Hi Dutch'
we are driving the same car (mine runs on LPG)
I have been through 2 significant brake upgrades since I have owned mine (I bought it in 2006 with 60,000km , I have added 180,000km on the odo since then) :
1) stock calipers + front dba 4650 sloted rotors + ebc redstuff pads all round
lousy pedal feel still there , same cold bite (not enough) , much better when warmed up.
these stock calipers have failed twice :
1 piston sized at 5 years - 140,000km. I got it replaced, along with all seals.
1 sized piston + 1 rusted guide pin at 8 years 215,000km, I got rid of them that time.
2) wrx 4 pots + same rotors + same pad material
Pedal feel and modulation is much better. Stoping power has increased. cold bite is also better because these fixed calipers do not waste time and precious hydraulic pressure at sliding parts before actually starting to brake.
I did not get a chance to fade them, but I did not push very far...
stoping power with these wrx calipers is now appropriate, but I would appreciate a bit more when the car is loaded, or when towing heavy stuff.
parts list for a 2004-2006 2.5 outback :
- 4 pots calipers from an impreza GT 1999-2000 (217hp) or wrx 2001-2006 (217 , 225 or 230hp). Get some decent pads and new rotors . Same rotor size as your stock setup (294x24), but new pad = new rotor (imo)
- You also will need impreza gt 1999-2000 16x7 +53 wheels as the outback stock 16x6.5 wheel do not clear these calipers.
Most 5x100 17x7 or 17x7.5 wheel coming form a 2001+ subaru will also clear these calipers (brz's won't).
side notes :
1) I am planning to get one step further :
legacy 3.0R rear calipers and rotors (290x18mm , vented) + front brembo setup (326x30) + 225/50R17 summer tires (currently runing 215/55R17 ) + brainded lines + Ate SuperBlue + high quality pads.
Bottom line is : I want to cover properly the heavy towing situations.
2) 2.5i + LPG and 3.0R 5EAT weight roughly the same : 1600kg (real world figures, checked on inspection), and use similar ruber size (215 wide).
=> Based on my experience I guess that someone driving a 3.0R 5EAT who want's to address the lousy pedal feel, but does not need high brake power and strong fade resistance for high speed or heavy towing or intensive mountain driving would get satisfaction with a wrx 4 pots upgrade.
3) I doubt the stock outback suspension could handle "brembo power" under high speed braking : expect some bad nose dive and rear wheel barely touching the the ground. If you want cover high speed situations with more power than what a wrx 4 pot upgrade can offer, you should probably start with some suspension upgrades, then work on tires (wider and more grip), only then think of larger brakes.
=> check this : http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4605583&postcount=1135