GM 6 piston Brembo Big Brake Kit 84050685

[Jon A]

That's kind of what I was hoping is that they were the same calipers and we could just find some nice rotors and get it done on the cheap. The calipers are around $350 each on amazon. It would be awesome if no bracket is required for the swap just new lines.

I don't understand why they charge so much for this kind of stuff. Instead of $3k, they could charge half that, sell 10 times as many as they sell now and still make a killing. If we can piece together a kit for $1k then it probably doesn't cost them half of that.

 

There's nothing wrong with piecing together a kit, but I'd caution people to be very sure about getting correct part numbers of the calipers, etc. A caliper that may physically fit could be a disaster if its pistons are sized for a different application. If you don't know how to calculate brake torque based upon the piston sizes and effective radius you'll want to know that somebody already has.

 

A modest increase in torque (like 35% this kit advertises) in the front is reasonable and shouldn't cause problems, but it would be easy to more than double that with the wrong caliper on a 16.1" rotor which would mean you're basically not using the rear brakes anymore and could really confuse the ABS in a hard stop.

[stereojnky]

 

There's nothing wrong with piecing together a kit, but I'd caution people to be very sure about getting correct part numbers of the calipers, etc. A caliper that may physically fit could be a disaster if its pistons are sized for a different application. If you don't know how to calculate brake torque based upon the piston sizes and effective radius you'll want to know that somebody already has.

 

A modest increase in torque (like 35% this kit advertises) in the front is reasonable and shouldn't cause problems, but it would be easy to more than double that with the wrong caliper on a 16.1" rotor which would mean you're basically not using the rear brakes anymore and could really confuse the ABS in a hard stop.

I don't think that's going to be an issue or a concern considering people have been doing this mod on 3rd/4th/5th Gen camaros, gtos, and g8s. The CTS-V and the ZL1 use the same caliper. It appears that they are utilizing the same one in this kit just powder coated a different color with a different logo. I didn't see a bracket in the kit so I'm just hoping that we won't need one.

I'm thinking the increased stopping power comes from more surface area and clamping area than actual clamping force.

 

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[TJay74]

Should be a good upgrade, as said though be nice if it was nothing more than off the shelf calipers that could be sourced from other venders to accomplish the same thing.

[Jon A]

I don't think that's going to be an issue or a concern considering people have been doing this mod on 3rd/4th/5th Gen camaros, gtos, and g8s. The CTS-V and the ZL1 use the same caliper. It appears that they are utilizing the same one in this kit just powder coated a different color with a different logo. I didn't see a bracket in the kit so I'm just hoping that we won't need one.

I'm thinking the increased stopping power comes from more surface area and clamping area than actual clamping force.

 

That those calipers were interchangeable is nice, but this is a different application. The brakes on the rear of those cars are much different than those on the rear of the trucks. It is very likely the calipers of this kit have relatively small pistons to keep from shifting too much bias forward.

 

The surface area of the pads isn't part of the braking force equation (though it has other advantages). The piston diameter/area and rotor diameter are. It looks to me like they've made an application specific rotor and caliper for the trucks and SUV's; it would be highly coincidental if it worked out that the ZL1 caliper had the correct piston sizes, not to mention a caliper designed for a 14.6" rotor doesn't fit a 16.1" rotor very well.

[stereojnky]

Well, that sucks. It never occurred to me that the larger rotor may require a larger caliper. Fortunately, the wilwood kit is only $2k.

[TJay74]

I would think rotor size doesn't have much to do with the caliper working, mainly because it is the rotor surface area that the pads goes across that matters. A 16" and a 14" rotor are different in size, but the sweep area the pads rides in is probably very close to the same. Wouldnt take much to figure that out, a quick measurement with a caliper could confirm that.

[EChavez]

If you go to Autoanything, they list a Brembo 15" (380 mm) 6 piston front kit for $5k. Too much for my budget.

 

I'd love a set of Brembo's, but at $5k for a set I'd have to agree with spurshot, it's way too much. That's supercharger money

[Jon A]

I would think rotor size doesn't have much to do with the caliper working, mainly because it is the rotor surface area that the pads goes across that matters. A 16" and a 14" rotor are different in size, but the sweep area the pads rides in is probably very close to the same. Wouldnt take much to figure that out, a quick measurement with a caliper could confirm that.

 

 

Yes, it's less of an issue with smaller/lower performance calipers, rear systems, etc, where the caliper and pads are shorter. These 6 pot calipers are so long they practically cover half the rotor. While a small change can be gotten away with, if the rotor diameter changes too much the outside radius of the rotor no longer matches the contour of the interior of the caliper and the pads themselves. Eventually this causes the pads to overhang the rotor in the middle when the caliper cannot be pushed farther onto the rotor because it's hitting at each end.

 

Each combo will be different so there's no strict rule of thumb, but a 16.1" rotor is so huge--I think bigger than GM has ever used before on anything--the odds another caliper will fit correctly (even with some sort of bracket to relocate it) are pretty small.

 

But all this hand-wringing may be needless anyway if GM puts a reasonable price on this kit. They very well may do that as it looks like the "kit" only consists of rotors, calipers, pads and a couple bolts. Mass produced one-piece rotors, no replacement lines, etc, may keep the price very reasonable.

[thetruck454]

 

I'd love a set of Brembo's, but at $5k for a set I'd have to agree with spurshot, it's way too much. That's supercharger money

What if you already have a supercharger, whats throwing more ridiculous money at the truck

 

 

 

If you go to Autoanything, they list a Brembo 15" (380 mm) 6 piston front kit for $5k. Too much for my budget.

 

My only issue with the wilwoods is the pistons aren't booted. While on the track all the rubber does is get too hot and melt/catch fire, on the street it helps keep the sides of the pistons clean and prevent contaminates from getting into the brake fluid. I called and talked to wilwood about the use of them on the street, especially in winter climates where they salt. They did admit they have customers that have run them for 5-10 years, but they suggested at least an annual cleaning/disassembly of them and suggest having spare pistons/seals on hand so you can rebuild them. At least the brembo's "should" come with dust seals and hopefully be less maintence especially since the rotors have gm's duralife surface. Again this is just my opinion and I'm of the mentality of I'd rather spend more for less maintenance because life can get crazy all to quickly.

If you go to Autoanything, they list a Brembo 15" (380 mm) 6 piston front kit for $5k. Too much for my budget.

[EChavez]

What if you already have a supercharger, whats throwing more ridiculous money at the truck

 

 

 

 

My only issue with the wilwoods is the pistons aren't booted. While on the track all the rubber does is get too hot and melt/catch fire, on the street it helps keep the sides of the pistons clean and prevent contaminates from getting into the brake fluid. I called and talked to wilwood about the use of them on the street, especially in winter climates where they salt. They did admit they have customers that have run them for 5-10 years, but they suggested at least an annual cleaning/disassembly of them and suggest having spare pistons/seals on hand so you can rebuild them. At least the brembo's "should" come with dust seals and hopefully be less maintence especially since the rotors have gm's duralife surface. Again this is just my opinion and I'm of the mentality of I'd rather spend more for less maintenance because life can get crazy all to quickly.

 

King shocks, CAI, custom tune, long tubes, better injectors, upgraded trans, and maybe those brembo's . The list goes on and on, but I bet it'd be so much fun to drive. So long as you plan on keeping the truck for a while. It's just money right? haha

[thetruck454]

 

King shocks, CAI, custom tune, long tubes, better injectors, upgraded trans, and maybe those brembo's . The list goes on and on, but I bet it'd be so much fun to drive. So long as you plan on keeping the truck for a while. It's just money right? haha

 

 

My last truck I had for 8 years, I don't see this one being any different. The hard thing for me is when I get a vehicle I go hog wild and do everything right off, but it's owning it for the next 8-10 years and not changing things or modifying more that's the hard part. Besides life's a one way trip and you can't take the money with you right?

[OutBurst]

I spoke with the GM Performance engineers at the U.S. Nationals this past weekend and I was told to expect these kits to be available around Christmas.

[RyanbabZ71]

I spoke with the GM Performance engineers at the U.S. Nationals this past weekend and I was told to expect these kits to be available around Christmas.

What day did you go?

 

On of my favorites

 

 

 

Ryan

[OutBurst]

I was there everyday in the TEC.

[bgweed]

I spoke with the GM Performance engineers at the U.S. Nationals this past weekend and I was told to expect these kits to be available around Christmas.

 

 

What day did you go?

 

On of my favorites

 

Ryan

 

We should have had a mini-meetup for the Indy area guys! I was there too.