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Hi fellow C4 owners, I have a question. I want to upgrade my front brakes to C5 brakes. I know there are "everything included" kits available for around $1000 or more. The issue I have is I can buy C5 calipers, rotors, and pads for less than $500, and I would only be missing the adapter plate needed for mounting the C5 brakes on the C4. Does anyone know where I can get just the mounting hardware?
This is the way I put my C5 brake kit together as well. I found someone selling rebuilt calipers w/ the adapters for $250 on Ebay. After buying rotors, pads and SS brake lines I think I was at $500 or less for the whole deal.
Hi fellow C4 owners, I have a question. I want to upgrade my front brakes to C5 brakes. I know there are "everything included" kits available for around $1000 or more. The issue I have is I can buy C5 calipers, rotors, and pads for less than $500, and I would only be missing the adapter plate needed for mounting the C5 brakes on the C4. Does anyone know where I can get just the mounting hardware?
do you have front 13" j55 brkes?
if so, then c5 brakes are not really an upgrade.
the c5 supposed 'upgrade' brake rotors Are actually smaller in diamter thAn c4 j55 13".
there are some people that claim more pad 'swept area', but i dont buy it. no one has ever posted any stopping distance results showing an improvement from j55 c4 13" front brakes vs c5 12.75" front brakes - at least outfitted with similar equipment.
some people mention the c5 brake rotors are wider, heavier. but im not into that school of thought - just an unsprung weight adder.
if you Are making the effort to improve the brakes id see what it takes to convert to c6 z06 brakes or something of the like for a real improvrment
if thats not feasible and you Are on c4 12's rotors, id just upgrade to j55s /hawk pads /stainless braided hoses / drm brake bias spring and be done with it. along with regular bleeding of fluid to get any water out of the system that would otherwise significantly lowers brake fluids boiling point
c5 brakes is an outdated concept. this is what you did here 12 years ago when the c6 z06 brakes didnt exist and the j55 parts were stupid expensive for some reason.
the c5 supposed 'upgrade' brake rotors Are actually smaller in diamter thAn c4 j55 13".
there are some people that claim more pad 'swept area', but i dont buy it. no one has ever posted any stopping distance results showing an improvement from j55 c4 13" front brakes vs c5 12.75" front brakes - at least outfitted with similar equipment.
some people mention the c5 brake rotors are wider, heavier. but im not into that school of thought - just an unsprung weight adder.
if you Are making the effort to improve the brakes id see what it takes to convert to c6 z06 brakes or something of the like for a real improvrment
if thats not feasible and you Are on c4 12's rotors, id just upgrade to j55s /hawk pads /stainless braided hoses / drm brake bias spring and be done with it. along with regular bleeding of fluid to get any water out of the system that would otherwise significantly lowers brake fluids boiling point
c5 brakes is an outdated concept. this is what you did here 12 years ago when the c6 z06 brakes didnt exist and the j55 parts were stupid expensive for some reason.
(sorry for my rant. i have an opinion)
I have the regular 12" rotors. Not real big on the J55 idea, for basically the same reason as you aren't big on the idea of C5 brakes. J55 is even older than C5 brakes. But honestly, I'll probably go with C6 brakes as I can get 2010 Z06 brakes for around $700.
Last edited by 1stVetteFinally; 02-07-2016 at 03:59 PM.
I have the regular 12" rotors. Not real big on the J55 idea, for basically the same reason as you aren't big on the idea of C5 brakes. J55 is even older than C5 brakes. But honestly, I'll probably go with C6 brakes as I can get 2010 Z06 brakes for around $700.
smart choice.
i would have done this already, but i do believe they wont work with my 17" wheels. at this time im not willing to invest all the money in new wheels/tires and brake parts to make this happen.
however this is what i will eventually do.
that said, i am wondering how those parts will work with stock abs parts. my 93 abs system, for example is not as good as later yeAr systems (1995 got some improvements in the abs/asr system).
There have been alot of people that do the c5 upgrade and love it. With some many people to attest for it, it has to be an improvement. Swept area definitely has a large impact on braking ability. Swept area=surface area. More surface area=more friction. And more friction=better braking. It's definitely not as good as c6z06 but you have to have 18" wheels which most don't have and with those calipers you'll probably have to get larger rear brakes to balance it properly and then the e brake situation becomes a mess.
Not trying to be a jerk (its your money and car, you do what you want) but unless your doing track days/auto-x you REALLY do not need bigger brakes. The base 12" setup is perfectly fine for street use. Just add some good pads and fluid. TIRES determine more so than the brakes how fast a car can stop.
At highways speeds my J55 setup with Ferodo DS2500 pads and Wilwood 570 WILL get into ABS operation under a panic stop. I DO NOT need bigger brakes for street use than that. The tires are running out of grip and last I checked Bridgestone RE71R's are pretty sticky. Shoot this setup has worked just fine at the auto-x and track days I have done. I don't brake early either, late and hard.
Also bigger brakes do not necessarily mean shorter stopping distances see above on tires....they have the ability to absorb more heat and for longer periods of time. As the Corvette has got more HP it has also got bigger brakes, funny how that works.
I suggest more research into braking systems and the science behind it before opening your wallet.
Not trying to be a jerk (its your money and car, you do what you want) but unless your doing track days/auto-x you REALLY do not need bigger brakes. The base 12" setup is perfectly fine for street use. Just add some good pads and fluid. TIRES determine more so than the brakes how fast a car can stop.
At highways speeds my J55 setup with Ferodo DS2500 pads and Wilwood 570 WILL get into ABS operation under a panic stop. I DO NOT need bigger brakes for street use than that. The tires are running out of grip and last I checked Bridgestone RE71R's are pretty sticky. Shoot this setup has worked just fine at the auto-x and track days I have done. I don't brake early either, late and hard.
Also bigger brakes do not necessarily mean shorter stopping distances see above on tires....they have the ability to absorb more heat and for longer periods of time. As the Corvette has got more HP it has also got bigger brakes, funny how that works.
I suggest more research into braking systems and the science behind it before opening your wallet.
i agree with 93rubie, bigger discs have the ability to absorb and dissipate heat better.
while we are on the subject of brakes here is an interesting quote from EBC,
Talking rotors, a good quality non grooved rotor is always good, someone said elsewhere on this forum that slots do NOTHING well they are ALMOST right and people who advertise a slotted rotor and increasing brake strength need to come meet me and I will hand them $1000 if they can show me that a slotted rotor with no other changes stops cars faster, simple physics says it cant but what a slotted rotor CAN DO and its biggest advantage is........
KEEP THE PADS FLAT AND SMOOTH and prevent record grooving so you get a nice flat pad surface thoughout pad life. The wider slots on our GD series DOES also help cooling and thats why almost EVERY Police force in the UK uses EBC yellow and EBC GD series rotors in their chase cars and they tried everyones stuff. We are the only Company to have passed the infamous MET TEST named after the London Metropolitan Police test which is more severe than any FMVSS or BEEP or European R90 transport authority brake safety test.
We are just finishing up getting TUV on our sport rotors and know what they WOULD NOT pass these sport rotors on their own as they said the slots "downgraded the brake", what they DID AGREE to approve and we now have the largest number of German TUV test approvals ( the holy grail ABE certificates) is for the EBC HIGH FRICTION PAD AND ROTOR COMBINATION. So you drop the brake effect (whilst improving cooling and flat pad wear) with the slots in the rotor and bring it way back UP with a high friction pad and bingo, a good combo brake.
i agree with 93rubie, bigger discs have the ability to absorb and dissipate heat better.
while we are on the subject of brakes here is an interesting quote from EBC,
Talking rotors, a good quality non grooved rotor is always good, someone said elsewhere on this forum that slots do NOTHING well they are ALMOST right and people who advertise a slotted rotor and increasing brake strength need to come meet me and I will hand them $1000 if they can show me that a slotted rotor with no other changes stops cars faster, simple physics says it cant but what a slotted rotor CAN DO and its biggest advantage is........
KEEP THE PADS FLAT AND SMOOTH and prevent record grooving so you get a nice flat pad surface thoughout pad life. The wider slots on our GD series DOES also help cooling and thats why almost EVERY Police force in the UK uses EBC yellow and EBC GD series rotors in their chase cars and they tried everyones stuff. We are the only Company to have passed the infamous MET TEST named after the London Metropolitan Police test which is more severe than any FMVSS or BEEP or European R90 transport authority brake safety test.
We are just finishing up getting TUV on our sport rotors and know what they WOULD NOT pass these sport rotors on their own as they said the slots "downgraded the brake", what they DID AGREE to approve and we now have the largest number of German TUV test approvals ( the holy grail ABE certificates) is for the EBC HIGH FRICTION PAD AND ROTOR COMBINATION. So you drop the brake effect (whilst improving cooling and flat pad wear) with the slots in the rotor and bring it way back UP with a high friction pad and bingo, a good combo brake.
Hope this all helps guys
ebc brake pads are absolute garbage.
they are not in the same league as hawk.
i had ebc greenstuff (i read about their superior initial bite - figured thatd be good for panic stops) and they would completely fade out before the vehicle even came to a stop from a single 80 mph stop.
they also wore completely fast.
i now run hawk hp plus and, while dirty and squeaky when cold, are superior to anything ebc has.
Ok, so what do you people think I ought to do? $500 for C5 brakes, or $700 for C6 brakes?
If you can fit the 14" C6Z06 stuff under your wheels and you can live with the cost of replacement parts...that is route I would go. You'll NEVER fade that setup with stock hp levels, good pads, and fluid. Unless you do something really dumb like drag the brakes.
i had ebc greenstuff (i read about their superior initial bite - figured thatd be good for panic stops) and they would completely fade out before the vehicle even came to a stop from a single 80 mph stop.
they also wore completely fast.
i now run hawk hp plus and, while dirty and squeaky when cold, are superior to anything ebc has.
i do not recommend any ebc brake to anyone
I wasnt advertising EBC as being the best, I was making reference to the results of using the slotted rotors and even pad wear.
I have the regular 12" rotors. Not real big on the J55 idea, for basically the same reason as you aren't big on the idea of C5 brakes. J55 is even older than C5 brakes. But honestly, I'll probably go with C6 brakes as I can get 2010 Z06 brakes for around $700.
Those don't look like Z06 brake calipers... and they're WAYY cheap for C6Z calipers.
I'll echo what 93Rubie said, unless you're beating it up out there, you don't need to upgrade your calipers and rotors, pads will be the way to increase your initial bite, which is what most people assume is braking power anyways.
C5 brakes are thicker, and do have higher thermal capacity than C4J55 brakes. I can't quantify how much more, but there's more. The C6Z brakes obviously have more thermal capacity still, and being a monoblock design are more efficient, but at the price point C6Z brakes are at (typically $1k+), you're better served to get a big brake kit from Wilwood or someone like that. C6Z caliper has some pretty dramatic issues with the bolts in the calipers seizing up or falling off, and pads aren't exactly cheap. When people track prep a C6Z or GS, that's usually one of he first things to go.
I never had issues with my C6GS's calipers on track, thankfully. I ran StopTech street pads, and they worked great. Good fade resistance, great stopping power, and less dust than the OEMs. A little noisy though (so were the OEMs though).
Those don't look like Z06 brake calipers... and they're WAYY cheap for C6Z calipers.
I'll echo what 93Rubie said, unless you're beating it up out there, you don't need to upgrade your calipers and rotors, pads will be the way to increase your initial bite, which is what most people assume is braking power anyways.
C5 brakes are thicker, and do have higher thermal capacity than C4J55 brakes. I can't quantify how much more, but there's more. The C6Z brakes obviously have more thermal capacity still, and being a monoblock design are more efficient, but at the price point C6Z brakes are at (typically $1k+), you're better served to get a big brake kit from Wilwood or someone like that. C6Z caliper has some pretty dramatic issues with the bolts in the calipers seizing up or falling off, and pads aren't exactly cheap. When people track prep a C6Z or GS, that's usually one of he first things to go.
I never had issues with my C6GS's calipers on track, thankfully. I ran StopTech street pads, and they worked great. Good fade resistance, great stopping power, and less dust than the OEMs. A little noisy though (so were the OEMs though).
And again, I do short track race my car. And on top of that, I have over heated my stock 12 rotor brakes with just "spirited" driving on the back roads here. Not to the point of failing, but enough where I was saying "OH ****" as I was mashing the brake petal as hard as I could as I was approaching a "T" intersection.
Also, I'm not dead set on the C6 brakes, which is why I asked "Ok, so what do you people think I ought to do? $500 for C5 brakes, or $700 for C6 brakes?". I'm far from being rich, or even well off. So $200 definitely matters. I only want to spend the money if the results justify the costs.
Last edited by 1stVetteFinally; 02-14-2016 at 03:07 PM.
And again, I do short track race my car. And on top of that, I have over heated my stock 12 rotor brakes with just "spirited" driving on the back roads here. Not to the point of failing, but enough where I was saying "OH ****" as I was mashing the brake petal as hard as I could as I was approaching a "T" intersection.
Also, I'm not dead set on the C6 brakes, which is why I asked "Ok, so what do you people think I ought to do? $500 for C5 brakes, or $700 for C6 brakes?". I'm far from being rich, or even well off. So $200 definitely matters. I only want to spend the money if the results justify the costs.
If you search the O'reilly website using only the caliper part # 18B5006 or 18B5007 you'll see that these calipers are "base c6" calipers and there's images top, front, side rear etc displayed. You can use the 18B5006 or 18B5007 part numbers to compare to others also such as Amazon or whatever. You don't have cores either for the reman product. Make sure you understand what it is that you're buying/pricing.
I believe I'd be maybe more interested in some "confirmed" low mile "take-offs" that were "LOCAL". A WTB in the C6 section might accomplish much.
02-07-2016, 08:46 AM
Brake Upgrade Question
