Noob brake question
 

Hi,

Always looking for an opportunity to spend money on my car that would yield a more fun ride. The time is approaching when I will need new brakes. Their are plenty of after market brake pads, rotors, lines, fluids that I can purchase and install and have it cost less than going to a Meineke and having them do a brake/rotor replacement

My question is this.. If i do spend the money on after marketing pads and stuff for brakes (but dont replace the actual calipers or going for a serious brake kit as they are like 5k) will I notice a difference in the driving feel, stopping power of my FRS for every day driving? I dont track, I dont autocross, I do spirited driving and rarely drive hard for more than 5 minutes. You know,... here is a corner let me dive bomb it.. or, their is this straight away coming up let me open up the throttle then I need to slam on the brakes.

I understand after market products allow you to drive harder for longer because they dont heat up as easily. This will not be the case at all for me as I just dont drive like that.

thank you!

You'll absolutely notice a difference in stopping power if you upgrade your pads and rotors!

Check out the FR-S / BRZ Brakes Upgrade Guide thread that is stickied in this part of the forum. There's some really great info in regards to what you should expect when upgrading brakes.

The gist is, if you do not autocross, or track the car, there's no need for a BBK. Just a simple pad and rotor upgrade will do.

With the description of your needs, you will not benefit from any upgrades. That's my opinion.

You won't get more stopping power from different brakes. The limiting factor are your tires. The stock brake is more than capable of bringing the tires to the limit (and over = ABS).

All brake upgrade have to do with getting better heat capacity. If you want better stopping power, get better tires. :thumbsup:


That being said, you can change the feel of the brakes by getting other brake pads. But it usually comes at a cost of noise etc. The stock pads are designed to handle normal use (like yours) and at the same time not be obtrusive. Changing the rotor will do nothing. The stock rotor is good quality and is being used for racing in the Toyota GT86 CS-V3. The only reason to change the rotor is durability for those tracking their car.

100% agreed, based on your usage there's no need to upgrade anything. If you can engage ABS, you have plenty of brake power.

If you want a firmer pedal and like spending money, get a master cylinder brace and stainless lines. They won't make you stop any faster, but the pedal will have a slightly better feel. Less compressible pads will make more of a difference, they come at the cost of more dust/noise typically though.

based no your post and the 5 or so "thanks" in response to your post I will be sticking with stock braking system.

I have done some reading on the subject and read that upgraded brakes are more important for braking and maintaining braking over extended driving. I was very accurate in describing my needs and I thank you all for saving me a couple $100.

You are welcome. Brakes have been a major headache of mine and a lot helped me. So I'm glad if I can repay some of my "debt" and help someone else.

I don't know what the stock pads and rotors cost, but you could possibly save even more getting aftermarket equivalent.

Perhaps get a pad with a better feel and cheaper (but without the disadvantages of dust and noise)? I didn't look for such a pad myself, so I have no suggestions. Anyone?

The front rotors (if you need to replace those) are made by Brembo, getting them aftermarket is most probably a lot cheaper than buying the from Toyota/Subaru.

You can buy one of two part numbers. They cost approximately the same:

09.A921.14
This is the rotor that comes on the car factory:
https://s31.postimg.org/fjp5ctpff/Sc...t_23_21_21.png

09.9077.10
This is the rotor for the 2005 Subaru WRX and is a direct fit to our cars. It's a significantly lighter 1.3 kg (2.8 lbs) and has a different design on the cooling fins. It is supposed to have better treatment to resist heat as well. I have 2 of those lying around waiting to go on when my new pads arrive.
https://s31.postimg.org/r0c20z4d7/Sc...t_23_20_43.png

Centric rotors are ~$40/ea, easily google-able to get multiple sources and prices, Amazon is pretty damn competitive though. However there is zero reason to replace them if they still meet the specifications for thickness which iirc is actually stamped on the OE rotor as well as google-able via the service manual, maybe even in the glovebox manual.

I believe this is front:
https://www.amazon.com/Centric-Parts...tric+rotor+frs

Rear:
https://www.amazon.com/Centric-120-4...tric+rotor+frs

But triple check the part numbers with thorough googling, and remember to order 2x of each.

Brake fluid is probably the one thing where big gains can be had for small cost, for street cars ATE Type 200 is pretty much king imo and is proven to hold up to track duty for cars and drivers that aren't too hard on their brakes. Again Amazon because I'm lazy, 1L is enough for a full brake fluid flush with a bit left over.

https://www.amazon.com/ATE-706202-Or.../dp/B003VXRPL0

Stoptech pads look like they're ~$130 and TRD pads about $150, probably the go to for street duty.

High end street pads I'm aware of:
Carbotech 1521, Project Mu NS400, Winmax W1/W2, but at $180-$250+ for a full set it's probably not worth it for most people. Some people love Hawks, I think the HPS falls into this category but I haven't looked into them enough. I'm sure there's plenty more offerings but Carbotech, Project Mu, and Winmax are the most common around the forums.

I'm of the same opinion when it comes to brake lines, steel braided is totally unnecessary and it would probably be last on my list of upgrades even for heavy competition duty.