To me the brake pedal on my STi7 seems a bit soggy. On first push it goes nearly all the way down, and in general the brakes don't seem as sharp as I would expect considering the size of them. The car has 8k miles on it - would the pads usually be on the way out by this time (all 'spirited' road driving) or should I be looking elsewhere?

Charlie.

 

Dot 5.1 fluid in the system should help to firm the pedal up no end,
i did this on my MY01 and it made such a good difference.PS dont bother with braided lines they make no noticable difference whatsoever,Motorsport dealers said unless you run track days dont bother with them.

Zippy

 

Thanks - I thought maybe new/better fluid might help. Isn't the stuff that it comes with DoT 5.1 spec though? In any case, apparently the stuff can absorb water which makes it less effective so worth replacing.

 

It comes with DOT 3 standard if i remeber correctly,which absorbs water like a sponge compared with DOT 5.
I was charged £22 all in by my main dealer to change.

Zippy

 

Check carefully for leaks! I know a new car shouldn't have any, but, if the pedal goes nearly all the way down as you say, then it would be a wise precaution, and wouldn't take long to do.

I had a leak in my MY 96 brakes. (Fixed now) It made quite a mess of the engine bay, and the brakes were extremely spongy.

 

My UK300 is just starting to get soggy brakes after 13K miles. Up till now the brakes have been fantasic - even dislodged my father-in-law's toupee. The first service is due soon so I'll get Dot5 then. My previous Scoob was MY98 and the brakes were truly awful and even new discs, pads and Dot5 had no effect. Didn't try braided hoses because got so fed up with it decided to replace it instead.