Is it possible to upgrade the rear drum brakes of 98 Forester to disc brakes? Do I have to swap out the whole rear hub? If so what other model year fit?

Thanks for the help!

yes, swap the entire rear hub assemblies. down south, no rust, should be easy. get the ebrake cables with the hubs as they are different. i think you can probably make it work but much simpler to just swap the cables too. this has been covered fairly well, so check out some other threads where it's been done.

 

almost any rear EJ hubs are going to interchange. like 1990-2004 and probably more. avoid SVX and late model WRX. you'll just want to make sure it's from a 4WD and ABS if you have ABS.

Are the drum brakes inadequate on the Forester? They usually last very well (b/c they don't have the same degree of constant pad drag that discs do) and are good for normal street driving. I think some folks prefer the pedal feel of an all disc setup (I don't, but that's just me.) Out of the three cars sitting in my driveway at the moment (A Subie with discs all round, a '91 BMW 3 series with discs all around and a Honda with Discs/Drums) the Honda has by far the best stopping distance, pedal feel etc. I suspect that a newer BMW with discs all around would be better yet, but.... anyway, I guess my point is that I wouldn't assume that a disc brake upgrade is going to make any great difference in your car's stopping abilities. Of course, if your drums are shot and you found a great deal on some used disc assys, have at it...

 

Nathan

When swapping from drums to discs, should the master cylinder from the donor car be used as well? I'm considering upgrading to 2.5RS or WRX rear disc brakes the next time the drums on my 2002 OBS need to be serviced.

If going with a RS or WRX rear brake setup, go ahead and get the H6 rear brakes as they are the popular choice.

 

http://www.rs25.com/forums/f105/t64473-diy-h6-rear-rotors-brackets.html

Don't you just need the backing plate, disc and ebrake stuff. Why would you need the hub too? It seems to be overkill to me as the drum mounts on the hub you already have and so does the rotor.

 

I have a complete setup ready to be shipped and if the hub is needed I have that too plus the ebrake cable. I pulled it for someone, but he has fallen off the grid, so I don't know hawo to get in touch with him.

If you don't get the whole hub, you have to press the bearings on and off to swap the backing plates. That's why most swap the complete hub.