EvoLady Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Morning all, need a little brake pad help. I recently purchased a 93 Legacy wagon that I’m using for a daily drive and rallycross car. The car is in great condition and an absolute blast to drive but she definitely needs some brake work. I went online to look around and realized I have no idea what is good for these cars. I’m also an autoxer so I’ve run the more expensive pads like Ferodo and Project Mu but I know I don’t need that much stopping power. So I’m looking for some that is quality that is going to last. Any suggestions?? Thanks, Sara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Wagon Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 A chick that's into rally? Nice First off, welcome to the boards and congratulations on the purchase. I kind of have the same setup going (Daily driver/rally car) and I bought some cheap-ish drilled rotors off of ebay that came with pads that are working fine (although I've gotten pads from Discount that have lasted me years). Wasn't much for both front rotors and decent pads. Does tend to shudder a bit slowing from 45-40mph though so they maybe be slightly warped after hitting puddles and stuff out there. My rule is that old cars get cheap parts unless you just have extra money to burn. I mainly got them in hopes that they would push any dirt/rocks/dust and crap that got between the pads and rotors through the holes without wearing down pads as fast as slotted rotors. As to whether it works or not is beyond me, but for a non-ABS machine it's not bad. New tires will also help a ton and you wont have to use brakes as much. I rarely hit the brakes out on the trails unless it's been raining a lot. Stupid Florida floods so much. I would suggest getting used to the weight and how to properly shift it and that's where tires come into play and you can pick up new tires from WalMart for cheap. Or go with some WRX 16's and get 225/55/16's. That would be a nice setup on these older cars since their suspension is pretty well set for this stuff. I would also suggest getting a rear diff. cover if you have an AWD. (cant remember what year Subaru made it standard) You can pick up one for about $35-40 on ebay. There may be others on here who have different opinions, but I say go cheap since it's still just a DD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 For $110 a piece NAPA has drilled/slotted rotors for these cars. Match them up with your pads of choice and you're golden. In my opinion, tay away from eBay and Autozone rotors. They're all cheap and flimsy which is why they warp. The eBay rotors are just regular cheapo Autozone rotors that someone buys 100 of, then drills/slots them on a Bridgeport milling machine. Instead of increasing the surface area for cooling, and allowing brake dust and gasses to escape, they just make the already flimsy rotors even more prone to warping. Once you've got the slotted rotors and good pads, replace the bleeders with new ones (Since the're cheap and its better than messing with a stripped bleeder) and get some stainless steel lines. They won't bulge so much under the pressure of hard braking, thus improving braking response and feel. For around $25 you can get some replacement E-Brake shoes too. I think PartsTrain.com has some for that price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fkyx Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 Stick with OEM rotors. You may even get them cryo-treated. "drilled" rotors are not a good idea, and will likely crack in high-heat situations. From my research, it seems like EBC yellows are the most popular brake pads available. Hawk (HPS) makes good rear pads, but not fronts. Carbotech is another option, but word is they aren't worth the money unless you go for the XP8 or "better" compound. Your other option is to do an entire WRX swap, but that can be quite expensive, and requires a bit of research. In the end, your braking power is dependent on your tires. SS lines and such won't help with braking power, but they'll help with the feel. Once you've got a good set of "OEM" brakes, spend some money on race-exclusive tires, and if you don't get the performance you like, continue to upgrade the brakes. My $0.02 of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Wagon Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 I'm giving up on ebay drilled or any drilled after this. I just bought them to see if they were any good and cause they were cheap. I wasn't 100% sure if thats why they were warped, but it seems like that's the problem. You can try the Napa ones, but they're a lot more money. OEM are cheap and should get you what you need though. Now, for a DD I wouldn't recommend slotted since I've heard they'll strip brake pads quicker. Also, if you have an AWD I've heard using the Ebrake isn't a good idea since your diff will be fighting itself. Again, just things I've heard, but they're worth looking into. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Racing Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 Yeah, the eBay ones could be better. The NAPA ones are expensive. I bought rotors at Autozone once. A week later they were warped. The quality isn't great. They are thinner, and after working in a machine shop I can say that the machined surface could be better. I don't think they were even round to begin with. I've found that NAPA or small mom-and-pop shops are best for brake parts. The rotors are generally OEM thickness and the quality is better. The prices are higher, but you get what you pay for. Think of Autozone as the Wal-Mart of the auto industry, they have what you want and its in stock, but they only have it because of their buying power. They go to companies and say "We'll buy 1,000,000 alternators from you, but you gotta bring the price down from $60 to $35." The company agrees and sells Autozone their alternators. The Durabrand parts are just regular parts that the manufacturer didn't want to put their name on. Sometimes they didn't pass quality control, sometimes they had a lot of parts that had a defect, but still worked. Autozone buys these at cost and stamps their name on it. For example, if you buy a Duralast battery you're really getting a Johnson battery (The same people who make Interstate). If Interstate offers a 750 CCA battery that only puts out 600 CCA, they won't sell it as an Interstate battery. Instead, they sell it to Autozone and label it as a 600 CCA battery. This cuts down on industrial waste and is a way for them to cut their losses. The same applies to Duralast brake rotors and pads. [/rant] NAPA can also order you stock diameter and width Brembo solid rotors for a very good price. I bet those would be the best bet as they are THE authority in brakes, they won't strip your pads, and they will resist cracking and warping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Wagon Posted June 27, 2010 Share Posted June 27, 2010 This makes sense. I wish I knew someone who worked at NAPA now. I looked the other day and I have an interstate battery in my Legacy that's been in there for 7 years haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvoLady Posted June 28, 2010 Author Share Posted June 28, 2010 Wow this is all great info! Yes it is an AWD car, I really love the way they handle. I think I’ll go with some stock rotors, never been interested in the slotted/drilled and maybe some OEM pads. You really don’t do a lot of braking in rallyx but I do need some! LOL I think we will check out the rest of the brake system while we are doing this. I would like to do some SS lines and I’m sure the fluid needs to be changed. Also good idea on a rear diff cover, we are probably going to get a friend that has a fab shop to help us with that. Our first event we put a nice size dent in the oil pan so going to get a cover for that first. Thanks for the welcome and I’ll let you guys know what we end up doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Wagon Posted June 28, 2010 Share Posted June 28, 2010 Lucky! I was thinking to make my own cover for my oil pan. My friend Bryan dinged his up pretty good one day and we were about 35 miles away from home. Fortunately it didnt puncture, but it left a baseball sized dent. These cars are tough. Make sure to get some pictures from an event of yours and some others cars since not many people rally cross on here. Or if they do they dont post pics. Preferably some nicely setup Subaru's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvoLady Posted June 29, 2010 Author Share Posted June 29, 2010 will do. there are a couple of subarus that run in our club so i will try to get some pictures on them. next event is not till july 24th though. hope we can get the brakes done by then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wish Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 front skidplate for rallyx is necessary. rear diff cover isn't. the rear diff is really really thick and i wouldn't worry about hurting it. also, i have cheap autozone brake pads and rotors and after 12,000 miles they're fine and haven't warped at all. then again, my car is manual and i engine brake a lot so i'm not harsh on brakes. my last car i got 60k on my stock pads and rotors before i got new pads and resurfaced the rotors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baddog Posted June 30, 2010 Share Posted June 30, 2010 I also believe NAPA has employee pricing every 2ND Saturday of the month. At least here in Portland they do. I can get all 4 rotors made by Brembo for 160 instead of 320. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Wagon Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 Front skidplate's expensive. Rear diff cover is cheap. It also eliminates any kind of lip that's on it so it smooths out the bottom. Then again if you're only doing rallyx and not trail runs where there's stumps, rocks, roots, logs, etc. then you may not need the rear diff cover. It all depends on what you're planning to use it for. I've never been to a real rally stage so I'm not sure if they comb the roads for crap or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sqc151 Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 just use a stop sign for the front skidplate. (yes, it works) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Wagon Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 ^^ Pics please haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BennnGeee Posted July 1, 2010 Share Posted July 1, 2010 If you have the money for an upgrade i believe wrx brakes will fit a 16 inch wheel and all the right hardware don't quote me on that though I'm not positive for your year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvoLady Posted July 1, 2010 Author Share Posted July 1, 2010 Just to be clear we run SCCA rallycross which is not the same as staged rally. That would be awesome though! Our current sight is pretty rough, hills and stuff but you guys might be right on not needing the rear dif cover. The stop sign idea is SO tempting!!!! If I ever see one laying down I'm so going to grab it, can't bring myself to create a road hazzard by taking one down myself. Hopefully next time we will get some videos to post up too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wish Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 yeah, stop sign works great. http://i787.photobucket.com/albums/yy158/IommiChild/PA160048.jpg?t=1261102192 not my car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy Wagon Posted July 4, 2010 Share Posted July 4, 2010 Oh wow...now this is on. I'm gonna be on the lookout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvoLady Posted July 27, 2010 Author Share Posted July 27, 2010 fyi posted some pictures of our last event in the photo section on the forum. we checked out the brakes and the pads are in good shape there is just a huge lip on the rotor where no one ever turned them. so looks like i'll just be needing some rotors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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