C4 Tech/Performance L98 Corvette and LT1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine

C5 Brake up grade question.

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 12:27 AM
  #1  
vetteguy22's Avatar
vetteguy22
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
Photogenic
 
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,160
Likes: 23
From: Prescott AZ
Default C5 Brake up grade question.

Hi guys,
I've been looking at different brake set ups for my car (1993 ZR1). I see that some guys are using the C5 brakes. Doesn't look like much of an upgrade from my ZR1 set up, but was just curious if they can use the C5 brakes because the C4 and C5 spindles are the same size?
Thanks
Reply
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 12:43 AM
  #2  
Coupe89's Avatar
Coupe89
Melting Slicks
20 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
Photogenic
 
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 3,494
Likes: 36
From: Livermore Ca
St. Jude Donor '05-'06
Default

Need brackets for the C5 calipers on a C4.
I had the C5 calipers upgrade on my 89. Big difference in stopping power
Reply
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 01:13 AM
  #3  
vetteguy22's Avatar
vetteguy22
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
Photogenic
 
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,160
Likes: 23
From: Prescott AZ
Default

Thanks coupe89. When you say brackets, am I to assume you are referring to the caliper mounting brackets. If so, I thought that would be the case. What I was really curious about is are the spindles the same so that the C5 rotor will fit directly onto the C4 spindle?
Reply
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 07:08 AM
  #4  
VetteMed's Avatar
VetteMed
Le Mans Master
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 7,392
Likes: 216
From: Merritt Island, FL
Default

The rotor slips right on to the hub, same as the C4 rotor. It's the caliper mounting that requires the bracket.

Last edited by VetteMed; Feb 15, 2012 at 07:10 AM.
Reply
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 09:04 AM
  #5  
c4cruiser's Avatar
c4cruiser
Team Owner
20 Year Member
Veteran: Army
 
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 34,873
Likes: 487
From: Lacey WA RVN 68-69
NCM Sinkhole Donor
Default

Your car should have the J55 big brake package. The rotors are already 13" in diameter. Have you tried different pads to get improved braking performance?

Also, the OEM "sawblade" wheels will not clear the C5 caliper without some grinding of the outside edges of the C5 caliper or removal of some wheel material where the wheel center meets the rim. It's easier to go to a set of the ZR-1/Grand Sport 5-spoke wheels.

The "brackets" are a custom piece that bolts to the knuckle and the C5 caliper abutment (mounting) brackets bolt to those. That additional bracket provides the necessary offset for the C5 caliper and rotor.

Figure on something like $700 to $750 for a C5 conversion package.

Look at this post and scroll down to the part numbers and pics.

Last edited by c4cruiser; Feb 15, 2012 at 09:10 AM.
Reply
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 09:25 AM
  #6  
jaa1992's Avatar
jaa1992
Le Mans Master
25 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 7,999
Likes: 14
From: Life is just one big track event. Everything before and after is prep and warm-up and cool-down laps
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
St. Jude Donor '12
Default

For street driving, autocross and HPDE track sessions your J55's are adequate!
If you do a lot of braking from 125+ down to 45 then you can find the inadaquacies with them.
I run Carbotech xp12/10 on mine that sees a LOT of track time. I'm starting to get tired of caliper spread and constantly replacing calipers. So I'm going big brakes, probably a willwood 6 pot for the front and a 4 pot for the rear.

The C5 brakes are slightly better than the J55, takes a little longer to spread the caliper. In my case it costs the same amount of points to go C5 brakes or willwood brakes. For me its a no-brainer to go willwood.
Reply
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 11:14 AM
  #7  
vetteguy22's Avatar
vetteguy22
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
Photogenic
 
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,160
Likes: 23
From: Prescott AZ
Default

Originally Posted by jaa1992
For street driving, autocross and HPDE track sessions your J55's are adequate!
If you do a lot of braking from 125+ down to 45 then you can find the inadaquacies with them.
I run Carbotech xp12/10 on mine that sees a LOT of track time. I'm starting to get tired of caliper spread and constantly replacing calipers. So I'm going big brakes, probably a willwood 6 pot for the front and a 4 pot for the rear.

The C5 brakes are slightly better than the J55, takes a little longer to spread the caliper. In my case it costs the same amount of points to go C5 brakes or willwood brakes. For me its a no-brainer to go willwood.
Thanks guys,
I've got to agree with you on the willwood. That is what I was planning on going with also. I do plan on seeing quite a bit of track time.
Thanks,
Rob
Reply
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 02:36 PM
  #8  
Carbotech Adam's Avatar
Carbotech Adam
Supporting Vendor
20 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 50,279
Likes: 518
From: Cleveland OH
St. Jude Donor '11,'13
Default

Originally Posted by vetteguy22
Thanks guys,
I've got to agree with you on the willwood. That is what I was planning on going with also. I do plan on seeing quite a bit of track time.
Thanks,
Rob
I will be happy to help you with track pads for your application.
__________________
Adam Adelstein
Email: adam@ctbrakes.com
Web: Carbotech – CT Brakes






Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-2

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-3

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-4

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-5

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
story-6

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski
story-7

10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!

 Joe Kucinski
story-9

2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!

 Joe Kucinski
Old Feb 15, 2012 | 04:57 PM
  #9  
vetteguy22's Avatar
vetteguy22
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
Photogenic
 
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,160
Likes: 23
From: Prescott AZ
Default

Thanks Adam.
I'll probably be getting in touch with you when I get to that point.
Rob
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To C5 Brake up grade question.





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:22 PM.

story-0
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-1
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-2
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-4
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-5
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE
story-6
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-24 16:12:42


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!

Slideshow: 10 major Corvette problems from the last 20 years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-14 16:37:05


VIEW MORE
story-8
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!

Slideshow: 5 most and least popular Corvette model years.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-08 13:25:01


VIEW MORE
story-9
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette buyer's guide

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-17 16:41:08


VIEW MORE