[ANSWERED] Characteristics of Brembo Calipers
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[ANSWERED] Characteristics of Brembo Calipers
The original question is here.
Jason's note: We're going to skip another cycle because GM has a forced 2-week shutdown of their offices and everything else (Summer Break).
spearfish25 asked:
How do the Z06 Brembo brake calipers compare to Brembo's retail offerings? Are the calipers altered or engineered by GM in any way to tailor them specifically to the Z06? Are there any specific differences between the OEM supplied Brembos and the retail versions?
How do the Z06 Brembo brake calipers compare to Brembo's retail offerings? Are the calipers altered or engineered by GM in any way to tailor them specifically to the Z06? Are there any specific differences between the OEM supplied Brembos and the retail versions?
Tadge answered:
Most questions I get are specific to the Corvette design as we build it in Bowling Green. This one is asking about comparing our factory design vs an aftermarket execution. Since we (GM) don’t routinely test or evaluate aftermarket hardware or software, I usually can’t offer any assessment. In this case, Brembo is the supplier for both the factory and the aftermarket hardware, so I have asked them to provide the response:
While the Corvette Z06 brakes and Brembo High Performance (retail) brake kits may appear similar, they are actually very distinct products. The Corvette calipers and discs were designed from scratch to meet the specific requirements of GM Engineering and the Corvette program team:
The Brembo High Performance Kit (HPK) offerings exist to fill a niche beyond the original equipment hardware. In many cases the HPK systems are larger than stock, offering higher performance and style, but may require the customer to buy new (larger) wheels and tires as well. Many HPK packages offer friction materials that provide higher performance than the stock hardware, but at increased levels of noise/dust/wear than wouldn’t be accepted at an Original Equipment (OE) level. A few HPK packages offer exotic products that would be impractical to produce at an OE level, such as the billet-aluminum nickel-plated “GT-R” calipers. In general, the High Performance Kit product line exists to serve customers that want a higher degree of customization and/or performance, albeit with a few acceptable compromises.
Regarding questions about the brakes or any other part of the vehicle, your Chevrolet dealer is the best authority to answer them. Generally suppliers (like Brembo) are prohibited from providing direct support for Original Equipment products, in order to avoid potential conflicts with Chevrolet Service.
Most questions I get are specific to the Corvette design as we build it in Bowling Green. This one is asking about comparing our factory design vs an aftermarket execution. Since we (GM) don’t routinely test or evaluate aftermarket hardware or software, I usually can’t offer any assessment. In this case, Brembo is the supplier for both the factory and the aftermarket hardware, so I have asked them to provide the response:
While the Corvette Z06 brakes and Brembo High Performance (retail) brake kits may appear similar, they are actually very distinct products. The Corvette calipers and discs were designed from scratch to meet the specific requirements of GM Engineering and the Corvette program team:
- Direct compatibility with all suspension hardware and a variety of production wheel profiles
- Robust product performance and durability, validated to a multitude of GM test procedures including extreme environmental conditions, life-of-the-car durability and consistant all-around braking performance for both track and street
- Reasonable levels of noise, dust and wear—an area where considerable development is done
- Specific paint color options which match or compliment the Chevrolet color range
- Compliance with US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for production vehicles
The Brembo High Performance Kit (HPK) offerings exist to fill a niche beyond the original equipment hardware. In many cases the HPK systems are larger than stock, offering higher performance and style, but may require the customer to buy new (larger) wheels and tires as well. Many HPK packages offer friction materials that provide higher performance than the stock hardware, but at increased levels of noise/dust/wear than wouldn’t be accepted at an Original Equipment (OE) level. A few HPK packages offer exotic products that would be impractical to produce at an OE level, such as the billet-aluminum nickel-plated “GT-R” calipers. In general, the High Performance Kit product line exists to serve customers that want a higher degree of customization and/or performance, albeit with a few acceptable compromises.
Regarding questions about the brakes or any other part of the vehicle, your Chevrolet dealer is the best authority to answer them. Generally suppliers (like Brembo) are prohibited from providing direct support for Original Equipment products, in order to avoid potential conflicts with Chevrolet Service.
Jason's note: We're going to skip another cycle because GM has a forced 2-week shutdown of their offices and everything else (Summer Break).
Last edited by jvp; 06-29-2017 at 05:53 PM.
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Reasonable levels of noise, dust and wear—an area where considerable development is done
Last edited by Kracka; 07-05-2017 at 09:53 AM.
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The original question is here.
Jason's note: We're going to skip another cycle because GM has a forced 2-week shutdown of their offices and everything else (Summer Break).
Jason's note: We're going to skip another cycle because GM has a forced 2-week shutdown of their offices and everything else (Summer Break).