2nd-Gen LGT Brake Upgrades: WRX front and H6 Rear

[GreenMarine]

I've looked through a few of these brake upgrade posts and I wouldn't find an answer to a question I have...

 

I have a friend selling a set of 06 - 07 Subaru WRX "4-pot / 2-pot" calipers and discs. I was wondering if anyone knew if they would fit on a 1998 Legacy GT Wagon??

[fwa2500]

they would if you also have the adapter brackets for them, but you would also have to upgrade to 17" wheels for clearance (though some 16" will clear with spacers)

[GreenMarine]

they would if you also have the adapter brackets for them, but you would also have to upgrade to 17" wheels for clearance (though some 16" will clear with spacers)

 

Adapter brackets huh?... Any idea where I can get them (if they are sold anywhere) or is it a part that has to be custom made?

[Baddog]

Adding this to the list of information. Camron if you could put it somewhere would be awesome.

 

So you can use the 04 WRX calipers (or most others for that matter) with the H6 Rear Caliper Brackets.

 

When you buy the caliper brackets they don't come with the "Brake Clips" which are the pieces that the ears of the pad sit in.

 

The 04 WRX has a different pad design then the earlier years so you will need the different brake clips then what came with the 04 WRX calipers. 02/03 WRX calipers have the right Brake Clips you don't need to change.

 

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/parts/Duralast-Brake-Disc-Hardware-Kit-Rear/2002-Subaru-Outback-AWD/_/N-jhsyxZ8kolf?counter=0&filterByKeyWord=brake+hardware&fromString=search&itemIdentifier=16044_0_0_

[Lojasmo]

Ha. I bought a rusty, ass used setup, and disassembled the calipers. Still need to rebuild.

[TexasLegacy2.5GT]

Our LGT wagon has been running great. It is now my wife's daily, and she is very happy with it. No more instances of overheating. I think I still have a leak in the sunroof area, so I will be checking on my earlier repair there - the front passenger footwell is getting soaked again. :/ Just got some new custom Weathertech floor =QUOTE]

 

Cameron, Here is a good read about sunroofs and leaks!

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/saga-leaking-sunroof-moonroof-173621.html

[wish]

Actually just picked up a set of fully assembled wrx front brakes with brand new pads and newish drilled and slotted rotors off nasioc for $75.

Just gonna do these with new rear pads and rotors and maybe SS lines.

[Stang70Fastback]

Here's a really stupid question. How does this upgrade affect the brake force distribution on the vehicle? Aside from the brakes being stronger, does it have any affect as far as front-rear brake bias?

[subikid90]

Here's a really stupid question. How does this upgrade affect the brake force distribution on the vehicle? Aside from the brakes being stronger, does it have any affect as far as front-rear brake bias?

 

No that is based on your master cylinder

[jamal]

no change in bias going from the LGT/RS sized brakes.

 

The MC has nothing to do with it.

 

The change in bias is dependent on the size of the pistons in the caliper and the effective diameter of the rotor. So bigger/more pistons = more brake torque, and bigger rotor = more torque.

 

Also, the WRX 4-pots have pretty much identical brake torque as the RS/LGT sized brakes because the pistons are smaller even though they use a bigger rotor.

[monkeyposeur]

What are stock on an SS? The SS brakes are way beyond my L brakes. The L brakes suck really bad. I love the stopping power on the SS.

[lulzcow]

Adapter brackets huh?... Any idea where I can get them (if they are sold anywhere) or is it a part that has to be custom made?

They should be called "caliper brackets" if you were looking through a junkyard or so. You just need to have the one designed to mate with the caliper itself for the brake you are running. Get a picture of the calipers your friend has for sale, if it has the back plating with two bolt holes for attaching to the car, it has the brackets included. When I ordered my WRX 2-pot calipers from a junkyard I made sure to stress "and brackets", and they came along as a piece. I bet a junkyard would sell the correct brackets if they did not come with the calipers.

[jamal]

What are stock on an SS? The SS brakes are way beyond my L brakes. The L brakes suck really bad. I love the stopping power on the SS.

 

They are the same size as an RS or older LGT but also have vented rear rotors. The best OEM upgrade bias-wise for an SS is 4-pot fronts. Legacy777 made a bias calculation spreadsheet awhile back and I have a listing of all the different stock brakes on the bbs and nasioc.

[TexasLegacy2.5GT]

Jamal, I did my front brakes on my 99' LGT this weekend. I've got the H6 rear rotors, calipers, brackets, and pads. Do you think it wise to just get some H6 brake lines? Also, has anyone tried to mod the MC by swapping it out with a H6 MC or WRX MC? Looks like

there is a little grey area on the MC swap for our cars.

[TexasLegacy2.5GT]

Cameron, I did the rear H6 brake upgrade that you posted on here. New Brackets, Rotors, Calipers, and Pads!! This upgrade cured a mysterious shudder my 99' BD sedan GT was suffering from. But, the one thing I made sure I did right was I bled all the brakes from all 4 corners of the calipers. The mushy brake pedal feel that you reported after you were finished with the entire job was not present on my car. My brake pedal feels solid! The differences that I have on my upgrade was that I didn't do the SS brake lines that you did on your job and the fronts are not WRX conversions. My front brakes only received the new 2000 year model rotors (which BTW, were the same part number from the 99' GT's front rotors) and new pads. From the profile of my Legacy the rear discs that are now 11.4" look as big as the front discs! Here are some photos:

 

 

 

The H6 bracket which is the "magic part" that makes the H6 calipers and rotors fit just perfect:

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/Rubenjc111/AAD5C829.jpg

 

I drilled off the rear dust shields like you did as well. With out this little jointed ratchet my life would have been 10X harder taking off the old rusted brackets:

 

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/Rubenjc111/C4C20DAA.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/Rubenjc111/C73208E3.jpg

 

Done deal!

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee134/Rubenjc111/583F052F.jpg

Edited May 6, 2012 by TexasLegacy2.5GT

[monkeyposeur]

I love my swivel head ratchet for that same reason (among others) Texas. It came in handy on the SS.

[camroncamera]

Glad to hear things worked out for you! I don't have a cool ratchet like yours, but sometimes my breaker bar with the flex head gits-r-done. Or the BFH10K.

 

Too bad my WRX/H6 Upgrade Thread isn't so much a tidy "how-to" instead of the "how-the-F-do-I?" that it ended up, lol.

[TexasLegacy2.5GT]

How does your pedal feel now?

[camroncamera]

How does your pedal feel now?

 

If your question is for me, I would say pedal feel is "fine", though not tremendously snappy. It still takes a fair amount of pedal effort to clamp things down. Definitely not like my Scirocco lol.

 

The recent discussion about the aftermarket master cylinder brace got me curious enough to examine the master cylinder in operation this morning. Had my wife pump the bake pedal with engine both on and off while I observed the MC, and in both cases the the vacuum booster clearly flexes under the stress, I'd say about 1/8" or so. I may be adding a master cylinder brace to the to-do list.

[TexasLegacy2.5GT]

Cameron, do you think you can continue on with this documented DIY thread with the MC brace? I'd love to see this done. Also, has anyone considered swapping a MC from either a WRX or H6 legacy into out 2nd Gen cars? I'm sort of curious about MC swap...

[TbirdMan]

I wouldn't recommend a different MC, from what I can tell, at least for the 2nd gen GT, the calipers piston sizes are pretty much all the same as the WRX and 3rd gen legacy (all 3rd gen leggies have the same upgraded rear brakes, nothing special about the H6)

 

when a company designs the MC they match it to the calipers, since these are all OEM calipers, and all pretty much the same, the OEM MC's should be about the same, the big differences are in the rotor diameters.

[TbirdMan]

Upon researching, the WRX does have a slightly bigger bore MC then the legacy, however, the 3rd gen is the same.

[TbirdMan]

one tip, it looks to me like the later impreza calipers (as on my 04WRX ones) have the brake line notch in the right place for our cars and it should bolt to the 3rd gen legacy bracket (aka "H6"). I think I am gonna stop by a local JY and see if he will give me a deal on a set of brackets.

[TexasLegacy2.5GT]

one tip, it looks to me like the later impreza calipers (as on my 04WRX ones) have the brake line notch in the right place for our cars and it should bolt to the 3rd gen legacy bracket (aka "H6"). I think I am gonna stop by a local JY and see if he will give me a deal on a set of brackets.

 

^^^brackets are cheap. Order new non-rusty ones. funny how you changed your mind on the MC swap.

[TbirdMan]

I wouldn't say I changed my mind, I still think the stock MC would work fine, just that the WRX one is bigger bore. I suppose it would shorten the pedal travel some since you are increasing the volume of fluid you move, but it would also reduce the mechanical advantage since the multiplication of force of a hydraulic system is a function of the difference in diameter of the pistons.

 

As for the caliper brackets, if I can get them for the right price I think it would be worth it, $40 vs $20 or so, and all I would have to do is clean them up and paint them. again, all depends on if they will sell the brackets separate and for a good price.