big brake kits
Thread Starter
Senior Member
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From: Manama, Bahrain
big brake kits
looking at a few of them and not sure which route to go
wilwoodhttp://www.tceperformanceproducts.co...s.pl?record=27
ssbc http://cobalt-addiction.com/handling.htm
baer http://www.gravanatuning.com/1532/3/...e_2.0_FWD.html
or the brembo from the tc.
input comments and all of that is appriciated.
wilwoodhttp://www.tceperformanceproducts.co...s.pl?record=27
ssbc http://cobalt-addiction.com/handling.htm
baer http://www.gravanatuning.com/1532/3/...e_2.0_FWD.html
or the brembo from the tc.
input comments and all of that is appriciated.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
iTrader: (4)
Joined: 12-15-07
Posts: 13,998
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From: Manama, Bahrain
ya im lookin more in the performance side.
this car will be an all purpose car. well
thats the plan as of now. only thing thats swaying me away from the
brembos is that i need spacers, ss/tc rims or aan aftermarket rims.
this car will be an all purpose car. well
thats the plan as of now. only thing thats swaying me away from the
brembos is that i need spacers, ss/tc rims or aan aftermarket rims.
bump
im considering a big brake kit too.
dont know if i should go wilwood 6-pot calipers or the baer 2-pot front brake kit.
or just do the brnmbo's from the SS/TC
any input on which kit i should go for?
im considering a big brake kit too.
dont know if i should go wilwood 6-pot calipers or the baer 2-pot front brake kit.
or just do the brnmbo's from the SS/TC
any input on which kit i should go for?
Unless getting wheels to fit is a deal breaker Id say go with the SS/TC Brembos.
After that if youre a mostly street driven car out of the optionsId say Baer, factory durability level on the calipers(seals)big company with lots of parts, factory style mounting on the caliper, downside is its still an aluminum floating caliper(2 piston) and that stlye isnt known for its strength or stiffness, look around on the race forums or in serious Mustang and Corvette froums and see what those guys do to that style caliper, its truly shocking.
Wilwood stuff is nice, its cheap, its race level. Problem is its race level, which means it isnt designed for long term street duty, Wilwood calipers dont like long cold harsh salty winters, youll have to replace the calipers as regualr maintenance, say 3yrs. thats where the good thing they are cheap comes in, the average 4 piston wilwood caliper is under $150. 6 psitons are a total waste on the street on a Cobalt, they weigh more, they cost more and afaik arent available in a size well matched to the Cobalt master cylinder.
JBP........please, gtfo.
There is an option that hasnt been mentioned......Time Attack brakes......they have 311mm floating 2 piece rotors, use stock caliper, pads you already have(or any pad that fits stock caliper) and are as you could imagine race tested and validated.(Can you say 2008 Koni Challenge Champion?) They use some of the best rotors available (PFC) and would be priced similarly to most of these options. I'll have some in the coming days and if enough people are interested I am sure i could convince someone to sell them. Think of it as the easiest Big Brake Kit of all, you dont even have to disconnect your brake hose if you dont want. No harder than changing rotors.
After that if youre a mostly street driven car out of the optionsId say Baer, factory durability level on the calipers(seals)big company with lots of parts, factory style mounting on the caliper, downside is its still an aluminum floating caliper(2 piston) and that stlye isnt known for its strength or stiffness, look around on the race forums or in serious Mustang and Corvette froums and see what those guys do to that style caliper, its truly shocking.
Wilwood stuff is nice, its cheap, its race level. Problem is its race level, which means it isnt designed for long term street duty, Wilwood calipers dont like long cold harsh salty winters, youll have to replace the calipers as regualr maintenance, say 3yrs. thats where the good thing they are cheap comes in, the average 4 piston wilwood caliper is under $150. 6 psitons are a total waste on the street on a Cobalt, they weigh more, they cost more and afaik arent available in a size well matched to the Cobalt master cylinder.
JBP........please, gtfo.
There is an option that hasnt been mentioned......Time Attack brakes......they have 311mm floating 2 piece rotors, use stock caliper, pads you already have(or any pad that fits stock caliper) and are as you could imagine race tested and validated.(Can you say 2008 Koni Challenge Champion?) They use some of the best rotors available (PFC) and would be priced similarly to most of these options. I'll have some in the coming days and if enough people are interested I am sure i could convince someone to sell them. Think of it as the easiest Big Brake Kit of all, you dont even have to disconnect your brake hose if you dont want. No harder than changing rotors.
Wilwood stuff is nice, its cheap, its race level. Problem is its race level, which means it isnt designed for long term street duty, Wilwood calipers dont like long cold harsh salty winters, youll have to replace the calipers as regualr maintenance, say 3yrs. thats where the good thing they are cheap comes in, the average 4 piston wilwood caliper is under $150. 6 psitons are a total waste on the street on a Cobalt, they weigh more, they cost more and afaik arent available in a size well matched to the Cobalt master cylinder.
There is an option that hasnt been mentioned......Time Attack brakes......they have 311mm floating 2 piece rotors, use stock caliper, pads you already have(or any pad that fits stock caliper) and are as you could imagine race tested and validated.(Can you say 2008 Koni Challenge Champion?) They use some of the best rotors available (PFC) and would be priced similarly to most of these options. I'll have some in the coming days and if enough people are interested I am sure i could convince someone to sell them
There is an option that hasnt been mentioned......Time Attack brakes......they have 311mm floating 2 piece rotors, use stock caliper, pads you already have(or any pad that fits stock caliper) and are as you could imagine race tested and validated.(Can you say 2008 Koni Challenge Champion?) They use some of the best rotors available (PFC) and would be priced similarly to most of these options. I'll have some in the coming days and if enough people are interested I am sure i could convince someone to sell them
I dont think you can bring up the Time attack brakes because no one sell them yet...lol
I am not a big fan of Wilwoods because of the extensive use of non-floating 2piece rotors, the thin rotors that tend to get used, the thin pads that they use(stock SS pads are over 50% thicker) and the non DOT lines that you have to use(just my opinion)
Unless getting wheels to fit is a deal breaker Id say go with the SS/TC Brembos.
After that if youre a mostly street driven car out of the optionsId say Baer, factory durability level on the calipers(seals)big company with lots of parts, factory style mounting on the caliper, downside is its still an aluminum floating caliper(2 piston) and that stlye isnt known for its strength or stiffness, look around on the race forums or in serious Mustang and Corvette froums and see what those guys do to that style caliper, its truly shocking.
Wilwood stuff is nice, its cheap, its race level. Problem is its race level, which means it isnt designed for long term street duty, Wilwood calipers dont like long cold harsh salty winters, youll have to replace the calipers as regualr maintenance, say 3yrs. thats where the good thing they are cheap comes in, the average 4 piston wilwood caliper is under $150. 6 psitons are a total waste on the street on a Cobalt, they weigh more, they cost more and afaik arent available in a size well matched to the Cobalt master cylinder.
JBP........please, gtfo.
There is an option that hasnt been mentioned......Time Attack brakes......they have 311mm floating 2 piece rotors, use stock caliper, pads you already have(or any pad that fits stock caliper) and are as you could imagine race tested and validated.(Can you say 2008 Koni Challenge Champion?) They use some of the best rotors available (PFC) and would be priced similarly to most of these options. I'll have some in the coming days and if enough people are interested I am sure i could convince someone to sell them. Think of it as the easiest Big Brake Kit of all, you dont even have to disconnect your brake hose if you dont want. No harder than changing rotors.
After that if youre a mostly street driven car out of the optionsId say Baer, factory durability level on the calipers(seals)big company with lots of parts, factory style mounting on the caliper, downside is its still an aluminum floating caliper(2 piston) and that stlye isnt known for its strength or stiffness, look around on the race forums or in serious Mustang and Corvette froums and see what those guys do to that style caliper, its truly shocking.
Wilwood stuff is nice, its cheap, its race level. Problem is its race level, which means it isnt designed for long term street duty, Wilwood calipers dont like long cold harsh salty winters, youll have to replace the calipers as regualr maintenance, say 3yrs. thats where the good thing they are cheap comes in, the average 4 piston wilwood caliper is under $150. 6 psitons are a total waste on the street on a Cobalt, they weigh more, they cost more and afaik arent available in a size well matched to the Cobalt master cylinder.
JBP........please, gtfo.
There is an option that hasnt been mentioned......Time Attack brakes......they have 311mm floating 2 piece rotors, use stock caliper, pads you already have(or any pad that fits stock caliper) and are as you could imagine race tested and validated.(Can you say 2008 Koni Challenge Champion?) They use some of the best rotors available (PFC) and would be priced similarly to most of these options. I'll have some in the coming days and if enough people are interested I am sure i could convince someone to sell them. Think of it as the easiest Big Brake Kit of all, you dont even have to disconnect your brake hose if you dont want. No harder than changing rotors.
i have seen these time attack brakes and they are purdy...
wish i had 2 piece rotors and caliper spacers available....if you dont mind how much are you paying for them?? take to pm if you would like.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
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Joined: 12-15-07
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From: Manama, Bahrain
the wifey is gettin the wilwood for the hhr.
its for daily driving 2 n from work kinda thing.
whats wrong with it not being DOT lines?
does it exceed the requirements or meet
the requirement? if its subpar ill get custom cut lines.
17x7.00 5x112/110 42
will the +42 offset work with
the brembos from the tc?
im not even sure whats the required to clear it.
its for daily driving 2 n from work kinda thing.
whats wrong with it not being DOT lines?
does it exceed the requirements or meet
the requirement? if its subpar ill get custom cut lines.
17x7.00 5x112/110 42
will the +42 offset work with
the brembos from the tc?
im not even sure whats the required to clear it.
Last edited by Omnigear; Apr 1, 2009 at 08:30 PM. Reason: Automerged Doublepost
If I had to guess.. and this is JUST a guess, Id say they would be like high $900's possibly less, but just as easily more.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
iTrader: (4)
Joined: 12-15-07
Posts: 13,998
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From: Manama, Bahrain
thanks maven for answering all my dumb questions.
i guess i have to cowboy up and pay to play
to have the brembos. i want brakes that can handle
tracks like buttonwillow or willow springs in the
future and be comfident that i wont melt due to hard braking.
i guess i have to cowboy up and pay to play
to have the brembos. i want brakes that can handle
tracks like buttonwillow or willow springs in the
future and be comfident that i wont melt due to hard braking.
Wilwood stuff is nice, its cheap, its race level. Problem is its race level, which means it isnt designed for long term street duty, Wilwood calipers dont like long cold harsh salty winters, youll have to replace the calipers as regualr maintenance, say 3yrs. thats where the good thing they are cheap comes in, the average 4 piston wilwood caliper is under $150. 6 psitons are a total waste on the street on a Cobalt, they weigh more, they cost more and afaik arent available in a size well matched to the Cobalt master cylinder.
.
.
All that has some truth to it but still has a number of holes in it.
Often those 'less than desirable Baer/PBR sliders are replaced the the later mentioned Wilwood calipers both for the reasons mentioned and the improvements they bring.
Having been a dealer now for over 17yrs I have in fact sold some replacement Wilwoods to former customers. Mostly after about 4yrs of service in 24/7 applications where lack of maintenance (read cleaning) has taken their toll. While it's true that replacements are often sub $200ea, compared to the money spent on tires for the same duration this for many is a moot point. Still....with literally hundreds of customers around the globe the number of calipers I've sold for replacement could be counted on one hand.
For options, there's the DPr or DynaPro Radial mount or BSL4r which are both fully "dust booted" but come with a premium cost. Given the rather budget nature of Cobalt owners I suspect most would not opt for this given the opportunity.
As for size matched to the Cobalt for master cylinder use; says who? I know of at least four different bore combos used in the production of six pot calipers so please don't make such blanket statements without having your facts correct. As for weight and value that's subjective; some are heavier than four pots others lighter depending upon what you're comparing. An 18" wheel is not necessarily heavier than a 17" just because it's larger...The value of a six pot on the street is also more even pad wear thus requiring less service and attention to counter pad taper wear. And in some cases; improvement in wheel fit and wheel options over four pots.
Just making sure all the information is on the table here. It's great that you have some knowledgeable members but that doesn't mean you should rely on them as a sole source of information.
maven and powell motorsports (read the people who did the time attack and koni challenge cobalts) know what they are talking about...they arent just fanbois spout off unproven facts...


