Cadillac ATS Brembo Caliper Upgrade for your Subaru

[dahoseman]

So this thread is now 25 pages and there is a lot of "heresay" discussion through a lot of the pages. Any consolidation of bullet points from someone that read this thread and then did this upgrade?

[Phillip J. Fry]

Rotational weigh goes up car weight goes down. Net effect slower accelerating car.

 

stock sized used but not worn dba 4k was 20.5 for the front. 12.5 for the rear. id seriously doubt 2 pounds of rotor material was shaved away by the pads.

 

stock rotor size is 12.4? sti is 12.7?

 

i think a dbs 4k in a sti sized rotor would be lighter, maybe not by much, than a gt stock sized rotor.

 

if people are buying new wheels and tires to fit this new system in then they will most likely be adding more unsprung weight and adding rotational weight as well. every bump ive encountered has reminded me that unsprung weight really lets the suspension be more active. its a less jarring ride.

 

iirc this was all about looks though. truthfully, i didnt have any idea $3k for a brake look was "in".

 

on a side note...id like to see an aluminum caliper for stock sized rotors though.

Edited May 27, 2016 by Phillip J. Fry

[fotofan]

Good grief, if people are buying new wheels to fit this setup they're very likely replacing the stock wheels at ~23lbs IIRC. And it's almost a guarantee that whatever wheels they buy will be much lighter than the stock anchors. Your weight argument is largely invalid IMO. Have you paid attention to any of the points in this thread? Pedal feel, reliability, and other nice things result from this, and if your stock brakes need replacing anyway, you have wheels that clear (and many folks do) then this upgrade really didn't cost all that much.

[Phillip J. Fry]

Good grief, if people are buying new wheels to fit this setup they're very likely replacing the stock wheels at ~23lbs IIRC. And it's almost a guarantee that whatever wheels they buy will be much lighter than the stock anchors. Your weight argument is largely invalid IMO. Have you paid attention to any of the points in this thread? Pedal feel, reliability, and other nice things result from this, and if your stock brakes need replacing anyway, you have wheels that clear (and many folks do) then this upgrade really didn't cost all that much.

 

i guess you lack experience.

 

i have 17" rpf1 with 245-40-17 and dba 4k all around.

 

stock wheel is 22lbs if you bothered to read this forum. i shaved a net of 5lb per corner from wheels/tires then even more with dba rotors. the weight decrease has helped with acceleration and helped a lot with suspension being more active and the ride less jarring.

 

i also recently added stoptech lines and im pretty sure my pedal is very stiff. reliability? you have made only 2 points that dont hold well at all. the lines were <150. no hacking or guessing. more reliable than stock? are you joking?

 

18" wheels are not lighter than 17's so your point is wrong. people here are buying cheap heavy wheels not rpf1 or oz's or other light weight wheels. i read about every page under this thread. most do NOT have proper wheels. have you wondered why only 1 or 2 people are doing the work?

 

then what are the sidewall heights people will be running? you think tire weights wont matter?

 

people are taking one weight and adding another. glad im not the only one whom says stock brakes are decent. many of you are so emotional and wont listen to facts or reason.

 

what work have you done exactly?

Edited May 27, 2016 by Phillip J. Fry

[battelready]

Anymore success stories yet either here or naisoc ?

[BigBlack-V]

who wants to try my brakes on their LGT...?

[SCASEYS]

Red Dwarf and Futurama fanboi is making all kinds of new friends

[iNfEk]

brakes still working great on my car LOL. i really wanna fit the rear calipers from the ATS onto a Suby even though they're at a different mounting position. For the most part... the brakes working great. the pins holding in the pads need to be looked at every now and again. unlike our STI brembo set that uses a safety pin, the hardware that's used is just a push in type with tension. the pad can fall towards the rotor if the pin backs out. i just make sure it's secured in with a rubber mallet on the pin.

[Flinkly]

Dang, thought there might be some brake love.

 

Prices for calipers seem to be rising. Probably just due to the influx of buyers.

[BigBlack-V]

I will swap out my entire BBK for an LGT one if the price is right...

[tocinoman25]

I'm close to pulling the trigger and doing the Cadillac brembro brake upgrade for the fronts...what would be a good setup for the rears? Or is it best to just get dba t3 4000 all around with Hawk HPS pads instead and call it the day?

 

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[Flinkly]

I'm close to pulling the trigger and doing the Cadillac brembro brake upgrade for the fronts...what would be a good setup for the rears? Or is it best to just get dba t3 4000 all around with Hawk HPS pads instead and call it the day?

 

DD or track car?

[tocinoman25]

DD for now...will be getting Suv next year...and leggy can be garage queen/weekend warrior...it has steamspeed stx71, 366whp stock block

 

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[Flinkly]

DD for now...will be getting Suv next year...and leggy can be garage queen/weekend warrior...it has steamspeed stx71, 366whp stock block

 

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For rotors, the track guys consistently say centric premium and/or cryo treated is best, even for real abuse. Dba rotors are for coolness factor. I've still contemplated the t2s, but so pricey.

 

Sounds like caddy fronts are only ~10% increase in braking, so still fits pretty well with the rear lgt calipers.

 

Could always invest in project mu pads on centric rotors with stock brakes and get some nice rubber and wheels to pair with them. And still improve stopping power.

[battelready]

Project Mu pads are the best from what ive tested for dd. Idk about DBA rotors. Ive had so far two cases of rotor shake from two different cars with two different sets of rotors running DBA T3 club spec. I might try a different brand next time but the Project Mu b-spec and DBA combo is really good for DD and light track .

 

Edit: Looks like im not the only one as well. Ill just cut them if they get a bad shudder. Still stops on a dime.

Edited June 14, 2016 by battelready

[JF1GG29]

Unless you're rich, use Centric premium blanks - they are more than up to the job and they are cheap. Rotors are a frequent consumable for trackdays -- it's better to have spares instead of one set of bling rotors.

 

If you're rich, use a 2pc. floating rotor with aluminum hats.

 

For a trackday, I'd rather spend $400 on a brake service with trackday pads, new rotors, and new fluid than spending $1200+ for fixed calipers and fancy rotors. Pads and fluid are where it's at.

 

On the street, do whatever makes you happy.

Edited June 16, 2016 by JF1GG29

[boxkita]

For rotors, the track guys consistently say centric premium and/or cryo treated is best, even for real abuse. Dba rotors are for coolness factor. I've still contemplated the t2s, but so pricey.

 

Sounds like caddy fronts are only ~10% increase in braking, so still fits pretty well with the rear lgt calipers.

 

Could always invest in project mu pads on centric rotors with stock brakes and get some nice rubber and wheels to pair with them. And still improve stopping power.

 

Centric premium was cheapest solution for my track days. Difference in stopping power between them & anything else was close enough to be the same. using race pads had a far bigger impact than disks.

 

if you want real stopping power on track, get front ducts.

[JF1GG29]

if you want real stopping power on track, get front ducts.

 

What did front ducts do for you? I was under the impression that for these cars, it's more to get more life out of your wheel bearings and delaying brake fade.

 

I picked up a hub assembly to potentially fit up a ducting system, but I wonder if I'm wasting my time.

[BigBlack-V]

I miss the Fry, this thread is not fun anymore without him.

[SBT]

I'm 100% of the opposite opinion.

[ChrisCrash]

If you'd like I can tell you guys that all of your choices are rubbish and you act like insipid little children. Or maybe i can just go on and on about how awesome my choices are, not because I have experience to back it up, just because I thought it.

[LatentWagen]

If you'd like I can tell you guys that all of your choices are rubbish and you act like insipid little children. Or maybe i can just go on and on about how awesome my choices are, not because I have experience to back it up, just because I thought it.

 

Close

 

Needs moar bad sentence structure and less capitalization/punctuation.

[magnusonsubie]

I miss the Fry, this thread is not fun anymore without him.

 

I'm 100% of the opposite opinion.

I'm bummed I missed all the fun.

[boxkita]

What did front ducts do for you? I was under the impression that for these cars, it's more to get more life out of your wheel bearings and delaying brake fade.

 

I picked up a hub assembly to potentially fit up a ducting system, but I wonder if I'm wasting my time.

 

1000's of dollars later (the first lap always burnt up my bearings), a set of front ducts would have done more good than anything else. My disks used to get so hot they'd be orange-tinted. I routinely clocked 1600 degrees in the paddock after a session.

 

the ducts will keep your bearings cool especially if you get the duct into the inner ring of the brake disk. Brake fade is a side benefit, tho running race pads will mostly remove that problem. My racecar (Sgt.Gator's old car) has 3 inch flexible hoses tied to the backing plate and routed from the front of the bumper. As long as air is moving, you're good. If the disks get heat soaked, you're done and going off track or learning to ABS with the e-brake.

 

Keep in mind, race speed is not street speed. race/track is a closed course, every xx seconds hard braking followed more hard braking a short time later, repeat until out of gas or your engine blows up. Street is random touches of the brakes infrequently. What works on the street, rarely works on the track for very long.

 

Early in your track day experiences, you'll read this and think I'm fooling you. After a few events or many events, you'll discover how to drive faster and brake harder. About that time, you'll discover going to the track changes your concept of what is a consumable item (brake disks, brake pads, tires, wheel bearings, oil, brake fluid, etc). More track events pass and you are running in the fast group with caged racecars and you start to think you're hot stuff. If you're lucky, you will get into a caged car at the same time. If you're not ( I wasn't), you'll follow a race-prepped Mustang to deep into a corner, make the braking event, laugh as you accelerate out of the corner forgetting you don't have cooling ducts as your foot goes to floor on your now faded brakes. If you are damned lucky, your ebrake is in good condition and you have the presence of mind to use it. If not, your estate sells what's left of your car for scrap.

 

I waited 4 hours for my brakes to cool down, so I could swap the wheels/brakes to drive home. 4 new wheels bearings, 4 new brake discs, 4 new brake pads, 2 parking brake pads, flush brake fluid. I bought a racecar shortly thereafter.

 

ducts are cheap insurance and well worth the money if you have any interest in track days. We (shop & I) figured they were worth about 800 degrees of cooling over none, based on their years of racing production cars.

[BigBlack-V]

I'm 100% of the opposite opinion.

 

 

Your opinion does not count because mod