Not sure why you're surprised, It's a huge size increase size and with that comes weight. Unless you're going for looks or road racing there isn't much benefit to them.
I built my s10 to be fast and handle well but my brakes are still overkill. You couldn't even see the stock S10 rotors behind the 18" wheels.
Now I'm wanting to switch to more of a drag race setup so I'm going to be pulling them off so I can fit a smaller wheel.

 

 

The ACDelco C7 rotors that I used for my ATS/C7 setup weigh about 21 pounds compared to my stock rotors at 19.5 pounds. The calipers are about 0.5 pounds more than stock so it's about a 2 pound gain per side.

I didn't know drilled/slotted stock sized rotors were that much lighter.

 

 

Factory F-Body brakes will stop you just as well as the biggest baddest Brembo brakes made will stop you......Factory brakes lock the tires easy and will stop you when needed..........what more can you ask for.

Now for track use, brake fading is what the issue is. Thats where upgraded brakes help.

.

 

 

I used to do a lot of track days (HPDE) in fourthgen F-bodies. The stock rotors would last one day generally on a road course. 1 day.
Stock calipers would spread an need replaced at least every year.
I put Porsche 996tt Brembos on my car before I stopped doing track days. The rotors on it have 4 or 5 weekends, and 10 years of light street driving since. I am sure they will be on the car when I die. And the calipers will too. Brake pads also last longer as they aren't being overheated.

That said, for anything other than full on road course use, the stock brakes are fine. The upgrades are mostly cosmetic.

 

wouldn't you want a heavier rotor if you were trying to stop faster? heat dissipation and what not

 

Up to the point of heat saturation, a heavier rotor is counter productive to stopping faster. Think of it as a flyhweel, resisting slowing down.

Stock brakes are fine for a single stop, even from speeds above the stop speed limiter. I used stock pads stopping from 166 mph, no problems.

 

im not arguing the integrity of the stock brake systems, but one of the reasons i always seen was overheated brakes are less efficient (not including full on race pads) and that less metal on a rotor (drilled is one example) won't be able to dissipate the heat as effectively since the metal is what absorbs the heat. less metal, less ability to absorb the heat created from stopping......thats why i figured a bigger rotor may be better to some extent. educate me please. and please no one turn this into a drilled or non drilled debate.

 

^ i hear what your saying and believe more rotor= less heat, but i thought the whole point of cross drills was for heat dissipation. If not that then what are they for, purely aesthetics?

And what damn pads are you'all using bc my stock brakes suck ***! My lil nissan altima sedan stops 10x better than my WS.6, thats why i want to do a 4pot cts-v brake swap and all you'all are saying it does nothing for braking performance really??? You didnt "significant" better braking after adding the 4pot brembos and 14" rotors? (I figured the extra surface area would help braking.)

also what does the stock twin piston caliper weigh?

 

Some drilled rotors have been known to crack, There are still arguments for and against there use.

As far as your stock brakes sucking ***, Many times it's not the size of the brakes. It's a combination of rotor and pad material, Brake lines, Booster, Master cylinder and a proportioning valve. It's not uncommon to find that the stock booster/master combination doesn't give you the stop on a dime feel because they take more effort to get the same braking force than what you have experienced before. Personally I don't like brakes that you hardly have to press the pedal to feel like they are going to put you thru the windshield but I don't want to stab and pray either.

Many years ago my Mom had a huge Chrysler New Yorker. The brakes were so touchy that you only had to lightly touch the pedal to stop.
We lived at the top of a steep hill. I backed out of the driveway and start down the hill, About half way down I put my foot on the brake pedal and apparently who ever drove the car before me had adjusted the seat before they got out of the car and didn't get it locked into place. Lets just say as soon as I touched the brake the seat slid forward a few inches making me press even harder on the pedal. I literally locked up all four wheels for about 30', I hated that car lol

 

I just posted the pictures as a reference for anyone looking into this setup.

I don't understand the hatred for brake upgrades in the 4th gen community. Its not everyone, but for the most part every thread has a few replies ranting and raving about stock brakes. Generally speaking, its the same guy who refuses to spend $500 on a brake kit that has $5,000 into a HCI setup.

I've driven cars with the bbk option from the factory and without and aftermarket add ons.. There is a significant difference even for daily driver use.

 

I dont hate brake upgrades, ive just done enough of them to realize the benefits are nothing to write home about on a street car. With stock calipers & rotors, race pads & tires, a fourthgen will stop with the best of them. At least once.

Like the OP, I discovered long ago there is a penalty for big brakes. Well a compromise.

I'll cite my source. Lou Gigliotti explained to me long ago, in the paddock at Motorsport Ranch, that drilled rotors just reduce weight. Modern pads dont outgas in the duration of a single stop. And slotted rotors give the worn brake pad material a place to go when the car is being driven hard, like on a road course.

I'm not here to argue. This is what I believe. Y'all are free to believe anything you like. But I encourage you to cite your experience and sources so others can make an educate decision.

EDIT: FWIW I was one of the early adopters of big brakes on fourthgens. I had the fifth set or so of the LG G-Stop brakes, and had these by 2004:

They are still on my car.

 

I guess what it comes down to is if u can get ur ab's to activate or ue wheels to lock in a non abs vehicle than the only benefits are from pedal feel..... I'm talking about a street car here not a dedicated race

 

I recently replaced all my pads and rotors with ebc blank rotors and ebc yellowstuff pads upfront and redstuff pads out back and it was definitely a major upgrade from the previous pads. Doubt it's as good as a brembo setup but it definitely stops much better then before, the only downside is the ebc yellow stuff pads do leave a decent amount of brake dust.