After upgrading the Turbo and struts it was time to upgrade the brakes without breaking the bank.
We went with a very good quality but lesser known rotor from Centrix. The real important thing to point out is the rotor finish, the paint in the drilled holes and cooling fins will greatly increase the life of the rotor and keep it from prematurely delaminating.
Everyone has an online opinion about which brake parts to use on what, but most comments come out only months after the parts have been put on. This WRX had slotted and drilled rotors that came apart when the non painted holes in the rotor allowed the porous portion of the rotor to become rusty. These rotors were on the WRX for a few years before this happened but a better quality rotor would have lasted longer and we know which drilled and slotted rotors not to use. The enemy of efficient braking is heat and slotted or drilled rotors help keep brake temperatures down.
We decided to upgrade to steel brake lines to decrease flex in the lines, now we do not typically suggest doing this if you hit the trails with your Suby.
Last is the friction material we went with Hawk HP plus pads front and rear.
So if you own a performance enhanced WRX or Legacy GT that is due for brakes why not upgrade your brakes instead of just replacing them.
Hey Stan,
The steel brakes lines will need to be monitored much more so than the rubber lines, have a greater risk of rust developing as a result of moisture in the brake fluid and even though there are many opinions, I don’t feel they should be kept on for much longer than a couple of years. Rubber hoses will flex where steel lines may rupture.
Justin
Hello Justin,
Thanks for the great articles! They were really helpful when I was looking for a car. I ended up buying a 2001 Legacy Brighton. The previous owner had some troubles with the engine – head gaskets had been done 3 times by the dealer, then the short block was replaced at 117k km. I bought the car at 121k a year ago, and it has been a wonderful and trouble-free vehicle so far, especially shining in the East Coast snowstorms.
Approaching the 144k km mark, the front brakes may be due soon, and I was thinking of upgrading to DBA4000 rotors, Hawk HPS pads and steel brake lines, because the stock brakes feel a bit mushy on most Legacies I’ve driven so far.
In the article, you are saying, “now we do not typically suggest [upgrading the brake lines]”. Is there any specific reason why?
Thanks
Stan