Brakes. Buy from dealer? What else to replace?
 

Brakes. Buy from dealer? What else to replace?

At 50k, I'm going to replace my pads and rotors.
I don't want racing crap for basic street driving.

What are my options besides dealer prices?
$85 for a rotor is more than I've ever paid for any car ever.

Besides the pads and rotors,
are there any little parts and extras I should also buy?

Dave down the street should be able to hook you up.

Napa, AutoZone, rockauto, same calipers as an Impreza/wrx iirc, probably lots of dirt cheap options.

Centric blanks are like $40 each on Amazon, can probably get decent OEM like pads there too, TRD or stoptech pads would be my choice for a street car.

Flush the brake fluid.

Edit: I can't kill my stock rotors, track days, autox, over 80k miles and still not near the wear limits, surprised yours are done already unless commuting in LA, those MFers are tough on brakes.

Why do you want to replace the pads and rotors? Did a shop tell you that they are worn down? Honestly, a blank face rotors and normal pads should be perfect. Get something with a low dust compound.

While you're at it, pay for someone to replace your brake fluid. Please, too many people drive around with rotten watered down brake fluid.

What you want is a liter (2 bottles) of Motul DOT 5.1 (street fluid), Centric/Stoptech Premium Rotors (they're like $33 each on RockAuto), and some high performance street pads like Carbotech 1521, Stoptech Sports, or EBC Red Stuff.


As someone else already mentioned, if you are needing to replace stock rotors you should be flushing (not just topping off) your brake fluid, it takes about 700ml to fully flush the system, I usually go through the whole liter though. Brake fluid is designed to be replaced completely (flushed) every 2 years at minimum, as it is hygroscopic (water absorbing) and it's wet performance is much lower than its dry performance. This is to prevent water causing rust in your braking system, but is obviously something that needs maintenance.



It's worth a little bit to get the Centric Premiums because they're coated in a corrosion resistance layer and made out of a different alloy which resists pitting better, so that they will survive longer and not just rust out straight away. Rust on rotors is normal, but you don't want them pitted where the friction surface is unable to be utilized fully.


You're looking at the following as a good starting point:


Rotors:


CENTRIC 12047021 Front Rotor (35.79) x2

CENTRIC 12047031 Rear Rotor (30.79) x2


Subtotal: $133.16



Pads:


CENTRIC 10515390 Posi-Quiet Front Pad Kit (30.79)

CENTRIC 10511240 Posi-Quiet Rear Pad Kit (27.99)


Subtotal: $58.78 for a basic option


Or as an example


EBC Redstuff Front Pad Kit (97.61)
EBC Redstuff Rear Pad Kit (72.23)


Subtotal: $169.84


Fluid:


Motul DOT 5.1 500ml (8.37) x2


or


ATE Type200 DOT 4 1L (15.19)


Subtotal: ~$16


So you're in around $320 total in parts to replace your entire braking system, except for the lines and calipers, with decent quality stuff. You can do all of the labor yourself, it's not that hard, but it's around 2 hours an axle for book time, so if you go somewhere expect to pay $360-$500 for labor.


That's basically all you need to know. Don't neglect your brakes, they're a critical safety component and I see way too many ragged out shitboxes rolling around my city as it is.

Also, given your post history, you might want to consider leasing a BMW with a service contract. You might be happier.

Holy shit, I think that's the first time I've seen a book time I can beat, and I don't have any power tools aside from a handheld impact to zip the lugs off and a mityvac brake bleeder.

50k miles.

The rotors are grooved.
There is a lip on the edge.

Both these would reduce contact surface if I only replaced the pads.

I've already flushed the brake fluid with ATE
Brakes still not as hard as I prefer.

Thanks for first giving actual info before going into troll mode. Funny stuff.

I've owned several BMWs that I've done tons of maintenance on. E39, e46, etc.


While not a pro, I probably have more DIY experience and more tools than the average body kit ricer on this forum.

So premium centric and stoptech are considered legit? They're not some cheap Chinese eBay AutoZone garbage? I mostly own German cars, so these other brands are new to me. Zimmerman, sebro, etc.

100% legit.

Well, you're in California. Try beating the book time on it when you're doing rotor replacements in the upper Midwest. That shit is rusted on so badly sometimes it comes off in two pieces because you had to smack it so hard with a sledge that it cracks.



Can you explain what you mean by "not as hard as I prefer"? Generally speaking, pedal stiffness/travel is unaffected by rotor/pad wear or selection, it's entirely dependent on quality of bleed, biasing, master cylinder piston to caliper piston ratio, and pedal/master cylinder flex. My experience is that a MityVac is great for flushing to speed things up but it doesn't perfectly bleed, and nothing beats the outcome of the 2-person method. Usually I need 2 cycles of the bleeder after a MityVac to get things 100%.



I wasn't trying to troll, I was being 100% serious. BMWs are very nice driving vehicles and if you lease with a service contract every single thing on the car is 100% covered during the lease period. BMW dealerships (except for the one in Austin :/ ) are typically very good about service, have nice facilities, and it's a way to completely eliminate frustrations or hidden costs involved in car ownership/maintenance.


There are plenty of ricers and fuccbois in this community, but there are also a lot of serious people. Most of the people who've responded to this thread fall into the latter category, and I doubt you have more experience wrenching than many of the people who are more regular on the forums, myself included. You see it as trolling, but it should be a signal that you're doing something absurd and should "check yourself before you wreck yourself". At the end of the day its your car and your money, but sometimes its better to listen to advice than to learn the hard way.



Yes, Centric / StopTech is the same company now, and they are very high quality braking products. The majority of people who do high performance driving (track, 86cup, autocross) with this platform on stock brakes use Centric / StopTech rotor blanks. There are other high quality options like DBA rotors as well, but they have a higher cost and diminishing returns especially for primarily street driving.


As you can see on RockAuto, there are other less expensive brands available and most of them would probably be fine, but like you, I don't trust their metallurgy. Centric Premiums are the gold standard for rotor replacements.

I don't use mityVac. I always bleed brakes manually with a helper. Open bleeder, pedal down (but not all the way), close bleeder, pedal up. Repeat 10x.

I don't buy new cars and never get service at dealership. I have specialist Indy's that I use for stuff that is above my level. Simple stuff like brakes, I do myself.

I don't track my BRZ. I have another car for track days, so stock equiv. brakes are fine

So what's the word on centric vs dealer OEM? Why choose one over the other?

I can typically do all four corners in about an hour. 2 hours per axle leaves LOTS of time for breaks and snacks.



Forget counting, watch for bubbles.



It was already answered... but centric is perfectly fine, even great for track use. They're cheaper than the dealer and just as good. Why some people get from the dealer is simply because they don't know any better.

Ok, I'll get centric rotors
. What brand of pads then?
I don't want racing pads

Dealer parts would be $500.
$250/axle

On Rock, I see
Centric package for $161.
90647005
Wow that's cheap
$12 shipping for 4 rotors and 2 sets of pads.

For premium level I only see power stop. Centric only under daily driver

I literally gave you the exact part numbers to order for a set of Centric Premium Rotors and a set of Centric Posi-Quiet Ceramic Pads w/ brake hardware with pricing.


Since you're concerned with brake feel, you should consider getting a bitier pad compound though which is why I recommended EBC Redstuff. They are NOT racing pads (in fact, they are not safe to take on a track at all just like most street pads), but they are bitier than OEM pads.

check rockauto.com, I just bought some rotors on the cheap from that site. Check part numbers against amazon always in case you can get prime shipping

CENTRIC 12047021 Front Rotor (35.79) x2
CENTRIC 12047031 Rear Rotor (30.79) x2

These are listed under "Daily Driver" and not "Premium"
I don't want "regular" if they are gonna be poor quality.
I can spend more, but $85 at the dealer seem like a scam, that's all

I don't exactly want "bite", I just don't like any pedal softness.
I feel there is a tad more pedal travel than I prefer.
So, after flushing the fluids, I am willing to try new pads/rotors.
Rotors are scored with a lip, so maybe that's not ideal.

:suicide:

wow.

if this thread gets any more dense, i'm using it for proof to have found a new element for the periodic table.

You know that you're generally going to have the same pedal resistance if you change pads/rotors, right? You should get a master cylinder brace and stainless braided lines if you want ultimate pedal feel. I wouldn't recommend the braided lines on a DD though, they need to be swapped out every few years. They have a tendency to develop leaks and if only the rubber leaks, you can't see it!!!

if you want extreme pedal, go with a Chase bays brake booster delete :)

Not looking to mod anything.
A rental SUV has better brake feel.
My other performance cars have a rock hard pedal with minimal travel

This car is not your other cars, Subarus have a squishy pedal and are notorious for it. If you don't want to make changes, why are you asking for our advice? I'm not trying to come off as a prick ( ok, maybe a little) but it's tough to make suggestions when you're not open to anything.

The Centric Premium rotors will work well for you. They certainly won't add to a soft pedal. I've used them on my daily drivers for years on multiple cars...they're a good OEM quality replacement.

Hawk HPS 5.0 and Stoptech Sport are good + cheap pads that are a little more aggressive than stock but still definitely not race pads. There are others that work well, those are just 2 that I have used on my own cars.

ATE or Motul 600 fluid works fine for a fun street car.

A master cylinder brace does help pedal feel, but it's not going to make a stock pad feel like a high friction race pad without any of the drawbacks on the streets. You might like it a lot though. I use the Grimmspeed MCB.

Let me know if you need any help I can put together a package for you.

- Andrew

so then sell the brz and rent an suv.

seems like a simple answer then.

I know where they're listed on RockAuto... the name of the item is "Centric Premium Rotor" What matters is the part number, which is correct and matches the listing on RockAuto. It might behoove you to consider that other people /might/ know what they're talking about, especially since you needed to ask for advice.

If you want to buy the same exact item and support a vendor in the community, you can buy them at a higher price on CounterSpace Garage, and they say "Premium" in the description...

https://www.counterspacegarage.com/c...frs-gt86-front
https://www.counterspacegarage.com/c...-frs-gt86-rear

Still cheaper than OEM.

You can also buy them through Tire Rack although it's a little more difficult to make sure you're getting the right part...

https://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brak...odClar=Limited

https://www.tirerack.com/brakes/brak...odClar=Limited


I'm happy to help you, but when I've literally given you the part number for the exact item I'm talking about and you tell me that I don't know what item I'm referring to, you should understand that's a bit frustrating. Either you know more than me and you don't need my help, or you don't, and when someone is kind enough to provide you literally exact part numbers for everything you need you should maybe listen with a little bit more respect.

One last thing, all of the above part numbers are not for the PP Brembos. They require a different rotor and pad. Based on this and your other threads, I believe you have the normal brakes and not the PP Brembos on your BRZ. If you do have the PP Brembos I can give you correct part numbers.

Sorry. I've been trying to engage in this thread from work, on my phone. I'm missing bits of detail provided. When I get home from work on Thursday, I'll check everything out on ROCK with my PC.

As for brake feel, I think my pads are getting low anyway, and I always replace scored/lipped rotors while I'm in there.. since cheap.. If there is no improvement in brake feel, I still need to replace. But let's see.

+1 for the TRD pads. I really like them. Initial bite was much improved.

Best thread in a long time. :popcorn:

It certainly won't hurt to replace them, especially since the rotors are already lipped. After you replace them bleed your brakes using the two-person method, bed them in sufficiently, and then bleed a second time. Usually I find that the ABS and brake booster systems can sometimes hold air at the top of the system but it can be pushed down with sufficient repeated hard braking, which can be part of bedding. That second bleeding usually fully evacuates any air from the system.


If bleeding isn't sufficient, the only way to make them any harder might be stainless steel lines and a master cylinder brace, both of which will reduce "slop" in the pedal. The brakes in this platform have a lot of take-up with easy travel before they feel hard /even when brakes are being applied/ because of the way the electronic brake assist works. It kind of annoys me too. With some BBKs you get much harder brake pedal due to piston sizing, but they wouldn't be suitable for primarily street driving.

Generally though, bleeding properly should get you where you need to be.

Maybe I will consider some "performance" non-track pads that have a little more bite than OEM.
If OEM pads last 70k miles, maybe they are designed to have less friction.
I am willing to trade lifespan for more sacrificial pad that translates to harder bite.

Did you miss this one?

https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136737

Yeah, I saw it as well...I tried to give the benefit of a doubt though since it was just the General forum, and there's all sorts of nonsense posted there. I tend to stick to more topic-specific forums usually...better info and generally a higher degree of knowledge/experience. At least, I thought so until now...

Initial bite != a firm pedal... are you after a lot of bite with minimal pedal pressure, or do you want a firm pedal (or both)?

Wow.

Rockauto probably only lists them as "daily driver" because they're not the "performance brand" that is slotted or drilled.


EBC has always done well by me across multiple platforms and I've had good luck with hawk as well, but all the advice in this thread is on point.


Rather than question the forum the same thing in multiple ways, why not use google and get a variety of experiences across the board with the names and products. Stoptech is a pretty big name and so is centric to have not heard of either.

yet you think the factory brakes on this platform is the "worst design ever".

you're not a pro but you're also not far from the ricers you're hating on.