Upgrading stock 2011 WRX brakes to Brembos

[Ginsubie]

I just completed upgrading the stock brakes on my 2011 WRX to Brembos and thought I'd share my experience.

The project began when I was able to score a pair of front Brembos off a 2004 STi and a pair of rear Brembos off a 2008 STi.

The guy who sold the fronts to me was going to rebuild and repaint them, but decided last minute to go with a set of 2008 STi Brembos. As a result, he was willing to let me have this set for a very good price. He had already stripped the paint off the calipers, which was great for me since I wanted to repaint them to match the rears anyway. He also included a Brembo rebuild kit in the purchase price.

The rear calipers were a real find. They were practically brand-new because the guy who sold them to me took them off his 2008 STi as soon as he bought it and replaced them with a BBK. So these had no wear on them at all.

This is what they looked like when I got them:



The next step was to get the front calipers repainted. I got them powder-coated glossy black to match the rears:



I decided to pair the Brembos with a set of DBA 4000 ClubSpec T3 rotors and Stoptech Street Performance brake pads. I really like the look of the new rotors:



The guys at KNS Brakes were extremely helpful. They knew exactly which rotors I needed to get: 2004 STi front rotors and 2008+ STi rear rotors. The DBA rotors were already dual-drilled for 5x100 bolt pattern, so they were simply bolt-on.

Now that I had all the components together, it was just a matter of installing them on my car. The guys at Yimi Sport Tuning took care of that for me.

Installing the front calipers and rotors was a very straightforward process:



The rears, however, were more complicated. The stock rear rotor dust shields are too small for the larger DBA rotors to seat properly. So, the lip all the way around and portions of the dust shield itself had to be cut off for proper fitment. On the other hand, once the rotors were taken care of, the 2008 rear STi Brembos bolted on my WRX with no problems whatsoever:



Once everything was installed, the next step was to flush the lines and replace the brake fluid. I decided to go with Motul RBF 600.

After bleeding the lines, it was time to reinstall the stock rims. FYI, in my case, the stock 2011 WRX rims did NOT clear the front Brembo calipers without scraping. A set of 3mm spacers took care of that problem.

Here are a couple of pics of my car after everything was complete:




This Brembo conversion was a long-time desire of mine, ever since I got the car. I must say it feels great to finally get it all done!

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[erik11876]

How does it feel vs the old setup, any noticable difference? I've been thinking about brakes down the road and stuck between doing this, or just doing better rotors, pads, fluid, and SS lines.

[xbeamelite]

They look awesome! I'm putting together almost the exact same setup for my 2011! I'm rebuilding 05 calipers which are being powdercoated now, but bought the same rotors. Went with Hawk HP+ pads as recommendation from KNS. I don't have the rears done but don't think that it will be a big difference anyway. Hopefully I'll have them on by next week.

How do they feel compared to stock? Thinking also about adding the Grimmspeed MBC brace.

[matt2WRX]

Agreed, how does the feel compare to stock?
Can we get a few more close ups of the front and rear?

Also did you lose your parking brake?

[Ginsubie]

Originally Posted by erik11876

How does it feel vs the old setup, any noticable difference? I've been thinking about brakes down the road and stuck between doing this, or just doing better rotors, pads, fluid, and SS lines.

Answering this question is somewhat complicated by the fact that I had already upgraded the brake fluid and lines, as well as installing the GrimmSpeed MBC brace, before doing the Brembo conversion.

The single-most noticeable difference came when I put in the SS lines and the MBC brace. That fixed most of the mushy feel of the stock brakes (which i absolutely hated!).

Based on this, I'd venture to say that you will feel a noticeable difference just by getting better rotors, pads, fluid, and SS lines, even with the stock calipers. Whether you choose to put in Brembos may depend on what type of driving you do (or want to do).

My main motivations for doing the Brembo conversion were three-fold. First, I just love the way Brembos look with the larger rotors. So, admittedly, it was a bling mod.

Second, I really enjoy doing canyon runs, and just wanted the peace of mind to know that the Brembos would mitigate brake fade. I probably don't take these runs hard enough to push my stock brakes to the limit, but having calipers, rotors, pads, and fluid that can handle the higher temperatures that come from repeated, hard braking makes me more confident in my car. I think having that extra confidence helps me enjoy my driving experience that much more.

Third, doing the Brembo conversion at least makes it possible for me to think about tracking my car. I may never take my car to a track, or I may become the next track fiend. Regardless, I like having the option to try it out.

The new Brembos have, for the most part, eliminated whatever mushiness that was left in the brakes. Having 4 pots to push the pads against the rotor, rather than having a floating pad, does make the pedal feel more responsive than before.

Also, the Stoptech brake pads are an improvement over the stock pads. Now, I feel a stronger initial bite when I step on the brakes. This again adds to the confidence I feel in my brakes.

Originally Posted by xbeamelite

They look awesome! I'm putting together almost the exact same setup for my 2011! I'm rebuilding 05 calipers which are being powdercoated now, but bought the same rotors. Went with Hawk HP+ pads as recommendation from KNS. I don't have the rears done but don't think that it will be a big difference anyway. Hopefully I'll have them on by next week.

How do they feel compared to stock? Thinking also about adding the Grimmspeed MBC brace.

Are you getting 05 calipers for the rears as well? As far as I know, any front Brembos from 2004 and up will bolt up as is, but the rears require 08+ calipers. If not, you may need adapters. This will in turn make it difficult to find a set of rear rotors that will work. Check with the guys at KNS (they know their stuff).

As I mentioned above, one of the first brake mods I did was to install the GrimmSpeed MBC brace, and I would heartily recommend you get it. It totally eliminates the flex in the firewall and anchors the MBC. It gives a wonderful solid feel to the pedal when I step on it. Here are some pictures of mine:

Originally Posted by matt2WRX

Agreed, how does the feel compare to stock?
Can we get a few more close ups of the front and rear?

Also did you lose your parking brake?

I'll try to take some close-ups and upload them tomorrow.

As far as the parking brake goes, the drum on the DBA 4000 rear rotors are the same size as the stock ones. So, my parking brake works just fine. I do need to pull up a bit more on the lever than before, but the parking brake does engage solidly. At some point, I may get the play on the lever adjusted.

[KNS Brakes]

Excellent write up

You can get some adjustment of the park brake lever under the console or even further inside the rear drum

[matt2WRX]

Can we get a list of all parts right down to the bolts and washers?
Did you upgrade your lines or did stock WRX connect up?

[Ginsubie]

Originally Posted by matt2WRX

Can we get a list of all parts right down to the bolts and washers?
Did you upgrade your lines or did stock WRX connect up?

First of all, here are some close-ups you wanted of the front and rear:




As for the list of parts:

1) 2004 STi front Brembos
2) 2008 STi rear Brembos
3) 2004 STi DBA 4000 ClubSpec T3 front rotors
4) 2008 STi DBA 4000 ClubSpec T3 rear rotors
5) Stoptech Street Performance front and rear pads
6) 2004+ STi speed bleeders
7) GrimmSpeed master cylinder brace
8) Stoptech stainless steel brake lines
9) Caliper bolts and washers from KNS Brakes
10) Motul RBF 600 brake fluid

Everything worked out just as expected, except for the rear caliper bolts KNS Brakes sent me. They charged me $2 per bolt, but the ones they sent me were way too short. I lost out $8 plus I had to pay for replacement bolts that were long enough to get the job done.

I have no idea whether the Brembos will work with stock brake lines, since I had already switched them to stainless steel lines by the time I installed the Brembos. However, this would be a perfect opportunity to put in SS lines anyways. I don't think you would get the full benefit of Brembos with stock rubber lines.

[RickPaul78]

Great write up!! I had my first track day yesterday and I gotta say.. A brake upgrade would have felt nice... That and decent tires!!

[Ginsubie]

What was tracking your car on stock brakes like? Did you experience brake fade? How did your fluid and pads hold up? Were they stock, or had you upgraded them?

I'm interested in taking my car on the track, but I'm also a bit apprehensive about it.

[Lrn2Corner]

Nice write up. In the end what was the total price for this upgrade?

If I was to go this route rather than buying everything through Brembo how much should I be expecting to pay?

[Ginsubie]

What I paid for all the parts:

1) 2004 STi front Brembo calipers - $515
2) Powder-coating front calipers - $125
3) 2008 STi rear Brembo calipers - $333
4) 2004 STi DBA 4000 ClubSpec T3 front rotors - $285
5) 2008 STi DBA 4000 ClubSpec T3 rear rotors - $284
6) Stoptech Street Performance front and rear pads - $117
7) 2004+ STi speed bleeders - $56
8) GrimmSpeed master cylinder brace - $88
9) Stoptech stainless steel brake lines - $133
10) Caliper bolts and washers from KNS Brakes - $16
11) Motul RBF 600 brake fluid - $48

Total: $2000

If you wanted to get brand-new Brembos, they should run you around $1500~$1600 per pair, and that's only for the calipers and rotors. Not only that, as far as I know, Brembo currently doesn't make upgrade kits for rear calipers that fit on the 2011 WRX.

[lickitysplitwrx]

Originally Posted by Ginsubie

What I paid for all the parts:

1) 2004 STi front Brembo calipers - $515
2) Powder-coating front calipers - $125
3) 2008 STi rear Brembo calipers - $333
4) 2004 STi DBA 4000 ClubSpec T3 front rotors - $285
5) 2008 STi DBA 4000 ClubSpec T3 rear rotors - $284
6) Stoptech Street Performance front and rear pads - $117
7) 2004+ STi speed bleeders - $56
8) GrimmSpeed master cylinder brace - $88
9) Stoptech stainless steel brake lines - $133
10) Caliper bolts and washers from KNS Brakes - $16
11) Motul RBF 600 brake fluid - $48

Total: $2000

If you wanted to get brand-new Brembos, they should run you around $1500~$1600 per pair, and that's only for the calipers and rotors. Not only that, as far as I know, Brembo currently doesn't make upgrade kits for rear calipers that fit on the 2011 WRX.

Thanks for all the info, this will be something I tackle down the road once I get a beater.

[dennisqle91]

I have this planned for my WRX next. I already have the calipers in my garage but I'm debating whether to get 3mm spacers or go for new wheels. What kind of spacers did you use? And where'd you get those awesome rotors for that price?

I went autocrossing yesterday with my stock brakes and they help up well.. Pads are gone though but that's a given.

[Ginsubie]

Originally Posted by lickitysplitwrx

Thanks for all the info, this will be something I tackle down the road once I get a beater.

I think you'll enjoy it once you get it done. I sure am!

Originally Posted by dennisqle91

I have this planned for my WRX next. I already have the calipers in my garage but I'm debating whether to get 3mm spacers or go for new wheels. What kind of spacers did you use? And where'd you get those awesome rotors for that price?

I went autocrossing yesterday with my stock brakes and they help up well.. Pads are gone though but that's a given.

Like you, I had the calipers sitting in my garage for almost a year before I finally got all the other parts together to install them.

The spacers I got are made by Kyo-Ei. For me, the 3mm spacers are simply for Brembo clearance with my stock wheels and are a stop-gap measure for now. I think the conventional wisdom is to avoid using spacers if you at all can (in fact, some guy on wrxtuners.com was just warning me that he doesn't trust using spacers on Subies at all because they come with short bolts). I'm currently waiting on a set of 18x8.5 Hyper Black Rota Grids to arrive. It's on special order, so it may take a few weeks. In the mean time, the spacers are doing their job fine.

I got the rotors, pads, and caliper bolts all at KNS Brakes. Give them a call. They were very knowledgeable about this specific upgrade (2011 WRX --> STi Brembos) and they had really good prices. I heartily recommend them, except make sure that they send you long enough bolts. My only complaint against them was that the rear caliper bolts they sent me were way too short. I ended up wasting $8 plus paying for replacement bolts. Wasn't too happy about that.

[matt2WRX]

Will have to call KNS and get there input.
Im having trouble tracking down a pair of rear calipers from an 08+. Any ideas on where to look?

[Ginsubie]

Yeah, the rear calipers are difficult to find because most people with STi's who do BBK swaps only do the front and keep their rears. That is why it's relatively easy to find the fronts compared to the rears.

You just have to keep checking on various Subaru forums (their marketplace sections), Craig's List, eBay, etc., to see if any become available. If you participate in a local Subie meet/club, you can ask around to see if anyone knows of any available.

[Lrn2Corner]

Brembo does make front and rear kits for the WRX. I have the link saved at work.

[dennisqle91]

yeah only way to find rears is checking various classifieds daily.. I say daily because they get picked up pretty quick!

[BigRob74]

the pics are blocked on my work laptop, do they clear the oem 17" 2011 wheels?

[Ginsubie]

My stock 2011 WRX rims did not clear the front Brembos without scraping. So I had to put 3mm spacers on the front hubs. The rears clear fine.

[Ginsubie]

Originally Posted by dennisqle91

yeah only way to find rears is checking various classifieds daily.. I say daily because they get picked up pretty quick! I got lucky enough to find a set of 2012 front and rears for $800 on here

Wow, you got a fantastic deal!

[Lrn2Corner]

If I find the link, Brembo makes an entire kit for fronts and one for rear brakes that come with everything including steel braided brake lines. BUT the fronts cost 1600 and the rears are 1700.

What you did for the price you did it is just awesome.

[Ginsubie]

Wow, $3300 for the full set... that's insane!

[scandiflick]

nice job and writeup im jealous