Are these brake pad instructions applicable?

Got my Carbotech Bobcats today, and being a Subaru brake noob, looked for details on how to install them (I have the PDF's from the vacation pics).

Anyways, came across these instructions which look very thorough:

http://www.weblumen.com/subaru/brakepads.html

For those who have upgraded their pads on the LGT, can you confirm these instructions would be similar for us?

If they are, nice to keep these handy...

how much are these going to effect your stoping power?

just curious..if our stanard 60-0 is 133ft.....what is the guess with these pads?

Exactly 133 feet on the same tires.

In fact you could have the carbon fiber brakes off a Porsche carrera GT and it will still stop 133 feet with the same tires given that the brakes were applied to lockup at the exact same time.

Exactly 133 feet on the same tires.

 

In fact you could have the carbon fiber brakes off a Porsche carrera GT and it will still stop 133 feet with the same tires given that the brakes were applied to lockup at the exact same time.

stock tires with stock brakes vs. stock tires and aftermarket big brake kit with awesome pads....same distance? I find that hard to believe. I don't see how you'd get the same results. If that was the case then why wouldn't you just upgrade the tires and then have all the aftermarket brake producers go out of business?

they forgot to tell you to pump the brakes before you start the car.. when you back up, you wont have any brakes because the pistons are still pushed in..

yeah, BTDT w my Audi upgrades (Hawks, BIRA.org, etc.).

It does startle you!

If I were you, I would also clean the pad carriers..and everything around the area...but YMMV. I had a hell of a time getting the bobcats to quiet down...it was driving me crazy. Now, after MANY attempts at cleaning everything, I was able to get them to be quiet...and now only get the occasional squeak when coming to a stop. Much better than what I was dealing with when they were just put in.

Good luck.

EDIT: And yes..Edmundu definately has nice brakes up front! Will have to take a test drive some day...hehe!

Exactly 133 feet on the same tires.

 

In fact you could have the carbon fiber brakes off a Porsche carrera GT and it will still stop 133 feet with the same tires given that the brakes were applied to lockup at the exact same time.

The stock pads have the frictional equivalent of metal. Which means that they are barely better than having the backing plates do the pads job!

I had upgraded to Pzero's 1st, and honestly there was no noticeable gain in braking, under good conditions. In foul weather, the Pzero's were markedly better.

I then upgraded to STI Brembo's, and with the OEM pads & rotors, the improvement was night and day! And not just in high speed braking, but in all aspects, from around town to freeway panic stops. No comparison with the stock pads!

I then further upgraded to TWR 2pc Rotors along with Ferodo ds2500 pads and SS lines. This put even the stock STI brakes to shame. Simply eyeball popping stopping power. I ran the car up to an indicated 160mph, on a track of course, and was able to dig into the brakes and the car slowed to about 75mph, afterwards I accelerated back up to about 135mph, and repeated, and still the brakes begged me for more.

I have come to my own conclusions based on my experiences, and it isn't only the tires. I do however feel that if you just change out the OEM pads, with something better, you will reap 80% of the benefit! I personally have always wanted a strong braking car, therefore I just skipped the pad upgrade and jumped right into the BBK.

PS I am upgrading my rears with STI Brembo's/2pc rotors/ds2500's/ss lines, I am just waiting for TWR to custom fit their kit to my LGT. Then I will have the complete package!

Exactly 133 feet on the same tires.

 

In fact you could have the carbon fiber brakes off a Porsche carrera GT and it will still stop 133 feet with the same tires given that the brakes were applied to lockup at the exact same time.

Would something like stainless steel brakelines allow someone of apply force to their brakes a couple of ms earlier? e.g. no force wasted in mushing the lines?

Actually the stock pads have the frictional coefficent of wood on cast iron

But I must say they will arrest rotation at the hub at 70mph if you stomp on them hard enough.

Thus when it comes to PURE stopping distance they don't play a factor. In any modern car one pass Stopping distance is almost always determined by the tractive limit of the tires. In fact autoweek just did a test where simply swapping out the RE-92's yeilded a 10 feet decrease in distance. And they werent even any kind of super tire. Its just some tire they chose that iv'e never heard of

Brake modulation and FEEL are a completely diffrent factor. This is where all the brake upgrades shine.

stock tires with stock brakes vs. stock tires and aftermarket big brake kit with awesome pads....same distance? I find that hard to believe. I don't see how you'd get the same results. If that was the case then why wouldn't you just upgrade the tires and then have all the aftermarket brake producers go out of business?

Brake Thread #1 - whole thing, but really read posts #4, 19, and 21 (larger calipers explanation)

Brake Thread #2 - again whole thing, post #58 relates some stuff in a way everyone can understand

Hopefully that helps...

Ted

Just installed the Bobcats on my Gt this weekend. There is a noticeable difference in the initial bite of the brakes now and the pedal feel is firmer.

I would have to agree with those that claim the braking is ultimately limited by the tire abilty to bite the road. BUT, I must take exception to your claim of no difference in braking performance related to distance.

What doesn't show up in this equation, and the 133 ft distance, is the ability of the pad to grip the rotor with more friction IMMEDIATELY. The sooner that you can gain ABS intervention due to the ^%appy tires, the faster you will ultimately brake. If the OEM pads take .5 seconds to get the ABS on, and the Bobcats take .25, then that equates to .25 seconds x MPH of distance "gained" in the braking distance. Think of it as reaction time at the dragstrip.

Regarding installation, I did it about 20 minutes. No cleaning or anti noise goop. Used the outer shim on the OEM pads and put these on the Bobcats. Didn't use the "vented" shim right next to the OEM. Did the bedding per the instructions and no noise that I can hear.

So far I am very happy with the initial bite of the pad and pedal firmness. A HUGE improvement over stock.

QTwo, thanks for the shim info. I'm with you on your theory of better pads and shorter braking distance. Fortunately for me, I had my dealer (at purchase time) replace the RE's with Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3's, which I found to be pretty grippy.

If you don't have any noise from the Bobcats yet, it may be that they haven't had time to get too dusty yet....I hope that's not the case!