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Seems like the base C7 brakes are pretty stout. I know it may be a little early but anyone have any idea if the mounting brackets on the C7 are in the same location as the C5 & C6? Seems like this could become a pretty popular upgrade for the C5's and base C6 models.
For anyone interested I continue to toss time and money down the rabbit hole. I am now in possession of a brand new set of C7 front and rear knuckles thanks to a great ebay deal. I am preparing to start the dimensional analysis to see what is possible. Perhaps the front knuckles can be retrofitted. At first glance the steering arm looks a little longer but not sure yet. If the geometry is close I'll attempt to install it and see where the caster,camber, toe, and track are at. The rear knuckle is nothing like the front. Instead of the steering arm there is a protruding boss for the tie rod link. The ball joint attachment point is a small taper pin of 6° so the C5 rods/joints won't work without modification. Custom tie rods are certainly possible. The knuckle could also be reamed to fit the standard ball joint but I don't want to modify the knuckles really. Using the rear knuckle also presents a real problem with the C5/6 parking brake. The tie rod boss blocks the access to the e-brake lever on the backing plate. I have considered using the C7 brake assembly and just making a custom cable that goes through the C7 knuckle as originally designed. That would allow the use of the stock C7 rear rotor.. a plus. Another option would be to use the front Knuckle in the rear as on the C5/6. It would need some work to acomodate a parking brake bracket but thats doable. It would also mean a custom bracket to mount the brake caliper. Well thats where I'm at.
I must say I am a little disappointed that no one is jumping in here. On most street rod boards there are tons of skilled designers, fabricators, mechanics, and machinists that are chomping at the bit to do something out of the ordinary and challenging. And they are typically happy to share their knowlege and experience, especially if it keeps someone from doing something stupid. So far I have only had one person offer any relevant information and that was very limited. Well I'll continue to be the guinnea pig and let those of you interested know what becomes of this. Not giving up yet ...
Edmunds said that was the biggest opportunity with the car, where did you read they were stout?
Edmunds was off-base. They were hunting for something to be less than 100% positive about. They had been flogging the car on the track with street pads.
I don't need to "read" about them when I can look at the components used. They're using a massive Brembo caliper and nice slotted rotors with a light-weight center section. They're light-years ahead of the C6 Z06's PBR calipers with the silly thin padlets.
They'll be a fantastic upgrade for C5s and C6s assuming GM didn't change the caliper mount bolt spacing. My gut says they didn't change that... no need to.
Edmunds was off-base. They were hunting for something to be less than 100% positive about. They had been flogging the car on the track with street pads.
I don't need to "read" about them when I can look at the components used. They're using a massive Brembo caliper and nice slotted rotors with a light-weight center section. They're light-years ahead of the C6 Z06's PBR calipers with the silly thin padlets.
They'll be a fantastic upgrade for C5s and C6s assuming GM didn't change the caliper mount bolt spacing. My gut says they didn't change that... no need to.
The spindles look different. No way to measure from the pictures though:
The spindles look different. No way to measure from the pictures though:
Spindles could be different but the brakes may still work on the C5/C6. It all depends on the caliper mounting points and the relative position of the C7 caliper to the rotor on a C5/C6.
All new spindle and the lower hub/bearing bolt is still blocked by the lower balljoint nut! Hey guys... it'd be nice to be able to change hubs w/o having to separate the balljoint!
Personally, I wouldn't be at all surprised if a LOT of the suspension and powertrain parts from the C7 can be easily transplanted to the C5 and C6. Why change the design if it isn't broken? It would also mean that a lot of Pratt & Miller's race parts can still be used, saving money and time developing the new chassis.
Two different reviews that I read, have commented on less-than-optimal brake performance with the C7 Z51 in repeated stops. If I wanted to upgrade a C6, I wouldn't be looking at the C7 Z51.
Two different reviews that I read, have commented on less-than-optimal brake performance with the C7 Z51 in repeated stops. If I wanted to upgrade a C6, I wouldn't be looking at the C7 Z51.
Brake pad related. Edmunds was the only one mention it being a downside.
C/D said the pedal got soft but they did something like 6-7 straight 70-0 stops and their last one was the shortest. At 146ft on that last stop it was about where the Z06/Z07 was.
They look beefier than the C6Z units IMO and Brembo rarely if ever makes a bad product.
Two different reviews that I read, have commented on less-than-optimal brake performance with the C7 Z51 in repeated stops. If I wanted to upgrade a C6, I wouldn't be looking at the C7 Z51.
Then you have no idea how brakes work. Look at the component selection. They are light-years ahead of the silly slide-rail calipers on the C6 and better than the C6 Z06's calipers.
Take any iron-rotor car with a streetable pad (excluding carbon ceramic brakes) to the track and the pads will fade.
As someone who races a Corvette I can tell you the brakes are a huge upgrade.
Then you have no idea how brakes work. Look at the component selection. They are light-years ahead of the silly slide-rail calipers on the C6 and better than the C6 Z06's calipers.
Take any iron-rotor car with a streetable pad (excluding carbon ceramic brakes) to the track and the pads will fade.
As someone who races a Corvette I can tell you the brakes are a huge upgrade.
Thanks guys. I haven't been reading all of the reviews because I can't afford a C7 and am perfectly happy with my C5Z. Like others mentioned though you can tell just from looking at the components that this would be a nice upgrade on a C5.
I guess we'll just have to wait and see if the spacing is the same. If someone has a car on order and would be willing to measure when it arrives that would be awesome.
give the 5/6 has smaller wheels, not sure if the 7 calipers will fit, especially in the front.
If memory serves, the calipers on the 7 are somewhat larger than the 5/6.
I have been patiently waiting for details to emerge on the possibility of fitting C7 Z51 brakes on the C5Z. Well tired of waiting ... I purchased a set of Z51 Brembo calipers this week and will begin the process of checking the fitment. The Z51 calipers are larger than the base model and use larger slotted dual cast rotors. They are light years ahead of the C5/C6 brakes. I was not interested in using the overpriced C6 ZO6 brakes either with the stupid expensive and difficult to change padlets. The C7 Z51 has a larger swept brake area anyway and the pad changes are a breeze. I have decided that even if the calipers don't bolt up I will make every effort to install them, including machining my own adapters. I plan to run 19/20 XO verona wheels which are designed to fit the C7 and will clear the brakes. Lots of other projects going but I'll post details as soon as I know something definitive.
Questioning whether there is any good news to report. Curiosity was killing me so I took a few minutes last night and tried to see if the C7 Z51 front calipers would fit. Well, they bolt right up! Same spread on the bolt holes and same size thread. But don't get too excited. As some others have mentioned the location of the spindle caliper mounting holes are completely different on the C7. The C5 spindle mount ears are much farther out from the center point which places the caliper somewhere out in lunar orbit. Based on some rudimentary measurements the rotor radius would need to be about 1.125" larger than the stock rotor to reach the outer edge of the brake pads. That correlates to a rotor diameter of almost exactly 15" based on the stock Z rotor being 12.75" in diameter. I would have been happy to go up to a 14.6" rotor from the Camaro LT1 or CTS-V but 15" rotors are a little harder to come by. And they are expensive which violates the premise of a budget brake upgrade. My guess is that the caliper and brake pad radius might not work with a bigger rotor anyway. Only other option is to try to move the caliper back towards the center some. Moving out is easy, moving in, not so much. I will look at the geometry of the spindle and caliper mount ears and see if it is possible to machine an adapter but not getting my hopes up just yet. I'll also investigate the feasibility of a 15" rotor but not too hopeful there either. Not dead in the water yet but not the outcome I was hoping for. Still wondering if the 6 piston Brembo from the CTS-V or LT1 would fit. The Camaro guys are making this brake upgrade like crazy. Rumor is that the mounting locations are the same on the C5/6 but I don't know if anyone has tried it.
07-30-2013, 09:33 AM
C7 brakes on C5/C6
Huge
