Brake upgrade

[Stella]

Originally I went the route of upgrading my rotors to V size rotors front and rear. I couldn't stand the rust that developed from a car wash. Rotor centers and vanes looked terrible rusted and it would drip rust water all over my rims.
One thing that I found interesting is GM has one part number for the fronts and one for the rears. I didn't like the fact that the passenger rotors drill holes were in the same direction as the drivers side. Even though its pure cosmetic it looked backwards. Cheaper for GM
I went back to the original size rotors. First price difference is double and second I really didn't feel a difference with the larger rotors. Also had went on a c6 forum and multiple guys said that the size is for more material to displace the heat. It's more for durability. They say that a base model weighs less you get the same performance and cheaper.
I ended up going with two piece dba5000 in the front and stoptechs slotted and drilled rears. A two piece rear needs a special center for the e-brake. To rich for my blood so I went with a one piece. Went with ceramic pads front and rear stops on a dime!looks good too.Also polished up the xlr letters for alittle more shine. Still can't decide on a color for the calipers

 

[hawkeye372]

Nice looking.


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[XLRATING]

Really like that, looks great! Kinda thinking you might need to go with red calipers with the red that's already on there. Or else go with blue for contrast. Thanks for sharing the pics.

 

[Phrede]

I like the look, and will be installing similar on mine soon.

 

[Stella]

Really like that, looks great! Kinda thinking you might need to go with red calipers with the red that's already on there. Or else go with blue for contrast. Thanks for sharing the pics.

If I go red it has to be anodized red. The red is exactly like the red on the cadillac crest which are on the center caps. Don't want to many colors going on there.
Funny thing black centers were 100 bucks more a piece. When I called I had asked and he said they were more because people like black more so they charge more.

 

[XLRATING]

Funny thing black centers were 100 bucks more a piece. When I called I had asked and he said they were more because people like black more so they charge more.

I could see that - the red you have might look like trying to match red & failing on a red car (like mine). Unless it's a perfect match I take my chances with a contrasting color first. Red should look great on your blue though.

 

[Phrede]

If I go red it has to be anodized red. The red is exactly like the red on the cadillac crest which are on the center caps. Don't want to many colors going on there.
Funny thing black centers were 100 bucks more a piece. When I called I had asked and he said they were more because people like black more so they charge more.

I never thought of it that way. Maybe my gold ones will match the crest too? I got gold because they were much cheaper than the others in my size. I would have preferred the red.

I'm going with HPS Hawk Pads. Did you install braided lines too?

 

[Stella]

I never thought of it that way. Maybe my gold ones will match the crest too? I got gold because they were much cheaper than the others in my size. I would have preferred the red.

I'm going with HPS Hawk Pads. Did you install braided lines too?

No I didn't do the brake lines. I wanna wait to see the difference if any. Plus I wanna wait till I decide on what I'm gonna do with the caliper color. Figure I'd expose the brake system once and be done.
I had only seen red,and black for a base and then they had the gold for the z51 models. Big price jump between colors though same models. I might just have the centers redone over the winter too if I decide to go a different color route.

 

[Phrede]

Originally I went the route of upgrading my rotors to V size rotors front and rear. I couldn't stand the rust that developed from a car wash. Rotor centers and vanes looked terrible rusted and it would drip rust water all over my rims.
One thing that I found interesting is GM has one part number for the fronts and one for the rears. I didn't like the fact that the passenger rotors drill holes were in the same direction as the drivers side. Even though its pure cosmetic it looked backwards. Cheaper for GM
I went back to the original size rotors. First price difference is double and second I really didn't feel a difference with the larger rotors. Also had went on a c6 forum and multiple guys said that the size is for more material to displace the heat. It's more for durability. They say that a base model weighs less you get the same performance and cheaper.
I ended up going with two piece dba5000 in the front and stoptechs slotted and drilled rears. A two piece rear needs a special center for the e-brake. To rich for my blood so I went with a one piece. Went with ceramic pads front and rear stops on a dime!looks good too.Also polished up the xlr letters for alittle more shine. Still can't decide on a color for the calipers

I can't say I agree with your theory that larger rotors and pads can not improve performance. Braking is about the co-efficient of friction, surface area and force applied. Of course there are details like heat dispersion, gassing, wiping etc. But the main factors are size, force and composition. Getting the correct pad composition for the application is very important. Pads for the track that are intended to run hotter are not so good in a street environment and vice versa.

Remember, just because the brakes are capable of more doesn't mean you are going to use it. To decelerate a given vehicle weight from a given speed at a given rate requires a given amount of energy to be converted. To disperse that force required over a larger area will result in less wear (and less potential for warping). When increased performance is desired, it may push the smaller system past it's sweet zone and is why larger is more capable.

There are many more things to consider, too. Just one is that larger calipers can accommodate more pistons giving a more even squeeze of the rotor with less pad flexing.

Like everything, there is compromise. Cost, both direct and indirect, come into play. Personally I was looking into a big brake kit costing thousands of dollars directly and more thousands indirectly because of replacement wheels. I decided I couldn't justify it on a car that is never on the track and also went with upgrading components of the same size. That's what works for me. I still think that larger could work better on my car.

 

[fcarga]

Tire size, compound and pressure can be equally important, if not more so, in determining the ability
to stop a vehicle. While the drilled rotors have a certain look, they don't provide stopping ability and
shorten the life of rotors. On the other hand, I really doubt that it is important for street use.

 

[Phrede]

Tire size, compound and pressure can be equally important, if not more so, in determining the ability
to stop a vehicle. While the drilled rotors have a certain look, they don't provide stopping ability and
shorten the life of rotors. On the other hand, I really doubt that it is important for street use.

IMHO, Yes, I agree with the tire comments. Things are only as good as the weakest link. If the brakes slow the rotor and wheel but the tire loses traction it does less good. The coefficient of sliding friction is much less than static friction.

I disagree with the drilled rotor comment. Drilling does weaken the rotors somewhat. It also improves heat dissipation and clear of gases and water. It all goes back to your driving style and expectations.

 

[fcarga]

No real disagreement if we're talking about street use. Drilled and/or cast-in holes are of no real benefit
with current pad, rotor, caliper and fluid technology--dimpling and/or straight and/or curved slotting of the
rotor appear to be far more effective but they, too, are not needed for street use.

 

[Phrede]

Got mine on today. No piics with the wheels on yet.

 

[hawkeye372]

I like the red caliper But all in all I defiantly like the whole set up


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[05 GRAND DADDY]

Got mine on today. No piics with the wheels on yet. View attachment 4117

I like the plate over lug stud it covers that rusty looking area which you can see somewhat with wheel on!


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"

 

[Phrede]

I like the plate over lug stud it covers that rusty looking area which you can see somewhat with wheel on!


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"

What is normally seen is the rusty rotor. This doesn't cover that but replaces it. The hat is anodized aluminum that will not rust

 

[hawkeye372]

I like the plate over lug stud it covers that rusty looking area which you can see somewhat with wheel on!


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Dan & Wendy
"05 GRAND DADDY"

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[madcurl]

Merchants: a love/hate relationship

When I called I had asked and he said they were more because people like black more so they charge more.

I too am a bit undecided as to the color of the caliber but I saw a burgundy colored Aston Martin and his brakes and the caliper was black. I think that's the color combination I'm going to go with.