New brakes and rotors for street use?

[Phuviano]

So I feel that the stock brakes are pretty good, but want something a little better in terms of stopping power.

Would upgrading brakes and rotors do the trick? I'm not looking for a significant difference, just something a bit better than stock. Its only going to be for street use.

My car has fairly low kms, just under 14k kms, so less than 9k miles for you Americans. So would upgrading the pads be ideal? or should I do both pads and rotors?

fyi, I do live in Canada, so the car is driven in winter as well, not sure if that matters, but wanted to point that out.

What pads and rotors do you recommend?

Thanks.

[Mr.ac]

Yes.
Rotors can be replaced with fancy but utterly useless slots/holes. Oem blanks are still good, even for track use. The issue is brake pads.

I would start with better pads. You can either upgrade to TRD pads, or the many aftermarket pads out there.

As for recommendations, take your pick.

The only brand I had great results in my MR2 track days was Hawk Brake pads. I haven't used them on my brz so I can't say. I'm sure the flood of options will chime in.

[new2subaru]

These are a decent deal


https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=141065

[Muskoka800]

Stay with your stock rotors. They’re nearly new and top quality.
Choose some street pads. Nothing track as they lack the cold bite which is critical on the street.
I enjoyed Hawk HPS pads on a previous car.
Currently using StopTech Sport in my BBK and in the original factory brakes beforehand. These work okay for lapping as well.

[ZDan]

FWIW Hawk HPS pads were the suckiest suck pads that ever sucked when I tried them on my s2000...

Stock pads are going to be hard to beat for street use. If you want more braking per pedal effort you want a higher coefficient pad, and honestly I dont know of any that are ok for street use that dont come with major downsides like noise and dust. Maybe just mash the pedal harder

[RToyo86]

I've been using stoptech sport pads for a couple of months now.
A nice upgrade over stock without ruining daily use. Better pedal feel, but they dust noticeably more than stock.

Given mileage you are probably okay, but new fluid may help too. It's age/mileage suggested for replacement.

[DarkPira7e]

Do not get slotted/drilled rotors if you'll be driving the car in the snow. The rust buildup will fill the holes and clots quickly.

Have you done anything about your tires yet? You will notice better braking by upgrading your tires to something less...meh. These are Subaru brakes, so there will also be a feeling of squish. Stainless steel brake lines will improve your pedal feel, but are prone to failure within a few years so I'd never recommend them.

So, either upgrade your pads and buy some new blank rotors, or get some better tires if you're concerned with actual stopping power, rather than brake feel.

[Phuviano]

Originally Posted by DarkPira7e

Do not get slotted/drilled rotors if you'll be driving the car in the snow. The rust buildup will fill the holes and clots quickly.

Have you done anything about your tires yet? You will notice better braking by upgrading your tires to something less...meh. These are Subaru brakes, so there will also be a feeling of squish. Stainless steel brake lines will improve your pedal feel, but are prone to failure within a few years so I'd never recommend them.

So, either upgrade your pads and buy some new blank rotors, or get some better tires if you're concerned with actual stopping power, rather than brake feel.

Yeah, i recently replaced the stock tires with indy 500's.

[Phuviano]

Originally Posted by RToyo86

I've been using stoptech sport pads for a couple of months now.
A nice upgrade over stock without ruining daily use. Better pedal feel, but they dust noticeably more than stock.

Given mileage you are probably okay, but new fluid may help too. It's age/mileage suggested for replacement.

i don't mind more dust. Do they make more noise? Or same as stock?

What brake fluid would you recommend?

[RToyo86]

Originally Posted by Phuviano

i don't mind more dust. Do they make more noise? Or same as stock?

What brake fluid would you recommend?

They're pretty quiet. I get the occasional squeal with medium pedal pressure, which I'm certain will go away once I regrease the back of the pad.

[wparsons]

Why do you think you need more braking power? Can you engage ABS if you brake hard? If yes, you already have more braking power than grip. What tires are you running?

[CrowsFeast]

Originally Posted by DarkPira7e

Stainless steel brake lines will improve your pedal feel, but are prone to failure within a few years so I'd never recommend them.

I've never heard that before; but it also sounds like the kind of thing people would just assume you're supposed to know already... Can anyone else chime in on that?

[CrowsFeast]

Originally Posted by ZDan

FWIW Hawk HPS pads were the suckiest suck pads that ever sucked when I tried them on my s2000...

I wonder if you got a bad batch or if that's kind of an S2000 thing. I've never heard anything bad from people about Hawk HPS other than they're not really up to the task for track use (ok for beginner but not when you really start pushing it).

Loved them on my old Golf and really liked them on my E46 BMW (they weren't as good as what was on the car when I bought it but I don't know what those were).

[Ernest72]

Stainless steel lines that are coated are very reliable. I had none coated for over 5 years on my WRX and they were fine in NY with snow and salt. I recently upgraded to coated because I saw a little rust on them, but they were likely fine. They are not an expensive part and well worth it. I have not done it on my BRZ yet, as I am only at 52k and the brakes feel great stock.

I got TRD pads for cheap from a forum member and will get centric rotors when I do my first brake job. Probably this fall, depending on how the brakes look when I swap to my winter setup.