Godspeed's Brembo big brake kit

[Siluro]

I bought my 2007 WRX back in Feb 2017 which had 1000 miles on fresh OEM front disks and pads fitted. These brakes were just plain unsafe, the fade was horrible after giving her a thrash around the lanes. I also owned a classic sport in the past which you could get to fade but not as bad as the WRX.

So my first mod was the brakes. After research I found 3 solutions within budget:

1. Second hand STI Brembo swap

2. Godspeed's standard Subaru 4 pot big brake conversion kit

3. Godspeed's own Brembo brake kit 330mm disks with 2 piece disks and performance friction pads.

https://www.godspeedbrakes.co.uk/impreza-1993-1998-wrx/244-brand-new-brembo-4-pot-kit-with-330mm-2-piece-discs-and-bells.html

I wanted to fit this myself and wanted new parts. Godspeed's conversion of the standard 4 pots with larger pads sounded good but looking at the setup I decided I did not like the amount of pad that sticks out of the calipers for 600 notes.

I decided to buy Godspeed's Brembo kit as it will fit under my standard 17inch wheels, plus it is all brand new and not reconditioned. £1000. Think the calipers are used on Alphas and Renaults which they made a bracket for the Subaru.

Fitting was fairly straight forward, I also replaced the standard hoses for braided ones. At the same time a found the right rear caliper had seized, so I bought new stainless steel pistons and new seals and refurbished the rears. Car had only done 30k miles so i was surprised by this. I guess age and little use gets to them after 10 years. I also replaced the rear disks with Godspeed slotted disks and Kevlar pads and new Brembo 5.1 fluid.

The front kit will fit 17inch wheels but i had to remove the lock washers under the caliper bolts to clear the inside circumference of wheel (used tiny amount of blue thread lock instead). Also the wheel weights needed to be moved to the inside edge of the wheel else they would just rub on the top of the new calipers. Clearance is tight.

I have had them on the car for 6 months and the improvement is massive. On the same stretch of road the standard brakes would fade so bad that they would be smoking when stopped at a junction half way through the 8 mile route. I had to get out and check there was not a fire. They just could not cope with more than 2 hard stops from 90mph to 0. Fade was huge and the pedal would go to floor. Now the new kit easily copes with the same route with no fade at all. I must admit I am still not keen with the pedal feel and I have bleed them twice since fitting but the car is so much safer. Only thing I notice now is a humming noise when braking from high speed which I presume is due to the slotted disks.

I thought I would share this as I could not find any reviews on the kit but I suppose most go for STI Brembo swap which I imagine are better still (never driven STI so cannot compare). 

Also as the calipers are much lighter and now the car feels smoother. The unsprung weight is reduced which is another bonus. Two piece disks look cool as well. Brake dust is also much less too but this may be down to losing the old guards. Pricey but I got the results I was after and a far safer car. Hope this helps someone.

[Rich T]

Great writeup thanks, Siluro.

I had the same kit from Godspeed and after changing to braided lines and dot5 as well, was massively underwhelmed, frankly.

Stopping power and "stickiness" just isn't there for me. In the wet, well, I've been lucky to avoid rear-ending a couple of times.

Is it better than OEM? Definitely, for the reasons you describe above. Was it worth the money? For me, definitely not.

I'm changing to APs as we speak.

Maybe it was my expectations that were wrongly set in advance but I just didn't get the stopping power that I felt I was promised.

[Siluro]

1 hour ago, Rich T said:

Great writeup thanks, Siluro.

I had the same kit from Godspeed and after changing to braided lines and dot5 as well, was massively underwhelmed, frankly.

Stopping power and "stickiness" just isn't there for me. In the wet, well, I've been lucky to avoid rear-ending a couple of times.

Is it better than OEM? Definitely, for the reasons you describe above. Was it worth the money? For me, definitely not.

I'm changing to APs as we speak.

Maybe it was my expectations that were wrongly set in advance but I just didn't get the stopping power that I felt I was promised.

What pads did you get? Did you heat cycle them? Before i did they were disappointing. I agree there initial bite is a bit vague but they are miles better than OEM which are just dangerous. My main issue was the fade. Now there is none or none compared to OEM. I honestly think the ABS ruins the pedal feel plus a different master cylinder may help but that's another whole thread + trail and error. Brake feel is also subjective. Every 80s early 90s car i have driven without ABS feel much nicer. 

APs will be much better but twice the price? Hope you get what your after. Please let us know.

[kershaw-330s]

Great writeup thanks, Siluro.
I had the same kit from Godspeed and after changing to braided lines and dot5 as well, was massively underwhelmed, frankly.
Stopping power and "stickiness" just isn't there for me. In the wet, well, I've been lucky to avoid rear-ending a couple of times.
Is it better than OEM? Definitely, for the reasons you describe above. Was it worth the money? For me, definitely not.
I'm changing to APs as we speak.
Maybe it was my expectations that were wrongly set in advance but I just didn't get the stopping power that I felt I was promised.

Aps on a standard ish powered car or a wrx seems a bit over kill to me , a proper set up sti breaks work great


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[Jesse James]

I have the godspeed slotted discs and Kevlar pads on my sti and they are great. Get them warm and they are far better than the Brembo discs and pads (and they look better)

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[Siluro]

On 4/10/2018 at 1:24 PM, Rich T said:

Great writeup thanks, Siluro.

I had the same kit from Godspeed and after changing to braided lines and dot5 as well, was massively underwhelmed, frankly.

Stopping power and "stickiness" just isn't there for me. In the wet, well, I've been lucky to avoid rear-ending a couple of times.

Is it better than OEM? Definitely, for the reasons you describe above. Was it worth the money? For me, definitely not.

I'm changing to APs as we speak.

Maybe it was my expectations that were wrongly set in advance but I just didn't get the stopping power that I felt I was promised.

Thinking about what you said about stopping in the wet is bad. That will be your tyres not the brakes, in the end the brakes can only be as good as the tyres will let them be for stopping distances.

How do you use the car. Daily driving, track days, thrashing down b roads?

[kershaw-330s]

I have the godspeed slotted discs and Kevlar pads on my sti and they are great. Get them warm and they are far better than the Brembo discs and pads (and they look better)

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I can second Godspeed stuff is great I’m running , their g hook disk and street pads work great and look great



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[Jesse James]

I can second Godspeed stuff is great I’m running , their g hook disk and street pads work great and look great



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I would like to add (not sponsored but if they would like to) Godspeed have outstanding customer service. Personal and fast reply to emails quickly and know exactly what you need. Defo will be going back to them

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[Siluro]

On 4/8/2018 at 9:14 AM, Siluro said:

I bought my 2007 WRX back in Feb 2017 which had 1000 miles on fresh OEM front disks and pads fitted. These brakes were just plain unsafe, the fade was horrible after giving her a thrash around the lanes. I also owned a classic sport in the past which you could get to fade but not as bad as the WRX.

So my first mod was the brakes. After research I found 3 solutions within budget:

1. Second hand STI Brembo swap

2. Godspeed's standard Subaru 4 pot big brake conversion kit

3. Godspeed's own Brembo brake kit 330mm disks with 2 piece disks and performance friction pads.

https://www.godspeedbrakes.co.uk/impreza-1993-1998-wrx/244-brand-new-brembo-4-pot-kit-with-330mm-2-piece-discs-and-bells.html

I wanted to fit this myself and wanted new parts. Godspeed's conversion of the standard 4 pots with larger pads sounded good but looking at the setup I decided I did not like the amount of pad that sticks out of the calipers for 600 notes.

I decided to buy Godspeed's Brembo kit as it will fit under my standard 17inch wheels, plus it is all brand new and not reconditioned. £1000. Think the calipers are used on Alphas and Renaults which they made a bracket for the Subaru.

Fitting was fairly straight forward, I also replaced the standard hoses for braided ones. At the same time a found the right rear caliper had seized, so I bought new stainless steel pistons and new seals and refurbished the rears. Car had only done 30k miles so i was surprised by this. I guess age and little use gets to them after 10 years. I also replaced the rear disks with Godspeed slotted disks and Kevlar pads and new Brembo 5.1 fluid.

The front kit will fit 17inch wheels but i had to remove the lock washers under the caliper bolts to clear the inside circumference of wheel (used tiny amount of blue thread lock instead). Also the wheel weights needed to be moved to the inside edge of the wheel else they would just rub on the top of the new calipers. Clearance is tight.

I have had them on the car for 6 months and the improvement is massive. On the same stretch of road the standard brakes would fade so bad that they would be smoking when stopped at a junction half way through the 8 mile route. I had to get out and check there was not a fire. They just could not cope with more than 2 hard stops from 90mph to 0. Fade was huge and the pedal would go to floor. Now the new kit easily copes with the same route with no fade at all. I must admit I am still not keen with the pedal feel and I have bleed them twice since fitting but the car is so much safer. Only thing I notice now is a humming noise when braking from high speed which I presume is due to the slotted disks.

I thought I would share this as I could not find any reviews on the kit but I suppose most go for STI Brembo swap which I imagine are better still (never driven STI so cannot compare). 

Also as the calipers are much lighter and now the car feels smoother. The unsprung weight is reduced which is another bonus. Two piece disks look cool as well. Brake dust is also much less too but this may be down to losing the old guards. Pricey but I got the results I was after and a far safer car. Hope this helps someone.

Spoken to Godspeed and they do not supply the spring washer any more with the kit which I had to remove to fit inside the standard 17inch wheels.