el es tu

car is a 2007 base model c6

to be used for autox, hpde, time trials, and backroad fun - no daily driving or concerns about noise/dust.

Ive been going back and forth trying to decide what Im going to do because of the brake clearance vs wheel vs tire thing. Ive found that everything is tied together in terms of upgrading, so every decision I make will have to affect another thing...

basically I want to keep my stock 5 spoke wheels & factory sizing for tires and run minimal (if any) spacer


as far as inital cost and then purchasing parts, which will be cheaper- the hardbar t1 kit for the front and rear (not sure if rear kit is available or doable - maybe a 2 piston setup in the rear will reduce cost?)

or

one of the many wilwood setups


If I could retain the factory rotors (cheap c5 napas for the front and rear will be great if they will work on my car) Id rather do that and dispose of them more often than running a nicer floating setup

if there are any other options for decent fixed calipers please let me know. I wanted to do the z06 brake upgrade, but seeing as how the rotors cost much more than the smaller ones and how so many people have negative things to say about them, I wanted to find out as much as possible before making my decision

thanks!

argonaut

The AP calipers will not fit under the 5-spoke rims without hefty spacers. I think 3/8in is required. Personally I don't feel comfortable with that much spacer when driving on a track and thus I procured two full sets of Z06 rims (one set for street, one set for track), which they fit under w/o any spacer.

For me, switching to the AP calipers and discs required getting SKF hubs as well. Not sure what the issue was exactly but the rotors were off center with the caliper. Using SKF hubs solved the issue. Not sure if others have had the same issue.

The AP calipers will work with the stock rotors, no problem there. But why? Like you mention, its a total package. A big advantage of the floating rotors is they run cooler. How much this contributes to better pad wear and better rotor wear is debateable but I can tell you first hand the pad wear is outstanding with the combo of calipers, 2-piece rotors and brake ducts.

travisnd

I have Wilwood SL6Rs up front and use them with DBA 2-piece rotors in stock sizes. I really like them and they perform great. However, the only reason I went with them over the Hardbar AP T1 kit was cost. I found a great deal on them from a fellow forum member who had actually purchased the Hardbar AP T1 kit. If I was paying full price I'd get the Hardbar kit a the caliper looks somewhat superior and has anti-knockback springs etc.

gkmccready

I don't believe the Wilwood will fit under the factory C6 wheels, either. At least the LG kit or the full width calipers won't for sure. Not sure about the Wilwood "skinny" version. So far as I found you cannot get non-slide rail calipers to fit under the stock wheels, the clearance just isn't there...

John Shiels

Both good not sure on the money issue. I have run .750" spacers on front for 1000's & 1000's of miles with no problem. If yo get the WW and plan to run hard get the Therm-o-lock pistons.

UstaB-GS549

Not exactly the same but I had to shim the AP calipers about .040" to center them on my rotor. I have C5 Z06 with stock one piece rotors and Timken bearings.

I picked AP over Wilwood probably because of a lot of small features.

Joy of 6

I've got the AP's and like the performance quite well. Pads do not taper and I use stock wheels on my C5

fatbillybob

2011 SCCA T1 championship C6 corvette wins on Stoptech T1 kit.