DanialT

Hi All,

Having had my 98 Impreza for a few months now, it is superb and probably the best car I have bought yet.

But I am now needing to get my breaks changed as they have now worn, but instead of just replacing the pads with the standard ones I am considering getting the Subaru dealer supplied Upgrade option. But this will also mean that I will have to get new discs and the whole bill is going to be around the 850 GBP mark for the all round change.

Is it worth it?

Regards
Danial

Steven Breen

The dealer supplied option is the MY99 4 pot setup which has been reported on the BBS as having a few problems with cracked discs.

Moving to this upgrade will improve things no end over the "will it stop?" feeling you have at present (I have an MY97).

There are two other options available. 1. Upgrade pads in your current calipers to either Mintex, Pagid etc pads. These will perform much better than the standard pads but can/will cause greater wear rate on the disc.

2. Go for a different 4 pot upgrade such as AP Racing or Brembo. These being aluminium are lighter (less unsprung weight) and disipate heat better (less fade). Unfortunately they are much more expensive.

I am personally thinking of the Brembo route.

TonyNesta

I recently upgraded to 4-pot brakes on my MY98 and they are a big improvement. Rather than buy them new from a dealer, try and get them second-hand from someone who has upgraded to Brembos or something.
I got mine for £300 from someone on this list, and my local Subaru dealer only charged me £70 to fit them. Bargain or what ?

Darren Soothill

Well here goes this one again as I have repeated this many times before!

These are all the different combinations I have been through with brakes on the 2 Impreza's that I have had!

MY97 Standard setup:- Very early brake fade very unsure braking. Needs sorting very quickly for a spirited driving style.

MY97 Mintex Pads:- Better with a reduced amount fo fade but they do fade and I am not convinced by the ability of the pads they also take a moment to start braking when cold

STI V Type R this has 4 pots at the front and 2 pots at the rear standard pads:- Very good setup but the standard pad compound is a bit dubious when these where changed to Pagid pads we found the standard pads where starting to break up!

Type R Pagid pads:- This was an excellent setup and unless you are going to be doing alot of trackdays then I would suggest this as a setup for people. I didnt have problems with discs cracking and I am not a light person on the brakes!

Type R Brembo Brakes standard Brembo Pads:- This is an excellent setup and I have only had the pad setup go squrimy on me a couple of times whilst doing track days but the first set of disks I had developed cracks in them which where to be changed under warranty but I am having upgraded discs instead!

Type R Brembo Brakes Pagid Pads:- This setup is just amazing the brake pedal is alot firmer and requires far less pressure to create the same amount of retardation but this setup will reduce disk life to half. The reason for having to change pads is that after a recent trackday I managed to get through 2/3 of a set of Brembo pads in one trackday and ended up running metal to metal! This setup may actually be too sensitive for some people but I do know that I am the first person to run this setup. At the same trackday I managed to develop a lovely big crack in one of the rear disks but the front disks which I pinched of Petes car where fine!

Type R Brembo Calipers, Pagid Pads, Fully floating group A discs:- Being fitted on saturday so I will be able to comment after that time!

Darren

Jonathan

Darren

Please buy a sticker saying

"Keep Your Distance" for use at Trackdays.

We dont want that rear end rearanging.

Jonathan

Mike Tuckwood

Jonathan.

Don't worry, your car will not be close enough (even after a very short piece of straight track) to get close enough to Darrens more powerful STi (or anybody elses).

Also he will be brakeing far later than you will need to with your standard brakes. Just remember to pull off the racing line on your second lap to let him past.

Mike

mike_nunan

Hi Darren,

What does "Type R Brembo Brakes" mean? Did you have Brembo calipers over the original STi discs, and now you've got the Brembo grp-A discs (like the ones that come as standard with the ScoobySport upgrade), or have I got the wrong end of the stick?

TIA

-= mike =-

Darren Soothill

Sorry to cause the confusion. The Brembo setup comes with new disks which have alloy bells for them but the first set of disks I had developed bad cracks which Scoobysport where going to swap under warranty but then Pete mentioned that they had some new Group A disks these are a lighter disk but made of a harder material so they should last longer under normal use!!! Plus they are fully floating in the the disks are able to move a small amount through the mountings! The disk material is also made of different treated metal that means it has an appearence at the microscopic level similar to carbon Fiber as oppose to the glass fiber appearence of the standard disks.

I had a track day to do recently and I had to borrow Petes disks of his car as a temporary measure to get me through the track day and on the day we swapped them over the pads had 2/3 of the material left on them at the end of the last session of the day I hit metal on metal!!! I have now got some Pagid pads in which I was saving for the new disks and I should have the new disks in next Saturday unfortunately they couldnt get some of the parts for this Saturday! Pete is calling these disks Group A disks but unless you are doing alot of trackdays with alot of heavy breaking then they are quite expensive.

Darren

Jonathan

Darren

Speak to Adrian Newey at Maclaren. He's thinking of Carbon Fibre brakes for his Elise. Is it that you dont see the corners untill the last minute .

All the best as always.

Jonathan

Darren Soothill

Yeah the only problem with carbon brakes is trying to get them hot enough!!!!! Then again with a car as heavy as an Impreza its not that difficult!!!

Then again with yours only being a UK car you wont achieve the same sorts of speeds!!!!(Sorry had to get that one in!!)

Its not so much a case of not seeing them till the last minute but more a case of not breaking until the last minute which can result in some very interesting cornering styles when you miss a down change and end up going round the corner sideways!!!!

Darren

mike_nunan

Aha, that's all clear now, thanks Darren. I'm amazed you cracked the original Brembo discs, tho' -- maybe there was a manufacturing fault on your set or something. Whatever, it sounds like Pagid pads are for me, as I prefer sensitive brakes (being a former Citroen and R5 Turbo driver).

TTFN

-= mike =-