Super Cheap Big Brake Kit - Info
 

The point of this thread is to keep you guys from paying $2,000-$3,000 for a front big brake kit, due to this setups very low cost and very high performance. Less than a year ago these fully loaded calipers (comes with clips and brake pads) were selling for about $150 each and the rotors were about $90 each. So the total cost of this setup was under $700 and offers incredible performance for the price. Plus there is a certain bling appeal to such large rotors and 4 piston calipers. :) Unfortunetly, GM is always changing the part numbers and prices. For current part numbers and prices call your local dealership and use the VIN numbers I provided in post #3. The last prices I heard were about $190 per loaded caliper and $100 per rotor. As of right now, I'm not sure if the dealer is even offering the fully loaded calipers. I'm going to update this thread as I get more info.


ROTORS
The rotor in question is the big 14" diameter behemoth from the Corvette C6 Z06.


Below is the OEM unit and should cost under $100 ea. It has proven itself on the race track as well as on the street.
Attachment 622091


Another option is an aftermarket rotor from the Australian company DBA. They have plain rotors, left hand or right hand slots only or a unidirectional slot design with cross drilling. All 3 looks are available in their Street series as well as their 4000 series.
Attachment 622092

Attachment 622093
These part numbers and prices are from LPI Racing.
Street Series
Plain P/N: DBA 2992 $124
Slotted Left P/N: DBA 2992SL $124
Slotted Right P/N: DBA 2992SR $124
Drilled/Slotted P/N: DBA 2992X $136

4000 Series
Slotted Left P/N: DBA 42992SL $182
Slotted Right P/N: DBA 42992SR $182
Drilled/Slotted P/N: DBA 42992XS $200

Here's a cool video showing how the cooling vane shape works.
This next one shows the advantages of the 4000 series for track use.

R1 Concepts also has a replacement 14" vette rotor for $355 a pair. They are pretty cool looking.

http://www.r1concepts.com/images/R1-Prem-img1.jpg



The stock LS1 rotor is about 12". As you can see below, this is a big jump up in size.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...omparisonb.jpg

Attachment 622094

Here is some rim to rotor size info.
Attachment 622095


CALIPERS
The caliper is the 4 piston Brembo made unit that is taken from the 04-07 Cadillac CTS-V. This is the same basic Brembo caliper that is fitted to many high performance cars such as the Viper, Lotus Esprit, etc... and has a proven track record.
Attachment 622096

Attachment 622097

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...TS-Vused4b.jpg

Attachment 622098

Attachment 622099



CALIPER AND ROTOR TOGETHER
The 3 pics below show the caliper mounted upside down. Please overlook that. Thank you.
All 4 pics below are the work of EB Miller.
Attachment 622100

Attachment 622101

Attachment 622102

On a 3rd gen spindle.
Attachment 622103




UPDATE: Wesmanw02 has installed this setup and taken many pictures. He needed to space his rims out about 15mm (0.6") which is less than the 3/4" (0.75") needed for an adapter, so he chose a spacer and longer wheel studs.
Wesmanw02's CTS-V Brake Install w/ Pics

Below are some shots of the washers and brake lines that everyone seems to ask me about.

Attachment 622104

Attachment 622105

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...lipers005b.jpg

Car Pics

IYYOB
Attachment 622080
IYYOB
Attachment 622081
IYYOB
Attachment 622082


WESMANW02
Attachment 622083
WESMANW02
Attachment 622084
WESMANW02
Attachment 622085


MARINE02SS
Attachment 622086
MARINE02SS
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...rine02ss2b.jpg
MARINE02SS
Attachment 622087
MARINE02SS
Attachment 622088
MARINE02SS
Attachment 622089
MARINE02SS
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...rine02ss6b.jpg


TAVI_WS6
Attachment 622090

FAQ

Q. Will my current rims fit?

A. That depends on several factors. First of all you will usually need an 18 inch or larger diameter rim to prevent the inside of the hoop from touching the caliper.
The second aspect concerns spoke clearance. This is where you get lots of different variables based of the shape of the spokes as well as the rim width and offset. If the spokes touch the caliper then you will need to space the rim outward. The easiest way to see if you will need a spacer or adapter is to measure your stock brake setup (12" LS1 rotor and caliper) and see if you have at least 1 1/4" of spoke clearance. Once you take into consideration the new rotor offset and the new caliper thickness, the conversion will stick out 1" more than stock. Measure the approximate area shown in the pic below.

Attachment 622079


Q. Since we will be going from 2 to 4 pistons, will we need to change our master cylinder?
A. Not at all. The stock master cylinder works just fine.

Q. I went to order parts and the dumb counter guy kept asking for my VIN number. What can I do?
A. Here are some VIN numbers you can copy down and give him.
04-07 CTS-V VIN's for calipers: (10th digit is year ;))
1G6DN57S540181144
1G6DN56S650180782
1G6DN57U960149365
1G6DN57UX70101195


05-08 Z06 VIN's for rotors:
1G1YY24U855105022
1G1YY26E165125829
1G1YY26E275106921
1G1YY26E785101165

Q. Do I need adapter brackets to make this caliper fit?
A. No, the caliper bolts right on to the LS1 spindle. Only a few simple washers are needed to get the caliper centered over the rotor. It's super simple.

Q. So besides the loaded calipers, rotors and maybe a spacer/adapter, what other parts do I need?
A. The only other part is a pair of custom 24" long brake lines which are made by EB Miller for $75. You can order them at his site: Flynbye dot com

Q. I have an earlier LT1 car (93-97) and I want these big brakes, too. What can I do?
A. It's very simple, you just need to swap your LT1 spindles for some LS1 spindles. They are not very expensive and can be found at a salvage yard or E-bay. You will also shed some unsprung weight as well. ;)

Q. Am I going to be able to find brake pads for these calipers in the future?
A. Yes. Since the front caliper is an "off the shelf" Brembo design, the pads available are abundant and inexpensive. Several choices are listed here: Pad Choices

Q. These fronts are way cool. Can I use the CTS-V rear calipers on the back of my F-body to have a matching set?
A. I haven't done any research at all on retrofitting the rear brakes. Sorry.

Below are two much longer threads that contain more details. Thanks to all those guys who participated in them.
CTS-V - Brakes Something Different
Anyone Interested In 14" Brake Kit?
The most recent info is going to be at the ends of the threads.

Part Numbers might be helpful, if this is going to be a sticky :cool:.

I asked EB Miller on thirdgen.org and even sent him an email but never heard back from him. How can I make up a template to see if these will fit my wheels? I have 17" TrueForged wheels but they have a lip in the middle of the barrel for the valve stem so brake clearance might be weird. I have been wanting to run these since I first saw them but don't want to buy all the parts just to find out they won't fit..

I'm not so sure. GM is always changing the part numbers as well as the prices.

I was just planning on running the 13 inch rotors instead of the 14s. I am mostly worried about where the caliper mounts because the fronts on my car need an adapter because they are 4th gen spec wheels. The rotors should fit no problem.

Any ideas on what I can do to check where the caliper mounts?

I thought the Z06 rotors use 2 left rotors and one side doesn't cool properly? I think you are leaving out the fact only certain wheels will work and spacers are needed.

Also, wouldnt this kit be questionable in a race setup? I hope it is understood this is more of a street and bling setup than a reliable race setup.

As he stated in the other thread if u want to race cooling ducts would be a good idea. And under the section labeled 'ROTOR' it states for a 14' rotor 18+ rims are needed ...

Give it a few days to come together its info from well over 20 pages I think lol

Then you are posting on the wrong thread. Nothing here will work with 13" rotors.
GM only cast one rotor and it is used on both sides. Before the car came out it was supected that one side would run hot, but GM knows what they are doing. Both sides cool just fine even under race conditions.

Those that want a BBK know you have to have rims that clear. I don't need spacers, though most probably will. I'll add more info about that later on.

Where are you getting your information that this isn't a hardcore race setup? These calipers have proven themselves the world over under race conditions on numerous high performance vehicles. The OEM rotors are pretty much only raced with on vettes, but they have proven themselves to last there as well. Maybe your thinking of the 6 piston Vette calipers as not race ready.

will the V brembo calipers bolt on to and work on a stock ls1 spindle with stock 12 inch rotor and work just fine?

not trying to argue with ya...I wanted this setup for a while.

frrax...and not trying to claim they know best, but for what it's worth that forum is populated by active people who race and autox.

Dont take it the wrong way, but 19s on a race setup?

I wish this setup would fit 17 inch wheels. I dont feel like upgrading my rims. too much money. and I will need tires too.

Not even close. If you want a 12" or 13" rotor with a 4 piston caliper, then check out some of the big brake kits in the Brakes section in the sticky. Several are available.
Frrax? I don't think anyone over there is using this setup yet, so how would they know? You can find race info for the rotors on various vette websites. You can then find race info on the calipers from all over the place. Try some Lancer Evo sites or Subaru STi sites. Some other members from the longer threads already did a lot of background checking on these calipers and posted a lot of info. I just can't remember all the details.

I don't know anyone racing on 19's, but if you want to run a 19" rim for a race setup, then you can. An 18" like Marine02SS has or a 19" like Iyyob or myself have will fit as well. 20's clear also. It's all up to you.
Well, the folks that added a BBK using 17" rims spent in excess of $2000 for the setup. You'll just have to figure the cost of a different kit in comparison to this one, plus the cost of rims and tires and see which is the better deal.

When ur autox or road racing or even DD stopping is as important as going.imo 15s are for the drag strip 18s are for road racing ect.Mine is not a race setup, but when was 19s bad for anything other than the drag strip ? From what I saw on discovery channel lower profile tires are better for tracks.this is a disscussion but we need to keep this thread clean.....(as I clutter it) http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=56923&page=4

Dont worry about clutter. Everything after post 3 will be deleted anyway

will any C6 Z06 wheel work with this setup, without running wheel spacers? Or will any work without spacers?

Thanks for your hard work on this, makes a great value. (I wonder if they would fit on the GTO, the caliper to rim spoke distance is huge (2" approx w/ stock 18" rims) but I am sure the caliper/hat offset is totally incorrect.

Ryan

Hey jason u need any certain pics or angles I got a new phone and I'll try out the camera

I heard about the venting direction design flaw of the C6 z06 rotors.. not sure how true it is or not.

I mean if the brakes can handle what kind of racing you are doing, then I would think getting a bigger brake kit probably isn't going to make much of a difference. Bigger brakes can add unsprung weight. You'd probably have to buy some really expensive 19s if you wanted to keep the weight down. Most people will probably put a heavy C6 replica wheel on the car which will probably make you slower.

That being said, I'm pretty sure most people just want the kit for looks anyway. JasonWW is the ls1 bling king around here. While I don't always agree with using his mods for performance reasons, I think most of his stuff revolves around looks anyways which I'm pretty sure is the intent.

I don't trust GM too well with their performance testing and engineering