Bigger Is Better – Selecting Brake Rotors
While several brake rotor designs are available, yielding different benefits, in the case of brake rotors, size matters. Larger rotors tend to provide better cooling under intense braking, leading to less brake fade. They also use less pad pressure to achieve the same stopping force and can reduce the distance it takes your Corvette to come to a stop.
Blank Rotors – A Step Above Stock
Blank or Stock Rotors are great for the driver who plans to retain a mild street machine and only revs up the RPMs every once in a while. If you're still looking for an easy performance boost, upgrade the size of your rotors for better handling when you need it. Just be sure that the rotors will fit your current wheel size. Overall, advantages of the Blank Rotor on a daily driver far outweigh any advantages of a drilled or slotted rotor.
Drilled Rotors – Combat Intense Heat
Drilled Rotors are blank rotors that have been cross-drilled specifically to allow heat to escape. Friction causes heat to build up between the brake pad and rotor. With drilled rotors, the heat dissipates through the holes. Drilled Rotors are recommended for high performance driving that generates intense levels of heat, such as frequent and harsh braking.
Slotted Rotors – Bring On The Rain
Similar to Drilled Rotors, Slotted Rotors are designed for high performance situations. Instead of holes, these rotors feature slots that allow the heat to escape. Because of the slotted design, they are also good at channeling water away from your brakes when driving in wet conditions.
Drilled & Slotted Rotors – The Best Of Both Worlds
When performance is top priority and the useful life of the rotor is less important than performance, go with a Drilled and Slotted Rotor. Utilizing both design techniques, these rotors disperse the maximum amount of heat away from your brakes. Keep in mind that Drilled and Slotted Rotors tend to wear out more quickly. This happens for two reasons: first, the mix of holes and slots can compromise the structural integrity of the rotor. Second, Drilled and Slotted Rotors are typically used in high performance applications, like racing, where brakes are changed more frequently.
Calipers – From The Track To Your Driveway
Brake Calipers are available on disc brakes and work by squeezing a piston against the brake pads, creating friction that ultimately stops the Corvette. Disc brakes were originally developed for race cars, and, as with many automotive innovations, have been refined and improved upon to create a high performance application. Corvette lovers simply select the right combination of options for their calipers to improve performance.
Formula For Stopping Power
Bigger Pistons – Simply stated, the larger the pistons are, the more clamping force they have on your rotor. This is because they come into contact with a greater area of the brake pads.
More Pistons – Standard floating brake calipers have a single piston on the inboard side, while fixed calipers have a pair of pistons on either side of the rotor. Some performance brake calipers have multiple pairs of pistons mounted on alternating sides of the rotor for maximum clamping force and stopping power.
If you drive your Corvette to Club Cruises and Car Shows, larger calipers with more pistons probably aren't for you. These applications are best suited for high speed, high performance situations that involve heavy braking.
The Latest Brake Upgrades For the Latest Generation
Owners of the 7th Generation Stingray who want an upgrade in braking performance already have an option, thanks to the experts at Wilwood. They have designed high- performance disc brakes for the C7 Corvette with optimal engineered-in performance.
Wilwood's team of expert engineers designed a disc brake kit that delivers high-torque stopping power, optimized cooling efficiency, and high-tech styling for the street or track. The calipers in the kit are available in six piston front calipers and four piston rears, with gloss black, red or Wilwood's newest nickel-based Quick- Silver plating color options.
Each kit includes all necessary hardware with DOT approved stainless steel braided flexlines, and a detailed instruction guide for an easy bolt-on installation.
Features:
- Aerolite Radial Mount Calipers For Weight Savings
- Spec 37 Alloy Directional Vane Two-Piece Rotors For Superior Performance Over OEM
- BP-20 Compound Pads Deliver High-Torque Stopping Power
- Six Piston Front Calipers & Four Piston Rears Are Available In Black, Red or Quick-Silver Plating
- Kit Includes Stainless Steel Braided Flexlines That Are DOT Approved
