Brake Pads / setup

[SAMMYSUBARU]

Hey guys, I just need some advice on picking the right brake setup. I am new to the forum as I have just recently bought a 2004 Liberty GT in Manual which therefor means it must be a MY05 with the 316mm brakes instead of the 295mm in the usual 2004 model. I double checked this by measuring them today and they are definitely 316mm. I have driven the car for just over a week now and I went for a spirited drive through the Adelaide hills and after about 10 mins the brakes started to get hot and they hardly worked, they also made the steering wheel shatter which was awful. So I am going to upgrade them obviously...

I did a little bit of research on this forum and lots of people choose either dixcel or Hawk performance brake pads, I am thinking of buying one of these sets of pads:

High performance street
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HAWK-BRAKE-P ... 0c2&_uhb=1

or performance ceramic
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HAWK-BRAKE-P ... 596&_uhb=1

Which brake pads are better?

And the main question is will they fit my 2.0L even though is says its for the 2.5L since the normal 2.0L is the 295mm rotor dia.

And will these fit my car?
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... ink:top:en

Another question is where do I buy some braided brake lines from?

Thanks Sam

[seanmau5]

According to DBA all turbo/3.0L Gen4's were fitted with 316x30 (F) and 290x18 (R) rotors. The pads and rotors you have linked will fit. You don't need 5000 series rotors, probably don't even need 4000 series rotors. Search for DBA2650SL/R, they are the street series T2 slotted rotors for front and search for DBA653SL/R, they are the street series T2 slotted rotors for rear.

If you do wish to buy 4000 or 5000 series rotors then simply add a 4 or 5 between the 'A' and the '2' in the part number when searching (I don't think 5000 series rotors are available for the rear)

[HyRax]

I'm using DBA "HD" rotors at the moment (same as the DBA 4000 just without slots) and I find them great. I'm also using Hawk Performance Ceramic pads and they do stop pretty well and handle a fair bit of abuse, but they are strictly a street pad, not a track pad. Dust levels are good - you can go for several weeks before your wheels start to look obviously grey.

Hawk pads and braided lines are best sourced from the US if you want to get them cheap. Fellow member crusin has previously organised group buys from there to minimise shipping costs and that's where I got my lines from.

[senator]

Pending budget and application

Dixcel has better matched Rotor and Pad combos, contact Garage 88 and discuss your requirements.

[Corsair]

Using Hawk Ceramic with Goodrich braided lines. Just had a service, wheel balance and the brake shoes re-aligned and the car is pulling up like a mofo.

[SAMMYSUBARU]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I have ordered the hawk ceramic pads and the DBA 5000 rotors for the front because they were cheaper than any quotes I got for the 4000 series. I also found some goodridge braided lines on eBay so I have ordered them. I had them on my last car and they were a huge improvement as far as getting rid of any sponginess in the brake pedal.

What brake fluid would you guys recommend?

[HyRax]

Any Dot4 fluid is fine. I'm currently using a Castrol product from SuperCheapAuto.

If you want to add another cheap brake enhancement to your car, consider an STi Master Brake Cylinder to replace your current MBC - it will push 13% more brake fluid to your calipers for the same amount of pedal push. The end result is firmer, more confident braking yet again and elimination of any dead-zone in the pedal.

[Tim_]

Hey all,

Sorry to restart an old thread but im after some better performance brake pads (and later on down the track maybe some slotted rotors)

The break pads that SammySubaru posted (below) only say they will fit a 2008 3.0R. What about a 2005 3.0R (gen4)? And also which pads would be better value for money?

High performance street
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HAWK-BRAKE-P ... 0c2&_uhb=1

or performance ceramic
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HAWK-BRAKE-P ... 596&_uhb=1

[HyRax]

2008 is Gen4 as well. They may be mixing you up with Gen5 which is 2010 onwards.

I don't believe there is any difference in the calipers (and therefore pads and rotors) between pre and post-facelift Gen4 models?

[Tim_]

Awesome.

I don't believe there is any difference in the calipers (and therefore pads and rotors) between pre and post-facelift Gen4 models?

No i don't think there would be. What would be the better of the two above options.
How is your setup coming along? Did the pads make a difference?

Cheers
Tim

[HyRax]

Better pads and rotors alone for your existing calipers do make a noticable difference.

My setup is great (compared to stock 2.5i that is, which is smaller than the 3.0R anyway) - Hawk Performance Ceramic pads with DBA "HD" rotors (non-slotted 4000's basically) STI MBC and the Brembo's, I pull up damn quickly. I can also brake long and deep for easy progressive slow down at lights and the like with little effort from the right foot too.

[Tim_]

Better pads and rotors alone for your existing calipers do make a noticable difference.

My setup is great (compared to stock 2.5i that is, which is smaller than the 3.0R anyway) - Hawk Performance Ceramic pads with DBA "HD" rotors (non-slotted 4000's basically) STI MBC and the Brembo's, I pull up damn quickly. I can also brake long and deep for easy progressive slow down at lights and the like with little effort from the right foot too.

Ahh nice, i would love to do the whole Pads, rotors and Brembo's but i just dont have the money. Would just some good pads with machined rotors make much of a difference?
Thanks
Tim

[HyRax]

Ahh nice, i would love to do the whole Pads, rotors and Brembo's but i just dont have the money. Would just some good pads with machined rotors make much of a difference?

Hawk Ceramic will do you fine as a daily pad.

You can get one, maybe two machines out of a set of rotors - you wouldn't want to do more than that, but if your rotors are cheap and you're a relatively heavy braker, then machining them will not do much - in fact, one round of machining can be enough to warp cheap rotors before they've gone back on the car. I did this once and had nothing but annoying vibration under brakes.

Get some decent rotors such as DBA (I got the "HD" series to save some cash, but they are from the DBA4000 range, as I don't do enough regular heavy driving to warrant any value in slotted rotors) and never suffer from warping.

Also don't forget that brakes are complemented by half-decent tyres too. Low grip from cheap tyres means that ABS will kick in sooner as the tyre slips and locks up.

[Tim_]

Alright thanks, would this do the job?

Thats only for the fronts right?

Might just get the rotors machined and new pads.

Thanks
Tim

[HyRax]

That would do the job, yes.

Each box contains four pads - two per wheel (for each side of the rotor). In this case, this is just for the fronts. You'd get a separate box for the rears.

You might want to check with fellow member crusin before you buy - last I spoke to him he was able to source both front and rear Hawk Ceramic sets from the US for about $240 total (I think that included shipping).