OVERTAKE E-Brake Drift Button: Lock-Free Pulls for Your Subaru

Pulling the e-brake mid-corner should not fight you back. On a stock Subaru WRX, STI, or BRZ, the factory e-brake button locks the lever in place the moment you ease off, which is fine if you are parking on a hill and terrible if you are modulating rear brake into a slide. The new OVERTAKE E-Brake Drift Button replaces that factory button with a billet aluminum piece that lets you choose: keep the spring for normal parking brake function, or pull it out for full lock-free drift mode. Two-minute install, no permanent modifications, fits a 20-year range of Subaru platforms plus the BRZ, FRS, and GR86.

If you want to skip straight to the product page, the OVERTAKE E-Brake Drift Button is available here in four finishes. For everyone else, here is what makes this part different from the chrome piece your car came with from the factory.

What is Wrong with the Factory E-Brake Button?

The chrome button on top of your factory parking brake handle was not designed for anyone who actually uses the e-brake dynamically. Three things conspire against you when you try:

• The spring inside the button does two jobs at once. It keeps the button popped out, and it engages the locking mechanism every time the lever moves up. Pull the lever, button pops out, lever locks. You cannot hold a controlled slide for more than half a second without the brake committing harder than you wanted.

• The factory piece is plastic with a chrome plating that looks fine for the first few months and then starts wearing through to the underlying material. It rattles. It is a forgettable piece in an otherwise enthusiast-focused interior.

• Surface area is small. You are using your thumb on something the size of a marble, which kills precision when you are trying to modulate rear brake mid-corner.

None of this matters if you only use the e-brake to keep the car from rolling out of your driveway. But for anyone tracking the car, drifting it, or just doing the occasional spirited e-brake yank in an empty parking lot, the factory piece actively gets in the way.

How the OVERTAKE Drift Button Solves It

This part replaces the factory chrome button entirely with a billet aluminum piece that threads directly onto the same stem the OEM button uses. From the factory, that stem has the button glued on with a little bit of thread locker, so getting the old piece off takes a pair of pliers and maybe a minute of effort. Once the OEM button is off, the new OVERTAKE button threads on until it bottoms out. That is the install.

Here is where the design gets clever. You have two configurations.

Standard Mode: Keep the Spring In

Leave the factory spring in place. Thread the OVERTAKE button on. Done. You now have all the factory parking brake functionality: pull the lever to engage, press the button to release, the locking mechanism works exactly as Subaru designed. The only thing that has changed is the button itself. The aesthetics are better, the ergonomics are better, and the build quality is in another league from the OEM piece. This is the right choice for most daily drivers who want to clean up the look of the interior without changing how the parking brake operates.

Drift Mode: Pull the Spring Out

Thread the button off, pop the spring out with a small pick or screwdriver, set the spring aside (do not lose it, you might want it back someday), thread the button back on. The button now sits slightly lower in its bore because the spring is no longer compressed inside. With the spring gone, the locking mechanism cannot engage. Pull the lever, the rear wheels lock. Release the lever, it drops on its own. No mid-slide commitment, no thumb gymnastics.

When you do need to park the car, you just pull the button up with your fingers and the lever stays locked the way Subaru intended. Walk away, come back, push the button down to release. It is a 30-second operation to get parking brake function back when you need it.

Build Quality: Where the Money Goes

The OVERTAKE drift button is machined from billet aluminum with a matte anodized finish in four color options: OVERTAKE blue, red, black, and stainless steel raw. The stainless version is the only one that swaps out the aluminum body for a 303 stainless construction, which gives it a different weight in the hand and pairs nicely with the bottom side of the OVERTAKE ModKnob if you are running one of those.

Every button ships with an O-ring that sits at the base where the button meets the lever assembly. This is a small detail that matters more than it sounds: it eliminates the metal-on-metal vibration that you get with cheaper drift buttons. No rattle at idle, no rattle on rough roads. The kind of fit-and-finish thing that you notice every time you reach for the lever.

The body itself is shaped for thumb ergonomics, not for looking like a factory piece. You get more surface area than the chrome OEM button, which directly translates to more precise control when you are trying to feather the e-brake rather than commit fully.

Does It Fit Your Subaru?

The OVERTAKE E-Brake Drift Button fits a wide range of Subaru platforms plus the shared-chassis BRZ family. Confirmed fitment:

• Subaru WRX - 2005 through 2026

• Subaru WRX STI - 2005 through 2021

• Subaru BRZ - 2013 through 2026

• Scion FR-S - 2013 through 2016

• Toyota GT86 - 2017 through 2021

• Toyota GR86 - 2022 through 2026

• Subaru Forester - 2009 through 2018

• Subaru Crosstrek - 2013 through 2023

• Subaru Impreza - 2002 through 2023

If your Subaru came with a chrome push-button on top of a pull-up handbrake lever between the front seats, the OVERTAKE button is the right part. The CVT Crosstreks and Foresters that use electronic parking brakes are not compatible (no handbrake lever to bolt to). When in doubt, check the fitment list above and confirm the year and model match.

Who Should Buy This?

This is one of those upgrades that lands in different categories depending on what kind of Subaru owner you are.

If you drift the car, this is essentially required equipment. Trying to maintain a controlled slide with the factory e-brake button is like trying to play guitar with mittens on. The lock-free pull is the entire point.

If you autocross or track the car, the drift button gives you cleaner e-brake inputs for transitions and tight hairpins where rear rotation matters.

If you just want a nicer interior and you are tired of looking at scratched factory chrome every time you reach for the parking brake, the standard-mode install (spring kept in) is a low-effort upgrade that punches above its price point on perceived interior quality.

Bottom line, this is a part that costs less than a tank of premium and takes longer to unbox than to install.

Installation: Two Minutes, Basic Tools

You need a pair of pliers (channel locks work fine) and, if you are going to drift mode, a small pick or jeweler's screwdriver to pop the spring out. That is it. No removing trim panels, no disconnecting battery terminals, no Subaru-specific tools.

Steps:

• Grip the factory chrome button with pliers and unthread it counterclockwise. There is a small amount of factory thread locker on it so it may take more force than you expect.

• If going to drift mode: look down into the bore where the button just came off, you will see a small spring. Use a pick to lift it out and set it aside.

• Thread the OVERTAKE button on by hand until it bottoms out snug. Do not overtighten with tools.

• That is the install. Test the lever to confirm the mode you wanted is what you got.

If you change your mind later, swapping between modes is the same five-minute process in reverse. The OVERTAKE button comes off, the spring goes back in (or comes back out), button goes back on.

Ready to Upgrade Your Subaru E-Brake?

The OVERTAKE E-Brake Drift Button is in stock now in OVERTAKE blue, red, black, and raw stainless. Pick yours up here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this fit my 2022 WRX?

Yes. The OVERTAKE E-Brake Drift Button fits all 2005 through 2026 WRX models with the standard mechanical handbrake lever.

Does removing the spring void my parking brake?

Functionally, yes, while the spring is out. With the spring removed, the locking mechanism does not engage automatically, so you cannot just pull the lever and walk away. To park with the spring out, pull the button up manually to lock the lever. The spring goes back in just as easily as it comes out, so if you need full factory functionality back (for inspection, for example), the swap takes about a minute.

Will this affect my warranty?

Replacing the e-brake button is a non-permanent modification that does not alter any structural or electronic component of the vehicle. The OEM button threads off and back on the same way the OVERTAKE button does. If you ever need to take the car to a dealer, you can put the factory button back in five minutes.

What is the difference between the aluminum and stainless versions?

The aluminum versions (blue, red, black) are machined billet aluminum with matte anodized finishes. The stainless version is 303 stainless steel kept raw for a polished metal look. Functionally they install the same way and operate identically. The stainless version is slightly heavier in the hand and tends to be the pick for owners who are also running the OVERTAKE ModKnob and want a matching finish.

Is the install really only two minutes?

For most people, yes. The longest part is breaking the factory thread locker free on the chrome OEM button, which can take a minute of working it with pliers. Everything after that is hand-thread the new button on. If you are also pulling the spring out for drift mode, add another minute for that step.