Brake pads Carbotech or OEM Subaru
The factory pads/rotors on my 2011 Outback 3.6 have 90k on them (70% highway miles) and are still in good shape. I'll probably never buy discount parts store brakes again.
Bought top of the line brake pads Front and rear for 115 dollars a you tube video and a 7 dollar spanner got me through the job. Didn't need rotors I've learned shops automatically want to change those.
I use Carbotech xp10 in the front, xp8 in the rears. Love them. Semi heavy car but they feel great the entire weekend. They are very loud on street though
I went from EBC to Carbotech. It’s a night and day difference. I’m running XP8, but my car is very light.
I went in for a 30k service (2021 Ascent) and mentioned the brake judder and warranty extension. They confirmed and ordered the parts (pads and rotors), awaiting parts now but it seems it will be all be covered.
I've been to 20 track events to this day I'm still running OEM calipers. Just carbotech pads. You don't need a big brake kit at all. The oem cracks because of improper cooldown. I learned that after a session to take my cooldown lap seriously and ever since then i stopped cracking AutoZone rotors
I ran stock rotors for a long time with carbotech xp10/8, front brake ducts, stainless lines, and Motul 660. The XP10/8 + ducts was sufficient for 20min session the tracks I drive.
The OE pads do really just suck. The system itself, however is just fine. You should try some different pads of the sportycar flavor (Porterfield R4S, Carbotech Bobcat, G-Lok GS-1, etc.) and see how you feel. I have had no problems with spirited street driving after a pad upgrade. The pedal is actually very well modulated and rather than hitting like a ton of bricks it allows you to control brake friction pretty nicely.
My 2022 outback wilderness went through 2 sets of pads and rotors in 35,000miles. They warranted the front rotors at 8,000, but didn’t replace the pads. Then they warranted all the rotors but not the pads the second time. However, I do drive fast and late brake.
I had my brakes replaced in January of this year and the dealership didn't charge me. Within about 4 months they started squealing again. I took it back and they basically told me to pound sand. I shouldn't need a 3rd set of brakes on a car with 30k miles. This has been very disappointing and really soured my opinion of Subaru.
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