WRX Caliper Swap

DylanJZA said:

Def add the decals

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Are these any sort of special high temp material? Or just regular vinyl? I couldn't find any links to these in the thread anywhere if you bought them somewhere.

This is where I bought mine, listing says Premium Heat Resistant Vinyl.

fredzy said:

Are these any sort of special high temp material? Or just regular vinyl? I couldn't find any links to these in the thread anywhere if you bought them somewhere.

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Mine aren't listed as high temp but they're seemingly high quality and have last thus far:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284377728001

I just used the two bottom ones and cut off the GR logo itself. As a heads up, I cleaned the surface with alcohol a few times and then masked them off and sprayed high temp clear over the decal the rest of the flat surface.

162blade said:

This is where I bought mine, listing says Premium Heat Resistant Vinyl.

SnapDecal Brake Caliper Vinyl Decals

Supplying professional quality brake caliper decals to the brake refurbishing industry, brake manufacturers, and the public.

snapdecal.com

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Thanks! That clued me into (maybe) the proper material, Oracal vinyl, 751 and 951 higher end stuff for a DIY decal

DylanJZA said:

Mine aren't listed as high temp but they're seemingly high quality and have last thus far:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/284377728001

I just used the two bottom ones and cut off the GR logo itself. As a heads up, I cleaned the surface with alcohol a few times and then masked them off and sprayed high temp clear over the decal the rest of the flat surface.

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Thank you also! I was super close to submitting an order for a few different sheets with this guy below - seems about the same stuff as you. I decided to wait to see what you said. Once I found the good vinyl on Amazon thanks to 162blade I went for that, the wife can pop them off as required, perfectly sized etc. I won’t seal them up so they’ll be easier to replace if I toast them haha. I have 2 set of calipers I want to apply them to, Wilwoods and Advics

Do people anticipate that the wex caliper will produce/handle heat better than the stock calipers?

Yeah, there's likely not much benefit in terms of heat, but basically everything else is objectively better in my usage.

There are some naysayers out there though. Specifically, an individual I came across experienced fade on track and as such decided to revert to stock brakes, but he was using EBC yellows lol (definitely not the pad I'd use if tracking). If he had swapped to proper track pads the brakes would easily match the equivalent stock caliper with proper pad.

They look awesome. You cool with the bias shift I detailed in the calculations?

Oh Definitely, it’s not a track car by any means will be perfect for my driving style and occasional spirited cruising

Alexjg.fit said:

View attachment 24643
can’t wait to get these babies on my Neptune 😭

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Looks amazing!!
How did you order them??

Anyone thats interested in this swap, I'll be selling my complete set including the rear adapter brackets in the next few weeks. They have some chipping / imperfections but otherwise look great.

Why are you selling?

Probably that nearly 8 percent front bias shift lol

Not gonna lie, I laughed (and it echoed).

DylanJZA said:

Why are you selling?

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I want Brembos, the stock brakes will be fine for me until I go that route.

Ahh, yeah I've been eyeing PP Brembos for a few days. Steep cost used ($2200+ for just the calipers), but you know there might be a way to do PP brakes while saving a ton of money if you have a good machine shop and some patience.

Take a reman 04-17 STI caliper (same as PP but different piston sizing) and have an insert pressed or welded into the 46mm pocket so that both pistons are 40mm. Save a shitload of money and add '04 STI rotors and have PP brakes. The 08+ STI rear calipers are identical to the PP just need PP rotors.

I ran the costs for the whole setup doing this and I could create it for $2.25k, but I don't have the time. Or you could just flip the bleeders and take the 5.5% bias shift for $1850.

$950 F/R rotors
$500 pads and clips (OE Brembo)
$400 F/R calipers (3rd party)
$400 machine shop work

I'll be posting up my new & unused front kit for sale later tonight as well.

I'm going to be ordering the Brembo BM4 kit with slotted rotors.