DIXCEL Brake Pads & Rotors for Subaru WRX / STI

Daily Driving & Street Use

For daily-driven WRX and STI owners who want clean wheels and quiet braking, the M Type is the go-to compound. It dramatically reduces brake dust compared to factory pads — particularly noticeable on STIs where the Brembo calipers generate heavy dust with OEM pads. The Premium and EC Type compounds offer factory-equivalent performance with improved initial bite and pad life for commuter use.

Spirited Street & Track Days

The Z Type is DIXCEL's best all-round performance compound — graphite metallic construction delivers strong bite from cold and maintains friction under repeated hard braking. It's the ideal choice for WRX and STI owners who do regular spirited driving or occasional track days without needing a dedicated race pad. The ES Type and S Type sit between street and track, offering progressively more bite and heat resistance.

Circuit & Competition

For dedicated track STIs and time attack builds, the RA Type, RE Type, and Specom-B compounds deliver the high-temperature stability and consistent pedal feel that serious circuit driving demands. These pads maintain their friction coefficient where street compounds would fade.

DIXCEL pads are caliper-specific, not just vehicle-specific. The key distinction across the WRX and STI range is whether your car runs standard calipers or Brembo units:

Brembo 4-Piston (Front): All STI models from GDB onwards, plus the WRX STI tS and other Brembo-equipped variants. These share a common front pad with other Brembo 4-pot cars including the Toyota 86 (track pack), Mitsubishi Evo, and Renault Megane RS. DIXCEL offers the full compound range for this caliper.

Standard Calipers: Base WRX models (GC, GD, GR, VA, VB) with single-piston slide calipers front and rear. DIXCEL covers these with dedicated fitments across the Premium, EC, M Type, Z Type, and ES Type ranges.

Rear Pads: Most WRX and STI generations share common rear pad fitments. Check the DIXCEL part finder above to confirm your exact rear caliper specification.

DIXCEL's SD (6-slot) and FS (slotted) rotors are available for WRX and STI in both standard and Brembo sizes. The high-carbon metallurgy provides 20% better thermal crack resistance than standard discs — critical for track-driven Subarus that see repeated heavy braking. For daily use, the FP (plain) rotors deliver the same high-carbon material without slots, giving a quieter and dust-free rotor surface.

Not sure which compound to choose? Our brake squeal and pad selection guide covers how pad compounds affect noise, dust, and performance — the principles apply across all vehicles, not just BMW. For WRX and STI owners building complete fuel and brake systems, see our Radium Engineering for Subaru page and the full DIXCEL range.