Do the Endless Brake Pads for GC8 Version III cars need the 4-pot front calipers?

Yes. Endless lists two Version III layouts. Cars with 4-pot front calipers take EP351 at the front, cars with 2-pot fronts take EP348, and both share the EP223 rear. These Brake Pads for GC8 and GF8 cars carry EP351, so a Version III on 2-pot front calipers needs the EP348 listing instead.

Can MX72 Plus be fitted at both ends of a Version IV STi?

No. Endless prices MX72 Plus for the EP351 front shape but not for the EP223 rear, so it is sold for the front axle only, and MA45B works the same way. An owner who wants it at the front picks the rear separately, and MX72 or CC-Rg, which sit either side of MX72 Plus in rotor range, are the nearest rear choices.

What is the best compound for a GC8 STi that does track days?

For a car on street tires at a few events a year, MX72 at both ends is a sound base, with low noise and dust, strong friction from cold and a rotor range to 700C, or 1292F. Regular circuit use calls for CC-Rg, which Endless rates to 800C, or 1472F, and describes as noisy on the street.

Do these pads fit a Version V or VI STi?

No. Endless lists a different rear shape for the Version V and VI. The car with 4-pot front and 1-pot rear calipers takes EP351 with an EP355 rear, and the car with 2-pot rear calipers takes EP231. The EP351 front is common to all of them, but the EP223 rear on this listing is for Version III and IV cars.

Are the Endless street compounds suitable for a GC8 driven daily?

Yes. SSS is built for road and highway driving, with low wear, long rotor life and exceptionally low dust, and SSM Plus adds low noise and a pedal that builds with pressure rather than biting sharply. Both come for either axle, and SSM Plus is the one compound on this car sold as an Endless combo set.

Endless Brake Pads for GC8 / GF8 Subaru WRX STi Version III and IV with 4/1-Pot Calipers

Endless’s Brake Pads for GC8 / GF8 Subaru WRX STi Version III and IV with 4/1-Pot Calipers suit the Japanese-market STi built from 1996 to 1998 with four-pot front calipers and a single-pot rear. Endless lists the Version III by its 4-pot fronts and gives it the same EP223 rear shape as the Version IV with 4-pot front and 1-pot rear calipers, so both cars take EP351 at the front. Every option on the listing, MA45B included, is available for the front axle of this car. For a road car with occasional track days, MX72 front and rear is the simple choice; an STi that laps most months should move to CC-Rg at both ends.

Features

Endless pad shapes EP351 front and EP223 rear
SSS, SSM Plus, MX72 and CC-Rg for either axle, and MX72 Plus for the front
Racing Group and W003 Group for both axles, with MA45B front only
SSM Plus front and rear sets at the Endless combo-set price

Choosing a Compound

Most of the range comes for both axles, so the usual approach on this STi is to match the front and rear. SSS and SSM Plus suit a GC8 kept for the road and clean wheels; MX72 suits brisk road driving and the odd track day; CC-Rg suits a car that laps regularly. MX72 Plus and MA45B are front only here, as Endless prices neither for the EP223 rear shape, so a car running either at the front needs a rear compound chosen separately. W007 and W008 are left off: Endless prices them for the front shape but designs both for carbon ceramic rotors, and the STi runs iron rotors.

Every figure below is Endless’s own. Friction is the compound’s average friction coefficient, so a higher number gives more bite for the same pedal pressure. The rotor range is the band of rotor temperatures Endless designs the compound to work in, so choose by the temperatures your car will see.

Street and street-to-track compounds

SSS (street): non-asbestos; friction 0.38-0.45; rotor range 0-480C (32-896F). Low wear, long rotor life, a strong initial response and exceptionally low dust, built for road and highway driving.
SSM Plus (street): non-asbestos; friction 0.33-0.40; rotor range 0-550C (32-1022F). Low dust, low noise and long life. Braking builds with pedal pressure rather than a sharp first bite, for drivers who want clean wheels and a quiet car.
MX72 (street to light track): ceramic carbon metal; friction 0.37-0.47; rotor range 50-700C (122-1292F). Minimal noise and dust, strong friction at low temperatures, reduced rotor wear and a better pedal feel than a typical semi-metallic pad. Endless’s dual-duty compound for a road car that sees the occasional track day.
MX72 Plus (street to circuit): ceramic carbon metal; friction 0.39-0.47; rotor range 50-750C (122-1382F). Holds its braking force to higher temperatures than MX72, with stable control and a consistent pedal release. Endless aims it at cars on street tires that run on track. Offered for the front axle only on this car.
CC-Rg (track day, street capable): ceramic carbon metal; friction 0.38-0.45; rotor range 50-800C (122-1472F). High initial bite across a wide temperature range, even when cold, and modulation that works with the factory ABS under hard use. Endless notes it is noisy on the street; it is the step up from MX72 Plus for regular track days.

Racing compounds

Each option below is one choice in the Choose Compound menu. For a group, name your compound in the order notes and Bulletproof Automotive confirms it with your order. Every racing compound needs Endless’s bedding procedure: at 70 to 80 percent of normal pedal effort, bring the rotors gradually to 400C (752F), then let them cool below 150C (302F) before hard use.

Racing Group

ME22: dual braking style; friction 0.33-0.38; rotor range 150-800C (302-1472F). Developed from ME20 with lower friction for control, for light to mid-weight cars or heavier cars on slower circuits. Endless rates it for street and track.
ME20: trail-braking style; rotor range 150-800C (302-1472F). High, stable friction at high temperature with low wear, developed for touring cars and rally. Works front or rear, with stock or racing ABS.
N35S: trail-braking style; rotor range 300-800C (572-1472F). Quick, sharp and responsive, with stable modulation under high temperature and load. Endless’s flagship rally compound, also run in FIA GT, and its suggested starting point for drivers new to Endless racing pads.
N05U: trail-braking style; friction 0.46-0.53; rotor range 300-800C (572-1472F). More bite than N35S, popular in sprint-focused Porsche Cup cars.
N05S: trail-braking style; friction 0.45-0.53; rotor range 300-800C (572-1472F). Immediate high friction with little pedal effort, used in Japanese rally cars without brake boosters and in European and Australian sprint racing.
N30C: friction 0.50-0.60; rotor range 300-800C (572-1472F). High initial bite, gentle on rotors and low wear. A rally compound for cars without a brake booster.
S55G: Endless publishes no figures. It suits lightweight and front-wheel-drive cars, and the rear of front-wheel-drive cars, with high controllability.
PC35: Endless publishes no figures. More bite than N35S with high braking force and a stable pedal; Endless’s base pad for rally raid.

W003 Group

W003: trail-braking style; friction 0.40-0.45. Similar in character to N35S with better wear, tough and stable at high temperature with a linear torque curve; run in rally, touring cars, ALMS and PWC. Circuit only: Endless does not recommend it for the street and notes high rotor wear when cold.
S330: trail-braking style; friction 0.60-0.70; rotor range 300-850C (572-1562F). High friction for sprint racing, with good control at high levels and without accelerating rotor wear; run in Super GT, stock cars and GT2 and GT3 sprint racing.

Sold as its own option

MA45B: standard braking style; rotor range 300-800C (572-1472F). Endless’s endurance compound: low friction but stable for a whole race, with excellent heat resistance and wear. Most Nurburgring and Spa 24 Hours entrants run it. Offered for the front axle only on this car.

Applications

Subaru Impreza WRX STi Version III: GC8 / GF8 | 1996-1997
Subaru Impreza WRX STi Version IV: GC8 / GF8 | 1997-1998

Notes

Each Front or Rear set of Brake Pads for GC8 and GF8 STi cars covers both wheels on one axle
In SSM Plus, the Front and Rear Set is an Endless combo set, priced below the two axles bought separately
Not for a Version IV with 2-pot rear calipers or for the Version V and VI, which Endless lists with EP231 or EP355 rear shapes
For the factory calipers. A GC8 or GF8 converted to a big brake kit takes the pads for those calipers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do the Endless Brake Pads for GC8 Version III cars need the 4-pot front calipers? Yes. Endless lists two Version III layouts. Cars with 4-pot front calipers take EP351 at the front, cars with 2-pot fronts take EP348, and both share the EP223 rear. These Brake Pads for GC8 and GF8 cars carry EP351, so a Version III on 2-pot front calipers needs the EP348 listing instead.
Can MX72 Plus be fitted at both ends of a Version IV STi? No. Endless prices MX72 Plus for the EP351 front shape but not for the EP223 rear, so it is sold for the front axle only, and MA45B works the same way. An owner who wants it at the front picks the rear separately, and MX72 or CC-Rg, which sit either side of MX72 Plus in rotor range, are the nearest rear choices.
What is the best compound for a GC8 STi that does track days? For a car on street tires at a few events a year, MX72 at both ends is a sound base, with low noise and dust, strong friction from cold and a rotor range to 700C, or 1292F. Regular circuit use calls for CC-Rg, which Endless rates to 800C, or 1472F, and describes as noisy on the street.
Do these pads fit a Version V or VI STi? No. Endless lists a different rear shape for the Version V and VI. The car with 4-pot front and 1-pot rear calipers takes EP351 with an EP355 rear, and the car with 2-pot rear calipers takes EP231. The EP351 front is common to all of them, but the EP223 rear on this listing is for Version III and IV cars.
Are the Endless street compounds suitable for a GC8 driven daily? Yes. SSS is built for road and highway driving, with low wear, long rotor life and exceptionally low dust, and SSM Plus adds low noise and a pedal that builds with pressure rather than biting sharply. Both come for either axle, and SSM Plus is the one compound on this car sold as an Endless combo set.

About Endless

Endless is a Japanese brake manufacturer that designs everything in-house and manufactures domestically in Japan, holding surface accuracy to 1/1000mm under strict quality control. The company developed its own laminated sintered wire-mesh backing plate and ceramic carbon rotors, and it proves its parts in competition, running its own factory motorsport program and supplying winning teams across Japanese and European racing. From pads and slit rotors to forged and monobloc calipers, brake fluid, and lines, Endless builds braking systems trusted on both street and circuit.

The Bulletproof Automotive website contains many thousands of products purchased in multiple different currencies. All of the prices are entered manually and accurately at the time of entry. Due to the consistently fluctuating international exchange rates, at times prices may not be able to be honored at their original intended rate. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, unfortunately our website is unable to compensate dynamically for what can at times be volatile changes in the cost of items due to currency values fluctuating, changes in prices from suppliers, changes in shipping and import duties, and other factors. Rest assured that any order you place on line will be at zero risk to you in this area. If in the event your order cannot be fulfilled at the original intended website price we will offer you a 100% refund, no questions asked. We will continue to do our best to maintain updated prices and we will always continue to offer our price match guarantees as well to ensure our prices are always the best for you. In short, prices may change without notice. It is always advised to give us a call prior to placing your order online to confirm availability and to confirm current pricing.

Items that are in stock in the US, either at Bulletproof’s warehouse or at a supplier’s warehouse, are generally delivered within 7-10 days. Special order items from overseas take considerably longer. As a courtesy Bulletproof offers delivery estimates to our customers which take into consideration manufacturer availability and shipping schedule. These estimates represent our best guess based on previous orders from the manufacturer and do not in any way imply a guaranteed delivery window. Many manufacturers work in a “just in time” inventory system and often take 2-20+ weeks to produce an item once an order is submitted. All deliverable items are then sent to our Japanese warehouse. Bulletproof ships a minimum of one full ocean freight container every month from Japan, oftentimes more than one a month. Ocean freight takes an average of 4 weeks. Typically it breaks down to one week in Japan for paperwork and customs, two weeks by boat and one week in US customs/clearance. Due to the wide number of variables between manufacturer and shipping schedules, delivery estimates are simply just that – estimates. We attempt to estimate conservatively and we usually deliver faster than our estimates suggest. It is not Bulletproof’s policy to guarantee delivery time of any special order item, this is impossible for us to do. By ordering you acknowledge that there is no required delivery ETA and an order may not be canceled or altered due to manufacturing or shipping delays, all ETA’s are provided as a best guess only. Please review the full Terms & Conditions here.

We do pricing a little differently on our JDM brands and we believe in making things simple and clear. No hidden fees or surcharges. Every price you see includes the shipping cost to our office in Los Angeles, California and all the associated taxes/duties/fees for bringing the products into the US. The only shipping you ever pay is from our facility in the US to your location. Be wary of resellers that don’t include the cost of international shipping in their pricing on JDM parts. While we believe we’ll always have the lowest all-in price on JDM products, we offer a price match guarantee for all authentic parts purchased from authorized dealers as well. For many international customers, it’s much more affordable to ship from the USA than from Japan directly, as the air freight and ocean freight costs are typically much less. However, for customers looking to ship directly from Japan outside of North America, or domestically in Japan, we can provide pricing specifically for that scenario. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any pricing questions or concerns. Please email us at sales@bulletproofautomotive.com with any inquiries.

Reviews

There are no reviews yet.

Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.

First Name (*required)

Last Name (*required)

Your E-Mail (*required)

Telephone Number (*required)

Country (*required)

Vehicle Year / Make / Model (*required)

Please Explain What do you want to do with your vehicle

Additional Information (optional)

I agree to the terms & conditions and privacy policy and to have Bulletproof Automotive LLC contact me for promotion, marketing and other purposes via email, phone or SMS message.