95LEGOBW Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 [i am writing to update all those who helped me through this ordeal. I hope this is useful for others someday.] Photos in the gallery show the 2-pot caliper currently on the front of my 95 Legacy OB Wagon. What model Subaru is it from? [These 2-pot calipers, it turns out, were OEM for the car. After getting different answers from my local parts houses, dealers, and some experts on this board, it was getting pretty frustrating. I needed to fix my brakes, and no one could find a consistant reference to a 2-pot caliper, rather than the common 1-pot design. Usually part questions are solved by knowing the year, make and model, but not this time. Even with the VIN, dealers directed me to the wrong part. The code-breaking clue was the factory 15" wheels - an upgrade in 1995. One parts house showed different caliper part numbers for 14" and 15" applications. Armed with Rockauto.com's photos of the alternative calipers, I went to NAPA. The correct caliper, with a bracket, was ~$70, and available in just 8 hours. My new caliper is installed and the brakes work! Thanks again, Soobie Gurus. The end.] The background: I need to replace or rebuild the calipers. The parts guys are not sure what to order for me, since their parts system is telling them that that my car should have 1-pot calipers. Can one of you Soobie experts tell me what model Subaru these calipers are from so I can get the equivalent replacement parts.? Thanks, all-knowing Soobie Gurus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njdrsubaru Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 most likely it is from a bigger brake set... the 91 to 94 legacy turbos had those, and i believe the legacies 97 to 99 GT also had those Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95LEGOBW Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njdrsubaru Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 add the picture to your photo gallery, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95LEGOBW Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Those brakes come on the following US-spec cars: 91-94 Legacy turbo 96-02 Legacy GT/Outback 00-04 Legacy non-GT 98-07 Impreza RS/TS/2.5i 98-02 Forester Other year ranges in other countries apparently also got them. There are three different caliper/bracket/pad designs but they are all functionally the same. The rotors are 276x24mm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95LEGOBW Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 Thanks Jamal. So to get the correct rebuilt caliper, do just ask the parts guy for a caliper for one of the cars on your list? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 It should be in the same year region because the bracket and the mounting changed so they aren't all interchangeable. I think anything before 98 will work but I'm not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95LEGOBW Posted January 29, 2008 Author Share Posted January 29, 2008 It should be in the same year region because the bracket and the mounting changed so they aren't all interchangeable. I think anything before 98 will work but I'm not sure. You're very helpful, Jamal. :banana:I measured my rotors and yes, they are 276mm X 24mm. The 276 is considerably larger than the official Subaru spec of 260mm for the 95 Legacy. Apparently the brakes on my 95 Leg OB Wagon were upgraded at some point in the past. My guess is that the prior owner had some brake work done, and the brake shop ordered in the full set of rotors and calipers for an Outback, but got the 96+ 2-pot hardware. I wouldn't be surprised if neither the shop nor prior owner thought it was strange to go from 1 to 2 pot. [update: these brakes were OEM. See first post.] I think I'm going to go ahead and order calipers for the 98 Outback & see what I get. If those aren't right, then I'll try the calipers for the 94 Turbo. Too bad it's impossible to see what I'm going to get before the parts come in. It takes a couple days to get the part here, and I need to get the car on the road asap. I hate to lose more time if the first set is still not right! Jump in with suggestions, anyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Actually I was incorrect about the year range. For front 2-pots the 96-02 calipers are all the same. But from looking more closely at your pictures it seems you have 91-94 turbo legacy brakes. The difference is how the caliper mounts to the bracket and also the pad shape. Here you can see how the brackets differ: 96+ bracket is on the bottom The 96+ caliper looks like this: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I agree. Up to 2002 the two pot calipers used were the same type on that list above. The caliper is the same, but as mentioned above, the support bracket is not the same - they vary with the pad type. The newer two-pots are possibly the same - like on 2004-07 Foresters, but I am not certain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 Yes they're very similar but I've heard varying reports that the pre-02 and 03+ calipers and brackets don't interchange. There are also at least two different part numbers for the newer calipers and another new revision that recently occurred. Also, over here only the 06-07 WRX has the 4-pots and the rest have 2-pots with a taller bracket for the 294mm rotor. The caliper in that picture is from an 02 WRX. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95LEGOBW Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 Very helpful. My bracket is similar to the upper one in your upper photo, Jamal. And, my caliper is not at all like the caliper in your lower photo. Mine has a lot more metal on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95LEGOBW Posted January 30, 2008 Author Share Posted January 30, 2008 [see update at top of thread.] The saga continues . . . . . After good advice on this board, we determined that the 2-pot front brakes on my 95 Legacy Outback Wagon were similar, or the same as, those on the 94 Legacy Turbo. When I tried to order a set of rebuilt calipers from our friends at the OEM parts houses, 1st Subaru and Genuine, I'm told that the caliper part numbers for the 94 Legacy Turbo are the same as for the non-turbo version, as well as for the 95 Legacy models. So now I don't know what parts to get, and my wife wants me to go back to driving a Mazda. Would you students of Soobies take a look at the calipers in my PHOTO GALLERY and recommend what I should do? Maybe the part number confusion has to do with the 95 being the intro year for Outbacks, where some features, such as ABS and 15" wheels were included, but other features, such as the raised ground clearance, didn't come out until '96. Mid year changes probably add to the confusion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Head over to www.rockauto.com They show pictures of many of the parts they sell in their database so their site is useful for identifying stuff at times. From what I can tell, if you drill down to 94, and go to the section for "Legacy Sport" (those are the turbo's) it shows both types, but the distinction is in the wheel size - the 91 to 94 Turbo's came with 15 rims, and it indicates the 15" rims had the two-pot units, and the 14" rims had the single pot units. Perhaps that's the confusion. I'm not near my 91 SS right now, but i can compare them to my 94 L and see if they are indeed the two-pot vs. the single pot. But it sounds right considering the 91 has vented rear discs as well - it would seem silly to upgrade the rear and not the front..... at least to me. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamal Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 Here's a handy guide of all the brakes that came on recent Subarus: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=76707 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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