i'm finally going to brake down and replace my stock brakes with an aftermarket system. which is best? baer...brembo...or other. i've only seen the baer kit in mid america catalog. give me your opinions and if you have a link post it please.

thanks in advance


bill

 

http://www.precisionbrakescompany.com/index.html\

i like the Wilwood setups, just as good as Baer but they're not as well known so they aren't as outragiously priced

 

I would probably go with Wilwood.

 

url not working.

 

When I get ready to go with the large 4 or 6 piston fixed caliper front brakes I will check out Precision Brakes. They seem to have kits for all years of the C4 which is what has drawn my attention. Many of the big brake sellers only offer these type of kits for the later C4's. Try this address to their web site or search for Precision Brakes Company.
www.precisionbrakescompany.com

Brian

 

I dont know if it was hype but the C4-C5 brake conversion showed promising results in Corvette Fever. DRM has data (I dont know how reliable) on stopping distances with various packages. You can compare this data with what Corvette Fever got and make up your own mind. BTW, if you have the right wheels, the C4-C5 conversion is way less. I am not sure but even if you dont have C5 wheels or GS offset wheels, you can use spacers to give you room.

http://corvettefever.com/techarticle..._vette_brakes/

There is a guy on the forum who makes the adapters for the C5 conversion (Eddie Salinas) and will even point out a good place to get Z06 calipers for cheap. I planned on doing this conversion and if later I need more, I was going to use a C5 upgrade caliper. My 2 centavos.

 

My current Brembo / Stillen 4 piston setup is for sale (C4 parts section). I bought a larger 6 piston setup from MOVIT.de

 

I think the first question you have to ask yourself is what do you intend to do with the car?

If you want slightly improved braking for the street, a simple pad upgrade is fine. something like PFC Z-rated pads.

If you want a little more, you can swap up to GS calipers and 13" rotors on front or move to a C5 setup.

If you do autocross, any of the above setups will work very well.

If you want to do roadracing, the above setups will work up to a point as long as you install cooling ducts, but if you want to get serious with it, you'll need to go with a full race-ready caliper up front and maybe a rear upgrade.

If you just want something that looks cool, then it really doesn't matter -- just make sure you don't end up with something that works great and stops terribly or unbalances the car.

I have the Wilwood 6-piston GN3 front setup from DRM with my front calipers relocated to the rear. I ran it for the first time at Road America earlier this year and it's simply amazing! Let me be clear, though, for the street or autocross, there's ABSOLUTELY NO REASON to go with a setup like this (aside from the fact that it looks cool ) My car is about 20% track and 80% street. This kit is probably overkill, but I got a great deal on it so I'm happy.

Overall cost for my setup was:
DRM Wilwood GN3 Calipers, brackets, rotors, hats, brackets and lines $1100 (I got a super deal buying the kit slightly used from someone who didn't like it for the street). The normal price is around $2000
Rear mounting brackets (to relocate front calipers) $450 from Melrose T-Tops. DRM also sells them, but cost is slightly higher.


Other considerations:

Pad and rotor costs. Many of the aftermarket systems use larger rotors which can be more expensive. Conversely, some of them (like the C5 setups) use rotors and pads that are even cheaper than stock C4 parts. Make sure you consider the full operating cost in your decision.

Modifications to the vehicle. Some of the aftermarket kits require cutting or modification to suspension parts. For example, the DRM kit requires cutting the mounting ears off the spindles. No big deal unless you want to switch back to stock at some point.

Wheel fitment. Many of the large 4 or 6 piston aftermarket calipers won't fit behind sawblade wheels.

Brake Bias. Whenever you alter the force % between front and rear, you change the braking balance. To do it right, you'll need a bias valve so you can fine-tune the setup. I don't have one on mine, but I really need one; that's my next mod. ABS will pretty much save you from a severe incident (like rear brakes locking up), but the car won't feel right and you won't get the full potential from your expensive upgrade. If you're just doing a minor upgrade like a C5 kit, it's not a real issue.

master cylinder. You MAY need to get a larger master cylinder if you go with a very large caliper. I'm still using the stock one, but it's really up to personal preference -- pedel position and firmness.

Parking brake. Most of the aftermarket kits cause you to lose the parking brake. I personally don't care, but some do. Several companies offer add-on parking brake kits, but they're not cheap.

Who will do the work? If you're going to have someone else do the install, make sure you get a good estimate first. There will likely be several minor things nobody told you about which will add hours / cost.

 

One of the vendors here also makes conversions at http://www.electro-dynamics.com/

I think I'm gonna wait for the availability of the C6 Z06 calipers...then I can still have an emergency brake. Get a nice 2-piece rotor...bias controller...have a brake system that stops on a dime and gives you 9 1/2 cents change back.

All the upgraded brakes need to have clearance...so if you don't have wheels that will work, you'll need to change them as well. May as well get 18", as the performance tires are going to go away in 17" soon...didn't take long before everyone dropped 16" tires like a hot rock.

What you need to be aware of with the racing setups is they typically don't have dust boots, etc. on the pistons for road driving. In racing applications, the boots are burned away so they don't bother with them. What will happen is you'll get contamination in the lines and possibly scored piston liners. Racers don't have this problem as we typically bleed systems out after every event, so I have new fluid in my brakes all the time.

MarkBychowski hit the nail on the head with his post...more issues than JUST the brakes to be considered when upgrading the system. I have 18" wheels/tires already, so I have no clearance issues there. I already have the bias spring installed, so that isn't an issue RIGHT NOW. But when you go from a 2-piston to a 4-piston, the bias will completely change, so a bias valve will need to be installed.

Depending on the size of the pistons...you will need to replace the master cylinder....it's all the little things that get you.

 

good luck getting any thing from Electro-dynamics. Been waiting over 4 months for C5 to late C4 front brake adapters. Blames the hold up on heat treating. Everytime I call he tells me 2 weeks. They don't take credit card so I had to send a check. Now I am out $285 bucks! NEVER deal this this company!

 

After comparing some Wilwood and Baer rotors side by side, I must say, I was impressed with the Baers.