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Ok, most of are aware of the larger rotors, the special caliper brackets, and the requirements for taller front wheels. But have not found a comprehensive explanation for the smaller pistons in the rear calipers…until now! Well, sorta…
The increase of the rear rotor diameter is disproportionately greater than the amount of increase of the front rotors. Accordingly, some have presumed the smaller pistons were intended to balance the brake bias. Seems reasonable, but it’s not the whole story. There was an underlying concern that this amount of bias variance might cause the “ice mode” in the C6.
The president of GM has yet to respond to my calls, so I have not been able to fact check this.
Most people that have switched to C6 Z51 brakes are still using their C5 rear calipers. The difference in bias shouldn't cause issues.
Probably in normal/most circumstances that should work. The concerns that are raised are panic stops where one or more tires become unweighted from a road surface imperfection causing the so-called ice mode.
Probably in normal/most circumstances that should work. The concerns that are raised are panic stops where one or more tires become unweighted from a road surface imperfection causing the so-called ice mode.
You're over-thinking this but good luck in your search for C6 Z51 rear calipers.
FWIW, my rear rotors are 14" Baers and calipers are oem C5 units.
You're over-thinking this but good luck in your search for C6 Z51 rear calipers.
FWIW, my rear rotors are 14" Baers and calipers are oem C5 units.
Yeah, I tend not to fart unless I know which way the wind is blowing tomorrow, lol. Real life experiences, such as yours, help define boundaries. .
Still, if there’s a chance my abs system will scramble during a panic stop, and that’s been documented many times on this forum, that gets my attention. Thing is these occurrences I am aware of were during track use, so rate of speed, suspensions, tires, and a variety of brake pad cocktails may/probably play a role. Take all those variables out, as in a normal-ish street setup, and the C6 Z51 might behave as GM intended. This is where discussion about the details helps my decision making along.
I run the Z51 front/rear setup with the stock C5 rear calipers. You can feel the rears start to engage a half-second early, but nothing that would be considered sizeable or out-of-the-ordinary. Car stops on a dime if I need it to.
You can buy reman C6 rear calipers on Rockauto. They arent inexpensive.
C6 Z51 Brake Conversion to C5
