How do you like them.....did you bed them in yet? If you don't mind me asking...how much and what did the dealer charge for labor? Thanks..

 

very nice!

 

I'm interested. Definitely running enough power right now to make braking scary in certain situations. Is there a large improvement in feel, bite, and stopping time? I'm looking for direct swap brake kits because I don't want to mess with my hub bolt patterns

 

Do the 2-piston fixed rear '06/'07 calipers direct-fit as well??

 

Great write-up and details.

I have been thinking about some upgraded binders myself.

Are you thinking of upgrading the rears, or does just doing the fronts help enough?

 

Did you fit the WRX calipers on 12.4" stock size Forester XT rotors? If I remember correctly, the WRX 4 pots originally were fitted over 11.6" rotors.


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Did you fit the WRX calipers on 12.4" stock size Forester XT rotors? If I remember correctly, the WRX 4 pots originally were fitted over 11.6" rotors.

OP said he put pig-eye WRX rotors on as well. Just means that the caliper mounting points haven't moved.

 

Yeah, 4 pots use 294x24 (mm) rotors vs 316x30 for stock.

 

Looks great, when I have time there's a set of 4 pots going on my wife's 2012 XT. When I drive her car the OEM braking system feels almost like it doesn't work. The rear 2 pots will need adapters, have a set of those going on soon as well.

 

I think the 4 piston calipers will make up for any leverage lost by the bigger rotor diameter. Thus, the question really becomes do you need the increased thermal capacity of the 12.4" rotors. If you do, the fancy caliper most likely will not make up for the lost thermal capacity (sure they may clamp harder and reduce heat build up on the margins as well as dissipate heat a little better through the calipers, but the increased size of the 12.4" rotors will outweigh that). However, if you don't need the increased thermal capacity, then having the better calipers and lighter brakes will definitely help. So ultimately, are you tracking the Forester or driving it aggressively enough where it needs to brake hard repeatedly in a short time frame?

(The other variable is pad selection, which will help bite. In my experience though, fixed calipers just feel better than sliders.)

 

You guys are over thinking it Even the OEM calipers are more than capable of hauling down a Forester, let alone the 4 pots. Now install a good set of pads and purge the brake fluid, so it's fresh and air/moisture free, then you'll have nice brakes.

The 4 pots will be a good upgrade for a number of reasons, no sliders to get dry and seize, easy to change pads, cheaper pads and the 4 pot calipers have better feel, easier to modulate the brake pedal.

 

You guys are over thinking it Even the OEM calipers are more than capable of hauling down a Forester, let alone the 4 pots. Now install a good set of pads and purge the brake fluid, so it's fresh and air/moisture free, then you'll have nice brakes.

It's not really that simple for me. While I agree 4 pots will generally provide nice brakes for normal use, my Forester might see a track day or two and will see twisty mountain roads. I generally run in advanced open passing, though I wouldn't do so with the Forester. However, even in lower run groups, the WRX 4 pots' tendency to overheat is well documented. My friend managed to cook his brakes in 3 laps, and he's a good driver!

While I do think 4 pots would work quite well for my 2.5, for a FXT, if there is a stressful duty cycle similar to track, it might overwhelm the thermal capacity of the smaller rotors.


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So, has anyone tried the 2-pot fixed caliper on the rear??

 

I plan to install them on wife's 2012 XT before Dec, should provide simular performance compared to 14+.

 

OP....thanks for answering inquiries to your install....much appreciated!

 

Well then. I'll never track her and my longest sustained twisty stretch is under 10 minutes. Add to that the fact I'd be throwing StopTech pads in the red calipers and it looks like I'm good to go. Last little bit I need is a confirm that the 2-pot rear pig-nose WRX fixed caliper & rotor works on the rear of a '16 FXT.

 

two options as far as i know to get the two pots caliper to work in the rear and are as follow:

A) adapter brackets that allow the calipers to fit onto the hubs
B) swapping for the actual hubs the caliper came on. ie WRX hubs.

 

I would be surprised if it was a direct bolt on, since all foresters thus far have needed a bracket to bolt the 2-pots on - and also a different rotor (06-07 WRX rotor for pre 2008 and a BRZ rotor 2009+).

https://www.knsbrakes.com/c/kns-bracket

Shoot KNS an e-mail and see if they know.

 

Depends on the pad. Some perform noticeably worse when cold. It's definitely something to research before driving around on the street with track-oriented pads.