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Old 04-22-2018, 09:40 AM   #1
joedreamliner787
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Default Subaru brakes Red Calipers with Subaru Logo

Hi guys,
I am looking to upgrade the brakes on my 2016 wrx limited. I see there are full kits availible with rotors, ss lines etc..the calipers are red and have the Subaru logo on them so my question is since they are OEM are they in fact brembos like the black sti calipers that have the sti logo on them?

I also have the option to get the black sti brembos front and rear used from a 2010 sti and from what I understand I can put on OEM brembo drilled rotors and it should all clear given I have 18 inch rims.

Thoughts guys?
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Old 04-22-2018, 10:55 AM   #2
noobultimatum
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They will clear on 18s.

Not sure what thoughts you are looking for?
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Old 04-22-2018, 01:53 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joedreamliner787 View Post
Hi guys,
I am looking to upgrade the brakes on my 2016 wrx limited. I see there are full kits availible with rotors, ss lines etc..the calipers are red and have the Subaru logo on them so my question is since they are OEM are they in fact brembos like the black sti calipers that have the sti logo on them?

I also have the option to get the black sti brembos front and rear used from a 2010 sti and from what I understand I can put on OEM brembo drilled rotors and it should all clear given I have 18 inch rims.

Thoughts guys?
The red Subaru branded ones are typically called FHI 4/2 pots. The front 4 pits are actually smaller than stock rotors. They'll clear 15" wheels for proper gravel rally tires.
Front bolt on rear need adapter brackets. Both need appropriate rotors.

Black "sti" brembos are a direct bolt on again needing appropriate rotors for the calipers. Any 08-17 sti brake rotor fits.
These clear 17" wheels.
Spoke design matters though this is true for 18" as well
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Old 04-22-2018, 03:36 PM   #4
joedreamliner787
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Thank you guys for the info, much appreciated. I have the stock 18 inch wheels which I like and plan to keep.
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Old 04-22-2018, 05:06 PM   #5
That_Boosted_Life
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Like mentioned above the Red/Gold brembo's from the 04-07 STi have smaller front rotors than the stock 15+ WRX's. MRT performance has a video going over brake upgrades for the MY15+ cars and mentions the stock calipers and rotors perform about the same as the FHI 4 pots. Only benefit is the initial bite, but if you don't have sticky tires the upgrade makes no difference. The stock calipers can get the wheels locking up, so upgraded pads and vented/slotted rotors is the best bet. The black STI calipers would be the only worthwhile OEM caliper upgrade IMO.
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Old 04-22-2018, 10:36 PM   #6
joedreamliner787
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Quote:
Originally Posted by That_Boosted_Life View Post
Like mentioned above the Red/Gold brembo's from the 04-07 STi have smaller front rotors than the stock 15+ WRX's. MRT performance has a video going over brake upgrades for the MY15+ cars and mentions the stock calipers and rotors perform about the same as the FHI 4 pots. Only benefit is the initial bite, but if you don't have sticky tires the upgrade makes no difference. The stock calipers can get the wheels locking up, so upgraded pads and vented/slotted rotors is the best bet. The black STI calipers would be the only worthwhile OEM caliper upgrade IMO.
So then I take it the subaru branded red calipers are not brembo and I definitely do not want to jump to a smaller rotor considering I have wheel clearence so going with the gold sti calipers would not make sense. I will go with the black sti calipers and upgrade the rotors. As for rotors dba, stoptech or brembo? And is it okay to just do the fronts or will brake bias be an issue?

Thanks guys
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Old 04-22-2018, 10:40 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joedreamliner787 View Post
So then I take it the subaru branded red calipers are not brembo and I definitely do not want to jump to a smaller rotor considering I have wheel clearence so going with the gold sti calipers would not make sense. I will go with the black sti calipers and upgrade the rotors. As for rotors dba, stoptech or brembo? And is it okay to just do the fronts or will brake bias be an issue?

Thanks guys
Also I can afford to do the API big brake kit, would that be a better option than the sti oem?
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Old 04-23-2018, 12:24 AM   #8
jamal
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Red subaru 4-pots and gold sti brembos are two different brake setups.

red 4-pots, as found on the 06-07 wrx and other jdm models, use 294x24mm rotors, same as all the 02-14 wrx.

For 2015, the wrx gets bigger brakes. sliding 2-piston caliper like before, but 316x30mm, so bigger than the red subaru 4-pots, which are not an upgrade.

The brembos, from the sti, are bigger than either, at 326x30. This applies to either gold or black calipers- they are the same from 2004-2017 (in the front, the rear calipers changed a bit for 08). The 2018 has bigger brakes.

There is a thread that explains all this around here somewhere.


Oh, one thing you can do is buy adapters from KNS brakes to use a nissan 4-pot caliper from like the gtr and 300zx, which are a lot like the red subaru calipers but use the stock 2015 wrx rotor.

Last edited by jamal; 04-24-2018 at 10:30 PM.
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Old 04-23-2018, 07:53 AM   #9
joedreamliner787
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jamal View Post
Red subaru 4-pots and gold sti brembos are two different brake setups.

red 4-pots, as found on the 06-07 wrx and other jdm models, use 294x24mm rotors, same as all the 02-14 wrx.

For 2015, the wrx gets bigger brakes. sliding 2-piston caliper like before, but 316x30mm, so bigger than the red subaru 4-pots, which are not an upgrade.

The brembos, from the sti, are bigger than either, at 326x30. This applies to either gold or black calipers- they are the same from 2004-2017. The 2018 has bigger brakes.

There is a thread that explains all this around here somewhere.


Oh, one thing you can do is buy adapters from KNS brakes to use a nissan 4-pot caliper from like the gtr and 300zx, which are a lot like the red subaru calipers but use the stock 2015 wrx rotor.
Thank you for the information. It is extremely helpful!. I may run with an AP or stoptech setup as opposed to an OEM setup.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk
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Old 04-23-2018, 09:42 AM   #10
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The AP kit will not be a great street kit - it is more of a specific track brake kit. The rotors can rattle and there are no dust boots.

The Stoptech kit would be better for a street car.
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Old 04-23-2018, 12:41 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KNS Brakes View Post
The AP kit will not be a great street kit - it is more of a specific track brake kit. The rotors can rattle and there are no dust boots.

The Stoptech kit would be better for a street car.
Care to elaborate on the AP rotors rattling? I don't see how they could unless the bobbins weren't installed correctly (and you'd have more to worry about than a rattle, then).
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Old 04-23-2018, 01:20 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joedreamliner787 View Post
Hi guys,
I am looking to upgrade the brakes on my 2016 wrx limited. I see there are full kits availible with rotors, ss lines etc..the calipers are red and have the Subaru logo on them so my question is since they are OEM are they in fact brembos like the black sti calipers that have the sti logo on them?

I also have the option to get the black sti brembos front and rear used from a 2010 sti and from what I understand I can put on OEM brembo drilled rotors and it should all clear given I have 18 inch rims.

Thoughts guys?
Why do you feel you need an "upgrade?" A specific performance issue or want the look of the Brembo calipers (which I would not fault you for)?
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Old 04-23-2018, 01:33 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mrsaturn7085 View Post
Care to elaborate on the AP rotors rattling? I don't see how they could unless the bobbins weren't installed correctly (and you'd have more to worry about than a rattle, then).
Floating rotors can rattle when you are off the brakes.

They did add anti-rattle springs that help.



-Ken
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Old 04-23-2018, 07:33 PM   #14
mrsaturn7085
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Very interesting... I guess I've just never noticed a rattle on any of the cars/bikes I've had with floating rotors. I always thought those springs were just to assist springs behind the pistons in anti knock-back.
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Old 04-24-2018, 08:14 PM   #15
joedreamliner787
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Originally Posted by A-man07 View Post
Why do you feel you need an "upgrade?" A specific performance issue or want the look of the Brembo calipers (which I would not fault you for)?
Brembo have a nice look but I was looking for stopping power and reducing brake fade and stickier tires for the summer however since I already have slotted stoptech rotors on my car I decided to give Ken's GiroDisc SS Street/Strip Brake Pads (front and rear) a try. They are arriving tomorrow and I plan to install them this weekend to see how the braking is.
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Old 04-25-2018, 11:23 AM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joedreamliner787 View Post
Brembo have a nice look but I was looking for stopping power and reducing brake fade and stickier tires for the summer however since I already have slotted stoptech rotors on my car I decided to give Ken's GiroDisc SS Street/Strip Brake Pads (front and rear) a try. They are arriving tomorrow and I plan to install them this weekend to see how the braking is.
Please post feedback on the pads.

They have been universally well liked so far.

Ken
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Old 04-25-2018, 11:53 AM   #17
joedreamliner787
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KNS Brakes View Post
Please post feedback on the pads.

They have been universally well liked so far.

Ken
Will do Ken and thank you for getting them shipped out the same day.
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Old 04-27-2018, 07:48 AM   #18
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Yesterday I had the opportunity to get the GiroDisc SS Street/Strip Brake Pads installed. Took me about 45 min for all 4 corners and were a direct fit and I had no issues getting them in. I took the car out and bedded the brakes in. These pads are awesome! The initial bite is very strong and definitely will lock up the tires. Currently I am running Toyo Proxies. The brake fade has been reduced substantially. Ken saved me a ton of money because I thought I would need a big brake kit to get the performance I was looking for and with his honesty he earned a customer for life. As company owner myself customer service and honesty is key to keeping your client base. Ken, next time around I will be doing pads and rotors preferably drilled rotors. Thank you for continued support. Hopefully these pads will come in other colors
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Old 04-28-2018, 06:00 PM   #19
wrose
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Default upgrading brakes on 2018 WRX with Eyesight

I have a 2018 WRX coming with Eyesight and am wondering if I could upgrade the brakes to 2016 STI 4/2 pot calipers without affecting the Eyesight and othe r safety controls?
Sorry for intruding this thread but I haven't enough responses to start a new thread.
Thanks
Wayne
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Old 04-29-2018, 10:34 PM   #20
joedreamliner787
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wrose View Post
I have a 2018 WRX coming with Eyesight and am wondering if I could upgrade the brakes to 2016 STI 4/2 pot calipers without affecting the Eyesight and othe r safety controls?
Sorry for intruding this thread but I haven't enough responses to start a new thread.
Thanks
Wayne
Hi Wayne, I thought I wanted to change calipers as well and in the end I found my stock calipers work perfectly fine and with the pads I got from KNS they are plenty to lock the tires up. I am changing rotors to dba X gold series drilled and slotted for better cooling but after realizing pads and rotors are just what I need the rest would be stickier tires and for the marginal increase in stopping power I could not justify spending thousands to go to a big brake kit. If you are not going to be doing track runs or racing the stock calipers will serve you well with good pads. I am not sure how the eyesight comes into play and I understand it stops the car but I am not sure if there is some calibration behind it and hopefully others could lend more info.

Ken at KNS is extremely knowledgeable and he may have some answers for you and I am sure he will write back in this post and if not reach out to him. I wish you luck with the new ride!
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Old 04-30-2018, 03:22 PM   #21
jamal
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wrose View Post
I have a 2018 WRX coming with Eyesight and am wondering if I could upgrade the brakes to 2016 STI 4/2 pot calipers without affecting the Eyesight and othe r safety controls?
Sorry for intruding this thread but I haven't enough responses to start a new thread.
Thanks
Wayne
Using the different calipers should not be an issue, the forces generated and bias are not much different and the EBD system should be able to compensate.

However, I think there is something different with the rear brakes on your car that might cause some issues. That's a CVT model with an electronic parking brake, right? Not sure how that works and if it's compatible with parts for a mechanical brake setup. Or if it doesn't matter and the e-brake just has a motor to pull cable. I haven't had a chance to look at one. KNS might know more about it.
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Old 04-30-2018, 05:26 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jamal View Post
Using the different calipers should not be an issue, the forces generated and bias are not much different and the EBD system should be able to compensate.

However, I think there is something different with the rear brakes on your car that might cause some issues. That's a CVT model with an electronic parking brake, right? Not sure how that works and if it's compatible with parts for a mechanical brake setup. Or if it doesn't matter and the e-brake just has a motor to pull cable. I haven't had a chance to look at one. KNS might know more about it.
The EPB cars have 'all new' pads and rotors although it's still not clear if this is CVT, EPB, or Eyesight driven. Centric says Eyesight.

And it may not even matter to the backing plate so bolting on other calipers and brackets is still an unknown.

The eyesight rear WRX rotor is bigger in diameter and vented.

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Old 04-30-2018, 05:47 PM   #23
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I'm pretty sure you can't get eyesight with the manual, and that means cvt. I would assume that a non eyesight but cvt wrx would have the same rear brakes and EPB?

And oh hey that's the same as the 15+ legacy rear rotor. 300x17.
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Old 05-01-2018, 04:48 AM   #24
wrose
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Thanks for the info. I'll wait until car arrives and pull the wheels to see what the set-up is. I looked in the service manual I have and it looks like the emergency is electric and the mechanism mounts on each caliper.
Thanks again
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Old 05-01-2018, 08:38 AM   #25
KNS Brakes
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jamal View Post
I'm pretty sure you can't get eyesight with the manual, and that means cvt. I would assume that a non eyesight but cvt wrx would have the same rear brakes and EPB?

And oh hey that's the same as the 15+ legacy rear rotor. 300x17.
10 years of surging sales and Subaru finally made some new brake parts rather than using what they had.
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