Brake upgrade

What’s a good upgrade brake kit without going with brembo’s? Needing new fronts soon and don’t know what to go with.

 

 

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Hawk makes decent pads, google KNSbrakes. Stock LGT calipers are pretty good.

 

What kind of tires do you have? My research says Goodyear Eagle Sports, which I think are all-seasons? If you just need a replacement pad I would say go with a good quality NAPA pad. If you're able to lock up your Goodyears then upgraded brakes won't improve that situation.

 

If you're looking for increased braking performance (decreased stopping distance) I would get dedicated summer tires first.

 

Without knowing any history of your car, I would say a flush will give you the best upgrade in the brake feeling department. It just isn't as cool to say.

 

Also:https://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/brakes-buy-brake-upgradesi-8151.html

Edited June 18, 2020 by seanyb505

Appreciate the knowledge. Yea I’m running the all season Goodyear’s. Don’t really have any complaints with the performance of the factory brakes just thought I’d upgrade to something with a little better stopping power as I continue to modify my spec B.

 

 

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OEM calipers with stainless lines and decent pads is actually pretty good. From there your looking at significantly more investment for a Brembo kit a la STI or similar, (Wilwood, Stoptech, etc).

You only need to upgrade the actual stopping power if you're tracking the car. Stock LGT brakes are pretty good and handle a lot of heat. Upgrading brake components won't make your car stop faster. Our cars are heavy, so reducing weight would help a bit, as would upgrading tires.

 

Also, should add that I did stainless lines today and notice almost zero difference. Probably the new fluid that did the doing.

Edited June 19, 2020 by Pleides

OEM calipers with stainless lines and decent pads is actually pretty good. From there your looking at significantly more investment for a Brembo kit a la STI or similar, (Wilwood, Stoptech, etc).

 

this is the least "sexy" of all upgrades with the highest bang for the buck. Good for 160mph lap after lap track days.

taking high performance driving classes and learning to brake correctly can have a large impact on your braking "power" too.

 

Filtering the hype out for actual facts is tough especially when you look at all the pretty pictures.

 

I have a full set of jdm wilwood brakes (f/r) because "bling". ymmv

taking high performance driving classes and learning to brake correctly can have a large impact on your braking "power" too.

 

+1. Learning to actually 'brake hard' is the skill that's going to save your life.

 

Take the $600 you would've spent on a pair of front brembos and do two days of HPDE (high performance driving education) w/ an instructor instead.

 

Otherwise, I really like Akebono ProACT pads -- totally streetable, will hold up to some novice trackdays. This should be like $50. I also really like Carbotech XP8s -- still streetable, but they dust like crazy. They grab assertively on the street but shine at the higher temps you might see on the track. I forgot what I paid for these, maybe around $200 a set.

Edited June 19, 2020 by JF1GG29

Do you guys think its worth it to have brake calipers rebuilt? It seems like all shops want to avoid this step and replace the caliper with remans. I don't really trust the remanufactured calipers as much. If I did go with remanufactured calipers which ones are best?

buy oem?

reman shops only do rebuild all day every day. pretty going to be experts at it. Get a warranty and call it good.

 

any reason why you think you need a rebuild?

buy oem?

reman shops only do rebuild all day every day. pretty going to be experts at it. Get a warranty and call it good.

 

any reason why you think you need a rebuild?

 

The front left is pushing out way more dust and is a bit locked up. If I was to hit the brakes hard it would lock first before the rest. Basically its not safe in my opinion.

yer wheel bearing is probably toasty too. Did you check the caliper pins to be sure they are not sticking?

The front left is pushing out way more dust and is a bit locked up. If I was to hit the brakes hard it would lock first before the rest. Basically its not safe in my opinion.

 

Fastest thing would be to replace the caliper with a remanufactured one. They're usually ok, but I've had one last less than two NE winters, an exception rather than the rule.

yer wheel bearing is probably toasty too. Did you check the caliper pins to be sure they are not sticking?

 

I will pull the whole thing apart and inspect it. I had pulled the right front caliper as it was sticky and since I have seals I was going to try a repair. Failed. Took it to a local shop and they pressed it all together, regretting not having both calipers with me.

If I order a raman caliper should I get Centric? Should I just do both at the same time with new pads?

i'd buy both fronts or both rears. Unless it failed because you were stupid, they tend to fail at about the same rate.

 

In mechanics school, they taught us to replace in pairs. Saves a ton on customer comebacks.

My story, after years of each Spring time greasing the slide pins and inspecting the brakes, I decided it was time to step up and replace all the calipers with reman's from my local NAPA. All the calipers have been fine on both cars, except for the right front on the wagon.

 

It took three calipers in one day before I got one that didn't leak. NAPA delivered the last one to my house. 12 month warranty.

 

18 month's later the right front is sticking. Take it back to my local NAPA, the guy knows my story, gives me a free replacement, 6 month's past warranty.

 

A year later the right is sticking again. Take it back to NAPA, he gives me a free replacement. This one has been great, and I notice the car coast down hills better. That caliper may have been ok but the Brembo pads were a sticking nightmare.

 

I recently replaced the front brakes on the wagon with CARQUEST pads and rotors, they have been great for a couple months now.

Properly bedded OEM works great.