CALL911

You hear countless people swapping their LT1 calipers to LS1 calipers or others. But has anyone ever heard of swapping their 4th gen calipers to a set of the Brembos that are on the 5th gens?

I would be very interested to seeing how they look, and perform on the lighter 4th gen.

JakeRobb

You need at least an 18" wheel to clear the 5th gen SS's 14" rotor sand big calipers, and only some 18" wheels work -- a 19" is safer.

It's fairly easy and cheap to upgrade a 4th gen to a 13" C5 setup, and from there you have several excellent upgrade paths without requiring anything more than a 17" wheel.

That larger wheel adds quite a bit of cost and weight, which are the two things racers (people who would be interested in this level of braking performance) hate most.

I'd be interested to see the results as well, but for the above reasons, I don't think you should hold your breath.

If there's someone out there with way too much money and a 4th gen they want to spend it on, personally I'd rather see a suspension upgrade kit comparable to what Pedders or Pfadt offer for the 5th gen.

CALL911

I know plenty of people with 18's. Granted, not too many people with 19's. But the thread isn't about talking me or someone else into, or out of the idea of doing it. Hell, I've already upgraded my rims to 18's and spent $1500+ on my brakes (and plan on spending almost twice that this year for another upgrade). The thread is mearly searching for info on what the results are from someone who has done it.

I understand most people aren't as crazy as me. But, theres enough of us out there who own these cars, and seeing as how the 5th gen brakes are easy to get ahold of, I figured given enough time, someone might have done it, and I'm just looking for the results.

Zaknafein

Been wondering about this same swap or at least the feasibility.

Have you looked into the 2004-2007 CTS-V Calipers (Brembo) swap? There's a nice write up on it at LS1tech.com. Been considering it myself.

CTS-V Brake Install w/ Pics - LS1TECH

CALL911

Yeah, I looked into it. I even know a few people who made that swap. But after seeing their results, I would never consider doing it. If you just want something that "looks" like it would stop awesome, they are a good swap. But the actual improvement over say stock LS1 calipers are really not worth the upgrade IMO.

The 5th gen brakes are much more powerfull, and I have now found some that have done it. The stopping performance is quite a bit improved (way more than the CTS-V brakes), but to do it, the sizing to fit everything is not exactly like the 4th gens and fabrication needs to be done.

Zaknafein

Man, if there is anything you can post as far as references, I'd sure appreciate it.

I haven't pulled the trigger yet on anything but have been doing a bit of research. the Wilwood stuff is just out of the question for me though... both in terms of quality and price.

Thanks

CALL911

The posts and threads you'll find are more "how to" threads. I would be shocked to see someone show technical data backing the upgrade. Most people do it because they believe it will improve their braking ability, and it "looks" cool. In reality, it does improve the braking ability, but really not that much in my opinion. To me they are just eye candy more than anything.

One guy I knew who did the swap was so dissapointed with the almost non-existant performance upgrade, that he sold them soon after, and ended up going with an aftermarket large Alcon setup. The other guy was always more about spending the big bucks on making his car "look" good rather than actually using it to its potential, so to him the brakes are great.

I have no links, no technical data to back my point. All I have is my experience with aftermarket brakes in both friends cars, and my own.

When it comes down to it, if you want a large upgrade in stopping performance above standard LS1 calipers, you are going to spend some $. You can go cheap, and go with the CTS-V brakes, or spend a little more and upgrade to some Wilwood 6 piston calipers, but both are not any significantly better IMO.

I have Baer brakes on my Z. Currently I have the large 2 piston Track system. I have done braking tests side by side a friend with another 4 Gen F-body at 120 MPH to 0 (he had the Wilwood 6 piston setup). I stopped a good 100 plus feet behind him. While his brakes struggled, and faded, mine just kept smiling for more.

I am in the process of changing my brakes out for a much larger Baer 6 piston setup. To give you an idea what performance something like this will feel like; the Baer representative told me with that setup on my car, I should be able to slow from 180 MPH to 80 MPH in under 3 seconds. That's what I want in stopping performance.

But, like anything in this game, if you want big results, you gotta pay.

So in closing of this huge reply, it really depends on what you want. If you want a small upgrade from the LS1 calipers, and don't have a lot of cash, and want something that "looks" good, then go with the CTS-V brakes. If you want some performance brakes that do something more than "look" cool, and will make all your friends with LS1 or CTS-V brakes jealous, then get a large setup that Bear or equivilant offers.

Zaknafein

Sorry for the confusion, I meant references for the Gen5 brake swap you mentioned in your previous response.

Yeah, I've seen some great deals on the Baer 2-piston "Track" setup and have considered that option as well.

Cheers

CALL911

Well, unfortunately as you can see by the lack of anyone posting anything about actually having done the 5th Gen setup on their car, I have no links to that either. The guy who I heard that people have done it from is another friend. Like I said before, the 5th Gen caliper is an agressive setup. Probably more than my old Baer Track plus. I would say that if you went the 5th gen route that it would suffice your brake upgrade needs (plus they still look great). I believe my friend was saying that in order to do the caliper and rotor setup, that the bolt patter is just slightly off. Unfortunately, I don't have the specifics, and don't know for sure what exactly doesnt fit.

You may want to give him a PM. He is 95LT1Z28 and he is the one who was telling me about it.

Zaknafein

Thanks for the information.

I have a full machine shop at my disposal so modifying and fabricating shouldn't be too big an issue. Knowing the installation is feasible certainly helps.

CALL911

Like I said, it has been done, so it is doable. Just takes some work.

Hit Jeff up (95LT1Z28). He is a very knowledgable guy on the LT1's and he will help point you in the right direction.

If you do end up going that route, when you are finished, be sure to post up here with some pics. I still have never seen what it looks like on the car and would love to.