archemitis Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 finally put rear disc brakes on the rear of my 2x hatch. everything went on so easy. the only thing i needed was two hardlines, atat didnt come with the kit. they were 2.5 inches shorter than the hard lines that the drums used, just like everybody told me. if my lines werent rusty i woiuld have bent them, but went to the parts store, and could only find the same lenght i had, so i bent an s in those, and they worked great. didnt even have to bleed them, as i was flushing the lines anyway. brake pedal has less freeplay, and when you tap on the brakes, its like mashing on the old drums. im serious, its that much of a difference, and the drums i pulled off worked fine, with new pads. the front end also doesnt dip as far down, compared to the rear, the whole car squats when braking, its great. i recommend this to everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 Another satisfied convert!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flow Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 Good to hear! I'm about to do this to my wagon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam N.D.J. Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 No doubt they work good. I had a chance to really put mine to the test last night. Was on my way home, doin about 35, this car pulls out in front of me, and I just layed into the brake pedal, both feet mashed on it. The rear end locked up so hard that it wore two huge flat spots in the tires. But I stopped in like 10 feet, thats with 29" tires, and over 3000Lbs of truck, and since the rears where doing most the braking she didn't nose dive. Bad part was the flat spots though, seriously bad vibrations the rest of the way home. But I roasted off the rears when I did get home, and rounded the tires back out again. So they run good now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevinrogosch Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 Very cool...I want to do this to my 99 obs. Good to hear it made that much of a difference. How much did it cost all in all? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lepetitprince Posted April 25, 2004 Share Posted April 25, 2004 This is mainly a old gen thing, but rear discs from a WRX might work. thanks Soung yeup ha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterD Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 i was pondering a disk brake swap on my 84 but after a break job they work better than my Scirocco breaks....acualy there kinda scarry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 They work fine when they are adjusted up. However, that doesn't last. I don't like the fact that a car made in the late 70's and up was done with manually adjusted brakes. Let us know how they feel in 3 months or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carfreak85 Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 I want to adjust my drums and do some tests then slap on the discs and do some more tests. Then I'll post here. When ever that'll be, gotta get my engine rebuilt first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n7zum Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 i'm looking at doing it soon to my 83 brat also...looking forward to it... thanks for the heads up.. mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 I REALLY need to install new brakes... my front pads are toast and I have 2 sets of rear discs waiting to go on (one for the brat one for my car) My brake fluid light has come on for the SECOND time in a year (only on big bumps) so I know the lines are leaking... OR my brakes are SO wasted they need more fluid... I drove my friends mazda a day or 2 ago... WAY touchy compared to my 87... I have to mash my pedal, I just barely had to touch theirs... hmmm maybe time for a brake overhaul... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dante Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 I put mine to the test a while back. I usually drive my 2000 VW Golf to and from work, but I take my '83 GL wagon now and then to keep the neighbors happy and the seals in good shape. I was on an offramp when the traffic in front of me stopped fast. I got stopped before I hit the car in front of me, but I am not sure I would have made it with rear drums--I only had a few feet to spare. I know it's my fault--I should compensate for the Subaru's longer stopping distance when I drive it, but it is easy to forget... Rear disks rule! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qman Posted April 26, 2004 Share Posted April 26, 2004 Mike, do the fornts and add the rear discs. Completely flush the lines with new fluid and all should be good. Long pedal traval is usually a sign that the rears are out of adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subawoohoo Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 i just did mine a bout a week ago in my 80 hatch. when i would stomp on the brakes it would nose dive horribly, i dont think the rears were even working. i threw on the disks, and it locks all 4 wheels up on a nice jab of the pedal. stops WAY better, its awsome now. id recomend it to everyone, espeially the ones that think there drums are fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baccaruda Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 i still need to bleed my rears some more because it doesn't feel that much different from how the drums did.. but i also have a scraping noise at all times while driving; it goes away when i press the brake pedal a little. I did loosen my E-brake enough to make up for the new brakes, and I think it might sound like the backs are dragging a little. Any ideas? I got the pistons on all 4 calipers screwed back in during the brake job. I did notice that the wheel bearings were looking tired, but this noise didn't exist before the brake job. Is it possible I put the axle nuts on too tight or something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganM Posted April 27, 2004 Share Posted April 27, 2004 I keep hearing ppl talking about adjusting the rear drums. Never done this! How do you do it exactly? thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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