Bigger Calipers ?

[jax0n]

Hey guys. Once I get some cash flow happening again, one of the mods I want is WRX Calipers on my Gen4 wagon. There seems to be a few GC8 ones floating around FleaBay.

Questions:
1. Would I need bigger rotors? If so, would Lib 3.0 or XT Forester rotors fit?
2. Will I need any adapters to attach the Calipers on?
3. Is the braking system up to the task? Eg Are the reservoir, master cylinder, booster etc all ok if I swap?
4. And lastly, would everything fit under the standard 17" wheels?

Cheers heaps in advance.

[seanmau5]

Is your car a 2.5/2.0 NA or a 3.0/GT?

[blacktop™]

+1 to what car do you have now?

I've got a full set of gt-b brakes that just came off my car which are better than rexy 4/2 pots.

Full set = front and rear calipers, pads, discs and lines.

[seanmau5]

Just found your intro thread.. 2.5 NA.

You can fit WRX 4/2 pot calipers however as Ryan stated upgrading to the GT/3.0 calipers provides better performance. Because everything but the engine/drivetrain are the same between different models the bigger calipers simply bolt on and fit behind the 17" stock 5 spoke wheels.

Pair the bigger calipers with decent rotors (316mm stock at the front!!) and good pads & braided lines and you'll shit all over a Rex with 4/2 pots.

[jax0n]

Oh man, so fast with the replies, thanks fellas!

Sounds heaps tempting blacktop, although I gotta admit it would be kinda nice to see some branding on the calipers.
Guess I could compensate not having the w@nk-factor by having some oversized rotor bling

Wanna PM me the $$ you would consider?
Also, just letting you know I gotta get my suspension sorted first. Not really a fan of driving a boat around corners

[jax0n]

Is your car a 2.5/2.0 NA or a 3.0/GT?

Sorry, should really sort out my profile

[seanmau5]

[HyRax]

I did a full Brembo upgrade on my 2.5i last year. A full upgrade will require the following bits:

• Front Brembo calipers - direct bolt-on replacement.
• Rear Brembo calipers - requires adapters to fit.
• Rear caliper adapters such as the custom ones from Cruisn or you can use the WRX-specific Kartboy adapters but you will need to grind away about 3mm worth of metal off the hub to make them fit (a real PITA).
• STi front discs - direct replacement.
• Rear DBA adapter discs OR genuine STi discs, but if you do the latter you will also need...
• ...modified handbrake shoes that add 10mm of meat to your existing shoes, or they won't be able to reach the inside of the disc to work and that means no handbrake.
• BIGGER WHEELS - the factory 2.5i, 3.0 and GT 17" wheels will NOT fit over the front Brembo's. Get genuine/copy STi wheels or suitable aftermarket wheels with appropriate offset.

Optional, but recommended items:

• STi Master Brake Cylinder - pumps 13% more brake fluid to the calipers than your standard MBC. There is a NOTICEABLE difference in force application through the pedal.
• MBC stopper - to stop the firewall flexing so much when stomping on the anchors. Afterwards the pedal is rock-solid.
• Braided brake lines - if you're going to bleed the entire system when you change the calipers, you may as well replace the rubber lines with braided steel lines too! This contributes to the solid feel in the pedal. NOTE: You cannot use WRX lines - the Liberty lines are different (and greater in number too).

Happy snaps of most of the process are in my profile thread.

Alternatively, as already mentioned, the slightly less pretty 3.0 and GT factory brake package is the same size as the Brembo discs and doesn't require rear adapters or new wheels either. The optional gear still applies to any setup.

[jax0n]

I did a full Brembo upgrade on my 2.5i last year. A full upgrade will require the following bits:

Woah detailed info, thanks HyRax! This should be a sticky or summink

[dat50]

[*]BIGGER WHEELS - the factory 2.5i, 3.0 and GT 17" wheels will NOT fit over the front Brembo's. Get genuine/copy STi wheels or suitable aftermarket wheels with appropriate offset.[/list]

Very good information indeed HyRax. In regards to factory wheels, is there anything apart from the STI wheels that would fit over the Brembos i.e Spec B 18".
Sorry if this is covered in another thread; hope its still relevant to this one.

[HyRax]

Well the stock wheels do fit if you use spacers (its the wheel spokes that hit the front of the caliper) but that's not legal nor recommended.

I'm using Rota Gravel wheels which are copies of the STi wheels. You can also use any of the Impreza WRX wheels but that will look odd on a Liberty. EDIT: STi WRX wheels that is!

Check out the wheels thread as there are good number of aftermarket items specified as fitting over Brembo's.

[Kody.B]

You can also use any of the Impreza WRX wheels but that will look odd on a Liberty.

OP, from what I hear the GT/3.0 Calipers (same thing) are a better brake. Shame they don't look like the WRX 4 pots but function>form I guess

[blacktop™]

Those calipers that Sean posted look pretty good.

[seanmau5]

Those calipers that Sean posted look pretty good.

Thanks mate. They currently reside on my car, no where near as clean as what they are in the photo though.

[dr20t]

You can also use any of the Impreza WRX wheels but that will look odd on a Liberty. EDIT: STi WRX wheels that is!.

Only MY02 to MY04 Sti wheels from the impreza wrx range will clear / fit.

That is, late 2003 to early 2005 model wrx Sti wheels. Must be 5x100 as MY05 changed to 5x114.5 hubs