If this question has been answered I apologize but I didn't find it. How much better are the aftermarket brakes "Wilwood" compared to say just new factory brakes? I want good brakes. I used to have bad dreams about being in a car without brakes.

 

The 6t8 is set-up with the 12" Wilwood rotors and aluminum caliphers. Wilwood manuel master cylinder using DOT 4 brake fluid. The car is used for track days and some road use. There is no fading, great straight line stopping, but for normal driving it takes awhile to warm up for good stopping.
My 69 with power brakes, caliphers that were rebuilt with o-ring seals, slotted rotors using DOT 3 is the daily driver, excellent braking. No track days just parade laps at RA and did notice some fading.
Both cars have the s/s DOT brake hoses. T

 

I have always felt the OEM brakes on a C3 are fantastic as-is. For track racing I can understand the need for larger brakes but for street driving I feel the stock brakes are more than needed.

 

The stock system in good working order is all you need for a cruiser C3. You do not need after market brakes.

 

Awesome guys! I appreciate it. So stock with good working order parts it is.

 

I have just replaced the stock OEM ( 2011 purchase from Mid America O-ring) due to 3 of the 5 calipers starting leaking after 4 years.
Why 5 calipers, well because one of the warrenty replacement calipers only lasted 1 year before leaking again. While the Stock brakes work well the problem will be to find calipers the will give good life of trouble free service. also the "misleading life time warrenty" check it out carfully. Now trying wilwood OEM style calipers.

 

they've been fantastic. Haven't had to bleed brakes for 3 years at all. For 3 years they've been firm and wonderful. There was a group sale on here back then and I just did bought the whole vehicle kit then.

It's only been 3 years, but I recommend them (considering I've had the vehicle for 31 years and some sort of brake annoyance for about 15-20 of those I should have done it earlier).

 

There's nothing wrong with the stock calipers. They work fine on street cars and race cars. The biggest issue with them on race cars, and in high performance driving, is providing sufficient cooling for them. In the 60's and 70's, road racing rules required that stock calipers be used. Even today, most vintage racing organizations require Corvettes to use stock calipers. We've added cooling hoses and slotted rotors, to the 65 vintage racer I work on, but we still have to use stock J-56 calipers. We're also allowed to relocate the calipers behind the rotors, which we'll be doing this winter, and we also have special spacers for our calipers now, that will allow us to use thicker pads.

The big advantage to the 4 piston Wilwood's is the aluminum casting, which dissipates heat quicker, and weighs less than the stock cast iron caliper. An OEM caliper weigh 10.5 pounds, while the aluminum Wilwood D-8's, weigh just 6 pounds. From a high performance standpoint, saving 18 pounds of unsprung weight, is a big deal. I just don't know that if in normal driving situations, you'd see any advantage to the aluminum Wilwood D8-4 calipers, especially at over $350 each!

Wilwood also makes a 6 piston Corvette caliper, but it really doesn't offer any advantages over the 4 piston design, when used on the street. The D8-6 calipers use the same D-8 pads, as the stock Corvette calipers, so there's no increase in the contact patch. The main advantage, is that the 6 piston design provides more even pad pressure, and also reduces pad "taper", in high load or racing applications.

I wish we could use the aluminum Wilwoods on our Corvette vintage racer. The reduced weight and improved heat dissipation, would be an advantage on the race car, but I don't think you'd notice much of an improvement, in normal street use.

 

Been using a stock sized system with some upgrades for track days and they have worked really well. I've switched to SSBC & Wilwood calipers, VBP's aluminum front hubs, and fabricated some cooling ducts for the front. Still running the factory size 11.75" rotors all the way around.

Mainly started upgrading the brakes for improved heat dissipation after I warped a set of rotors ... oops. But now they can achieve 1g lap after lap on a road course using good street tires. Other than going to more modern materials and installing an anti-lockup device in the rear lines, the system is still basically the same configuration (rotor size, piston # & size) as was design many many years ago. GM got it right .

I can't see needing any more brake until I switch to R-compound or full out racing tires.

 

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I have stock SS VBP calipers at all 4 wheels since 1985 and have never had to bleed the brakes other than for a brake fluid change in 30 years...properly operating C3 brakes in good functioning condition are VERY reliable. If someone is having multiple repeat issues with the brake system, something is not right....

 

For street driving as long as everything is operating correctly all you need is a good set of pads and decent rotors.