[FASTFATBOY]

I'm in a C5 now, but I found this interesting. If it bolts directly to a C5 spindle, it should bolt to a F Body with track brackets.

They accept the 7416 pad shape.


These are directed at the "Hot Rod" crowd who run C5 suspensions, but should be better than a C5 stock caliper.

Sam Strano sells this setup.

http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetails.php...&ModelID=11

[phoenix64]

Nothing but respect for Sam I've bought many parts from him over the years, but I recently ran my C5 z06 with 12.8in rotors at Rd Atl and my firebird with the brembo CTS-V upgrade. I just wanted to make a consumable comparison.

Both cars on the same hawk pads, both cars running the same centric high carbon blanks, and on the same set of tires.

The Z06 weighs 3106lbs with a full tank at 51/49 front to rear split, and the firebird weighs 3168lbs with a full tank and 58/42 front rear split. Both have cooling ducts that blow air in the general direction of the rotor, the Z06 are 3.5in, the firebird has 2.5in ducts.

So the Z06 has less weight, lower CG, and more rear weight bias. It should be easier on the front brakes. Especially since the firebird is actually slightly faster at the end of the straights due to shorter gearing, at the the same time it has a lower corner entry speed.

At the end of the weekend the Z06 needed new front rotors, pads were more than 2/3rds gone, and when overlaying laps, the Z06 was decelerating at a slower rate than the firebird, just the opposite of what I expected, and what physics would dictate. My best guess is confidence from the extra brake torque of the 14in brakes, and the pedal was anvil solid every single time in the firebird vs slight pad fade I was getting in the Z06 requiring more pedal effort.

The firebird rotors still looked brand new, even though they already had many track miles on them before the weekend. The pads were less than half worn. There was never even a hint of fade.

The pads I buy are 40$ cheaper for the Z06(stock calipers), but in the end the brembo's are actually a lot cheaper because I'm buying far less of them.

Rotors, it's no contest. I've got 60+ laps of the nurburgring, 6 track weekends, and 15+ autocross weekends on the same set of 14in blank rotors vs 2-3 hours of track time on the 12.8in rotors before they are going in the trash. A set of centric high carbon blanks for the 14in brakes are 60$ more + 70$ for the machining required. But after your very first track day you are 10$ ahead just on the rotors.

Cool brakes are happy brakes, and a 14in rotor is always going to run cooler than a 12.8in with the same pad compound.

Pedal feel is totally subjective. I think the brembo's are a little bit grabby, which makes it hard to be smooth, but they also reduced my rear brake hop significantly. I kinda like grabby brakes, they inspire confidence, but that is just me.

[FASTFATBOY]

Nothing but respect for Sam I've bought many parts from him over the years, but I recently ran my C5 z06 with 12.8in rotors at Rd Atl and my firebird with the brembo CTS-V upgrade. I just wanted to make a consumable comparison.

Both cars on the same hawk pads, both cars running the same centric high carbon blanks, and on the same set of tires.

The Z06 weighs 3106lbs with a full tank at 51/49 front to rear split, and the firebird weighs 3168lbs with a full tank and 58/42 front rear split. Both have cooling ducts that blow air in the general direction of the rotor, the Z06 are 3.5in, the firebird has 2.5in ducts.

So the Z06 has less weight, lower CG, and more rear weight bias. It should be easier on the front brakes. Especially since the firebird is actually slightly faster at the end of the straights due to shorter gearing, at the the same time it has a lower corner entry speed.

At the end of the weekend the Z06 needed new front rotors, pads were more than 2/3rds gone, and when overlaying laps, the Z06 was decelerating at a slower rate than the firebird, just the opposite of what I expected, and what physics would dictate. My best guess is confidence from the extra brake torque of the 14in brakes, and the pedal was anvil solid every single time in the firebird vs slight pad fade I was getting in the Z06 requiring more pedal effort.

The firebird rotors still looked brand new, even though they already had many track miles on them before the weekend. The pads were less than half worn. There was never even a hint of fade.

The pads I buy are 40$ cheaper for the Z06(stock calipers), but in the end the brembo's are actually a lot cheaper because I'm buying far less of them.

Rotors, it's no contest. I've got 60+ laps of the nurburgring, 6 track weekends, and 15+ autocross weekends on the same set of 14in blank rotors vs 2-3 hours of track time on the 12.8in rotors before they are going in the trash. A set of centric high carbon blanks for the 14in brakes are 60$ more + 70$ for the machining required. But after your very first track day you are 10$ ahead just on the rotors.

Cool brakes are happy brakes, and a 14in rotor is always going to run cooler than a 12.8in with the same pad compound.

Pedal feel is totally subjective. I think the brembo's are a little bit grabby, which makes it hard to be smooth, but they also reduced my rear brake hop significantly. I kinda like grabby brakes, they inspire confidence, but that is just me.

I have found my C5 Z06 is MUCH easier on brakes that my Z28 that had multiple setups on it. My front pads have 17 sessions on them at multiple tracks and still have a weekend left on them. Pads are Raybestos ST47/St43. I did surface the rotors once and am still running them.

EDIT

There is 400lbs difference in the Z28 and the Z06. They both have the same power.

Cool brakes are not necessarily happy brakes, I learned an expensive lesson here with the Wilwood kit that was on the Z28. You want heat in the rotor and you want to maintain it on a flat line, or in a certain window. When you heat cycle a rotor, brake zone/cool off/brake zone etc it heat cycles the metal of the rotor. Wilwood rotors do not like this AT ALL.

If you are not experiencing brake fade due to overheating the fluid I see no need for cooling ducts. If you are experiencing brake shudder move up in pad operating temp until you get a pad you aren't overheating.

The Z06 does not have cooling ducts, and it won't unless I overheat the fluid.

This post has been edited by FASTFATBOY: Nov 19 2015, 12:18 PM