XYZ Racing Hollow Rear Brake Kit — Subaru IMPREZA STI φ 290/ φ 191 (1997-2000)

The GC8 Impreza STI was built to win rallies, not to survive repeated heavy braking on a circuit, and its rear axle has always been the first thing to cry off when the EJ20 is being pushed hard. The XYZ Racing Hollow Rear Brake Kit addresses exactly that, fitting a 290mm two-piece floating rear setup to the 1997-2000 Subaru Impreza STI φ 290/ φ 191 so the back of the car carries its share of the work.

This is a rear-specific upgrade for owners who already trust the front end and want the brake balance to match. Supplied as a matched pair of left and right corners, with Street, Sport and Racing pad compound options, it spans a winter road car and a tarmac-stage refugee that sees the occasional track day, without forcing one compromise on the other.

What this brake kit does for your 1997-2000 Subaru Impreza STI φ 290/ φ 191

On a GC8, the rear brakes do more than slow the car down. Subaru’s symmetrical all-wheel drive leans on rear braking to help the chassis rotate into corners, and a fading rear end turns a sharp turn-in into stubborn understeer. The 290mm rear rotors give you the thermal headroom to keep that balance consistent through a stage or a session, so the STI still tucks its nose when you brake into a hairpin. Swap to the Racing compound and you get the bite to trail-brake the rear axle deliberately; the Street pad keeps things quiet and dust-free for the commute, while the Sport compound sits between the two for hard fast-road and light track work. Reduced unsprung mass at the rear hub also sharpens how quickly the dampers can react over broken tarmac, which the GC8’s rally-derived suspension was always set up to exploit.

About the Hollow Rear Brake Kit

XYZ Racing’s Hollow Rear Brake Kit is a complete rear-axle replacement rather than a pad-and-fluid patch. The two-piece floating disc lets the friction ring expand against an alloy bell, lowering thermal distortion and rotating mass at each rear corner while keeping the swept area you need from a 290mm rotor. The hollow-cast fixed caliper clamps a larger pad against a bigger rotor, spreading heat over more material and slowing the onset of fade when the EJ20 keeps loading the brakes through a long session. Three pad compounds are offered: Street for road use, Sport for harder fast-road and light track work, and Racing for sustained circuit and stage abuse, with an optional Hollow Racing caliper rated to 1000C for dedicated track duty. Calipers are painted Red, Yellow, Gold, Black or Anodized Black at no extra cost, with a Custom Color in any Pantone for £150 plus premium polished-forged and candy finishes, so the kit reads as a deliberate fit behind the GC8’s gold rally wheels rather than an obvious bolt-on. Disc faces come drilled or slotted at the same price, and the centre bell upgrades to anodized two-tone or titanium at checkout. Everything is sized around the φ 290/ φ 191 dimensions quoted for this fitment, so there is no guesswork on rotor diameter.

Fitment for the Subaru IMPREZA STI φ 290/ φ 191 (1997-2000)

This kit is cut for the 1997-2000 Subaru Impreza STI carrying the φ 290/ φ 191 brake dimensions, the GC8-generation cars from the Version 4 to Version 6 era. It mounts to the rear axle only and is sized to the 290mm rotor diameter listed here. Confirm your car matches the φ 290/ φ 191 spec before ordering, as Impreza rear brake sizing varies across the run.

What buyers also search for

• Subaru Impreza STI rear brake upgrade for GC8 track and tarmac-stage use
• 1997-2000 Impreza STI 290mm rear big brake kit with Street, Sport and Racing pad options
• GC8 Impreza rear brake balance fix for owners chasing cleaner turn-in rotation
• Subaru Impreza STI rear brake kit with Red, Black, Gold, Anodized Black or Custom Pantone calipers

Choose your pad compound and caliper colour from the options above, then build your φ 290/ φ 191 rear setup.