stereomandan

I’m going through the C5 conversion right now, and thought I’d share some research I’ve done in order to quantify the gains from the C5 brake conversion. If any of these values are wrong, please let me know, and I will correct them.

Details:

LT1 Rotor: 10.8”x1.25”
C5 Rotor: 12.8”x1.25”

LT1 Pad Size: Approximately 63 sq cm (my guesstimate based on pad diagrams)
C5 Pad Size: 72 sq cm

LT1 Caliper: Single Piston Caliper(Cast Iron) (64mm piston)
C5 Caliper: Dual Piston Caliper(Pressure Cast Aluminum) (40mm each piston)

What does this mean?
C5 increase in braking leverage from the larger rotor:
+19%

C5 increase in braking force due to pad size:
+14%

C5 increase in braking force due to piston size(with equivalent brake pressure):
-22%

Add them all up, and the amount of pure stopping power gained from the C5 upgrade over the LT1 front brakes is about 11%. You might think, “only 11%?”, but consider this.

The brakes on cars are designed to be somewhat balanced so that the front or rear brakes don’t over power each other. Having an 11% increase in the front keeps the balance from getting TOTALLY out of wack.

So knowing this, what do I think are the benefits to the C5 upgrade?
11% stronger braking up front
Better pedal feel from smaller pistons(less brake travel to get pad contacting the rotor)
Better fade resistance due to larger heat sink of 12.8” rotor.
Less prone to caliper spreading and rotor taper due to dual piston pressure cast caliper
Looks better, and fills in a 17” rim nicely.
Better selection, and often less expensive aftermarket pads and rotors
Much cheaper than other aftermarket brake kits with similar performance
It’s fairly unique. Not many guys do it.

Just my thoughts. I don’t guarantee any calculations or specifics, but as far as I can tell, these are the main differences between the LT1 and C5 brakes on a Camaro.

I’m hoping that Bob Bishop might chime in as he is more knowledgable than me, and may prove that I have something totally screwed up in my calculations.

Dan

funina91ss

If you have a list of parts need and what all has to be done to do this swap can you email it to me?

and Thanks for the info.

stereomandan

Sure, here is a good resource:
http://chris96ws6.fbodyclassifieds.com/c5brakes/

You will need to get a set of Bob Bishop brackets as well, which are not being made anymore, but if you look hard enough, you might find a used set or an extra set that someone is willing to get rid of.

Here's a picture of all the parts:
C5 Brake Part
Dan