdn and HP+ on my LGT. HP+ is worlds better than the HPS. Im not impressed by the HPS at all.

[darkside]

I hate my hps pads, I have always thought they were overated. Quick question does the pedal still have that floaty feel when you stop with brembo calipers. Example like when you turn a car off while driving and press brake no initial bite. I hate how you have to pedal down about half inch to feel initial bite. Thanks for the feed back

[dr. pepper]

Stainless steel lines essentially remove that initial no bite feeling, i'm running DBA 4000 slotted rotors, Hawk HPS pads, and goodridge SS lines, and feel that it is a fantastic street setup.

 

Just changing pads will do practically nothing for pedal feedback.

[Waxiboy]

so you only did fronts?

[darkside]

Ive got braided lines , motul 600 , hps pads and racing brake rotors.. I get the crazy shakes and no initial bite when pushing pedal down about half inch.. I heard the wildwood bbk eliminates the floaty ness due to shorter pistons on caliper. they engage quicker.. but how about the brembo calipers.. do you still have to push pedal down half inch before you feel the bilte.. My roommate cavalier you barely tap the pedal and your out the window..thats the feeling i want.. I almost have enought for the stoptech bbk. but that is my main concern when upgrading to bbk.

[integroid]

put some hps pads in and see what it does. they will not dust bad, but you will loose just a little on bite.

 

HPS pads are a waste of money. I had the HPS pads before with my stock Legacy. They dust just as bad as the HP+ but barely perform better than stock. I would never reccomend HPS pads to anyone.

[integroid]

so you only did fronts?

 

Yeah...No real benefit for rears, IMHO, and I really didnt need to spend the money to begin with on the fronts. The fronts with HP+ pads are awesome...I just dont think it would be worth it unless you got an awesome deal on them like I did.

[mustangendsley]

WHAT? i use my stock rotors,ss lines, blue brake fluid and hps pads and it made a big differance. i auto cross on them and they work great. no dust ether. I know the hp+ are better, but squeel really bad for a dd driver. you should not be using the hp+ pads for a dd. they will eat up a roter faster than the hps pads. the hp+ pads are for auto cross and track use mostly.

[integroid]

Who says you can't use HP+ as a DD pad? I know over a dozen Subaru's in my area that DD on teh HP+ pads and have had similar experiences with the HPS pads. The HPS pads are better than stock but they still dust pretty badly and no worth the savings in money IMHO. Have your tried the HP+ pads on your LGT? I doubt it since you are praising the HPS pads. Get a set of HP+ pads and you will finishing a few spots closer to podium in Autox's.

 

BTW - read the other people complaining about HPS pads. I am not the only one that thinks they are not great pads like you claim.

[LosAngelesLGT]

I am very happy with the same setup the OP started with. DBA4000+HPS. Simple, easy and affordable. Definately an improvement in brake feel but no promise of actually shorter stopping distance - just better driver confidence. Brembo sounds like a big waste of money to me unless you get a deal or you have a track dedicated car (or a 400whp). Per OP sounds like what I REALLY need to do is stick with my DBA4000's and try out some HP+ pads...

 

As far as brake dust goes, don't believe the hype, HPS pads make just as much dust if not more than oem. I will be happy to post pics of my wheel dust

[whitetiger]

Ive been using HP+ as a DD on my LGT for 3 years now. they are dusty and squeak from time to time, but they are def a good DD pad otherwise. they def dont eat the rotors that fastas im still on my original set i put in with the HP+ pads.

[integroid]

I am very happy with the same setup the OP started with. DBA4000+HPS. Simple, easy and affordable. Definately an improvement in brake feel but no promise of actually shorter stopping distance - just better driver confidence. Brembo sounds like a big waste of money to me unless you get a deal or you have a track dedicated car (or a 400whp). Per OP sounds like what I REALLY need to do is stick with my DBA4000's and try out some HP+ pads...

 

As far as brake dust goes, don't believe the hype, HPS pads make just as much dust if not more than oem. I will be happy to post pics of my wheel dust

 

I am past the 400WHp range and got an awesome deal on them:cool:

 

I would stick with the stock setup you have and just try some HP+ pads. They make a huge difference imho.

[PeterJMC]

You need to do Brembo Rears... The setup with the rears on is sooo much better! I had just fronts on for 20,000+ miles and then slapped on the whole rear setup and it was a huge difference.

 

I didn't know how much front end dive was there with just the fronts upgraded. Braking now feels very neutral and feels like it just squats down evenly. It's just a feeling coming from just having Brembos in front and it was a very noticeable difference.

[integroid]

You need to do Brembo Rears... The setup with the rears on is sooo much better! I had just fronts on for 20,000+ miles and then slapped on the whole rear setup and it was a huge difference.

 

I didn't know how much front end dive was there with just the fronts upgraded. Braking now feels very neutral and feels like it just squats down evenly. It's just a feeling coming from just having Brembos in front and it was a very noticeable difference.

 

Wow, good to know. No, actually that is crappy to know because now I have to spend even more money on my car:( When will I ever get my 6-speed!?!?!?!?!

[whitetiger]

that shows you how important brake balance/bias is in the equation. people with just brembos up front are way over biased in the front. matching brake setups with a good pad choice is the way to go when doing brake upgrades.

[BoozeRS05]

I found a set of front brembo calipers w/out pads, rotors or lines for $300.. Good deal?

[integroid]

I found a set of front brembo calipers w/out pads, rotors or lines for $300.. Good deal?

 

Yup, that is a pretty good deal. Depending on how they are, I would buy the rebuild kit before they are put on. Also, make sure none of the threaded mounting holes are stripped. 2 of the 4 on mine were but I knew they were before I bought them. That was one of the reasons why mine was so cheap. My friend at the machine shop that put my motor together put in Heli-Coils and they have been fine.