Thanks for the info.

One question: How much are the brake upgrades actually needed for track work? I mean, if I throw a set of Hawk blues in the stock floating caliper brakes, wouldn't that work ok? I know the big multi-piston brakes are popular but in a lot of cases the "upgrade" is more eye candy than anything.

 

The WRX is notorious for front brake fade at the track. A common solution is larger rotors which entails any of the multiple big brake kits such as Stoptech, TWR, Legacy GT brakes, etc, etc. The other issue with stock WRX brakes that exacerbates the front fade is the excessive front-bias. The remaining intangibles such as pedal feel can be improved with stainless brake lines and a master cylinder brace.

 

congrats on the purchase. the '05 looks much better than the '06, IMO.

if you're not doing any engine upgrades for awhile, i agree that the '05 is a good choice. as for brakes, i highly suggest that you look into stoptech BBK's for track use.

 

I've been looking through all the brake kits..........I am so overwhelmed by how much stuff there is for this car. There is a lot of aftermarket for the miata but nothing like this!!!

It's hard sorting through the flashy stuff to find the real deal hard core parts.

Brakes and suspension...........just trying to find my way.

 

Reviews section on brake upgrades.

Most of my friends running modified WRXs and STis (coilovers, stickier rubber, upgraded turbos, engine management, etc.) use and recommend the StopTech BBK.

--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush

 

Thanks for splitting the thread and for the suggestions.

I have done a lot of reading over the last few days. StopTech seems like a very popular and user friendly choice. I was hoping to be able to stick to the 16x8 wheels but it looks like there are very few brake upgrade choices that would work with that wheel. Would be nice to have that low weight wheel though!!

 

I run the stoptech bbk and love them everytime I use them. I beat up my stock breaks so bad that when I got them checked out I opted against the usual rotors, pads, and lines and went for the whole things. Drivability is perfect and I have great pedal feel. The ONLY downside is when your coming to a gentle stop the squeak and they produce alot of brake dust. Im told this is just the pads that im running. Axxiss ultimates.

 

Axxis Ultimates are famous for the amount of dust they produce in every type of car they are used in. Great pads but you have to clean wheels a lot.

The Stop Techs require 17s right? I guess I need to just let go of wanting light wheels unless I want to spend some money huh?

I don't mind loud brakes now and then.

I see people complaining about too much front bias with the brakes but I also see a lot of people only upgrading the front brakes...........has anyone played with an adjustable brake bias set up on these cars?

 

Stoptech has smaller pistons on their fronts so the bias supposedly shifts slightly to the rear. That's part of the reason why Stoptechs give better feel and modulation. If you must use 16x8, look at the TWR front BBK and the Subaru H9 rear upgrade.

 

Thanks for the info.

I am coming from a turbo miata to this WRX and in the miata crowd, light wheels are a must so it's hard to shake that mind set. I'm sure a decent set of 17s would be just fine.

 

RacingBrake makes a brake kit that will clear your 16" wheels, check out this thread:

https://www.i-club.com/forums/suspension-handling-brakes-195/what-brake-caliper-kits-fit-behind-16-subaru-oem-wheels-96484/

 

Really depends on how much you are tracking the car and how much you plan to do to the engine. Staying fairly stock power-wise and only hit the track a couple times a year? Get some track pads for the front (Carbotech XP8s are what we use), good aggressive street pads for the rear, Motul RBF600 for fluid and maybe some stainless lines to help feel. That will do the trick.

If it's more like you go to the track monthly and/or plan on doing serious power mods (if you drove a Miata turbo, I'm seeing this as likely), get yourself a Stoptech kit up front and some race pads to swap in and out for track days and be done with it. Quite simply, Stoptech is the best kit for the money, and is arguably the best kit period. The reason you need it is the extreme heat generated by track pads combined with too-small OEM front rotors. You'll be fine if you only do it once in awhile, but if it's common practice you'll cook wheel bearings, melt caliper seals, and generally make the front end parts of your car unhappy. With those nice, big 2-piece Stoptech rotors, your heat capacity goes way up, as does the ability to shed the heat. I've got the 328mm kit on my wagon, and couldn't be happier.

As for wheels, don't fret about wheel weight with this car. Yes, unsprung weight remains important as always, but in a 3000lb WRX with plenty of torque it's less critical than a 2300lb Miata. Plenty of good 17" wheels out there well under 20lbs that'll clear the Stoptech kit.

Hope that helps!

Regards,

Phil
DPE