Topic: C6 Z06 Brakes on a '7 GXP

[POS VETT]

Starkmaster03 installed a set of C6 Z06 OEM brakes on his '7 GXP.  Here are a few pictures of the results.  I'm going to let him explain the process.








 

[06CoolSolstice]

Damn I bet those bring it to a stop in a hurry!  Can't wait to hear more. 

[wspohn]

Damn I bet those bring it to a stop in a hurry!  Can't wait to hear more. 

It would be interesting to see stopping distances with the new brakes vs. the stock brakes.

[GXP_Matt]

I can't imagine stopping distance will be too different since you can actuate ABS with the normal brakes, but the heat and fade resistance should be much better (with the right pads). 

Looks like it was a hub swap since the Vette wheels are on as well?  Very interested!

[POS VETT]

I seriously doubt the C6 Z06 brakes would improve stopping distance since traction limit is dictated by tire-to-road-surface coefficient of friction; the stock brakes would overcome this.  The big brakes are a higher-capacity "heat sink" which means repeatability at high duty cycle.

Yes, he chose to use C5/pre-'9 C6 hubs.  He tried to use some 20" wheels out of his T/A (unsure of specs) and they wouldn't fit so I dug out my collection.  The wheels on the car right now are a set of front C6 Z06 wheels (18x9.5 ET40) that used to be on my CTS-V); not his choice though.  They are on the car so it can be driven; they stick out a bit.  We tried a C6 rear wheel (19x10 ET79) with 3/4" worth of adapter to clear the caliper, but alas, the wheel does not have deep enough pockets to clear the studs.  We also tried a C5 rear wheel (wagon wheel 18x9.5 ET61) and it couldn't clear the caliper before sticking out too much.

I believe he could have used the SSR Comp-H I got (19x10.5, ET62, 5x120.65 PCD) if the tire was kept narrow, but we didn't try that route.

[starkmaster03]

I seriously doubt the C6 Z06 brakes would improve stopping distance since traction limit is dictated by tire-to-road-surface coefficient of friction; the stock brakes would overcome this.  The big brakes are a higher-capacity "heat sink" which means repeatability at high duty cycle.

Yes, he chose to use C5/pre-'9 C6 hubs.  He tried to use some 20" wheels out of his T/A (unsure of specs) and they wouldn't fit so I dug out my collection.  The wheels on the car right now are a set of front C6 Z06 wheels (18x9.5 ET40) that used to be on my CTS-V); not his choice though.  They are on the car so it can be driven; they stick out a bit.  We tried a C6 rear wheel (19x10 ET79) with 3/4" worth of adapter to clear the caliper, but alas, the wheel does not have deep enough pockets to clear the studs.  We also tried a C5 rear wheel (wagon wheel 18x9.5 ET61) and it couldn't clear the caliper before sticking out too much.

I believe he could have used the SSR Comp-H I got (19x10.5, ET62, 5x120.65 PCD) if the tire was kept narrow, but we didn't try that route.

I used the 07 C6 hubs, not the C5's.  I'll have more pictures and update later.  The main reasons were to eliminate break fade, keep them cooler on the track and to swap lug patterns as I want the new ZR1 wheels on the car.

[Gabes Redline]

Cool Mod!! Please keep us posted!

[elff]

I agreee

The first time, or couple of times, the stopping distance will be similar, its the situations where repeated braking occurs that the stopping distances will start to favor these.

Neat Idea, but the swapping of hubs, and lack of wheel choices make it not as appealing.
What does all that add up to Cost wise?

[GXP_Matt]

The hub swap is actually really neat I think, since it means we can use these:
http://www.pfadtracing.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/26_48/products_id/124

Also, lack of wheel choices?  There are so many wide, lightweight racing wheels for Corvettes, I'm sure we can find some that will work great. 

[GXP_Matt]

For example, wonder if C5Z rear wheels would fit on all 4 corners of a kappa- 18x10.5 and they're cheap on ebay.  Can't get that wide of a wheel unless you go custom for our bolt pattern.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/04-CHEVY-CORVETTE-Z06-18-5X4-3-4-POLISHED-REAR-WHEEL-OEM-FACTORY-RIM-5177-/330789982785?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d049e9241&vxp=mtr

[elff]

The hub swap is actually really neat I think, since it means we can use these:
http://www.pfadtracing.com/catalog/product_info.php/cPath/26_48/products_id/124

Also, lack of wheel choices?  There are so many wide, lightweight racing wheels for Corvettes, I'm sure we can find some that will work great. 

Yes but more money.  That's $1120 plus hub bolts and shipping, on top of the new rims, and the other parts. 
and
Will they fit on our cars due to the difference in dimensions  in our body, suspension and frame.
Will the tires stick out too far [Already the case in the above situation]
Will they rub the A-Arms
Will they cause the tires to rub the wheel wells?

Seems like clearing those Calipers makes it more of an issue than a simple Rim swap.

Lots of variables here which you unfortunately won't know until you buy them and mount tires, or are lucky enough to be able to borrow a set.

How much was invested in the conversion,
Caliper Cost
Rotor Cost
Hub Cost [$1120=4x$380 If you go with the racing ones]
Hub Bolt Cost
Lets say $1000 for Rims [$250/rim] as an average

These are costs people will want to know.

[starkmaster03]

Yes but more money.  That's $1120 plus hub bolts and shipping, on top of the new rims, and the other parts. 
and
Will they fit on our cars due to the difference in dimensions  in our body, suspension and frame.
Will the tires stick out too far [Already the case in the above situation]
Will they rub the A-Arms
Will they cause the tires to rub the wheel wells?

Seems like clearing those Calipers makes it more of an issue than a simple Rim swap.

Lots of variables here which you unfortunately won't know until you buy them and mount tires, or are lucky enough to be able to borrow a set.

How much was invested in the conversion,
Caliper Cost
Rotor Cost
Hub Cost [$1120=4x$380 If you go with the racing ones]
Hub Bolt Cost
Lets say $1000 for Rims [$250/rim] as an average

These are costs people will want to know.

I picked picked up a set of calipers with pads for $800 but you can get them new from about $1200
Hate to say it but Autozone has the cross drilled rotor for half the price of GM ($50 instead of $100) but look to be the same, plus %15 percent off online discount.
The timkin vett hubs were $115 each for the front and $150 for each rear plus %15 off online.
The solstice brake hoses work with a little modification.
I made all the brackets and spacers out of steel and aluminum plates, about $70
I plan to go with an 18" wheel so I can just pickup a few sets of wheels (race and street) and use some of my existing tires.

I'll try and upload some pictures tonight showing how much they stick out on the stock front Z06 wheels.

I still have some work to do to get the ABS/TC/SC working because the sensors have different connectors.

[elff]

Thanks

It's definitely a cool project.   
Maybe you could make some money by building and selling the brackets you made for others who don't have the skill.

[starkmaster03]

I finally got around to getting some pictures uploaded.







The next two you can see that the wheels stick out a little.

[Carbon Sky]

Love the brakes!  But holy cow, the car looks like it's jacked up with oversized wheels that don't fit like these:



Is there another wheel package that fits better that still clears the brakes?

[elff]

What size tires are they?

[NormSky]

Cool beans!

[starkmaster03]

What size tires are they?

They are 255's on stock 18x9.5" Z06 wheels (not sure of the profile).  They are just loners from POS VETT while I figure out what to order.

I'm looked for the 09 ZR1 wheels but trying to see if the 18x8.5 or 19x10 would be the best route for my street setup.

I've found 18x9.5 which is what I want but not in the right offset.

[elff]

1 problem i can think of is if you do find rims that clear those calipers and also tuck the tires, they are going to be prime rims for curbing.   Just be extra careful when parallel parking.

Other thing i noticed were the F1s. 
Those are not terribly grippy which kind of defeats the purpose of a better brake setup.

[starkmaster03]

1 problem i can think of is if you do find rims that clear those calipers and also tuck the tires, they are going to be prime rims for curbing.   Just be extra careful when parallel parking.

Other thing i noticed were the F1s. 
Those are not terribly grippy which kind of defeats the purpose of a better brake setup.

The rims and tires are loaners.  I will not have the F1's on it once I get some rims.

[2kwk4u]

Got any side-by-side pics of the C6 hubs next to the Kappa hubs?  Curious how much difference there is dimension-wise there.

[2kwk4u]

So the fronts that are on there in the pictures above are 18x9.5 ET40?  What size tires are mounted on them?

[elff]

I thought of a good techie question.   

What is the distance from the center of the hub to the outer most part of the Caliper?
It's Distance A on the pic below.


This can help you choose Rims.

[POS VETT]

Tire size is 255/45/18; a tad larger than the stock 245/45/18.

Chad - did you get the speed sensor issue situated yet ?

[starkmaster03]

I thought of a good techie question.   

What is the distance from the center of the hub to the outer most part of the Caliper?
It's Distance A on the pic below.
(Image removed from quote.)

This can help you choose Rims.

It's right at 48mm in the front and 38mm in the rear.