Sram Level Ultimate Stealth 4 Piston Brakes review

The Level Ultimate Stealth 4-Piston brakes are SRAM’s new top-tier XC and light-trail oriented Level range, with a freshly designed lever to complement the clean aesthetics of the brand’s wireless AXS cockpit.

With attractive claims of superior power-to-weight performance, and dependable braking power and consistency, there’s little wonder you’ll spot these brakes on world cup race bikes.

However, are they worth the extra cash and inconvenience involved in upgrading?

SRAM Level Ultimate Stealth 4-Piston brakes specification

Featuring a fresh lever layout, reshaped bladder and slim carbon lever blades with a tool-free reach-adjust dial, this top-tier brake is combined with a choice of 4- or 2-piston calipers in three spec levels – Bronze, Silver and Ultimate.

The neat ergonomic shape of the carbon levers utilises SRAM's DirectLink design, with the lever pushing directly on the master cylinder. They're smooth with a subtle square profile and a neat radius at the end that holds your index finger comfortably.

The Stealth brakes are supplied with equal-length hoses and are ‘ambidextrous’ with a flip-flop lever body. This means they will require a bleed after cutting the hoses to length from the get-go.

A Matchmaker X clamp and additional stem clips, purchased separately, ensure the hoses run along the handlebar, contributing nicely to the tidy cockpit.

The titanium hardware, with a signature oil-slick finish, looks the part.

Our Ultimate test brakes are the lightest in the 4-Piston SRAM range, weighing in at 250g per end (lever, clamp, 1,950mm hose, caliper and pads). They are notably lighter than the Shimano XT 4-pot brakes at 314g and closer to smaller 2-piston brakes – the Hope Tech4 X2 at 272g and Magura MT8 at 247g.

The reshaped bladder is purported to help regulate and reduce air bubbles, resulting in dependable braking power and consistency. SRAM claims they provide “superior power to weight performance”.

SRAM Level Ultimate Stealth 4-Piston brakes performance

The Ultimate Stealth 4-Piston stoppers have been on my MBUK long-term test bike, a Santa Cruz Blur XC S (which comes as standard with SRAM Level TL brakes) for 12 weeks. Senior technical editor Tom Marvin has also been running them on his Merida One-Forty 6000.

We have both found them to be impressive performers across the board. The positive bite point in particular is better than expected.

While we agree they aren’t as digital or punchy as Shimano brakes, switching between riding a cross-country bike and an enduro bike with Shimano SLX hasn't been an issue at all.

This is most likely due to the brakes' excellent power and modulation. It requires little effort at the levers to feel the rapid deceleration as the power increases predictably through the lever stroke.

Pairing the Ultimates with 180mm rotors front and rear, they have enabled me to hit my braking zones with more confidence and precision. Arm fatigue has been reduced vastly compared to the Level TL brakes.

The power of the brakes has enabled me to ride more aggressively on all trails, safe in the knowledge they have the power to facilitate a faster pace, particularly on steep and loose sections that require good speed control.

Power is also superior to the 2-piston Ultimates, although they don't provide the urgency or all-out power of the Shimano Deore or SLX brakes.

The bleeding edge tool kit makes life easy and the initial investment of £77 (RRP) for the full bleed kit is worth it in my opinion.

Taking just 20 minutes from start to finish, the resulting firm lever feel has corroborated SRAM’s bold claims of consistency and superior power.

Not having to tinker with the brakes has been both refreshing and impressive.

Despite being the top-spec Level brakes, they lack a contact adjustment (the point in the lever’s throw at which the brake begins to engage).

I measured the free-stroke at 30mm. While this will appeal to some riders, those with small hands or short fingers may find it an issue. For the money, it's a feature I'd expect to see.

Additional drawbacks are thankfully minor. While the architecture of the Stealth lever body enhances comfort when adopting a narrow hold of the bars for a more aero position, it meant fitting accessories to the handlebar was more fiddly than with the standard-style lever.

Adding any band-on clamps in the vicinity of the lever’s reservoir is all but impossible thanks to its proximity to the bar.

More care and attention was required to accurately screw the hose’s compression nut into the levers after cutting the hoses to length, because the lever body is orientated towards the bar, hampering working space.

Depending on the natural twist of the hoses exiting the levers, there was the potential for rattling. However, SRAM’s stem clips can help with this issue.

How do the SRAM Level Ultimate Stealth 4-Piston brakes compare to the SRAM Level TL?

The Ultimate Stealth 4-Piston brakes have far superior stopping power, urgency and modulation than the lower-tier Level TL brakes that came as standard on the Blur XC S.

This translated to far greater riding confidence, which has meant I've been happy riding steeper and more technical trails on the 100mm Blur than before.

After only six weeks and 800km of use, the TLs rapidly started to wane in performance, requiring a bleed and service.

Their initial bite felt slow to engage and while modulation of the power they had was adequate, the full power was lacking. It required a lot of strength to repeatedly pull the levers without the reward of that felt on the Ultimates.

In contrast, the Ultimate brakes have maintained that tip-top, freshly bled feel for 12 weeks and counting, a factor well worth considering when choosing to upgrade.

SRAM Level Ultimate Stealth 4-Piston brakes bottom line

SRAM's Level Ultimate Stealth 4-Piston brakes are aesthetically pleasing, reliable and powerful, impressing me greatly in testing.

Topping the model’s price range, they not only look the part with titanium accents, carbon levers and a neat design, but performance lives up to the high expectations their price provokes.

Minor niggles with the reduced handlebar space for accessories and potential cable rattle can be resolved, leaving you with the decision of whether the new shape and weight-saving elements are worth the extra spend.