brake/rotor advise

Suspension, brake, and hydraulic/electric steering discussion.
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cerbomark
Posts: 316
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2018 5:37 pm
Location: upstate NY

brake/rotor advise

Post by cerbomark »

I will be collecting parts soon to do brakes pads and rotors all the way around. Nothing crazy, but quality OEM style stuff. Too much info to sort thru and with our unique cars I m afraid to trust the local auto store without knowing the part #s myself.
Thanks. FYI 2016.

Edit, Rock auto/ power stop Z23 for example was $456 shipped???
power stop z23 Amazon was $330 shipped.
I m not sold on these but they had good reviews.
2016 C1
cerbomark
Posts: 316
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2018 5:37 pm
Location: upstate NY

Re: brake/rotor advise

Post by cerbomark »

I also see power stop z17, one level down for more money. I noticed that the package weight of the cheaper ones are 94 lbs vs the drilled/slotted at 54 lbs... The cheaper ones are heavier rotors. What to do?
2016 C1
Navy Lifer
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Location: Canton GA

Re: brake/rotor advise

Post by Navy Lifer »

My advice, considering your location and your "nothing crazy" intentions....go for the PowerStop CRK5949 Z17 Evolution Geomet Coated Kit.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.ph ... 73&jsn=498

Plain rotors are perfectly adequate. Drilled & slotted are NOT necessary or even any real advantage, from my experience. There will be plenty of folks that disagree, but it's mainly BLING factor, without any real validation that the D&S is beneficial. Upstate NY is NOT a location that would be very friendly to D&S rotors, unless this is strictly going to be a dry-weather, non-winter vehicle.

Rock Auto listing shows this front & rear rotor kit, with pads & hardware for $285.79 before 5% discount (about $14.50) plus tax & shipping. Pricing may be better via other online sources. (Just checked Amazon and they have this same kit priced at $428)

I use RA a good bit, but I'm not up to speed on where shipping weights are found, but I can tell you that 2 front rotors, alone, will weigh at least 50# (OE rotors), so the 94# weight for 4 rotors & pads is entirely realistic, plain or drilled--there is NOT that much weight difference between the 2 rotor configurations. 54# has to be for 2 rotors only, with pads, most likely. (I do see the weight of this kit on Amazon at 94.5#)
cerbomark
Posts: 316
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2018 5:37 pm
Location: upstate NY

Re: brake/rotor advise

Post by cerbomark »

thanks, I was leaning to the Z17 power stop.
I grabbed it from RA, tax and shipping $347.
My original rotors are toast with 43K. The lip on rotor is pretty large at this point.
I assume its a straight forward swap with no specialty tools ?
2016 C1
Navy Lifer
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Re: brake/rotor advise

Post by Navy Lifer »

So, did you get the kit quoted, with the coated rotors?

"Straightforward" is possibly a bit of over-simplification of what is needed to do a brake job at this level (new rotors) properly.

First, assuming the original pads are still on the car (if they lasted that long), understand that the braking force/feel will not be the same with the new (Z17) setup. The stock PPV pads are fairly aggressive, so it may feel to you, initially, that stopping power is way below the previous/old setup. You'll adjust or select other pads....I think the important thing was to use rotors that offer good protection from the elements, considering your location.

As for the actual process, several things to consider:

1. Each caliper abutment bracket must be removed to change rotors. These abutments are secured with 2 bolts - front are M14x2.0, rears are M12x1.75 (I think). Factory service procedure (SI) calls for these bolts to be replaced after a single use. The replacement bolts (8 total) are high-grade, zinc coated (for corrosion resistance) and have thread-locker pre-applied.

2. Front abutment bolts are torqued to 30 lb-ft, then tightened another 90 degrees of rotation--the area is not easy to access with a large wrench/breaker bar, so an impact could be used. Once the 30 lb torque is achieved, make a mark on the flanged head of the bolt, and a mark on the knuckle that is 90 degrees (clockwise) from the head bolt mark, and use the impact to bump the bolt the additional 90 degrees. I am not certain of the torque value for the rear, but I recall it may be the same, 30 lb-ft plus 90 degrees.

3. Considering where you live, it would not surprise me to find the hub flange at each wheel position has a substantial amount of corrosion. This MUST be cleaned down to bare metal. Failure to do so will induce rotor runout conditions that result in brake judder (shaking) and generally unsatisfactory performance--you'll think you have "warped" rotors. Once the flanges are CLEAN, use a thin layer of water-resistant grease on each flange to retard future corrosion buildup between the flange & rotor hat (inside).

4. Check rotor runout once the new rotors are in place, before re-installing caliper abutments or calipers. If you do everything correctly, as detailed above, you should be OK, but if not, go back and find what the problem is before proceeding.

4.a. Caliper abutments contain the sliding pins that make the "floating" caliper function as designed. THey are covered by a rubber bellows seal arrangement. The sliding action of these pins depends on proper lubrication--if they seem to be free, it's your choice whether to take them apart, clean, and re-lubricate them, or to replace any of these part. Use a high-temp brake lubricant, and follow SI to ensure these parts are functioning properly before re-assembly.

5. With new pads, it will be necessary to push each caliper piston back into it's bore. Rather than force old fluid back toward the master cylinder, it would be preferable to crack open the bleed port, attach a bleed hose, and then push the piston back, to force the old fluid out into a waste container.

6. New hoses are not mandatory. If you were going to do new hoses, this would be the time to install them.

7. Once the rotors are in place, abutments re-installed, pistons retracted, and new pads & hardware (with proper brake lubricant), installed, the brakes should be bled to ensure no air is in the system - and now is the time to do a full system flush to introduce fresh fluid into each caliper.

Bottom line, there's a little bit more to the task than just removing old parts and installing new. If you've never done brake work, or lack tools, skills or confidence, get some experienced help or have a professional do the job.
cerbomark
Posts: 316
Joined: Tue Oct 02, 2018 5:37 pm
Location: upstate NY

Re: brake/rotor advise

Post by cerbomark »

Thank you.
Yes I got the coated ones you quoted.
Less than a year ago I did flush the brake fluid. I do on all my cars.
When I got the car the front pads were shot and I threw a quick set of Napa pads for the time being. I did notice the brake grip difference.
I have done full brake jobs about 30X and have had some cars that needed special tool to retract rear calipers.
The only thing I have never done is to torque the bolts. I have always given them a good hard snug. I ll use your procedure if I can get my torque wrench in there. Everything else seems standard although I never replace the bolts either, LOL.
Thanks for a good write up , I m sure it will be helpful.
2016 C1
Capeasy
Posts: 173
Joined: Wed Aug 07, 2019 9:16 pm
Location: Downey, CA.

Re: brake/rotor advise

Post by Capeasy »

Hey Bill, thanks for the Great advise and direction as always. Do you know if the OEM pads on the PPVs are semi metalic since they work so good and create alot of dust or could they be a Ceramic /Carbon blend of some sort?
Walt (AKA:Capeasy) So. Cal.
2013 Caprice 9C1,Huron white, Blackbear tune, DOD Delete, Texas Speed stage 2 cam with all the goodies, Circle D 258 mm converter, 3200 stall. Spectra CAI, 3.45 Diff, deep trans pan. BlackWidow Venom exhaust,Granatelli oval cutouts, Doug Thorley tri-Y headers, Pedders coilovers,Tower brace, Widend OE. rear wheels to 10" wide with 295 Nitto's
JUNKYARD_JACK
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Re: brake/rotor advise

Post by JUNKYARD_JACK »

Capeasy wrote: Sun Oct 31, 2021 12:20 pm Hey Bill, thanks for the Great advise and direction as always. Do you know if the OEM pads on the PPVs are semi metalic since they work so good and create alot of dust or could they be a Ceramic /Carbon blend of some sort?
I put OEM pads on my car with Raybestos Slotted rotors, the OEM pads are semi-metallic.
Navy Lifer
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Re: brake/rotor advise

Post by Navy Lifer »

Capeasy wrote: Sun Oct 31, 2021 12:20 pm Hey Bill, thanks for the Great advise and direction as always. Do you know if the OEM pads on the PPVs are semi metalic since they work so good and create alot of dust or could they be a Ceramic /Carbon blend of some sort?
Only saw this just now - the pad material on OEM PPV pads is the Ferodo HP1000 spec, as used on OEM Brembo fitments, like Chevy SS sedan. It is the most aggressive friction material that GM has typically used for production "performance" brake systems.

https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.ph ... 48&jsn=730
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.ph ... 84&jsn=997

Nothing I can present here to validate this, or to provide any further information that would give more evidence of what I'm saying - the information isn't easy to research, and having parts on the bench with markings is the best way I can think of.

Past info discussing this: https://www.ssforums.com/threads/what-b ... -ss.90394/
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