quality aftermarket pads and rotors for 00-04 outback?

[Todd H.]

Greetings,

Short request: anyone have good experiences with any manufacturer's
aftermarket pads and/or rotors on an outback? Anything magical about
the OEM pads/rotors that should be stipulated (e.g. ceramic,
semi-metallic?) if handing the job over to an independent mechanic?

History:
I've had a hell of a time with brakes on my 2001 outback now at 102k
miles. My model has disc brakes on all 4 wheels.

I changed the first set of pads myself using pads from Auto Zone, the
only ones they had in stock for my model. That's the last time I'll
use Auto Zone for that--those pads were horrible, leaving dust all
over the wheels all the time (non-ceramic I assume?), and all stops
felt soft. They also wore very quickly which shouldn't have been too
much of a surprise. The most plausible explanation is that they sold
me non-ceramic pads even though I think ceramics are spec'd for this
vehicle.

Next time, I then turned the work over to a respected local shop for
the next go round, figuring there'd be some magic in ASE certified
techs. They machined my rotors and installed god knows what pads.
Stopping felt more sure for a while (better than the AutoZone pads
every felt), and no dust issues, but now, my rotors feel like they're
very badly warped and the Subaru dealer who last looked at them during
a tire rotation and said they were wearing extremely unevenly and are
due for replacement. This was less than 15k mi ago.

I did get a quote from the Subaru dealer and about had a heart attack
when the job was over $550, and $450 of that was just in the price of
Subaru OEM pads and rotors, which then made it seem like a bargain.
But something in me has a very hard time with nearly $600 for a brake
job.

Thanks in advance for any shared experience with 00-04 outbacks!

 

[BobN]

I did get a quote from the Subaru dealer and about had a heart attack
when the job was over $550, and $450 of that was just in the price of
Subaru OEM pads and rotors, which then made it seem like a bargain.
But something in me has a very hard time with nearly $600 for a brake
job.

Thanks in advance for any shared experience with 00-04 outbacks!

Todd, there have been many past threads on this issue and IIRC the best
solution has been OEM pads. I don't know why, they just seem to work better
and are more quiet. There is also a frequently-noted issue with stopping
practice and spot-hardening of the rotors. Apparently if you stop hard and
the rotors are hot, and then hold the pads against them, the heat causes a
very hard, crystalline glaze on the rotor surface which feels like warping.
It's a good practice whenever stopping hard to leave a little room in front
of you at the end to creep so that you can release the pads a couple of
times. I practice shifting to neutral when stopped at lights or in traffic
jams - this reduces stress and heat buildup on the transmission and engine,
saving a little gas too.

I just priced out front rotors and four sets of pads at
http://premiersubaruparts.proxy.voicestar.com/oem_parts.html and came up
with $270 for parts. Presumably you shouldn't need rear rotors? If so, add
another $140. So that would be $410 at a discount parts site. I have shopped
here for parts twice and was very happy with the prices and service. If
you're handy and patient, this is a job you can do at home.

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Todd, there have been many past threads on this issue and IIRC the best
solution has been OEM pads. I don't know why, they just seem to work better
and are more quiet. There is also a frequently-noted issue with stopping
practice and spot-hardening of the rotors. Apparently if you stop hard and
the rotors are hot, and then hold the pads against them, the heat causes a
very hard, crystalline glaze on the rotor surface which feels like warping.
It's a good practice whenever stopping hard to leave a little room in front
of you at the end to creep so that you can release the pads a couple of
times. I practice shifting to neutral when stopped at lights or in traffic
jams - this reduces stress and heat buildup on the transmission and engine,
saving a little gas too.

I just priced out front rotors and four sets of pads at
http://premiersubaruparts.proxy.voicestar.com/oem_parts.html and came up
with $270 for parts. Presumably you shouldn't need rear rotors? If so, add
another $140. So that would be $410 at a discount parts site. I have shopped
here for parts twice and was very happy with the prices and service. If
you're handy and patient, this is a job y

ou can do at home.
excellent post. For further reading on the 'warped rotor' issue
summarized by Bob check;
http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml
Stoptech also makes well respected aftermarket parts.
www.boxer4racing.com may have some upgraded components you could try.
The OEM and the Autozone pads are both likely semi-metallic. As in most
things automotive, brake systems contain compromises and, even though
there are many variables, OEM and 'consumer' parts will err on the side
of safety first (good initial 'bite') with noise-free secondary(people
hate squeaky brakes, even if they work better)and probably pad wear
last. The 'brake' forum at www.nasioc.com may have some good reading for
you in 'stickys' or by searching/posting a question.

Carl

 

[Rick Courtright]

Short request: anyone have good experiences with any manufacturer's
aftermarket pads and/or rotors on an outback? Anything magical about
the OEM pads/rotors that should be stipulated (e.g. ceramic,

Hi,

I have NO explanation for the "phenomenon," but in my experience, both
Subarus and Toyotas should use OEM brake parts for best overall
performance. No other makes have given me the "heebie-jeebies" w/
aftermarket parts these two have--some of the pads I've gotten should be
outlawed IMHO!

Now, if you DO choose to use aftermarket parts, some of my professional
wrench twisting friends have suggested you get the "top of the line"
pads and the best rotors from the SAME vendor, e.g., Wagner pads w/
Wagner rotors, Raybestos pads w/ Raybestos rotors kind of a match.
Again, no explanation, but the claim is there's some "interactive"
engineering between pad material and rotor materials.

This could be pure myth... but I'm happy to stick w/ OEM these days.

Rick C