I have just purchased a 1997 vette from a friend. He needed to sell and it was too good a deal to pass up. I decided to keep it and want to do some mods. I know this year isn't the best year to buy for the C5, but it was what came up and it is a real low mileage, clean car. So I would like to upgrade it as much as possible for my other half to have as her own vette.

With this in mind, the first area I would like to upgrade is the brake package. I have seen many threads on the upgrade of C5 brake set up to C6 Z06 brake set up. There seems to be some confusion as to the years that are compatible, rotors that are not correct, and some questions as to what brackets (if any) are needed. Has this all been cleared up? Does anyone have a complete parts list of what is needed?

Next, what sway bars a decent upgrade. I know she wants to learn how to drive it more aggressively and wants to do amateur local auto cross events. This vette has the F45 (early adjustable shocks). All shocks are functioning and are in great shape. Should I keep them or take them off?

Any advice on some upgrades would be very helpful.


Thanks,

Bob D.

 

There is/was an thread about using the front break calipers on the rear of the car.. you get the "Big brake" look w/o the cost

 

Great. No parking brake and a brake system that's well out of balance. But I guess it looks good, so there's that.

Doesn't stop any better.



OP, what are you really looking for here? A stable platform that a novice can start autocrossing with is what you're indicated.

C6 z06 brakes are only a marginal upgrade at best. There are some really good brake upgrades that are not much more expensive if you really want to go that route. And bear in mind that with either the C6 brakes or a big brake kit you'll automatically be knocked right out of any stock class in any Autocross that you show up at. Are you ready for that? With a novice?

The C5 has really good brakes as it is. The best thing you can do is flush and replace all of the fluid with good quality fluid, put on some really good pads that don't need a lot of heat to bite well, and some cheap rotors. You'll be good to go. More autocross championships than you know where won with that formula.

There are a lot of things you can spend money on where it will be spent well even with a novice driver. A big brake setup is just a poor investment if you have a novice driver. Don't get yourself kicked out of stock classes until you're ready.

Before you spend a dime I'd sit down and make clear goals about where you want to end. Not a parts list, a list of what you want to do with the car. If that's autocrossing I'd go through the autocross forum and look at all the build threads that are already here. Then ask some questions (as you're doing here) and then spend your money.

 

I've seen posts with the info so it is here. The brakes from any C6 should bolt to a C5.

C5Z06 or C6Z51 sway bars are a good upgrade. The C6Z51 bars are a cheap upgrade at about $200 for the set.


Never done it or apparently even seen the info about it yet you can make 3 wrong comments about it. The first comment is 100% wrong since the e-brake still works. The people who have done it will tell you the other two comments are wrong. At least one poster who did it tracks his car and had no balance issues.

 

Sox-Fan said it best:
Before you spend a dime I'd sit down and make clear goals about where you want to end. Not a parts list, a list of what you want to do with the car. If that's autocrossing I'd go through the autocross forum and look at all the build threads that are already here. Then ask some questions (as you're doing here) and then spend your money.

I did the C6Z06 brake upgrade, no issues and was not a difficult task.

Make sure you have a clear expectations of what you want to achieve before you start to spend your $$.

 

The other poster that said to list (i.e. define your goals) is spot on. To help a bit, if it is appearance you are seeking, then go to a Corvette show and shine and see what others have done.
If performance, then fix what you have, there is not a thing wrong with the brake package on a C5 for someone just getting into either AutoX or HPDE. Once you have some SEAT TIME in one of these, the mods you need to make will become glaringly apparent. I've been doing about 10 HPDE events a year for the past several years, and am still using the calipers that were put on the car at the assembly plant. Now they have been rebuilt a bunch of times, and rebuild kits are cheap. I have a mountain of cracked rotors and worn pads.

If you want a real performance brake kit, not just one that looks good, get ready to shell out $2k and even more for pads. The performance hobby is not cheap.

Unless you are a seasoned auto-xer or HPDE participant, you would not be able to tell if you did anything to either suspension or brakes.

 

Ah, you haven't done it, but you saw a post about it on the internet, so of course it's right.

 

I have done it and been running them for almost a year and about 8K miles. No issues on my 99 coupe. Plenty of info and threads on it. Looks great and stock.
Chris

 

I think I may need to clarify some stuff. The local little autocross events that my girl wants to participate in are not real big events. There are a couple of different classes from what I understand. I don't partake in them, however I don't mind hitting the triple digits at Lime Rock Park in Lakeville. I want this car to performance very nicely. I also want the thing to stop very well. The brakes on the car now are okay, but I am not a fan of them and thought that if I am going to spend money to fix something, why not make it not only right, but better if possible. I looked at the prices of some of the brake kits and feel that with the C6 brakes not being real expensive, it would be a doable upgrade. As for the suspension, I feel that while under the vette, it wouldn't hurt to do some nice sways.

I want this car to not only perform well for her to use to do events, but also for her to use as a driver to go to shows with. This will be her first corvette. I just want her to be happy. You guys know how it works, IF SHE IS HAPPY - SHE WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY. This is my third so I am hoping not to have to find a forth. HAHA

 

Hey Cutlass,

Can you give me a parts list to go by?

 

What aren't you happy about regarding the stock brakes? Have you tried a different, more aggressive pad before you spend time and money on all new brakes?

It sounds to me like you just want to do it, so yeah, go ahead and do it. But the stock brakes on a C5 are pretty damn good, and if they aren't working well for you I'd think there's a problem.

 

I am just asking questions as to not get wrong parts. I am not here to offend anyone and I have not offended anyone. I own the newer vettes and like the brakes on them. I like the feel and the stopping power. I just feel that if she is going to get aggressive with this car that the newer systems are a little better. Again, why I do not like the system or what is wrong with it, is not really important. I do appreciate everyone trying to save my money, but this car is going to be around for a long time and I feel that the investment into a braking system that she is comfortable with would be better. She drives the 2013 all the time and likes how the brakes feel. This will be her car and again, I just want her happy with it. If there is a problem with having her happy with this car, let me know.

BY THE WAY, LOVE THE PINK.

 

Thanks! The car's actually silver, but MS Paint is great!

I haven't driven a C7 so I can't compare the stopping power.

All things being equal, though, upgrading the braking components themselves won't really get you as far as you might want. The ability of a vehicle to stop (the first time) is dependent on tire grip. The next thing which comes into play is the pad material, which determines how much 'bite' you get when you press the pedal. After that its the caliper/rotor combo to determine how much pressure it can apply, but just about any car can lock up the brakes.

Bigger brakes just lock up the tires easier. If you don't have more traction, it won't really stop any quicker. They are better for heat dissipation and if you're doing a lot of road course driving with a lot of hard braking, then the investment might pay off.

I think adding a 'big brake' package by itself might disappoint you if your tires are the problem or if you chose the wrong pads for the big brakes.

I would honestly look more into better tires and newer, more aggressive pads and see if that provides the feel you're looking for.

Again, though, it really seems to me like you're set on buying new brakes. If so, go for it. Nobody here will say don't spend your money if you want to spend it.

 

I'm the one who posted the rotor dimensions and suggested HOW to do it AND keep the E-brake for the people who were wanting to do the swap. So, you are just continuing to post clueless crap.

 

Our '11 GS has the C6Zo6 calipers and being a street-use car, the main problem with that brake package is the fact that you can only get metallic compounds for the padlets. That means lots of dust for just street driving. The OEM pads give off lots of red dust and if you take a long trip, you have a big mess on your hands. There really is not a low dust option for them, no matter what Hawk or Carbotech says. Now stopping power, that is a different story. The OEM metallics that produce the red dust have good cold stopping power, as do the Hawk Ceramics and the Carbotech "low dust option". My experience with them is this: while the OEM pads make a red mess, water and rain will remove the mess. With the after market semi-metallics, the dust produced will etch exposed aluminum and make little pits. If you put them behind C5 wheels, you may fare a little better, as the wheels on C5's are either painted aluminum, or clear-coated polished aluminum. If you go to a chrome plated aftermarket wheel, be prepared for a bare wheel drum and a place for pitting.

I would also challenge whether the C6 package really outperforms a C5 on a C5 for street conditions. Hard to tell unless your butt-o-meter or foot-o-meter has been calibrated to 99.99% accuracy.

I have never heard of an accident with a C5 where the brakes were indicted as the root cause of the accident. The C5 OEM package has mucho stopping power.

And another word of caution. Your 97 has an ABS module that is nearly impossible to replace if the current one goes south. If you fiddle with brake parts and change the braking power relationship from front to rear, you my find yourself is a situation where the ABS activates in situations where it ordinarily would not. THEN, if the module decides to puke its guts, you will no longer have ABS until years later when you finally find a working used module. the going market price for a working used one is currently $1500 or more.

My advice: don't fool with sumpin dat ain't broke.

One final note. If you answered the quiz question: do brakes stop the car from moving? as TRUE you would have missed the question. The answer is the tires. In any street condition, your tires will give up and ABS will try to take over to keep you on the road, but it is always the tires that determine if body work is needed.

So, if you really want to make your C5 a good car, put a good set of Michelin AS ZP PS tires, go thru the brakes, new fluid flush the old stuff out, rebuild the calipers, inspect and lube the guide pins, get some new Raybestos rotors and you will have one heck of a brake system.

I have attached a list of all part associated with rebuilding C5 calipers, which I think for your stated purpose are sufficient. If you want bling, pull them off and have them powder coated to match the car. Do the bracket too; part of them show as well. then for suspension, a good alignment will help as well. I've attached the PFADT alignment guide, a street performance alignment will make the car feel like it is on rails and should be good on tires even with stock sway bars.

Enjoy. C5's are great cars!