"Corvette" brake calipers

[JohnnyC]

Hi all LT4, GS and CE friends,

I noticed that on many(if not all) GS's and CE's you guys have colored break calipers that say "Corvette" in white letters. I really like that. In fact, Vettelt193 has exactly what I am talking about as his avitar. Cool. I have looked in ecklers and mad, but can only find 97-03 red calipers. Mine are like just dull looking stock things. I would really like to accent my 5-spoke rims and tires with the black calipers.

Where can i get those?
John

 

[GS Diva]

I don't think you can buy colored calipers for C4s...at least I never found them! We just had our Grand Sport calipers painted red, and they look dynamite!! We bought the caliper paint from Mid America, and the paint was brushed on. When dry, the letters were sanded to expose the silver Corvette letters.

Elaine

 

[coolvette]

I believe The Last Detail has the brake calipers with the Corvette word on them. You can check out their website at
www.tld-corvette.com


Paul

 

[Vettelt193]

If you want the lettered calipers you can do a couple of things.... The Grand Sports and Collector Editions had special brakes, which were black with silver letters.... I painted mine with rust oleum brush on paint.... very simple, cheap, and long lasting.... I think you can purchase the brakes from GM, but, they are expensive.... I would check the corvette salvage yards to see if you can find a deal (and ebay) If you can't, Vette brakes makes a C4 to C5 conversion, all the C5 brakes have lettering, and you could upgrade to Z06 red brakes... the problem again, Expenisve! Option 3: paint your brakes red, buy some decals that say corvette, and live with slightly less good looking, but much cheaper brakes.... let me know if you have any questions (Also, please keep in mind: Just your caliper should be painted, and not the caliper and back of the brake pad)

 

[JohnnyC]

The Grand Sports and Collector Editions had special brakes, which were black with silver letters....

Thats what I was afraid of. Of course, I want to avoid expensive if I can. Although, i wouldn't mind an upgrade to Z06 breaks. John

 

[Rob]

Please see:

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/kb/index.php?ownertopic_id=18

and select: "1988-1996: Visual Differences Between Production Brakes"

 

[No Go]

They are indeed special to CE and Grandsports. It is more than just paint though, the caliper is significantly beefier than the normal J55 brakes.

They will cost you ~$130 a caliper. Also I didn't catch what year you have, but they are bolt on if you are equipped with J55 originally, if not then rotor and caliper bracket is required...in that case Z06 brakes turn out to be cheaper and much better.

I wish I went with the C5 brakes...

 

[6 Shooter]

Hi all LT4, GS and CE friends,

I noticed that on many(if not all) GS's and CE's you guys have colored break calipers that say "Corvette" in white letters. I really like that. In fact, Vettelt193 has exactly what I am talking about as his avitar. Cool. I have looked in ecklers and mad, but can only find 97-03 red calipers. Mine are like just dull looking stock things. I would really like to accent my 5-spoke rims and tires with the black calipers.

Where can i get those?
John

John,

I scrubbed and painted mine a few weeks ago.

6 Shooter

 

[lt4 gs]

Here we go aaagain..............?? and they aren't beefier, ham on rye...............or macaroni and cheese......they are just different............

 

[Springer's LT4]

They are indeed special to CE and Grandsports. It is more than just paint though, the caliper is significantly beefier than the normal J55 brakes.

they certainly arent any beefier, just better looking... if anything, the J55 brakes may be better due to having more fins on the top for better cooling.

If you want a real brake upgrade at a reasonable price, go to the C5 fronts and move the J55's to the rear. Course you will lose the e-brake.

 

[Rob]

Ok, rather than flinging comments back and forth to one another and providing wild speculation, if you don't have specific part numbers or exact size specifications to back up your claims, then please do not make the claims if you have nothing to back up the information.

 

[Springer's LT4]

What type of specifications would you like other then your link to the visual differences between the J55 and the GS calipers... I can give you all the part numbers but I don't think that will make much of a difference. Unless someone has some actual road and track braking test between the two, there is no way to tell (and I've not heard of that type of data being published anywhere)

As far as the C5 brake upgrade over the J55/GS, thats not even a question of which is better... the pad contact area alone on the C5 brake pad is 40% larger and the rotors are a 1/4 inch thicker.

http://www.superchevyperformance.com/misc/c4c5pads.jpg

http://www.superchevyperformance.com/misc/c4c5rot.html

 

[No Go]

The comment about the GS calipers beefier than normal J55 is based on that same website and some second hand accounts.

http://www.superchevyperformance.com/misc/c4calipers.html

Shows the actual differences...however slight. Others have tweaked the J55's so much that the caliper is bent by nearly .5 inch...some heavy duty use-certainly...GS don'ts have as much of a problem.

Personally, I could care less about the paint and only installed new GS models to track down a pulling under braking problem-otherwise I would be using normal J55 calipers...I don't work them that hard to justify them otherwise.

Bottomline is they are not the same casting so more than just paint and letters.

 

[Vettelt193]

;stupid The GS Calipers were also used on Mustang Cobras (except the Cobra brakes had the obvious change of different lettering) the only point is they don't share as much with the standard J55 as many people think

 

[Springer's LT4]

Wow.. lossing my mind, had a reply typed up and never submitted it .

The J55's calipers are certainly different then the GS, but are they any stronger? Not even Jeff Kopp was sure when he put that comparision together and i'm not reading anywhere on that page that one is stronger then the other. Lets take a look at the link you provided showing the differences...

It's very hard to tell in this pic but you may notice that the rib running between the piston cylinders is deeper on the J55 caliper then the GS caliper however the GS calipers rib is a bit wider.

Ok... J55 rib is deeper, GS is wider... I'd call that a wash.

There are a couple of differences noticeable in this pic. First, the ribs on the top of the calipers. The J55 has more ribs but they are thinner than the ribs on the GS. Second, notice that the triangle shaped leg on the J55 caliper is not present on the GS.

GS has thicker ribs on top which may be stronger, but the J55 should have better cooling due to having more ribs... the GS also lacks that large triangle piece which certainly can't be weaking the J55 at all.

I haven't heard of anyone having issues with the J55's over the GS calipers... and you need to figure there are FAR more J55 calipers on the road then GS calipers... chances are greater that a J55 caliper may of had problems simply becuase there are more on the road and track.

but like you said... I'll never use either to the point of failure, I'm going with a C5 setup just because I got the calipers and rotors for next to nothing. If I was heavily into racing, I'd use a 6 piston aftermarket setup

 

[Rob]

To try and bring some clarification to this issue, I have an email sent in to someone in GM Powertrain. As soon as I can find out for sure, I will post back here.

 

[Ken]

From Mike Antonick's new book, Cor-vette specs, C4 1984-1996:

• Brakes--Service
• Description: Hydraulic power brake front and rear disc heavy-duty J55 system.
• Brake type front: B.C.I.A. standard pad guided caliper.
• Brake type rear: B.C.I.A. standard pin guided caliper.
• Special valving type: Rear proportioner integral with master cylinder.
• Power brake: Standard
• Booster type: Vacuum 9.4" single diaphragm 0.65 sq. in.
• Vacuum source: Engine plenum
• Traction control operational speed range: All speeds.
• Traction control type: Engine and brake intervention.
• Anti-lock device F/R: Standard front and rear.
• Anti-lock manufacturer: Bosch ABS/ASR IIU
• Anti-lock type: Electrohydraulic
• Anti-lock number hydraulic circuits: Four (two front, two rear)
• Anti-lock integral or add-on system: Add-on
• Anti-lock yaw control: Yes
• Anti-lock power source: Electronic motor pump
• Effective area: 32.4 sq. in. (front); 18.4 sq. in. (rear)
• Gross lining area: 33.0 sq. in. (front); 18.4 sq. in. (rear)
• Swept area: 111.9 sq. in. (front); 91.3 sq. in. (rear)
• Rotor outer working diameter: 12.9" (front); 11.9" (rear)
• Rotor inner working diameter: 9.7" (front); 9.2" (rear)
• Rotor thickness: 1.1" (front); 0.78" (rear)
• Rotor material and type: Gray iron vented front, HCE iron vented rear.
• Wheel cylinder bore: 1.5" (front dual piston); 1.6" (rear)
• Master cylinder bore: 0.93" (front), 0.93" (rear)
• Master cylinder stroke: 0.80" (front), 0.54" (rear)
• Pedal arc ratio: 4.0:1
• Line pressure at 100 lbs. pedal load: 1160 psi (front), 680 psi (rear)
• Lining clearance: Self adjusting, front and rear.
• Front brake lining bonding: Integral mold
• Front brake lining manufacturer: Japan Brake Industries
• Front brake lining code: JB CP26, FE code
• Front brake lining material: Semi-metallic non-asbestos
• Front brake lining size primary: 5.31" x 1.57" x 0.37"
• Front brake lining size secondary: 5.31" x 1.57" x .037"
• Front brake shoe thickness: 0.236"
• Rear brake lining bonding: Integral mold
• Rear brake lining manufacturer: Japan Brake Industries
• Rear brake lining code: JB H3H B33, GF code
• Rear brake lining material: Semi-metallic non-asbestos
• Rear brake lining size primary: 4.25" x 1.38" x 0.33"
• Rear brake lining size secondary: 3.7" x 1.38" x .033"
• Rear brake shoe thickness: 0.157" (outboard), 0.216" (inboard)

Probably way more than you care to know, but I hope it clears up some of the points discussed here.

 

[Rob]

I just received the following response back from GM Powertrain regarding the differences in brakes between standard 1996 and Grand Sport models:

In 1995, the larger brake system used on Z07 and ZR-1 became standard equipment. That brake system carried over to the 1996 model year. The Grand Sport and the Collector's Edition received black painter calipers with the raised "Corvette" lettering. The caliper housing was the only thing changed. The rotors, pad material, and piston sizes remained thesame with the base vehicles.

 

[Wamp]

ok, im confused now

if all that was changed with the caliper is those neat letters then why do the rotor suppliers state that the the j55 rotors will not fit the GS or CE? I have the J55 and I am putting on new rotors this upcoming weekend. sometime down the line I would like those neat letters on my calipers, but was under the assumption that I would have to get the GS rims for them to fit? I feel really confused after this post. Can someone spell this out for me?

 

[Vettelt193]

I am just as confused... you look for parts, and everything seems different.. pads, rotors, etc.

Then you read someplace else that everything is the same... I don't know who to believe anymore:confused