The Subaru WRX is one of the better balanced cars on the road in any price range. Torquey turbo power, all-wheel traction and race-bred underpinnings give the savvy Scoobie pilot all the tools needed to carve up the competition.
For those who take handling seriously, it's well known that brakes make all the difference when getting around a corner. Once all the usual suspects are bolted on the suspension (e.g. strut bars, coil-overs, anti-roll bars), bigger, better and lighter brakes are the next step.
Wilwood Brakes has two excellent kits for the WRX- a front upgrade and a rear upgrade, which can be purchased separately. The kit is one of the most complete we've seen. As of this writing, the Wilwood rear upgrade is the only option for those who want added stopping power at all four corners.
Wilwood Superlite Front SystemThe Wilwood front upgrade features 13-inch vented rotors that can be ordered cross-drilled if desired, along with trick, heavy-duty hats. The rotors are bitten by Wilwood's six-piston Superlite calipers that mount using a caliper-mounting bracket.
It's the bracket that allows Wilwood to position its Superlite calipers with precision and make vehicle-specific kits. Superlite six-piston calipers feature two 1.62-inch pistons and four 1.12-inch pistons in a billet aluminum chassis. The pistons are stainless steel, which helps reduce heat transfer, and each caliper weighs a little more than five lbs.
The kit includes pads and all the hardware needed to join the rotor and hat and mount the calipers. Easy-to-follow directions provide torque specs on a per-kit basis. We suggest contacting Wilwood to see what size rims will accommodate this hard-biting kit.
Wilwood Dynalite Rear SystemThe rear system contains parts similar to the front system. The big difference is the rotors are 11.75 inches and the calipers are four-piston Dynalite units. The Dynalite caliper tips the scales at a scant 2.7 lbs. and features four 1.75-inch stainless-steel pistons to deliver the clamp while resisting heat transfer from the piston to the brake fluid. The Dynalite has four corner vertical bleeders so the system can be evacuated from either side of the caliper. The rear kit requires trimming of the backing plate and Wilwood supplies templates to make the modification easier.
Wilwood PolyMatrix Pad Tech
| Compound Rating | Heat Range (degrees) | Dust Rating |
| A-Race | Low-X-High (1300+) | Poor |
| J-Race | Low-X-High (1300+) | Poor |
| B-Race | Med-X-High (1300+) | Poor |
| C-Race | Med-X-High (1300+) | Moderate |
| E-Race/Street | Low-Med-High (1000) | Moderate |
| D-Race/Street | Low-Med (900) | Moderate |
| Q-Street | Low-Med (800) | Better |
| T-Street | Low-Med (700) | Best |