flynhi

The new Vette mag has an article on the SSBC brake replacement setup for C3s. Anyone tried this yet? Results?

ScubaJKD

Which Vette Mag ? Is there a link online to read it ? Im very insterested as well.

75 Hot One

They advertise in Vette & Corvette Fever. Web site is http://www.ssbrakes.com. They're supposedly the "inventors" of the SS sleeve for calipers. They have an aluminum caliper called the "Force 10" that sounds appealing. They're just outside Buffalo, NY.

Tom73

It is in the new Vette, Oct 2001, just got it in the mail today. They installed the "Force 10 Extreme Duty" brake system on a 72. Prior to the new brakes it stopped 60-0 in average of 171.5, best of 170 feet. Afterwards it was an average of 143 with a best of 128 feet. Impressive but do not know the condition of the factory brakes, would assume they were average with normal wear. So any new system would improve stopping, but best to best this was a 24% improvement.

tom...

Shark Racer

I am -horribly- tempted to get a set of those Force 10s.
Ah, the joys of owning a sports car and lusting after every brake/suspension/engine package you can find...
Well, I'm somewhere near my goal, anyways.
-Steve

zwede

If it needed 170 ft to stop from 60, the brakes were shot. The stock system stops the car in 130-140 ft. Sounds like yet another rigged magazine test designed to get the desired result.

Red73

This is why I like Tom73's web site. If you go to the article section, Motor Trend magazine test the 73 with a LS4 and stopped in 135' and then went on to say that the prior year with a LS5 they stopped in 122'. :confused:

ScubaJKD

SO who has the real numbers? What did the 72 stop like from the factory ? :rolleyes:

flynhi

Any benefit from the reported five pounds per caliper dif in weight from GM cast iron to SSBC alum?

Tom73

Will, Since you are running the transverse spring suspension I would think you would see a benefit, more so then someone running the stock suspension.

tom...

Tom73

After some of the posts above about braking distances I pull some old road tests. Motor Trend test had the following distances for 60 - 0:

72 116 ft
68 119 ft
66 120 ft

In fact, the 63 with drum brakes stopped in 134 ft.

So these test don't look so good after all.

tom...

427V8

This will be my third reply, maybe _THIS_ time IE wont crash 1/2 way through the F-in reply!

I don't think there will be a braking distance improvement with new calipers.
That is really done with pads I think. I mean, can you lock up the front tires? If so how can you improve that!?

I like the Wilwood calipers because they are light, have better seals that can tolerate more runout and have better heat resistance that the stock rotors.

I don't know about the SSBC brakes, have they improved anything besides the weight?

StingrayRacing

I have a G-Tech...maybe we can do some 60-0's with it...not sure how accurate it is for this but its pretty good with quarter mile times.

flynhi

StingRay Racing-
Excellent idea. I'd really appreciate a real world test on brakes and a report on the G-Tech. I'm thinking about taking BFG up on the current tire/G-Tech offer.

StingrayRacing

You're probably right...brake pads, rotors and tires will make a bigger difference in stopping distances.

Where better calipers come into play is in not fading when doing repeated stops...such as road racing, autocrossing, etc...and I think a lot of has to do with heat disapation...which aluminum calipers probably do a better job than the stock ones...plus the weight savings.

flynhi

From a book I have which collects Car and Driver road tests
68 427/400 80-0 229 ft
68 427/435 80-0 235 ft
69 350/270 80-0 238 ft
69 350/330 80-0 237 ft
69 427/365 80-0 260 ft
69 427/425 80-0 251 ft
73 350/250 70-0 209 ft
73 454/275 70-0 195 ft
75 350/165 70-0 191 ft
76 350/180 70-0 198 ft
76 350/210 70-0 183 ft

In light of these numbers, does the SSBC test make sense?

flynhi

ttt

Gordonm

I read this article and was wondering also what the stock numbers are. Sounds like a little hype to sell some brake systems. What is the cost for this system from SSBC. That would be a factor over redoing the stock system.

flynhi

Not cheap (but who wants cheap brakes? Inexpensive, maybe, cheap - no way!) I think their site says about $850 for calipers, rotors, pads, etc.

terryrudy

Have any of you guys that are unhappy with your brakes try rebuilding the stockers? I was unhappy with mine last year. Put new calipers, resurfaced rotors, hawk+ pads, stainless braided lines, bled system. Added 17" Z-Rated rubber as well and now my Vette brakes HARD, STRAIGHT and SOLID. If I really jump on it, I think it will put me through the windshield. Sorry, not very scientific, but my point is that for those of you who are not superheating your brakes on a racetrack, you will be VERY surprised with how good the stockers are. In fact a few of these brake upgrades have the same piston area or LESS than the stock ones do. Try contacting 71Roadster - he's been researching this heavily lately. . . .

I think you will be amazed how good a decent set of brake pads will work with the stock system. . . .
-terry