Cadillac ATS Brembo Caliper Upgrade for your Subaru

Anyone notice that there's now an option for C6 Corvette 6 pots on ctsvbrakeswap.com?

 

A friend of mine is running them on his Forester and they are colossal. That said, the Caddy calipers lock up my summers just fine.

That would be excessive for my Outback but for sure some of the GT owners would enjoy them.

This kit is a nice upgrade for those wanting a budget friendly option for adding a 4 pot caliper but moving to a 6 pot, particularly for the street, would be total overkill and throw off the front/rear bias too much with stock rears. The biggest issue with all the CTSV kits is that your still using a 326mm rotor which isn’t all that big. Since the rotor is essentially a huge heat sink, you want it as big as possible. For example, the StopTech trophy kit on my track car, while it, only is a 4 pot, uses a 332mm rotor. Big ‘ol heat sink. I’m even considering bumping up to a 355mm rotor to help with heat management as I’m currently getting about 3.5 days on track per set of pads and that ain’t cheap!

I just want an aluminum caliper and to ditch the slider pins that get stuck.

If you have or plan to upgrade to aftermarket wheels on your Outback then it is plug and play with BWC FABRICATIONS brackets.

 

I'm trying to stay with the OEM wheels for the winter that's why my post about modifycations.

 

well considering what you said here:

 

3. The bottom outside edge of the pad is now fully on the disk

4. The top overhang of the pad is now a lot smaller. The pad is flush with the outside disk diameter but the disk has a bevel on the outside edge so there is still an "overhang" that will require some pad filling before install to prevent noises when it is wearing down. But that is minimal now.

 

its not plug and play? Its more like plug, tinker a tad bit (but not to the extent of full custom mods), then play...compared to 04-07 sti brembos which from what im reading literally is plug and play.

Oh, I see, the pad overhang ... I considered that as a maintenance item. Here is why.

Even with tinkering (described in the quote) you may still want to grind the outside edge of the pad every time you put new pads in. So if your wheels are large enough I would not considering modifying the brackets and just install the kit as it is.

Now some people do not grind the pad and just drive it. Some complain of a noise when it is wearing down some don't depending on the exact fitting on your car.

You can even skip the grinding, drive it, and if it makes noise, quickly remove the pads (it is really easy and fast with this kind of calipers) and remove the thin (1-2mm) overhang with a file or something, then as fast put them back.

 

The only other options to get big brakes aluminum calipers and not have pad overhang is to pay a lot more. If you have the money or a cheap source for those sti calipers you should not be reading this thread . I wouldn't.

Edited April 7, 2020 by doru

personally still considering my options. It will be a bit of time, maybe next year till i even get to the point of starting on my brake mods. So only issue is the pad overhang? I assume the unworn edge starts rubbing on the edge of the rotor as the main surface of the pads wear down and can cause squeaking/noise?

Yes, you got it right. For some there is not much and it just gets blown away. For some it is as you said and making noise.

I can personally say this upgrade have been great for me, I installed a set almost over 2 years ago with no issues. Only downside I really see with this upgrade is drilling your knuckle.

 

I do have plans on going to the 6 pistons from the CTS-V/Corvette route pretty soon with slightly bigger rotors.

 

I'll be sure to post up some pics when they back from powder coating. =)

So I just bought a set of 2016 ATS calipers with really pretty low mileage. BWC fab has a adaptor kit without drilling holes and they're local. Will look into those. Edited September 6, 2020 by ibr_adam09

I hope to get this on soon. Done painting and now drying. Bwc kit is very nice. It was easy to pop the inserts out and in.

Sorry in advance, but white calipers? I already hate washing my wheels every month to keep the dust at bay.

 

Let ua know how the kit works out though! Looks good so far!

They're more a light silver. I wanted a light color, but not flashy like red or yellow.

I love it. Well worth the extra time for paint. I'm also glad I took the time to stencil the Brembo logo into a curved look rather than just straight.

 

I did shave about 1.5mm of the pads edge from overhang. Took all but 5min with a Dremel tool.

 

Cost round up:

$150 shipped for both calipers (2016 ats with 20k)

$110 for All 4 SS lines

$200 bwc fab kit

$30 paint

$10 Brembo logos

$10 brake fluid flush 1liter ( I flush all 4 with just one bottle)

Free Pads. Still had 10mm of life

Free sti rotors. (had them in storage)

 

Total: $510. Can't beat that.

 

Already put about 40 miles and it's fun driving this thing again!

Edited September 24, 2020 by ibr_adam09

hey guys, has anyone here looked at using 340mm sti rotors with the ats brembo's?

 

I drew up the parts in 3D and the 340mm rotor looks like it would use up more of the pads (zero overhang).

I think you'd be pretty close in terms of caliper clearance but it may work. You'd also have to drill the rotors for 5X100 wouldn't you? Unless they make a 340mm rotor for the 04 STI?

DBA43050S-10 are 340x30mm, same height as normal subaru 5x100 rotors and dual stud pattern (5x100 + 5x114). Can you guys get them in the US?

 

I reckon it could be done even with bolting the ATS caliper in the normal spot. You MAY need to grind some of the inside of the caliper out and I'm not sure there woud be much of a benefit anyway? I would look pretty sweet thats about it haha.

 

I ended up just sticking with 326mm rotors, they'll be plenty to get me through the macca's drive through!