New tires and changing brake pads yourself

Hi,

 

I just got a 50k Subaru Outback from 2006, and it seems I will soon (within 5-10k) have to change both tires and brake pads.

 

Question 1: what's a good and inexpensive tire you guys would recommend for the Outback? Anything particularly good (or bad?)

 

Question 2: the guy who did the PPI said that changing the brake pads yourself is very easy - has anyone done this themselves and can verify before I dive in myself?

 

Thanks

 

~P

Lots of choices for tires. Check out reviews on tirerack.com and decide from there based on what you want (summer, all season, winter, etc).

 

Brake pads are really easy. Remove the wheel, remove two bolts, slide the caliper off and replace pads. Reinstall opposite of removal.

 

Good luck!

Make sure you cover your face while cleaning brakes or you will inhales lovely amounts of asbestos mmmmm

Make sure you cover your face while cleaning brakes or you will inhales lovely amounts of asbestos mmmmm

 

I don't think asbestos has been used in brake pads for years, regardless, inhaling the other dust can't be healthy either.

^^ The key is not to use compressed air (don't ask me how I know). Brakleen is your friend!

 

Find a good howto on brakes. You want to make sure all the surfaces that touch the pads are cleaned very well, then lubricated. Make sure the caliper pistons and slides move freely. I like pads that come with new hardware as well.

Tire wise, stay away from Falken. I made 20 000miles with it and they cupped. A real shaky mess... A will start my 4th winter with Good year Ultra grip Ice. Still has a deep tread. My new Michelin MXV4 drive very nice and quiet.

Having the right tools helps greatly.

Ummm - remove only ONE bolt per caliper. Rotate caliper up.

The Haynes manual will do if you need pics.

I suggest Hawk HPS, & bedding them in properly.

As for tires -

How do you drive? What conditions?

Define "inexpensive".

 

Our Goodyear Triple Treds are superior to the OEM BS RE92A under all conditions, but are a bit spendy.

And don't forget to lubricate the pins the caliper floats on. If it sticks to the pins you will get into unnecessary expensive trouble - new rotors and bad braking.

The Haynes manual will do if you need pics.

 

So it seems that Haynes does not have a manual for the 2005-2009 Legacy/Outback, is there another worthwhile DIY publication for this car? As a first-timer I will probably need all the help I can get

 

I suggest Hawk HPS, & bedding them in properly.

As for tires -

How do you drive? What conditions?

Define "inexpensive".

 

I live in DC, so most of the driving will be in warm conditions on tarmac, though occasionally I'll go for a hike so some mud capabilities would be nice, as well as decent capacity to handle snow (i.e. I probably need all-year tires)

Haynes has a Legacy & Foretser '00-'06, but the pics from the '99-'06 are fine - same design.

Just make sure you get the right pads. (Limited vs unlimited IIRC were different, but maybe that was just '05).

For your driving, I'd go with the TripleTred. The only drawback besides price - they are directional, so, once mounted, you can only rotate front/rear on the same side. Some have indicated a increase in fuel use, but we've not seen it. A good alignment - forget factory specs - also helps.