chief455

iTrader: (21)

Anyone bought and enjoying a rotor or rotor/caliper upgrade on a 98-02 Fbody?
Any great brake pads to use with factory rotors?
Street driving with aggressive and multiple stops.

I searched and found a few vendors get bashed - but no real suggestions

Budget minded person here so the $1500 upgrade kits would not be for me

thank you!

RollinSScamaro

iTrader: (25)

I didn't go with a $1500 brake upgrade.. but i just got some cross drilled and slotted rotors and that seemed to make a big difference compared to stock rotors.. I would love to invest in a $1500 brake kit though! i'm just too broke!

VIP1

If you do a search you'll find plenty of info on this subject.

Here is a start:
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/172453-power-slot-rotors-any-good.html
http://home.columbus.rr.com/trackbir...led_rotors.htm
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/170002-brake-question.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/169988-c5-conversion-bracket.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes/172177-best-brkae-up-grade-buck.html

felton316

If you want to upgrade your braking without breaking the bank, make sure you invest in a GOOD set of tires. A good set of tires will improve your braking tremendously.

chief455

iTrader: (21)

good stuff - thank you

Xsta Z 28

iTrader: (2)

Cross drilled and or slotted rotors are good looking, their performance plusses are always questioned, so on a performacen stance you'll want to look are quality heavy duty blank rotors, if you want a little bling, for more money but minimal gains hit up the drilled or slotted rotors.

Cheap caliper upgrades are to swap out to C5 calipers in lieu of the F-body caliper, physically the same but constructed differently. Direct bolt on with stock F-body rotors and mounting brakets!

Quality pads, unfortunately the "good" braking pads typically dust a lot, and the less dusting ones, can have dimishing returns on braking. Hawk is supposed to be a good pad.

If I got anything wrong hopefully someone will chime in a correct me.

chief455

iTrader: (21)

hmmmmm - so if I find a deal on front/rear C5 vette calipers - I can pull my stockers off and bolt the C5 on? Lines, front ABS sensor and all?
Then I assume use C5 pads as well?
Curious - what is the difference/gain?
That is the type of thing I am looking for - bolt on factory upgrades
Like putting LS1 brakes on an LT1 car...

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

Actually, the Pad Abutment Bracket (PAB) holds the pads and that is an F-body part (even if you change calipers because you use the one from your car) and it will use the F-body pads and rotors (even the G stop kit from LG motorsports uses f-body pads). You will not need to swap the abs sensor or anything else. You are only replacing the calipers. The calipers from the vette are pressure cast (not exactly forged, but formed under pressure) while the F-body version are "gravity cast", which is basically just "cast". Under high temps and loads the F-body calipers have been known to spread or open up. This causes the braking to be done at the outside edge of the rotor and will cause the pads to wear with a taper from top to bottom (hub to tire direction). The gain is more durable calipers and they are usually better finished in a pretty color (black or red).

Again, increased performance basically is due to the ability to handle more heat. Higher temp pads or "bigger heat sinks" (larger rotors). A caliper swap is a durability mod (also good), but will not really change anything (from F-body to Vette calipers)

chief455

iTrader: (21)

thanks Kevin for cleaaring thatt up
what do you think of XXIS pads being offered here with a certain sponsors rotor/pad deal? I know how you feel about the rotors! "bling"!
good pads?
Tried Larry and he said he couldn't touch those prices...
thanks!

Xsta Z 28

iTrader: (2)

And to be clear, only the front Calipers are interchangable. And as said before, re-use F-Body abutment brackets, F-Body brake lines and F-Body brake pads.

Sniper33

Try LG Motorsports for the C5 upgrade. I was looking into it for awhile but $$$ was a problem for me. The price wasn't that bad though if I remember correctly. Give them a call and ask to talk to Lou.

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

One more point of clarification about the F-Body vs C5 caliper difference.

The C5 rotor is significantly thicker than the F-Body rotor. Therefore the C5 caliper opening where the rotor runs is wider than the F-Body caliper.

This means that if you just bolt on a C5 caliper and everything else is F-Body, in the last 1/4 of an F-Body brake's life, the pistons in the C5 caliper will be extended further than the manufacturer intended.

I've heard of no issues concerning this and I always changed pads before they got that low. But, you guys need to know all the details to make an informed decision.

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

Good info Mitch.

I've not used the Axxis pads. From speaking to Larry, they seem like a decent street pad for a moderate upgrade. But that is the limit of my experience with them.

chief455

iTrader: (21)

Excellent information from all - thank you

Grimes

iTrader: (3)

Wow, great info....are the brackets from LG still around 200 bucks?

lees02WS6

iTrader: (5)

I have a small ridge of rust around the rotor hat after going to the C5 upgrade from LG. Does this sound normal? Is this spread, or just becuase the PAB for the fbody won't cover the C5 rotor from hat rim to the outer edge of the rotor.

VIP1

Not to sound like an ***, but you should have started a new thread instead of replying to one that is over a year old.

Now, to be helpful....
* Can you post a picture?
* The small rim of rust at the outer edge (1/8" I guess) sounds normal for all breaking systems using iron rotors. I need some close-up pictures to see it.
* What is a PAB?
* What Caliper and Pads are you using?

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

Pad Abutment Bracket - The "cage" that the pads load into and the caliper then bolts to the slider pins in that cage.

VIP1

You mean those two small shiney metal clips that are near the top and bottom of the caliper where the pads slide?

jRaskell

iTrader: (1)

If you are talking about a small ring along the inside of the rotor surface, I believe this is due to the fact that you are using a larger diameter C5 rotor, but still using the fbody pads built for the smaller diameter fbody rotors. You went from a 12" stock rotor to a roughly 13" C5 rotor (the C5 rotors aren't exactly 13", but close to that), and you're still using the pads for the 12" rotor. Obviously those pads aren't going to adequately cover the entire surface of the 13" rotor, so you'll have a ring along the inside that isn't swept by the pad, and this ring will rust.