"Corvette" brake calipers

[lt4 gs]

Re: 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?

Since this quote was from the General..........I would go to the Chevy Parts counter and lay the two out for yourself......that ought to settle it once and for all........

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

(Quote
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.

 

[Springer's LT4]

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.

Actually thats partially incorrect... the rotors while being the same size are different part numbers from GM... only difference being the black coating put on the center of rotor to prevent rust.

 

[lt4 gs]

Actually thats partially incorrect... the rotors while being the same size are different part numbers from GM... only difference being the black coating put on the center of rotor to prevent rust.

I didn't make the quote............GM did..........so they are incorrect, partially?? Strange........and they built the car, too. Partially.

 

[Vettelt193]

I am guessing the GM Source Rob used is the same one that told him the weight of the LT4 is 200+ pounds more than LT1... Just because they are GM doesn't mean they are right.... (although they should be right most of the time)

 

[Jeffvette]

After all this it still boils down to one thing........


Any caliper that GM uses stock sucks.

The GS caliper is probably no better than the stock J55 other than the looks department. I had tried the GS caiper and couldn't tell any difference on the track. I then went to a brembo 4 piston set up and am relocating the J55 to the rear.

If you plan on going to the C5 kit, expect to get some 5 spokes or another rim that will clear the face of the caiper. Add in aother 900+ to your upgrade.

 

[Vettelt193]

I agree that they aren't that good for track use, but for regular 'Vette owners that don't race alot, they work great.

 

[Springer's LT4]

I didn't make the quote............GM did..........so they are incorrect, partially?? Strange........and they built the car, too. Partially.

I don't care who made the quote, it's incorrect as there is a difference between the rotors on a GS/CE and a J55 car. Call your chevy dealer and ask them for part numbers and price... same price, different part numbers.

GM may have built the car, but funny how the same brake pads are used on Ford Cobras... do you think it may have been a secret joint venture between Chevy and Ford??? :eyerole

 

[Rob]

I don't care who made the quote, it's incorrect as there is a difference between the rotors on a GS/CE and a J55 car. Call your chevy dealer and ask them for part numbers and price... same price, different part numbers.

GM may have built the car, but funny how the same brake pads are used on Ford Cobras... do you think it may have been a secret joint venture between Chevy and Ford??? :eyerole

Unless you can come up with some exact specifications and dimensions for both types of brakes, I think you should be a little more careful on what you declare to be wrong or not wrong.

Just because parts have different prices and part numbers does *not* necessarily mean that they are different parts all together.

I agree that information from GM isn't always written in blood, but until I see more concrete information, I think this thread has run its course.

 

[Springer's LT4]

My original post that was quoted by lt4 gs...

Actually thats partially incorrect... the rotors while being the same size are different part numbers from GM... only difference being the black coating put on the center of rotor to prevent rust.

Did anywhere I say they were a different size? The only difference is the coating to prevent rust on the center part of the rotor. Below is a quote from Jeff Kopp, parts manager at Superior Chevy.

For those that aren't aware, the reg 13" rotor and the GS 13" rotor are identical except the GS rotors center section is coated to prevent rust. This was for appearance since the 5-spoke wheel used on the GS (the CE's actually use this rotor too) shows so much of the rotor. So, it will function just as well as the GS rotor.

Go look at a stock GS/CE and you'll see this plain as day.

 

[Rob]

Although there is a lot of arguing and bickering going on in this thread, which I would like to see end, I think there has also been a good exchange of information.

Please leave this thread open. Thanks.

 

[No Go]

Maybe this might help those trying to mix and match...

I started out with the stock J55 calipers (silver coloring) and added PF Z-rated pads with set of new GS rotors (since I was adding different wheels where the rotors would be seen more). GS rotors worked fine and simply had the paint applied to center section-same price at the time as the J55 rotors so why not?

I then switched to the GS calipers and moved my PF Z-rated pads from the J55 calipers to the GS calipers and installed on the same GS rotors I had used with the J55 rotors.

I also added the GS rotors in the rear as they were similar priced as well...again only change was the painted center section.

 

[Topless]

I did research on this last year when I did the swap to J55.

The calipers (12" and 13" J55 and GS/CE) are all Girtling (sp)/PBR.

They all have the same guts. Calipers for the J55/GS-CE are wider to allow for the thicker rotor.

GS/CE have slightly different casting for the "Corvette" on them.

Calipers for the J55/GS-CE use the same size pad as the 12" system calipers.

Yes, Ford Cobras use the same caliper. They may have different mountings though. Since the casting is different (they say "Cobra," I would guess that the mounting points could be different) I did not research a swap from the Ford parts bid.


The rotors for the 13" only differ on appearance, not function (stock ones). Just as you find aftermarket, you can get ones that look good (ie. zinc washed) ones to change the look, but really don't change the performance. that is basically what you are seeing in the different part numbers from the dealer.

I use cross drilled rotors. I like them a lot. They look good when I have the CE wheels on. When i have the stock 92 wheels on, they are basically hidden. I can not say how much they improve the braking over the stock 13" rotors as I have not run them. I have them in my garage just in case though.

If someone is interested in my sources, I could try and go back. I looked at and talked to people at Brembo, PBR, Girtling, and did all kinds of searches on the internet for info, even to some Mustang sites. No where did any site say that there was a performace difference between the J55 and GS-CE calipers, just different looks. If there had been a performance difference, I would have picked the better performer. I have J55 b/c I was able to get the entire system (calipers, pads, rotors, and lines) for $250. At some point I may go get the GS-CE calipers, but only b/c I now have a set of CE rims to show them off. They look a little cleaner, but they also draw more attention...I like a sleeper. Ok, cross drilled rotors don't exactly hide in CE wheels... :L

Hope this helps....

 

[Wamp]

source

I'd like to know your source, I spent more than that for just slotted rotors. So I can run the GS Calipers and not change my rims?

 

[Topless]

Yes, you can run the GS-CE calipers and not change wheels on your '96. All the factory 17" rims will clear them they say.

The $250 was for a factory setup. I have the contact info at home. I will send it to you tonight.

I bought the cross drilled rotors from someone else (ebay), but I think I only paid around $200 for them. They were slightly, and I do mean barely, used. The guy I bought them from was going to bigger brakes up front right after he put these on.