Wilwood 6 piston Front Brake kit
11-18-2003, 05:18 PM
#5
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Jacksonville
Posts: 4,784
Where are you driving that you would actually need 6 piston calipurs? 6 piston calipurs for a daily driver is like going deer hunting with an bazooka. Over kill. Needless to say, you don't need them or the $1300+ price tag. I would stick with the stock calipurs with a set of ceramic pads, steel braided brake lines, and a good set of drilled/slotted rotors. Or upgrade to the LS1 front brakes with the dual piston calipurs. Much cheaper than a 6 pison setup. Also, you won't have to modify anything to install the stuff. If you want the looks of the bigger kits, have the calipurs powder coated and viola, good looks for not too much $$.
11-18-2003, 05:29 PM
#6
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 145
I keep hearing that the Wilwoods will require a rebuild after a short period of time due to it not having dust covers,is this true?,also aren't ceramic brake pads used for track racing only, and would be dangerous for street driving, due to the fact that they have to heat up to be effective and that tempertature is higher than the temperature for a set of street pads to be effective.
Last edited by solid; 11-18-2003 at 05:38 PM.
11-18-2003, 06:20 PM
#7
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Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Jacksonville
Posts: 4,784
No, ceramic pads work quite well, but it depends on the composition of the ceramic material. I've been using the ceramic pads that pep boys sells for about 2 years now. I'll tell you up front they aren't cheap, they're about $120 bucks per set. One set for the front, one for the back. But the nice thing about them, is they don't make brake dust (don't spot your wheels), and they have a life time warranty, no questions asked (unless you wear them out in a month). As far as temperature, they don't fade with heat as badly as a normal brake pad.
11-18-2003, 07:59 PM
#9
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Colorado
Posts: 971
upgrading to ZO6/C5 brakes works well. it costs about 800$ to do ,and you get the good 2 piston PBR caliper (same on used in BAER's track kit(1500$ or so) and a 12 inch+ rotor. the C5 caliper is the much better than the POS unit on the f-bodies, which can suffer from heat fatigue.
11-19-2003, 12:37 AM
#11
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Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Toledo, OH
Posts: 1,639
Correction, C5 brakes are 12.8" rotors. And thers is a board member on here, cant think of his name off hand, but he sells the brackets to bolt up C5 calipers to an LT1 Fbody, the brackets are around $250, then $300+ for calipers/rotors/pads depending on where you get them, braided lines are about $100. I have a set of C5s waiting to go on, excited to see how much better they are, Its going to be like stopping a motorcycle compared to before trying to stop a loaded 18wheeler.
You got a part number or vendor for those brackets? I'm curious, a friend of mine works for a dealer so the other parts shouldn't cost too much.
11-20-2003, 02:26 AM
#14
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Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Orlando, FL
Posts: 464
Lot of hearsay in this thread. 
I actually have these brakes on my car, and have had them for months. I know my good friend Matt has had his for over a year now, and I know of a few other people on boards who have them.
Neither me or Matt (or anybody I know) have had a performance or longevity problem with these brakes. They do need a rebuild every other year or so, according to Wilwood, but this can be avoided by properly cleaning your brake components everytime you change your pads. They don't have dust seals. But when is the last time you checked your dust seals? Don't be surprised if they're ripped.
As far as performance is concerned, there is none like it. I am running the "E" compound pad that they ship with the kit. This offers the highest stopping torque of any street pad they sell but only when warmed up. That being said, when ice cold, on a 30 degree morning, they still stop a MILLION times better than stock. But when they hit any amount temperature (read: after like 2 stops at a stoplight) they stop like throwing a stick in your spokes. I have accidentally 'chirped' (engaged ABS) the front wheels in a braking maneuver at 70mph before (more on that in a bit). These stop like nothing you've felt. You'll show passengers how to get intimate with the dashboard.
As a side note, they are a racing compound, with the kit, so they do make a HELL of a lot of dust. They also are prone to squeaking when cold, or when VERY hot (read: 80-0 stops 10 times in a row, also more on that in a moment). This has more to do with the pads than the brake kit though.
As far as all those high speed stops, that was the bedding procedure. I went out somewhere very very far away from civilization, with a TON of room, (they reccomend a race track, lol) and followed the instructions. 10+ stops from higher and higher speeds of increasing intensity "until fade is experienced." Let me tell you, I never experienced fade. By the time I had worked up to 70 or 80 (like after 10 stops at least) they were still making me kiss the steering wheel and barking the tires all the way down to 0 each and every time. I was not able to make these brakes fade. I was however able to make a huge smoke cloud from the pad material that was eaten up on the final 80-0 panic stop, and they did make a hell of a lot of noise, but that was the bedding procedure. (Yes I am aware that this is not a good idea to do everyday, thus, I don't, obviously)
Anyway, they get my vote. They stop unbelievable, they look great, and they're 32lbs lighter than stock, of unsprung weight. I wouldn't hesitate to reccomend them again.
Now to address some of the concerns about these brakes I read before buying them:
They make noise: yes, they do, when very cold or very hot. But then again, I am using the most "race" pad they have (for the street, they also make NASCAR type racing pads, lol). I am going to be switching to "D" compound (more cold torque, less noise, less dust) soon. "Q" is also a good choice (less torque than D or E, but still a lot more than stock, NO noise, NO dust). "Q" comes with the Corvette C5 upgrade kit. Yes, they make an upgrade for C5 vettes, which cut more than 20 ft off the 60-0 distance of a stock C5, and that was with the "Q" compounds. I believe the article was in a prominent 'Vette magazine. I found it on google, it should be easy to find again. That to me was proof enough that they outperform C5 brakes.
They make a lot of dust: guilty as charged. I reccomend "D" or "Q" for a street car, as previously mentioned.
They have a smaller pad area than the LS1/C5 calipers: sure. But they still manage to kill it in stopping power, even with the mildest pad they sell. Not to mention these brakes don't fade. Ever.
A few thoughts of mine... if I did it again, I would do the rears at the same time. Car has too much brake dive.
Why did I get these brakes? Because I wanted my car to stop this well. Once I got used to riding with my friend Matt and feeling his brakes, I never could go back to stock LT1 brakes. And I'm glad I did the upgrade. Sure, they were expensive, but, they've already saved me from my fair share of accidents, which turned out to be close calls. (Woman pulled out in front of me on the interstate, and paniced. I stopped 6 feet from her. Would I have had those extra 6 feet with LS1 brakes? Who knows
) But with brakes, this was not something I would save a buck on. Your opinions may vary. I also plan to Road Course/AutoX eventually. (Yes I know this bumps me up a class)
I actually have these brakes on my car, and have had them for months. I know my good friend Matt has had his for over a year now, and I know of a few other people on boards who have them.
Neither me or Matt (or anybody I know) have had a performance or longevity problem with these brakes. They do need a rebuild every other year or so, according to Wilwood, but this can be avoided by properly cleaning your brake components everytime you change your pads. They don't have dust seals. But when is the last time you checked your dust seals? Don't be surprised if they're ripped.
As far as performance is concerned, there is none like it. I am running the "E" compound pad that they ship with the kit. This offers the highest stopping torque of any street pad they sell but only when warmed up. That being said, when ice cold, on a 30 degree morning, they still stop a MILLION times better than stock. But when they hit any amount temperature (read: after like 2 stops at a stoplight) they stop like throwing a stick in your spokes. I have accidentally 'chirped' (engaged ABS) the front wheels in a braking maneuver at 70mph before (more on that in a bit). These stop like nothing you've felt. You'll show passengers how to get intimate with the dashboard.
As a side note, they are a racing compound, with the kit, so they do make a HELL of a lot of dust. They also are prone to squeaking when cold, or when VERY hot (read: 80-0 stops 10 times in a row, also more on that in a moment). This has more to do with the pads than the brake kit though.
As far as all those high speed stops, that was the bedding procedure. I went out somewhere very very far away from civilization, with a TON of room, (they reccomend a race track, lol) and followed the instructions. 10+ stops from higher and higher speeds of increasing intensity "until fade is experienced." Let me tell you, I never experienced fade. By the time I had worked up to 70 or 80 (like after 10 stops at least) they were still making me kiss the steering wheel and barking the tires all the way down to 0 each and every time. I was not able to make these brakes fade. I was however able to make a huge smoke cloud from the pad material that was eaten up on the final 80-0 panic stop, and they did make a hell of a lot of noise, but that was the bedding procedure. (Yes I am aware that this is not a good idea to do everyday, thus, I don't, obviously)
Anyway, they get my vote. They stop unbelievable, they look great, and they're 32lbs lighter than stock, of unsprung weight. I wouldn't hesitate to reccomend them again.
Now to address some of the concerns about these brakes I read before buying them:
They make noise: yes, they do, when very cold or very hot. But then again, I am using the most "race" pad they have (for the street, they also make NASCAR type racing pads, lol). I am going to be switching to "D" compound (more cold torque, less noise, less dust) soon. "Q" is also a good choice (less torque than D or E, but still a lot more than stock, NO noise, NO dust). "Q" comes with the Corvette C5 upgrade kit. Yes, they make an upgrade for C5 vettes, which cut more than 20 ft off the 60-0 distance of a stock C5, and that was with the "Q" compounds. I believe the article was in a prominent 'Vette magazine. I found it on google, it should be easy to find again. That to me was proof enough that they outperform C5 brakes.
They make a lot of dust: guilty as charged. I reccomend "D" or "Q" for a street car, as previously mentioned.
They have a smaller pad area than the LS1/C5 calipers: sure. But they still manage to kill it in stopping power, even with the mildest pad they sell. Not to mention these brakes don't fade. Ever.
A few thoughts of mine... if I did it again, I would do the rears at the same time. Car has too much brake dive.
Why did I get these brakes? Because I wanted my car to stop this well. Once I got used to riding with my friend Matt and feeling his brakes, I never could go back to stock LT1 brakes. And I'm glad I did the upgrade. Sure, they were expensive, but, they've already saved me from my fair share of accidents, which turned out to be close calls. (Woman pulled out in front of me on the interstate, and paniced. I stopped 6 feet from her. Would I have had those extra 6 feet with LS1 brakes? Who knows
) But with brakes, this was not something I would save a buck on. Your opinions may vary. I also plan to Road Course/AutoX eventually. (Yes I know this bumps me up a class)
11-20-2003, 02:52 AM
#15
Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Jacksonville
Posts: 4,784
Like I said, these brakes are awesome for an autocross car, but for a daily driver they are probably overkill.
For my next trick, I'm going to mount a shotgun to my dash to help reduce the number of people who cause traffic accidents.
Don't you wish you had that when someone did something stupid in front of you? I've had people try to change lanes on top of me while in traffic. Once in the 77 Camaro I had, several times in my 406 equipped S10, and a few times in my 97. How can these people not see a two ton, bright red object (all my cars are red, except my 87 GTA, it's white with a red nose at the moment)? I don't know how they didn't hear the S10, it was god awful loud (and fun) with side exhaust.
For my next trick, I'm going to mount a shotgun to my dash to help reduce the number of people who cause traffic accidents.
Don't you wish you had that when someone did something stupid in front of you? I've had people try to change lanes on top of me while in traffic. Once in the 77 Camaro I had, several times in my 406 equipped S10, and a few times in my 97. How can these people not see a two ton, bright red object (all my cars are red, except my 87 GTA, it's white with a red nose at the moment)? I don't know how they didn't hear the S10, it was god awful loud (and fun) with side exhaust.
Last edited by 97WS6SCharged; 11-20-2003 at 10:15 PM.