WRX H6 brake upgrade

[matt167]

As I understand, 2002-2007 Impreza/WRX can benefit from an H6 brake upgrade.. What all is needed for the swap? Have a 2004 WRX that needs brakes and rotors all around

[bratman18]

Caliper brackets, and rotors. I think the calipers are the same.

[1 Lucky Texan]

do you run sticky tires already?

 

if so, what pads have you been running?

[matt167]

She's got some used winter tires right now, and I put the cheapest pads on when she got the car. Previous pads were badly glazed over and did not stop well. Now they have something like 20k miles on them and are getting due to change

[1 Lucky Texan]

I'm asking because tires are really what stop the car. Our cars , unless racing or maybe towing up and down the mountains, have decent brakes. Folks who felt like they needed upgraded braking, have usually been well served running stickier tires and good pads. Stock pads are (probably) Akebono ceramic, but folks have saved some money using name-brand aftermarket ceramics. I run Centric Posi-Quiet Ceramic on my wife's 03 OBW. I run Stop Tech Street Performance on my WRX (excellent for folks hard on brakes - but lots of dust!). Both with stock rotors. (when I need rotors, I'm getting Centric) At present, the WRX has Kumho ECSTA ASX tires.

 

Some people have found new rubber brakelines (or stainless braided, usually on older cars) and a master cylinder brace have helped them with better brake 'feel' when towing or on the track.

 

I'd make certain you didn't just need a brake fluid flush, better tires and better brake pads (read about 'bedding in' too) before jumping to a caliper upgrade.

 

again, tires stop the car, brakes just stop them from turning.

 

 

3142plateless by alckytxn, on Flickr

Edited February 8, 2016 by 1 Lucky Texan

[Bushwick]

Yeah, if brakes are glazed, then someone has been riding the brakes causing them to get too hot. 

 

Anytime you see front rims caked in brake dust, that's from someone that doesn't understand how to brake properly. You accelerate, and ONLY hit brakes when you need to STOP. No other time should foot be on that pedal. Brakes are not designed to regulate speed. 

[idosubaru]

what he said - a proper brake job and tires will make a huge difference

 

different brakes wont' make any noticeable difference. 

properly working, your current brakes will lock the wheels.  different brakes can't "lock the wheels more" - they both trigger the ABS - relegating stopping ability to the tires ability to stick - as LT just said. 

 

unless you're racing, towing, dealing with adverse conditions that need to dissipate massive heat. 

[matt167]

There not glazed now, but when she got the car, they were glazed badly. I put cheap pads on it cause we planned on upgrading this spring.. She does want to try auto cross too

[Bushwick]

When I had my 96' Lincoln Mark VIII, at one time I installed a class II hitch and was pulling a 750 pound U-Haul dolly pretty regularly, and towed roughly 20 cars/trucks/vans over the course of a summer. Car went over plenty of scales, so I knew the weight of the car, dolly, and everything towed. Car weighed 4100 pounds with me in it, full tank of gas, 150 pounds of heavy sub box + audio gear, and another 100+ in tools. Pulling that dolly, put me in pick up truck territory. Then, I pulled everything from 5400 pound long bed ext. cab F150's to Chevy full-size vans to AWD Mazda vans, to 3400 pound Luminas, etc. And this was in western PA where they have decent grades, twisty roads, etc.

 

So most weight ever was the 5400 pound F150, + 4100 for the car, + 750 for dolly = 10,250 I pulled over 100 miles distance, and other vehicles sometimes even further, plus all the regular driving of just the car. Wanna take a stab at the high-end brand name rotors, calipers, and pads I was running?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stock..... with $25 Chinese rotors, $12 pads, and factory calipers. I drove the car another 3 years on that same set of pads/rotors and they still had meat left when I sold the car and it didn't pull, make noise, etc.

 

I spent roughly 9 years driving semis, and one thing you realize with all that mind-numbing emptiness of driving 24-7, is there's a rather bizarre psychology surrounding people when they drive in packs (reminds me of a disorganized flock of birds), whether they are on the highway, going to work in the AM, or dead-locked trying to get home after their work day. They almost ALWAYS rush, then tailgate, then hit their brakes every 10 seconds because the car in front of them is doing 79mph and they are in some unconscious panic to get passed, only to slow down once they do. Or people accelerate as fast as possible only ride the bumper of the 100-car-line ahead of them (which they clearly see, but tailgate anyways) and are constantly on their brakes. People on cell phones are even worse. People don't understand part of the brain that needs to focus on driving isn't, and car after car will hit brakes, almost rhythmically every 5-15 seconds w/o fail despite being only car, and they are completely oblivious.

 

Point of rant wasn't to attack, just to point out that people that go through their brakes quickly, are often doing one or more of the above w/o realizing. One of my ex girlfriends was that way. Was riding with her and noticed she hit that brake pedal something like 27 times in 60 seconds and there wasn't a need for it. She didn't seem to understand that if you let off the gas pedal and maintained an average speed, the car would slow on it's own. Was funny as she never realized she was doing it.

[1 Lucky Texan]

There not glazed now, but when she got the car, they were glazed badly. I put cheap pads on it cause we planned on upgrading this spring.. She does want to try auto cross too

Make sure then to understand what 'bedding in' is and how to do a mild/medium process just before the autoX event. Unless she is making a dedicated racer, then you will be getting into what the other racers are running for brake/suspension equipment. Ferodo, EBC, Hawk, Carbotech etc. - lots of ways to go. Stop Tech Street performance are a good pad for 'spirited' driving on the street and 'occasional' track use. But, any name brand Ceramic (and even semi-mettalic) would serve her well until she actually starts racing.

 

I put cheap pads on my wife's Outback once - they were some kind of Wagner's on clearance - they were horrible, went back to Centric PQ Ceramic before they were half used up. terrifying.

 

good reading here in the 'white/technical papers; http://stoptech.com/technical-support/technical-white-papers

Edited February 10, 2016 by 1 Lucky Texan