undercoveridiot Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 My '05 2.5i is at 100k and I am replacing the rotors anyway and would like to upgrade a bit. I don't need a BBK or flashy stuff, but I need something that will stop better than OEM. Reading through this I would be in the spirited driving category. I have 18x7.5s on the car and have gone through several sets of tires from wearing out the outside tread blocks from hard cornering. I live around lots of mountain roads I like to drive down fast and have gotten the pads hot enough to fade on several occasions that I had to double foot the brake pedal to keep from rear ending the car in front of me. Most all of the after market disc kits I see for an '05 say they only fit the GT. What is different between the base 2.5i and the GT brakes systems? Are there any differences in the disc diameters or calipers? What would I have to replace to bolt a GT disc kit on my car? If the GT brakes are better somehow and its an easy swap, I would like to get slotted discs with some Hawk HPS pads and SS lines on my car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beanboy Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 discs are larger and calipers are different. -B http://www.standardshift.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undercoveridiot Posted August 25, 2011 Author Share Posted August 25, 2011 Are both front and rear different? So what would I need to do to upgrade to GT brakes? Replace the discs, caliper brackets, and calipers with GT units? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZP Installs Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Discs, Pads, Caliper Brackets, Calipers from a LGT both front and rear. -mike http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/91072632.jpg http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/133406601.jpg AIM: AZP Installs | E-mail: sales@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1(2971)| T-1 Certified Amsoil Direct Dealer "Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNVAR Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 FYI, when your pads are fading, stepping on the pedal harder isn't going to make you stop any faster. In fact, once you've reached the point where they're fading and you're still applying the brakes, it'll just keep getting worse, especially if you step on them even harder. Also, what pads are you using right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I experienced pad fade in street driving on my LGT with OEM pads, along with near-constant uneven deposits. So if you go this route be sure to get a quality pad. Switching to Carbotech Bobcats solved both problems for me. There are other quality aftermarket pads out there as well, along with some not-so-quality ones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZP Installs Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 That pad fade feel could also be fluid boiling as well. If you are getting the pads hot enough to fade there is a good chance the fluid is burning up. As every one is saying a good (and fairly cheap) upgrade is the LGT set up. I wouldn't waste money on slotted rotors unless you are racing the car. They will eat up your pads faster DD. A good performance street pad will give you the temperature range you need compared to the cheapos or stock. SS lines and a good fluid does wonders. I was using ATE Super Blue and Hawk HPS pads on track with my RS and I ran it all day long with no fade and no loss in braking ability. I even got close to 50k on the set up and still life on everything. We stock all the pads, rotors, lines, and fluid if you need anything. We just don't have the calipers themselves since its probably cheaper to buy someone's used set. PM us and we can give you a quote for anything you need. -Jake http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/91072632.jpg http://www.pbase.com/paisan/image/133406601.jpg AIM: AZP Installs | E-mail: sales@azpinstalls.com | 725 Fairfield Ave | Kenilworth, NJ 07033 | 908.248.AZP1 (2971) | T-1 Certified Amsoil Dealer "Race Tested, Enthusiast Approved!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNVAR Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 If the fluid boils, the pedal gets really spongy or just bottoms out. It sounds to me like his pedal remained firm but that depressing it did nothing so that should indicate pads. Either way, yep, he's outdriving his brakes and needs an upgrade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
undercoveridiot Posted August 30, 2011 Author Share Posted August 30, 2011 The pedal stays hard, the stopping distance just increases noticeably as they get hot. I just have cheap OEM replacement pads all around, but they are at the end of their life and the rotors are trashed so I am going to have to buy new fluid, rotors and pads all around anyway. So I figured now is a good time to upgrade. Are the caliper bolts different at all? What about the e-brake setup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soloz2 Posted August 30, 2011 Share Posted August 30, 2011 I kept my stock 2.5i calipers and just replaced rotors and pads. I went with Centric Premium rotors and Stoptech street performance pads. I couldn't be happier. Current: 16 Crosstrek Premium w/ Eyesight & 05 Outback XT 5MT Past Subies: 14 FXT Premium, 14 WRX hatch, 06 Legacy 2.5i SE 5MT, 98 Outback wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.sane Posted August 31, 2011 Share Posted August 31, 2011 I did the full swap to LGT brakes. Dont remember if I re-used the caliper bolts, but everything else was a pretty straight forward bolt-on affair. The e-brake is not affected. You might have to grab some pliers and bend the dust plates a little to clear the wider rotors; one of my rotors were scraping against it after the swap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flander Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I did the full swap to LGT brakes. Dont remember if I re-used the caliper bolts, but everything else was a pretty straight forward bolt-on affair. The e-brake is not affected. You might have to grab some pliers and bend the dust plates a little to clear the wider rotors; one of my rotors were scraping against it after the swap. How was the braking after the swap? Did your car stop in shorter distance than before? What was the total cost of the swap? Why didn't you also swap the dust shield? I'm thinking of doing this swap but I still have my 16" wheels I use for winter driving. Would they clear the rotors from the GT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.sane Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 How was the braking after the swap? Did your car stop in shorter distance than before? What was the total cost of the swap? Why didn't you also swap the dust shield? I'm thinking of doing this swap but I still have my 16" wheels I use for winter driving. Would they clear the rotors from the GT? There was definitely a noticeable improvement, but I never measured stopping distances since I dont have a piece of road where I can speed up, stop, and get out of the car and measure The cost of the swap depends on where/who you buy your LGT calipers from, the brand of rotors, and the brand of pads, so it really depends. Swapping dust shields isnt necessary so I didnt see the point of buying them. Only one of them was slightly scraping on the rotor so I just bent it back a little bit. 16" wheels will not fit over the front LGT brakes. There's barely any clearance over the caliper with 17" wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDN 2.5i Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 If you want to retain your 16s for winter, I'd suggest upgrading your pads. I'm running Carbotech Bobcat fronts and Hawk HPS rears. You'll notice a definite, noticeable improvement with a more agressive pad like the Bobcats. I also run steel braided lines which also yield an improvement, but it's more subtle yet still noticeable. Makes the pedal feel a bit firmer. Even simply doing a brake fluid flush will improve things as well. Go with a high quality DOT4 or better fluid. I'm looking at doing the new Grimmspeed master cylinder brace as well but waiting confirmation that it will fit a 2.5i. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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