Dunno, but I was always taught not to use stainless in any position where it might be stressed, due to lower ts.

I have replaced loads of bolts and screws on mine, from those holding the rad to those holding the side-skirts, but would draw back from brakes....

 

Ian can you confirm the bolt spec you use and tightening torque just for peace of mind please?

 

This seems like an awful lot of work to still have subaru four pots.

 

It's not a lot of work if you enjoy doing it. Plenty of people on here enjoy putting time and money into these cars when they could have something newer and better

 

I agree, and the Subaru 4-pots are pretty good with decent sized discs.

As a younger man, I enjoyed completely stripping my mountain bike, de-greasing and cleaning every part and rebuilding with the correct grease/oil etc. What did I gain? Satisfaction.

 

...and a reliable well looked after bike, like my wagon.

 

Hi mate, following this thread with interest as the most disappointing thing about my wagon atm is the brakes! Got a standard 05 WRX and looking to overhaul calipers/replace and improve or upgrade depending on cost.
Not sure which direction to go in as a set of brembos will be around 750 but then I'll need new wheels so they fit and all of a sudden I'm looking at about a 2k which is only slightly less than I paid for the car!
Will be fitting braided hoses and replacing fluid at the very least to see if that improves the sponge that currently replaces my middle pedal. Also read something about a bracket you can fit by the reservoir (or something) that makes a big difference too?
Not looking for massive performance gains as this is my daily hack and a bit too shabby to justify massive spends tbh, just want a bit more confidence when I'm approaching a roundabout at speed

 

You could start with better discs and more aggressive pads?

Also fit braided brake lines and the "brake stopper" you mention that stiffens the pedal.

If the middle pedal is spongy, try changing the brake fluid...any idea when it was last done?

 

I wasn't 'unhappy' with my brakes just fancied trying some bigger ones that work with the std WRX alloys with discs that fill the 18s better. As alcazar says there's plenty of options that improve the standard brakes and are perfectly fine for my PPP 260bhp.

See my thread for all options mentioned above: https://www.scoobynet.com/1004847-fo...l#post11480119

 

also this post on my spongy brakes: https://www.scoobynet.com/1004847-fo...l#post11500506

 

No idea when it was last done but will be changing/flushing through at the same time as fitting braided hoses and will also go for the brake stopper mod... prob in black though sorry modrich (thanks for the links)
Will see how much difference this makes before making a decision on where to go next with refurbished calipers/discs pads etc. Got a new set of rear discs with the car so might as well throw those on while I'm inspecting the rest of the system
What brake fluid would you guys recommend?

 

You would think stainless steel is stronger, but its design is actually more for corrosion resistance (and looking pretty :-)
Alot of the standard 'steel' bolts on engines are heat treated (8:8 bolts) and have a tensile strength of 828 N/mm2 (some may be even stronger 10:9, 12:9 etc)
A304 stainless steel bolts (marked A2-70) are far more corrossion resistant but only offer 700 N/mm2 so you do have to be careful when swapping out bolts for stainless steel versions.