wilwood or Z06 brake conversion
02-25-2012, 01:29 PM
#1
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wilwood or Z06 brake conversion
Thinking of a brake upgrade, the z06 conversion seems reasonable in price but not sure if the wilwood 6 and 4 piston package is a better upgrade...any input?
02-25-2012, 01:39 PM
#2
depends on how you are planning to use the car, I suppose. for heavy track use, you want to look at the ease/cost of maintenance and rebuilds, as well as pad costs. PBR calipers lose out to pretty much any other option when it comes to those factors.
02-25-2012, 01:49 PM
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02-25-2012, 02:03 PM
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I have done a number of incremental/"budget" upgrades to my C5 brakes over 5-6 years.
I did pretty much everything you can find mentioned on this forum, and then some. I eventually went to wilwood SL6 calipers paired with DBA 2-piece rotors.
long story short - if I had to do it all over again, I'd suffer stock system while I save up for Brembo, AP Racing, or at least Stoptech BBK and a set of wheels that would fit over 14 inch rotors...
I did pretty much everything you can find mentioned on this forum, and then some. I eventually went to wilwood SL6 calipers paired with DBA 2-piece rotors.
long story short - if I had to do it all over again, I'd suffer stock system while I save up for Brembo, AP Racing, or at least Stoptech BBK and a set of wheels that would fit over 14 inch rotors...
02-25-2012, 03:09 PM
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I have done a number of incremental/"budget" upgrades to my C5 brakes over 5-6 years.
I did pretty much everything you can find mentioned on this forum, and then some. I eventually went to wilwood SL6 calipers paired with DBA 2-piece rotors.
long story short - if I had to do it all over again, I'd suffer stock system while I save up for Brembo, AP Racing, or at least Stoptech BBK and a set of wheels that would fit over 14 inch rotors...
I did pretty much everything you can find mentioned on this forum, and then some. I eventually went to wilwood SL6 calipers paired with DBA 2-piece rotors.
long story short - if I had to do it all over again, I'd suffer stock system while I save up for Brembo, AP Racing, or at least Stoptech BBK and a set of wheels that would fit over 14 inch rotors...
02-25-2012, 03:26 PM
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I used the wide Wilwood SL6 setup on my C5Z. It was sold by LG and is called their G Stop kit which fits over stock rotors and under the front stock C5Z wheel. It allowed the use of thick pads (.8 inches thick) that I could get at a lower cost. Overall stopping ability wasn't any different than the stock setup but the pad replacement costs, ease of rotor changing and the fact the pedal didn't go long due to brake pad taper more than made up for the cost of the calipers. I actually saved enough in pad expenses to pay for the calipers in a little over two years. I used them for 4 years.
Whatever, don't go with the C6Z brakes. Pad and rotor replacement costs are very high. Pad thickness is minimal so you end up replacing them more often. Double whammy, higher cost and more frequent replacement. Pad replacement is a PIA since in most cases you will end up pulling the caliper to replace the pads. As the calipers age you need to replace the pad guide pins since the pads tend to stick and not release properly when the brake pedal is released. This can be very hard since the pins freeze in the calipers when they are cool and are loose in the caliper when the caliper is hot. Can't get them out when you can work on them and they come out too easily when you don't want them to come out. Several people have had them back out on the track. One pin backed out on my car and damaged the wheel while others had the pins fall out and lost padlets along with the pin. Can be exciting when your brake pads fall out of the caliper before that hard braking zone from 150+ mph. Pad pins run about $12 bucks each and there are 8 in each front caliper.
Bill
Whatever, don't go with the C6Z brakes. Pad and rotor replacement costs are very high. Pad thickness is minimal so you end up replacing them more often. Double whammy, higher cost and more frequent replacement. Pad replacement is a PIA since in most cases you will end up pulling the caliper to replace the pads. As the calipers age you need to replace the pad guide pins since the pads tend to stick and not release properly when the brake pedal is released. This can be very hard since the pins freeze in the calipers when they are cool and are loose in the caliper when the caliper is hot. Can't get them out when you can work on them and they come out too easily when you don't want them to come out. Several people have had them back out on the track. One pin backed out on my car and damaged the wheel while others had the pins fall out and lost padlets along with the pin. Can be exciting when your brake pads fall out of the caliper before that hard braking zone from 150+ mph. Pad pins run about $12 bucks each and there are 8 in each front caliper.
Bill
02-25-2012, 03:35 PM
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I used the wide Wilwood SL6 setup on my C5Z. It was sold by LG and is called their G Stop kit which fits over stock rotors and under the front stock C5Z wheel. It allowed the use of thick pads (.8 inches thick) that I could get at a lower cost. Overall stopping ability wasn't any different than the stock setup but the pad replacement costs, ease of rotor changing and the fact the pedal didn't go long due to brake pad taper more than made up for the cost of the calipers. I actually saved enough in pad expenses to pay for the calipers in a little over two years. I used them for 4 years.
Whatever, don't go with the C6Z brakes. Pad and rotor replacement costs are very high. Pad thickness is minimal so you end up replacing them more often. Double whammy, higher cost and more frequent replacement. Pad replacement is a PIA since in most cases you will end up pulling the caliper to replace the pads. As the calipers age you need to replace the pad guide pins since the pads tend to stick and not release properly when the brake pedal is released. This can be very hard since the pins freeze in the calipers when they are cool and are loose in the caliper when the caliper is hot. Can't get them out when you can work on them and they come out too easily when you don't want them to come out. Several people have had them back out on the track. One pin backed out on my car and damaged the wheel while others had the pins fall out and lost padlets along with the pin. Can be exciting when your brake pads fall out of the caliper before that hard braking zone from 150+ mph. Pad pins run about $12 bucks each and there are 8 in each front caliper.
Bill
Whatever, don't go with the C6Z brakes. Pad and rotor replacement costs are very high. Pad thickness is minimal so you end up replacing them more often. Double whammy, higher cost and more frequent replacement. Pad replacement is a PIA since in most cases you will end up pulling the caliper to replace the pads. As the calipers age you need to replace the pad guide pins since the pads tend to stick and not release properly when the brake pedal is released. This can be very hard since the pins freeze in the calipers when they are cool and are loose in the caliper when the caliper is hot. Can't get them out when you can work on them and they come out too easily when you don't want them to come out. Several people have had them back out on the track. One pin backed out on my car and damaged the wheel while others had the pins fall out and lost padlets along with the pin. Can be exciting when your brake pads fall out of the caliper before that hard braking zone from 150+ mph. Pad pins run about $12 bucks each and there are 8 in each front caliper.
Bill
02-25-2012, 08:48 PM
#8
wilwood calipers will give you more even force distribution and, as Bill mentions, thicker (possibly cheaper) pads with easier replacement procedure.
my math came out exactly like Bill's - pad cost savings pay for the caliper upgrade in about 2-3 years if you do a lot of track time. at that point the calipers will still work fine (unlike non-Z PBR that needs replacing on a regular basis due to spreading out)
the only negative I had is that hardware that came with them (inlet fittings, bleed screws) ended up being somewhat fragile, and I had to replace a few along the way (no at-speed failures). One of the original calipers I ordered had some assembley issues at the crossover tube. since I also bought the LG kit, they have done a great job taking care of my initial issues and I ran that setup for 2 years until I sold the car. I still wish I would have gotten the "real" BBK, mostly for materials quality and rotor size/selection reasons.
02-25-2012, 10:28 PM
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yes, but you should also run good thick rotors with directional ventilation channels.
wilwood calipers will give you more even force distribution and, as Bill mentions, thicker (possibly cheaper) pads with easier replacement procedure.
my math came out exactly like Bill's - pad cost savings pay for the caliper upgrade in about 2-3 years if you do a lot of track time. at that point the calipers will still work fine (unlike non-Z PBR that needs replacing on a regular basis due to spreading out)
the only negative I had is that hardware that came with them (inlet fittings, bleed screws) ended up being somewhat fragile, and I had to replace a few along the way (no at-speed failures). One of the original calipers I ordered had some assembley issues at the crossover tube. since I also bought the LG kit, they have done a great job taking care of my initial issues and I ran that setup for 2 years until I sold the car. I still wish I would have gotten the "real" BBK, mostly for materials quality and rotor size/selection reasons.
wilwood calipers will give you more even force distribution and, as Bill mentions, thicker (possibly cheaper) pads with easier replacement procedure.
my math came out exactly like Bill's - pad cost savings pay for the caliper upgrade in about 2-3 years if you do a lot of track time. at that point the calipers will still work fine (unlike non-Z PBR that needs replacing on a regular basis due to spreading out)
the only negative I had is that hardware that came with them (inlet fittings, bleed screws) ended up being somewhat fragile, and I had to replace a few along the way (no at-speed failures). One of the original calipers I ordered had some assembley issues at the crossover tube. since I also bought the LG kit, they have done a great job taking care of my initial issues and I ran that setup for 2 years until I sold the car. I still wish I would have gotten the "real" BBK, mostly for materials quality and rotor size/selection reasons.
Again, thanks for taking the time to respond.
02-26-2012, 02:59 PM
#10
Drifting
I just went with the Wilwood W6A setup for the fronts on my C6Z. First event is coming up March 3-4. I'll let you know how the pad wear goes. As for convenience, WOW! Pad swaps are a piece of cake and bleeding is very quick and easy. With the TCE brackets, you can use OEM rotors so you are not stuck with expensive rotors and rings.
Jim
Jim
02-26-2012, 04:01 PM
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I just went with the Wilwood W6A setup for the fronts on my C6Z. First event is coming up March 3-4. I'll let you know how the pad wear goes. As for convenience, WOW! Pad swaps are a piece of cake and bleeding is very quick and easy. With the TCE brackets, you can use OEM rotors so you are not stuck with expensive rotors and rings.
Jim
Jim
Bill
02-27-2012, 02:11 PM
#13
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Before you make any decisions, be sure to check out the AP Racing based system we put together with Hardbar. You can see user experiences and comments in this thread. We spent a lot of time and thought putting together what we believe is the ultimate bang-for-the-buck, fully track optimized brake system for C5's and C6's.
02-27-2012, 06:36 PM
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Before you make any decisions, be sure to check out the AP Racing based system we put together with Hardbar. You can see user experiences and comments in this thread. We spent a lot of time and thought putting together what we believe is the ultimate bang-for-the-buck, fully track optimized brake system for C5's and C6's.
