Brake Upgrade

[Stadawim]

Okay. I have just sifted through most of the pages here regarding any and every type of brake upgrade members have offered. I figured the best way to do this was just come out and ask with my own thread.

What is the widely accepted way to go to upgrade your brakes all around? As in; i know the 2000-2003 Bonnies have an 11" rotor up front and the 2004-2005s got 12" (unless that was for GXPs only). So an obvious solution is to put an 04+ brake system on your 00-03. But is that completely interchangeable with no mods? I think i saw that you got to alter your brake lines. But i've also seen others say you can put F-body brakes on as an upgrade. I assume those must also be larger (and probably at least dual pistoned calipers).

I need to get my brakes done like, immediately. And i promised myself the next time i did them i would beef them up across the board - rotors, calipers, lines, pads. Hopefully with a set from an 04-05 GXP. But those are hard to come by, and there has to be some other options out there. I just want to make sure that whatever set i get works and we can handle the install with no problems.

[00Beast]

You're confused.

SLE/SSEi's got 11.9" rotors up front, 11" rears, single piston calipers all around.

GXP's had dual piston calipers up front, and 12.9" rotors, and 11.9" rotors in the rear, same calipers as others.

F-Body calipers bolt in place of the SLE/SSEi caliper on the OEM size rotors, and are dual piston. No mods are necessary for any other than bolting them in, and the 04-05 Bonne GXP calipers use a different, shouldered bolt than the SLE/SSEi calipers, so pay attention to that. Apparently the Grand Prix GXP calipers use the same bolt as the SLE/SSEi, which makes no sense to me at all...

You have to use the pads for the application your caliper is off of as well.

[yourgrandma]

Prett much any GM brake caliper is interchangeable. They bolt right up. The trick is finding rotors to work.

The easiest and cheapest route is the F body/ GXP swap. Theyre normally refferred to seperately but I consider them similar enough.

Find calipers and brackets for the front of a Bonneville GXP or Grand Prix GXP and I can promise theyll bolt right up and use the exact same rotors as their normal application. FOr the rear, get the caliper brackets and rotors for a bonneville GXP or apparently a Cadillac STS.

If you wanted to get really trick, you could get a set of 6 piston Brembo calipers for a CTS-V for the front. Im working on brackets to fit the 4 piston rears at the moment. I only have the 4 piston first gen CTS-V fronts with 14.6" rotors.

[redzmonte]

So the simple way to upgrade for the budget minded would to be run SLE/SSEi front rotors (your choice of blank, Slotted, Drilled) with F-body calipers/brackets and pads (99-02 Camaro/Trans am)... would you need Fbody brake hoses as well?

This will give you 11.9" front rotors and Dual piston calipers (more clamping power).. same size rotor would suggest a same size pad or is the Fbody pad larger? For another upgrade looks like you can run a C5 Caliper with Fbody brackets/pads and stock rotors

[redzmonte]

here this is interesting... F-body swap but C5 Calipers (i know C5 calipers are cheap and Z06 are factory coated Red)
Regal: http://www.j-body.org/forums/read.php?f ... 11&t=99830

"C5 Caliper Mounted on my regal with F-body caliper bracket and rotor"


"I want to let you guys know that its very popular to swap the F-body calipers onto the W-body cars (like my Regal).
Well instead of using F-body calipers you can also use C5 Corvette Calipers which are actually MUCH better then the F-body calipers.
The C5 calipers have longer cooler fins and smaller dual pistons for less squishy brake petal like we get in the W-body cars with F-body calipers.
Pretty much on the W-body cars you use the F-body rotor, F-body Caliper Bracket, F-body caliper bolts, F-body brake pads then use simply the C5 calipers. C5 Caliper VS F-Body Caliper

[95naSTA]

For a F-body setup, you'll need F-body caliper bolts or McMaster p/n: 91310A718 and shims p/n: 6679K16.

Or drill/tap the caliper brackets for larger bolts.

[Stadawim]

Preciate the replies guys. So this is to say that if i stay GM anyway, not much (if any) altering is needed if i just want to get better calipers (2x piston) and pads (per app). It's in the rotor dimensions where it could get trickier. But has naSTA put, i will need the bolts or alterations for the bolts. I got all that right? Cause that means i may just go and seek out the Vette or similar calipers and get results. With new slotted rotors same as original.

[Stadawim]

This may be a stupid question, but after looking up some calipers/pistons i noticed: did the 04-05 GXPs also have single pistons? Or maybe just the Grand Prix? I'd like the dual but can't find the compatible ones.

[2003 SSEi]

they were dual piston

you can also bolt on the larger 13" rotors and calipers from a 06+ Deville/STS. they are the same caliper as the GXP except the GXP are Alum and the cadillac are much heavier cast.

they are a direct bolt on

[redzmonte]

Anyone know much about the Caddie XLR calipers? are they interchangeable with anything?

[yourgrandma]

The XLR is just a C5 Vette, but slower. I imaju=ine the brakes are directly swappable with C5 units.

[redzmonte]

I figured the same thing, i didnt know if they ran different rotors, alluminum calipers or what.. they do look different then the Vette callipers

[CadVetteStang]

I already have F body calipers and brackets with new pads onhand and I have the 11.9" front rotors from an 02 Eldorado. They are the same thickness. Will this combo work okay? Can use the F body master cyl. to prevent getting a squishy peddal?

[1oldman]

Just a question, wouldn't you need 18" wheels to go with the larger calipers and rotors on the SLE/SE? - BC

[nos4blood70]

SLE models clear with their 17 inch wheels, but I doubt you could fit GXP or F-body calipers under the SE 16s.

[00Beast]

F-body you probably could...