langywangy

My car has had the front calipers replaced with some rip-off ones. They are terrrible.

Cannon Fodder

iTrader: (100)

I'd be looking at what brake pads are fitted before anything else plus bleeding the brake system of possible air locks.

langywangy

Are the brakes just poor on the impreza?

scoobyskool

iTrader: (1)

Can only comment on the wrx and yes they do seem poor - when i first got mine i was amazed how bad they feel and mine just had new disks and pads fitted by subaru and calipers serviced etc

Now ive had it a while i kinda trust them ,,, the overall impression is that they are under servoed if anything ,, they work but compared to my new citroen ds3 daily they require like double or treble the effort on the pedal ,, they work ok but you have to press the pedal hard

Never suffered fade etc on mine as dont push it hard or do track days so cant comment on how they are when worked hard but i suspect this is the area of concern why many upgrade to brembos etc

Davec30

iTrader: (2)

The front and rear are different, if you look at them you'll see the front are bigger. There are plenty of threads about these calliper's. I think Godspeed sell them and there was no difference in performance from the originals. I think you need to look at your discs and pads.

RS_Matt

I run WRX PRO at the front, they feel no different to OE. I think they may be binding already though as only one front alloy ever gets caked in brake dust.

Godspeed Brakes

iTrader: (259)

It won't be the calipers as they work exactly the same as genuine ones , I would look at changing the pads first , as pads will make a big difference in power and feel
Cheers Ian

Gear Head

iTrader: (2)

Agree with Ian. I used OEM disc and pads after fitting new WRX Pro calipers. Wasn't impressed at all. When I fitted my reconditioned Subaru 4 pots, I fitted Godspeed Kevlar Pads and grooved discs all round. The difference is night and day.

Plus you must surely realise when looked at the rear calipers that they are different to the front??

wagon1

iTrader: (1)

I have these calipers too, as others have suggested they're just the same as OE spec. Impreza brakes are just rubbish!
I've upgraded to yellowstuff pads and EBC discs and have never had an issue stopping.
But you do need to hit the pedal with a bit more heavy footwork compared to any other car I drive (I have another car running the same pads and discs too so it's just the brake system on the WRX that's poor).

piehole1983

iTrader: (7)

Maybe you have crap discs too? I generally find the brakes on my impreza "poor" considering I've also got genuine Subaru 4 pots with stainless pistons along with unknown brand discs, replaced the brake fluid to see if that helped and so on. They're aren't bad but I do think they could be better out of the box. I now have 4 Brembo calipers, 4 new Godspeed discs, new Godspeed pads and braided brake hoses to fit. Hopefully that'll help.

Are all of your caliper pistons moving freely?

bugeye269

hi

im currently running original Subaru calipers and they have had a recent referb, which I fear hasn't gone well as Ive warped 2 sets of front discs in 6 months

are wrx pro a direct replacement??ive found a pair of wrx pro made by budweg, are these any good?

would love brembos but cant afford them

cheers

piehole1983

iTrader: (7)

Sounds like you've still got seized pistons. From what I've read the WRX Pro calipers are exactly the same as the OE Subaru ones. Will work 100% fine. Speak to Ian @ Godspeed on here for advice. He can properly refurb your own calipers too.

bugeye269

cheers for help mate.im just wondering if it would be more costeffective to just buy new ones instead of trying to fix these ones

piehole1983

iTrader: (7)

Well if you spent the money on your calipers and got stainless pistons fitted, had them blasted and powder coated properly then they'd last for years. Might be a better option to do that. The WRX Pro calipers will come with steel pistons and won't be painted/powder coated so will eventually corrode and seize just the same. Get a quote from Ian like I said.

bugeye269

they have been blasted and powder coated from an apparent reputable company, ill contact him cheers

piehole1983

iTrader: (7)

Oh, didn't realise that. Recently? I know it's a silly question but have you renewed your brake fluid and bled everything properly?

Is there any possibility that water could have got inside the calipers?

bugeye269

yea new brake fluid and they've been bled. they were refurbed about 6 months ago

piehole1983

iTrader: (7)

Have you unbolted the caliper and pressed the brake pedal once to see if all the pistons move out equally?

bugeye269

not yet will try and do that over the weekend. jack it up, wheels off ??

piehole1983

iTrader: (7)

Having thought about it, doing what I said might cause you more problems if you're not very very careful. Try this instead: front off the ground, wheels off, take the two bolts holding the calipers to the hub off, remove pads, record the positions the pistons are in then push them back in to the caliper. If you can't push one or more back in, it's likely seized.

You might find it easier if you take the lid off the brake fluid reservoir too.

Just another thought, is the reservoir over filled?

Linksfahrer

I know this story and have the T shirt. The WRX calipers are ok , if you clean them up and maybe reseal you will get them working ok. Brake fluid get it all out regularly, yes you will have to push a bit , this is a car is not for Grandmothers. The std disks warp and from the after market ones best I found were TRW , but I still found these were not good enough , ended up with 335 mm disks from Ian at Godspeed, these get the job done. Otherwise go to STI Bembos and find some pads that bite.
"cant afford them" You should never scrimp on brakes or tires they really are what are between you and the idiot coming the other way remember its not the airbags job to steer.

bugeye269

no I think its at the right level but will check tomorrow.ok great ill have a go at that this weekend then at least im getting somewhere.

any ideas on how difficult it is to fit new pistons?or just better to send to a pro?

bugeye269

cheers for the heads up linksfahrer. I will see if I can get the pistons moving this weekend.not sure I can have 335 on my 01 wrx

Linksfahrer

If you 17 inch or 18 inch they will fit , Godspeed use a caliper adapter to move them out on 17 inch you end up with 5mm clearance. These will stop you from 177mph , and still work the next time. I can still get them to glow and would like even more power so will be adding the Sub H6 rear discs next year on the Sub PN# bracket , they have the added benefit of restoring the balance a little to the rear. Remember the more you do to improve brake power the more your nose will dive under the braking so you also have to do something about suspension. 30 mm lower front and rear will help a lot , but a set of coil overs transforms handling and gets you more control of the steering under braking. My car is so much safer now.