Whats the difference, if any, in my coupe's brake calipers vs the Z06 calipers, other than the color red ?

 

YEP JUST THE COLOR

 

And a lower price from GM(economy of scale I guess)

 

The color is the only difference???

 

For the calipers the color is the ONLY difference. As delivered from the factory the Z06 uses a different pad material than the non-Z06 models, which combined with the lighter car and bigger tires gives it better braking.

 

So - I could bolt on Z06 calipers on my 01 coupe, get Z06 spec pads and have better brakes.

I'm not complaining about the stopping power in the coupe, but you gotta love the look of the red calipers.

Thanks.

 

Changing PADS will get you better braking.

Changing to Z06 calipers WILL NOT change your braking.

Larger WHEELS and TIRES will get you better braking.

The pads are the easiest way to achieve better braking at minimal cost. Switching to the Hawk HPS pads (for the street), for example, will improve braking because the pad material is "softer" than the OEM pads that came on your car. The "softer" pads are designed to generate more brake torque, and are more resitant to fading. The only downside to these pads is they will generate more brake dust than your OEM pads did.

Other than "bling factor" the Z06 calipers won't change your cars ability to brake ... They are the SAME calipers as you have now. Many people, to save money, have repainted their calipers to get the "bling factor" ... some have painted them red like the Z06, some have painted them colors such as silver or blue because they like the look of those colors with their paint scheme. NOTE: Black is actually the best "performance" color as it helps dissipate heat from the calipers better than any other color.

Changing to larger wheels and tires will enhance braking because you increase the contact patch of the tire with the road. Picture it this way ... supposing you could fit bicycle tires to your car .... how much contact patch would they have ??? between the four tires, maybe a couple of square inches of rubber on the road. Now fit tires like the Z06 comes equipped with. You have increased the total contact patch to something about the size of a standard 8 1/2 by 11 inch sheet of paper. Which contact patch will give you better grip for braking or cornering ???? Duhhhhh .... the big, soft Z06 tires (Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar tires - which are also a softer compound than the OEM runflats on the stock Z06 - and softer rubber grips the road better - but wears away faster).

Get it now ???????

 

Yeah, I got all that. But that wasn't what I asked. This is what I asked:

"So - I could bolt on Z06 calipers on my 01 coupe, get Z06 spec pads and have better brakes."

I guess your answer was a very long yes.

Thanks - take it easy...

 

mad dog don't go buy Z06 calipers

 

Thats the answer I was looking for ! All I have to do now is have mine powder coated RED !

Thanks guys !

 

When I did my brakes got a Duplicolor Caliper paint kit for about $12 at Pep Boys. Kit contains a can of high temperature caliper paint. a REAL CRAPPY BRUSH, a spray can of brake cleaner and instructions. With the pads removed and the pistons pushed back in I masked off the brake liine, bleeder valve and piston after thoroughly cleaning. Used a small parts brush in addition to the brake cleaner and really got the crap off of the caliper. Painted them about 4 or 5 times as the first coat or two still showed some spots not covered with paint. Did NOT paint the retainers as I think they look better NOT PAINTED. Let them air dry in the sun for a DAY. Next day replaced calipers and touched up any areas I scraped installing the pads and calipers. Waited a day or two and used a pen of white touch up paint to highlight the CORVETTE logo. That was over a year ago. They still look GREAT and total cost was my labor and about $12 bucks. I still have more than half a can of caliper paint left if i need to repeat the process in 4 or 5 years. BIGHANK

 

Very nice !! Looks like I'll be doing this when I get back from Cali vacation !