Hey Guys,

I'm a newbie here, and have come to the "Subaru Mountain" in search of an answer from all the Gurus who reside here.

I've got a 2002 Outback....75000 miles.....drives well....only one problem. I live in the mountains of West Virginia and regularly come down a mountain that is 3.5 miles of 9% grade....manditory truck stop at the top.....run-a-way truck ramp 2/3s the way down......45 mph curve at the bottom. Three months after acquiring the car, I had to have the front brake rotors turned to eliminate front end shimmy under braking. Six months after purchase, I had to replace the rotors. Ten months after purchase, I've had to turn the new rotors, and now a year after purchase, the front end shimmy is back again.

My guess is the braking coming down the mountain is overheating the rotors and causing them to warp. My mechanic offers no solutions. I've tried locating a set of heavy, ventilated rotors and matching calipers to no avail......the companies I've talked to don't have heavy duty brake parts for the Outback.

Any input from the "Sages of Wisdom" here???

Lobo in West Virginia

 

I'm not much of a guru, but wouldn't cryo-treated rotors be the answer t your dilemma?

 

Sauce,

Cryo-treated??? I don't know.....this would be new technology to me.......ceramic brakes have been suggested.....I'm open to any avenue that takes care of the problem. I simply looked at the ventilated rotors on my Cherokee and figured the same would work on the 'Baru.

What's the scoop on cryo?? Process is applied to existing parts?

Lobo in West Virginia

 

Stoptech have upgrade rotors, pads and brake kits for the Legacy: www.stoptech.com You could call them and see what they suggest.

 

Lobo -

Like Lorry suggested, StopTech makes an awesome big brake kit, I have it on my car (2003 WRX sedan) and I have yet to get them to fade, and I have taken them on more than a few "spirited drives" where there was alot of heavy braking.

But if you upgrade to the Big Brake Kit (BBK) you will have to run atleast 17" wheels. However, they do offer a nice 2 piece, vented rotor as a stock replacement as well to fit the stock rims.

Now on to Cryo-Treatment.......Cryogenically Treating your rotors/pads can ONLY be done on BRAND NEW (never used) parts. Basically it is deep freezing the rotors/pads to a temperature of about -244 degrees F. Cryo-treatment is NOT a replacement for Heat treatment, yet its a complementary process. While Heat Treating will actually harden the metal, Cryo-treatment will re-align the crystalline structure of metals at the atomic level. The major results of these changes are to enhance the abrasion resistance and fatigue resistance of the materials, and can extend the life of your brake rotors 100-300 percent roughly.

Now after reading about your problem, I just need some clarification......in order for you to go through your brake rotors like you have been in the past, you must be riding your brakes ALOT while going down the mountain. Well, instead of riding your brakes, why dont you try using your engine to control your rate of decent? In otherwords, drop down a gear while you are going down the mountain and keep your foot OFF the brakes......and yes, you can still drop down a gear if your car is an automatic. Also, if you are considering buying some nice vented rotors, I'd suggest also getting SLOTTED rotors, they will give you even more stopping power.

Good luck!

-Ted

 

I read you delema and it sounds like warped rotors, however it may not be warped at all. Go to stoptech and in their info section they have an entire article about this situation and if you believe them all you need to do is scuff the rotors and remove some built up pad residue. It is a great article and seeing as it is stoptech I would think they know what they are talking about. your problem amy not be serious at all.... oh yeah don't ride the brakes, short and hard is better than prolonged and hot.

 

A Stoptech Stage 2 kit, which consists of fresh rotors, pads, brake lines, and fluid would meet your needs Lobo. Hawk HPS or Stoptech Street Performance pads are high on my recommended list for street driving.