Brakes

All this talk about power is nice, but as was discussed in another thread, braking and handling are certainly as fun or more so. How do people whom have the GT feel about the overall braking power? I have taken out a GT for a test but because they are "green" cars, I haven't wanted to tromp on the pedal. Probably wouldn't be fully bedded in as well. - How does it compare to the WRX or STi in overall capabilities? The XT in C&D only had a 204 ft 70-0, but the pies were smaller and narrower and it also had the lower performance RE92's. Thanks

I too would like to hear from people that have actually taken their new Legs home. Given the weight of this car and 250 ft lbs of torque, few people are talking about power issues (yes a few talking about flash mod for lower rpm torque) and many are talking about suspension issues to exploit that power. Many of us agree with you that handling is major aspect of fun driving. I can tell you that the Audi A4 has same size vented 12.3 inch front, but smaller 10 inch in back plus 200 lb more to stop. As a past Audi owner, brakes and suspension were soft. BMW 325xi has slightly smaller 11.7? inch on all four. I liked the feel of my 325 brakes. Posts from Leg GT test drives I have read seem to say good to a bit grabby. Pedal feel comments also vary.

I really like the brakes. The pedal feel is good, and the stopping power is more than adequate I think. But then again, I have not tested the brakes to the maximum. Hopefully I won't have to for awhile..

I will let you know, test driving a demo today with 2500miles on the clock so it should have been bedded in by now.

I have to admit. In a short light to light burst then brake, both my friend in an IS300 and I in the 2.5GT LTD layed on the brakes to a light. He braked in a super short distance, while I plowed through the light. :evil: I attribute this however to poor traction over the brakes. The IS300 has some of (if not THE best) brakes in it's class, so I thought it would be an interesting comparison, as I thought the brakes on this car during the Subaru test drive session where I really hammered them were as good as his car. I really think the stoppers are amazing and given equal rubber, it would have been a contest. This has completely cemented my disdain for the rubber on the RE92's. I've absolutely got to get better rubber (and wheels) ASAP.

Yep. I'm pretty sure the OE rubber on the IS300 is the Dunlop 9000, a very nice tire. Kevin

probably a set of STI pads should fix that..

I know that mine stops in a real hurry despite the fact that its winter (and very wet) here at the moment. :o Interestingly, the OZ GT comes with RE050A tyres. Anyone know if they are better or worse than the 92's? -Matt

I was at the test drive event in Vancouver, and they were actually egging us on to slam on the brakes at the end of the straightaway. :o The GT stopped [u]very[/u] fast with the ABS engaged. My reference point is my 00 Legacy Wagon, though, so I'll defer to the comparisons above.

[quote name='Ridgeracer']probably a set of STI pads should fix that..[/quote] I would attribute it more to rubber than brake pads. That's why I don't even want to drive my car a mile with RE92's. It really takes the bite out of the car putting 'average' tires on the GT versus performance tires as many coming from more premium brands might be expecting for a car of this caliber. I've been told that on quite a few occasions now. It's pretty alarming how many people know how subpar of a tire the RE92's are for the performance models, even average folks I would have thought of.

Also make sure your pads are bedded in and have seen a few miles before really laying on them if possible..

Didnt get the drive as first thought today as the sedan was out but hopefully on the weekend, so I will keep everyone posted on how the brakes go. Being the king of late breaking myself.......... my current MY01 Liberty has roughly 45K miles on the clock and the brakes are still good, need changed next service, so they do hang in there for a while once bedded in.

Can someone explain to me how tire choice can affect braking? Does it have a lot to do with traction? Would weak sidewalls attribute to worse braking? Just wondering because I'm new to the whole performance braking part of driving.

[quote name='mtarone']Interestingly, the OZ GT comes with RE050A tyres. Anyone know if they are better or worse than the 92's? -Matt[/quote] IMO RE050A's are far superior to the old school 92's. Tire Rack puts them in the Max Performance category. I'd put the RE92's in the barely tolerable category. The 050's (non Assymetrical) came stock on my S2K and they are awesome. Super grip and they do ok in the rain even on a short wheelbase rear wheel drive fun machine. They also come stock on the S55 AMG, Z4, and Ferarri Enzo.

[quote name='axis008']Can someone explain to me how tire choice can affect braking? Does it have a lot to do with traction? Would weak sidewalls attribute to worse braking? Just wondering because I'm new to the whole performance braking part of driving.[/quote] It is really the only thing that matters. The amount of friction that the tires can generate against the road is the only thing that actually stops the car. As long as the brekas can lock the wheels (which any system can do) changes to the pads, torors, brake lines, etc. will only effect the amount of fade and the pedal feel. Ok, before the whining starts the pad choice can effect the first stop :) From my brief test drive of a GT, unless you are in actual track conditions there would never be a need to change anything in the braking sytem. A lot of the hocus pocus stuff will actually make braking distances worse. Look for teste with the SAME tires before you spend any money. To each his own however......

In addition to what rao said, that if you don't have good traction betwen road and tire that the ABS will sense that and "slow" your stopping. It's the same theory as on ice. The ABS will kep the tires rotating because there isn't sufficient traction to avoid lockups.

That is a good point. Another thing to remember is that if you increase the braking at the front and do not make a corresponding change to the proportioning valve you will end up with measuarably shorter stopping distances.

[quote name='rao'][quote name='axis008']Can someone explain to me how tire choice can affect braking? Does it have a lot to do with traction? Would weak sidewalls attribute to worse braking? Just wondering because I'm new to the whole performance braking part of driving.[/quote] It is really the only thing that matters. The amount of friction that the tires can generate against the road is the only thing that actually stops the car. As long as the brekas can lock the wheels (which any system can do) changes to the pads, torors, brake lines, etc. will only effect the amount of fade and the pedal feel. Ok, before the whining starts the pad choice can effect the first stop :) From my brief test drive of a GT, unless you are in actual track conditions there would never be a need to change anything in the braking sytem. A lot of the hocus pocus stuff will actually make braking distances worse. Look for teste with the SAME tires before you spend any money. To each his own however......[/quote] What he said. :lol: Hey, Dr. Z...another naysayer! :lol: Kevin

[quote name='gtguy'][quote name='rao'][quote name='axis008']Can someone explain to me how tire choice can affect braking? Does it have a lot to do with traction? Would weak sidewalls attribute to worse braking? Just wondering because I'm new to the whole performance braking part of driving.[/quote] It is really the only thing that matters. The amount of friction that the tires can generate against the road is the only thing that actually stops the car. As long as the brekas can lock the wheels (which any system can do) changes to the pads, torors, brake lines, etc. will only effect the amount of fade and the pedal feel. Ok, before the whining starts the pad choice can effect the first stop :) From my brief test drive of a GT, unless you are in actual track conditions there would never be a need to change anything in the braking sytem. A lot of the hocus pocus stuff will actually make braking distances worse. Look for teste with the SAME tires before you spend any money. To each his own however......[/quote] What he said. :lol: Hey, Dr. Z...another naysayer! :lol: Kevin[/quote] Oh, c'mon Kevin! You are the naysayer that we have grown to love :oops: :lol:

I traded in my 02 wrx (which I got in 01 so I had it three years) for a 2.5 Gt recently, and think the GT has better brakes myself--I'm very pleased. From my experience when I switched off the re92's on my wrx early on, they will be considerably better w/a tire switch as well. If you are worried about the brakes...don't! :P