Im looking for brake kits that fit under the stock rims of the 16 inch rims of the 2002 wrx. I guess what I really want are rotors and calipers. Anyone has any suggestions?

Here are what I dont want to do.... I dont want bigger rims.
I like my 16 inchers and probably will get them painted or
powder coated bronze or gold

(I just have to find a place to do it. California, Bay Area... Suggestions would be nice here too)

Here are some thoughts Ill throw out, some of them are viable considering they wont even fit under the rims.

1) I like the look of the AEM Black Carbon Rotors.

I dont know how much they weigh, but Im assuming there going to be lighter, which is a nice plus, not to mention added stopping power.

They say the fit under rim and it can use the stock calipers.
This is cool, but I also want a better calipers as well, can
I get better calipers that fit under the 16 inch rim using
the AEM rotor combination?

2) Brembo brakes look really good, including good stopping
power. The cons is that they big and won't fit under the
16 inch rim. If this is a misconception please correct me!

3) StopTech also has brake kits, but its for 17 inch rims.
So that ends my search....

Is my search just futile to find kits for 16 inch rims on the wrx 2002?

Thanks in advance,

- Ulysses

 

Everything you mentioned AEM, Brembo's, and Stoptech require a 17" wheel.

The AEM you dont want. Sure they give you a larger rotor, but it's also thinner. I would think there is more chance for warping if there is less mass to dissapate heat.

The stoptech actually beat the brembo kit I believe in a car and driver shootout. Stoptech is highly regarded on this board, but alas you need 17" wheels. Infact some 17" wheels dont even fit.


The only two kits that I know of that fit under the stock 16" wheels are from Perrin Perfomance using calipers from Wilwood. But this is only a caliper upgrade using your stock rotors. You get more options in pad choice and more clamping force. But it will not help you when your rotors get saturated with heat as your still on stock sized discs.

The better option but also a tad more expensive is from Ion Performance. lighter, bigger, and better all around. It's also DOT compliant and comes with dust seals in place... Something that other kits dont have. Which means less time inbetween rebuilds.

Of course if you get get some oldr RS wheels that are slightly wider, you can fit subaru 4 pots. But it too suffers the same problems that the Perrin kit has.


Here is a link to where you can read up on the iON brake upgrade
click me Pictures are somewhere on the 2nd or 3rd to the last page

 

Thanks! That Ion Performance Brake Kit looks exactly what Im looking for. Also a group deal is going on and Im considering it ^_^

Question though, what do you mean by "time between rebuilds"? Excuse the newbie like cluelessness.

Thanks!

- Ulysses

 

Well it's not a n00b question at all...

One of the things that the iON kit has over the other brands is that it has dust seals in place. Normally an OE caliper that comes with your car should be checked out and be replaced after so many years of driving. Seals go bad, dirt goes into the piston and possibly scoring the cylinder walls. Not good

With the majority of aftermarket calipers, there is no dust seal thus the need to have things rebuilt more often then an OE caliper. So basically you would have to rebuild the iON kit less overtime then say a Perrin/Wilwood kit.