Anyone have a picture of the Z06 red calipers on a polo C4 with ZR1 rims?

 

The base C5s are powdercoated black, the base C6s are grey, the C5 z06s are red.

I didn't think the squeal would bother me that much, it does abit but the performance is worth it. You could try HP+s first on your stock calipers and I am sure it will stop just fine. However, I wasn't about to spend that much on pads and not just go the whole way. I mean 200$ pads and its about twice that to put together the whole kit, and I was going to stainless lines anyway so it made sense that once the caliper was off, to put a different one on and only do a MAJOR flush of the brake fluid one time. Not twice, things to consider....


Also, my car is meant for auto-x, HPDE, and hopefully someday the silverstate classic. And honestly, I've driven an early C4 with HP+ and it seemed to do fine on auto-x however, I was entering corners slower than my SM2 vette was. I prefer the braking power, I already have enough HP.

 

If that's powder it's the weakest stuff out there. It should just be a light glazing of paint.

 

Well the only calipers I've stripped were red C5s, and I assumed they were stock, but it was a powdercoat. But I trust you know what your are talking about.

 

I was about to rant about unnecessary brake upgrades, but the OP has 88+ brakes, which are notorious for losing their mojo. Obviously they weren't that way from the factory, but it's a very very common complaint and nobody has determined the cause yet.

 

The red Z06 calipers are powdered. The base ones and the C6 calipers are just a chincy paint.

 

I will add my complaint to the list. The brakes on my '94 vert SUCK! I love everything about the car, except the stinking brakes. I too am piecing together the parts for the C5 upgrade.

 

A while back I was part of a brake thread... most of the 88-89 guys complain their brakes suck... I can't stand the brakes on this car. I appreciate the advice on hp v.s. street/strip... you may be happy with your brakes but this is an upgrade i am doing no matter what anyone says. I was actually in the car today and had to make a quick stop, almost thought i was going to hit the car in front of me.

DG

 

Has anyone had any experiences with Lone Star Caliper Co. ??? They carry brakes specifically for vettes...
DG

 

You will probably pay more for them than just going to GM and buying new.

 

Ok, than ill just go to GM... I think the price was $101 through GMPARTSDIRECT.

Jeff,

Are you still offering the brackets for this setup?

DG

 

I would call our contact at Superior chevy first. GM Parts Direct.com sells stuff at stinking low prices .... with ludicrous shipping charges! It will be much cheaper to just call superior and I believe someone gave me their number.

Jeff, as for the zo6s being powdered, makes sense, they were a @#$ to strip down in my freezing *** cold garage last year.

 

Yeah, I don't really get why that happens. Spec wise, one would think they should be better than the single piston early brakes but whatever. I've heard your arguments before and I don't disagree, I'm sure until you actually adjust the bias properly (I'm sure the DRM spring is better than stock, but definitely not perfect) that you wouldn't see a huge difference in the brake upgrade performance area. I mean, the serious corvette auto-xer's use the early single pistons to save weight, clearly for that, they get the job done and the proof is in the pudding.

The main thing I tried to focus on is % improvement vs price. (This factored in my decision as well.)

.............................C4_____vs__ ___C5
replace calipers...140/pr_____vs_____200/pr
HP+ pads.............129/axle__vs_____122/axle
rotors.................100/pr____vs_____50/pr
adapter kit..........0_________vs_____100
(adapter prices on this may vary, this is what I paid for mine, and this is what the set for sale in the parts section is listed at right now.)

So you can't compare using your existing calipers for one reason. They are old and you are comparing against new C5s, it isn't apples to apples.

Secondly, and I consider this to be more important, they are 20 years old. If you are actually out beating on the car, even though everyone over looks them, calipers should be replaced before seizing, not the other way around.

So your first time loading the new calipers you're in the hole 103$ for brand new parts on both sides of the table. Replace your rotors/pads in a bit, and you save 50 over the C4 setup. That means in two brake changes you are now saving money compared to if you had the same condition parts (new) stock.

So fiscally, it makes sense. Cosmetically it makes sense. So even if it didn't make sense improvement wise, I would still do it based on the $$$ savings. That said, it is an improvement even with just the bias spring and thus why I still think it is a very worthy upgrade, even if the bias isn't completely optimized. Thus, I recommend it when people ask, I just don't guarantee huge gains in performance.

 

Thanks for the tip... If you could PM me the number that would be helpful... otherwise i can just google it.

DG

 

Superior Chevrolet.com

His phone number is 800 728-8267

 

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