Well I'm trying to figure out the best route to take to get a good 15'' drag wheel setup on my Camaro without grinding any calipers down.

I have basically two options...

Option 1: Spend $1500 on a set of bogarts and keep the stock LS1 brake setup

Option 2: Do an LT1 rear brake conversion for next to nothing, spend the $950 on a Strange front brake kit, and then I will be able to run any 15'' drag wheel I want.

When all is said and done both options probably will cost roughly the same. Depending on the wheels I'd say option 2 might cost a little bit more, but my questions is...

Will the Strange front brake/LT1 rear brake combo stop better than a stock LS1 setup all around? If so, I'd probably prefer this option since it will open up my wheel selection and give me better stopping power.

I guess an important question is also: Will the Strange front brake kit clear all 15'' drag wheels?

 

I went with Bogarts Bolted R/T and stock calipers.

 

I have Bogart rims and the back spacing made for Strange race brakes. They work perfect. If you use Bogart rims with the normal 7.5 backspacing and Strange race brakes the tires will stick out. Which looks funny on the front. Just my experience.

 

Cliff, I think you are maybe misunderstanding my question. I won't be using Bogarts with Strange brakes. I will either buy Bogart wheels and keep the brakes all stock OR I will convert the rear brakes to LT1 brakes, put a Strange kit on the front, and buy a cheaper drag wheel. Both would cost roughly the same, I'm just wondering which would be a better option.

 

Get Billet Specialties wheels and keep the stock brakes. Or use drag brakes in front. We can set you up either way.

 

Choose whichever works best for you. (I know not the answer you’re looking for).

The drag brakes will fit over most drag wheels easily. If we build the drag wheels to fit the drag brakes, we would build them differently which cost less and weigh less . They can be actually tucked further than the typical F-body configuration due to design . We can build the wheel with more dishing actually too (when using drag brakes).


I know that is not what you're interested in doing, just pointing out all options for you and for others to read. Also, if you choose our wheels, we do have special pricing for the Strange products which we do not advertise (Bogart wheel buyers).

If you prefer other manufactures wheels, we can help you still with the Strange brakes. You're also forgetting you need new brake lines as well...we can help you with those as well.

I'm obviously a bit biased towards our wheels...I do not state difference between our products and others which are untrue...there can be large measurable differences in many situations.

I don't suggest changing to LT1 brakes, but you can if you like. Hopefully they are free. The brakes are not as good as LS1 brakes and will not dissipate heat as well. They are also heavier. When you refer to "cheaper" wheel, I'm not sure what you're considering so my answers will vary.

Wheels define the car, so if appearance is a concern, keep this in mind. Aside from a hood, it’s probably the most noticeable (visually) modification you make to the car. Ours are lightest and setup for direct fitment (whichever way you choose). We can create many custom setups curtailing to the client’s needs.

The best setup regarding performance gains and appearance would be setting up the drag brakes and our Bogart drag wheels (my opinion) designed for drag brakes.

 

Alright well here's another question that will effect my decision.

At what point do you think it's absolutely necessary to upgrade the brakes? I realize this is subjective, but just throw some opinions/experiences out there.

The car will be making about 350/360HP NA and I'll be giving it a good shot of nitrous, probably 150. I'm hoping to be able to run a high 10. Would you feel safe trapping ~125mph or maybe more with stock brakes?

 

Honestly, LT1 brakes are less effective and as mentioned heavier. Drag brakes may help to offset some weight but I feel the effect would be reduced.

In my mind no contest. Pick up the Bogarts.

 

Billet specialty wheels are an option. I'd imagine probably not what you were looking at when considering "economy" wheels. There's so many ways to skin a cat.

...If you don't mind grinding the front stock calipers slightly (like what you'd do for the billet specialty wheels as they are non-LS1 specific) our Bogart wheels with front non LS1specific designs are very close in pricing but are much lighter.

Using our Bogart non LS1 specific front wheel and LS1 specific rear wheels, our Bogart wheels would be the equivalance to dropping ~64lbs over billet specialty wheels.

If you prefer a street/strip setup, we can also build you this as well...they are still lighter than billet specialty wheels and are guaranteed for 3 years as a street/strip wheel. We have not updated our website with these parts yet...I can do any of them as a bolted setup. I can take any of the welded styles if you liked those as well...and create a bolted setup.

It all depends on what you're looking to do.

The easiest, lightest and best performing setup hands down will be our direct fit front/rear drag wheels built for your car. Setup as such may be slightly more than other configurations, but there are measurable differences and gains that will be seen regarding racing performances.

Lighter wheels will help the car stop quicker, better 60ft times, better hp transfer, better suspension control ...etc etc.

 

Drag brakes stop very well and have high-clamping ability due to the four piston design. They lack the heat dissapation stock brakes would have.

Please give me a call if you need more help. Questions can be answered easier on the phone.