Forester disc brake retrofit possible?

Question

I have a 2000 Forester L, which came equipped with rear drum brakes. I hate rear drum brakes. I hate working on them and I don't think they are worth squat in braking power. The whole drum setup reminds me of something you'd see on a horse-drawn wagon.

Still, I couldn't justify the added cost for the Forester S with

4-wheel discs so I am now faced with this dilemma...

At 90,000-some miles, my brakes need work. The front brakes are fine having been service regularly. The rear need replaced (shoes and drums probably). How practical/costly would it be to retrofit my Forester with rear disc brakes? I don't need performance/racing parts. Just OEM-grade.

Are the chassis/suspension parts common enough between the S/L to swap out assemblies without having to reengineer the whole undercarriage?

Has anyone done it? Any online resources you could point me to?

I love this car but I hate drum brakes. (Oh, I guess I already said that.)

Thanks.

Greg in Kettering OH

johninKY · Accepted Answer

The Forestor I believe and the Impreza use the same platform.  WRX or RSbrakes should be an easy upgrade.  Several years ago I replaced the brakeson my 95 Legacy with larger brakes from a 2002 WRX.  I would think youwould need everything for the rear swap and maybe the 4WD MC andproportining valve.

Edward Hayes · Answer

Good idea if you can do it yourself but many $$$ if you pay a dealer. Drum brakes are NOT bad. Braking distance is the same for 4 wheel disk vs Disk + drum.

Al Luminium · Answer

IIRC, the braking distance between 2002 m.y.  Foresters with 4 disks is about 20 or 30 feet less at 60-0 mph. I would think that the ABS calibration would be a big issue for adapting a set of rear calipers to the system.

Carl 1 Lucky Texan · Answer

I agree with Ed, drums MAY be a little harder to work on, but the rear brakes only carry maybe 70% of the work load and probably only get worked half as much as fronts - plus more 'traditional/straightforward' parking brake arrangement.

Carl

1 Lucky Texan

Edward Hayes wrote:

Rob Munach · Answer

Al Luminium wrote:

Forester disc brake retrofit possible?

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