1998-2002 Subaru Forester Front vs Rear Brakes: What Wears First and What to Replace

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

On a 1998-2002 Subaru Forester the front brakes wear out first, usually well before the rears. The fronts do most of the stopping work, and on the base and L trims the rear axle uses drum brakes that wear slowly. The Forester S has discs at all four corners, so its rear pads need checking more often, but the fronts still set the service schedule.

How the First-Generation Forester Brake System Is Laid Out

Every first-generation Forester uses disc brakes up front. What sits at the rear depends on the trim, and that is the first thing to confirm before ordering parts:

Consumer Guide's review of the 1998-2002 Forester notes that base and L models came with rear drums while the S had four-wheel disc brakes throughout the generation. Curb weights run a little over 3,100 lb for L and S models, so this is a light vehicle by today's standards, and a set of quality front pads lasts a reasonable time when the rotors are healthy.

The quickest way to tell which rear system you have is to look through the rear wheel spokes. A caliper clamped over a flat rotor means discs. A smooth closed drum with no caliper means drums and shoes.

Why the Front Brakes Wear First

When you brake, weight shifts forward onto the front tires. Engineers size and bias the system to match, so the front brakes handle roughly 70 percent of the stopping force on a typical vehicle, according to the Motorist Assurance Program. On a Forester that means:

• Front pads are the most frequent brake service item on every trim.
• Front rotors absorb the most heat, so they are the ones that develop thickness variation (pedal pulsation) and heat spots.
• Rear drum shoes on the base and L often last through two or more sets of front pads. That is normal, not a sign that something is wrong.
• Rear disc pads on the S wear faster than drum shoes, but still more slowly than the fronts.

Consumer Guide also describes the stock pedal as spongy with noticeable nosedive in hard stops. Some softness is the nature of the car, but a pedal that has become lower or softer than it used to be is a symptom worth diagnosing, not a trait to live with.

Symptoms and How to Tell Which End Is the Problem

Front-end symptoms

• High-pitched squeal from a front wheel while driving that goes away with light braking: the pad wear indicator is touching the rotor.
• Grinding under braking: pad material is gone and the backing plate is cutting the rotor. Replace pads and rotors together at this point.
• Steering wheel shake or pedal pulsation during stops from highway speed: front rotor thickness variation.
• Pulling to one side under braking: a sticking front caliper slide pin or a collapsed brake hose.

Rear-end symptoms

• A low pedal that rises when you pump it, on a base or L: the rear shoes are out of adjustment. Worn shoes or a stuck self-adjuster leave a large gap between shoe and drum.
• A parking brake lever that pulls up much higher than it used to: also a sign of rear shoe wear or a failed adjuster on drum cars.
• Wetness on the inside of the rear tire or the backing plate: a leaking wheel cylinder. Fluid on the shoes ruins them, so shoes and cylinder are replaced together.
• Scraping from the rear of an S: worn rear pads, which carry less lining than the fronts to begin with.

What to Replace, and What to Replace With It

Front brake job

Most front jobs on a first-generation Forester are pads plus rotors. Measure rotor thickness against the minimum stamped on the rotor; if it is near that figure, or the car has pulsation, replace the rotors rather than machining them. Browse replacement brake pads and front and rear brake rotors, or choose low-dust ceramic brake pads for a daily driver. At the same time:

• Clean and lubricate the caliper slide pins, and replace torn pin boots.
• Fit new abutment clips from a brake hardware kit; old clips cause noise and uneven pad wear.
• Inspect the rubber front hoses for cracks or bulging. A twenty-plus-year-old hose is a common cause of a soft pedal and pulling; see brake hoses.
• If a caliper piston is seized or its boot is torn, a replacement brake caliper is usually better value than a rebuild on a vehicle this age.

Rear drum job (base and L)

Replace rear brake shoes in axle sets, and replace the springs and hold-down hardware with them. The self-adjuster is what keeps the pedal high as the linings wear; Know Your Parts notes that a groove worn into the adjuster lever can stop it working, and that replacing the adjusters helps ensure proper pedal height. Check the drums for scoring and a lip at the outer edge, and peel back each wheel cylinder boot to look for fluid. Any wetness means a new wheel cylinder.

Rear disc job (S)

Treat it like a smaller version of the front job: pads, rotors if worn or rusted, cleaned and lubricated slide pins, and new clips. Rear calipers on cars that sit or see road salt tend to stick, so check that each rear wheel spins freely after the job.

Brake Fluid and the Master Cylinder

If the pedal is low on both ends even after the rear shoes are adjusted, look upstream. NHTSA campaign 99V040000 covered ABS-equipped 1999 Subaru vehicles (Legacy 2.2L excluded): in cold weather the master cylinder seals could fail, letting the pedal travel further and increasing stopping distance. The remedy was a new master cylinder from a dealer. Run your VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether your car had the work done. If a master cylinder on a car this age is bypassing internally (the pedal slowly sinks under steady pressure with no external leak), see our brake master cylinders.

Use the brake fluid type printed on the reservoir cap. Brake fluid absorbs moisture over time, so fluid that is dark or has not been changed in years should be flushed whenever you do major brake work.

How Hard Is the Job?

• Front pads and rotors: an approachable DIY job with basic hand tools, a jack and stands, a torque wrench and a caliper piston tool. Torque the caliper bracket bolts and lug nuts to the values in the factory service manual.
• Rear disc pads (S): similar difficulty to the fronts.
• Rear drum shoes (base and L): the most fiddly job on the car. Springs are under tension, the parts must go back in the right order, and the adjuster must be set correctly. Do one side at a time so the other side serves as a reference.
• Wheel cylinder, hose or master cylinder replacement: requires bleeding the system afterward. On an ABS car follow the bleed procedure in the service manual.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my 1998-2002 Forester have rear drum or rear disc brakes?

Base and L models use rear drums; the S uses rear discs. Look through the rear wheel for a caliper to confirm, since a used car may have been modified.

How often do the rear brakes need replacing compared with the fronts?

There is no fixed ratio, but because the fronts handle most of the stopping force, rear drum shoes commonly outlast several sets of front pads. Inspect the rears every time you do the fronts.

Should I replace pads and rotors at the same time?

If the rotors are near minimum thickness, grooved or causing pulsation, yes. Fresh pads on a worn rotor make noise, wear quickly and do not stop as well.

Why is my Forester's brake pedal low but firm after pumping?

On drum-rear cars that almost always points to rear shoes that are worn or out of adjustment. Check the self-adjusters and shoe thickness before suspecting the master cylinder.

Can I convert my L to rear disc brakes?

Owners have done it using S-model parts, but it involves more than calipers and rotors, and the parking brake and brake lines must match. For most drivers, properly serviced drums stop the car well.

Sources

1. Consumer Guide - 1998-02 Subaru Forester - rear drums on base and L, four-wheel discs on S, ABS availability, pedal feel, 1998-99 master cylinder recall
2. AutoDetective - 2001 Forester S specs - four-wheel ABS and curb weight on the S
3. AutoDetective - 1999 Forester L specs - four-wheel ABS and curb weight on the L
4. NHTSA recall data - 1999 Subaru Forester - campaign 99V040000 master cylinder recall and remedy
5. Motorist Assurance Program - Which brakes go bad first - front brakes handle about 70 percent of braking force
6. Know Your Parts - Drum brake self-adjusters - how self-adjusters work and why to replace them