4 Piston Big Brake Upgrade from 2019-20

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fasteddy

fasteddy

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OMG....
Happy Easter!
My calipers and rotors arrived today, Sunday, Easter Sunday. Thank You FedEx!
The calipers come with the pin kit so you don't need to order those.

They are BIG! Complete with pistons and seals and painted silver. What a great deal for like $80 per.
2 piece caliper, not monoblock, but you can't beat the price.
These will powdercoat really nice.

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Very Similar to the calipers on my Colorado....different part number though
But I bet those Colorado wheels will clear.

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fasteddy

fasteddy

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I wonder if they will fit on the rear......that would be totally badass and better stopping power too.
 

the_tool_man

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Here's a guy who just painted them for color....He was really pleased with the outcome LOL.
And he runs 1/4 spacers so his A/M wheels clear.
Duplicolor makes many colors of paint and a good option if you don't want to pull the caliper apart for powdercoating.
I would paint it before you put it on.

How to Paint your Brake Calipers 2021 Tahoe Yukon DIY Tutorial - YouTube
I've used that kit once on another vehicle. It worked okay. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get rid of the brush marks. Eventually I stripped and redid them using the spray kit, when I had them off for a suspension rebuild. The results were much better. It never chipped or faded at all. I wouldn't hesitate to use it again. It was much easier than fully disassembling them for powdercoating.
 

ThisIsLivin

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Ok, so I finally watched the video. It is exactly as I thought, going to the 4 piston caliper requires more fluid and will increase pedal travel. I highly recommend using the Baer rotor upgrade kit with the Power Stop pads, instead of the 4 piston caliper. It uses the stock caliper and larger rotor, with the Power Stop pads the braking is incredible. From the video the 4 piston caliper doesn't help braking at all. On another note, I used one of the caliper paint kits and worked fairly well. I cut it with a little acetone and it went on smoothly without any brush marks.
 

RST Dana

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Ok, so I finally watched the video. It is exactly as I thought, going to the 4 piston caliper requires more fluid and will increase pedal travel. I highly recommend using the Baer rotor upgrade kit with the Power Stop pads, instead of the 4 piston caliper. It uses the stock caliper and larger rotor, with the Power Stop pads the braking is incredible. From the video the 4 piston caliper doesn't help braking at all. On another note, I used one of the caliper paint kits and worked fairly well. I cut it with a little acetone and it went on smoothly without any brush marks.
Once the system is full, the only incremental fluid needed for braking would come from the amount of volume needed to move 4 pistons vs 2. Sure it would be more, but I wonder at the brake pedal how much you would notice with new pads and minimal pad travel.
 

Hrocks

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Regarding the original conversion video, there are a couple of thoughts and issues that need to be addressed, as there's no sense going this route unless you dramatically improve your stopping power.
1) Adequate volume/force brake master cylinder
2) Correct F/R brake bias (after market valve)
3) Correct and thorough bleeding of the system

For reference, I had a '90 Corvette that I converted to a track car. I was an in car driving instructor, so my brakes HAD to be awesome and virtually impervious to heat. (although, you can ultimately over heat any braking system, if abused hard enough) Here's what worked for me...this is NOT a recommendation that you should do the same. I ran 6 piston Wilwood race calipers on the front and 4 pot WW rears. I had to change the brake master cylinder because when you push "that" much more brake fluid through the system, you will never generate enough force using the stock master. I had to identify the "right" master, which in my build happed to be a slightly modified Camaro master. Also, I had to install a brake bias valve to make the system effective. Because these vehicles have ABS, there's a trick to setting that. In my vintage, I simply pulled the ABS fuse and went to my usual "test" area, which happened to be an industrial park, at night. Bottom line is that you keep adding rear bias until the rears lock up first, then back off about a 1/2 turn, then reinstalled the fuse and verified all was good. If you go this route, your adjustment will likely be different.

While this next step is way out sequence, you will appreciate the fact that your system MUST be totally purged of all of the old fluid and air. I found that the best (and easiest) method was to use an air driven fluid extractor. (something like this https://www.tooldiscounter.com/product/mityvac-88-litre-air-operated-fluid-evacuator-mit7300 This is NOT one of those mini hand held pumps.) It is a painless, and totally effective method of bleeding your brakes. You can actually do it without anyone assisting. I used some high temp/high dollar brake fluid for my application, (Motul) but any high quality brake fluid will work for the street. (Do NOT use silicone!!!)

Check your vehicle's shop manual to determine if/how you need to bleed your ABS system. Some GM vehicles required a Tech2. Also, because brake fluid is hygroscopic, (it attracts moisture) it's always a good idea to totally purge and replace ALL of your brake fluid regularly. I used to do it a couple of times a season with my track car and do it every couple of years on my street vehicles. Your frequency may vary.
 

91RS

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These trucks aren’t race cars. If you can change from the stock 2 piston calipers to a 6 piston Wilwood or GM Brembo kit (which GM and all their lawyers supports on the 15+ and the calipers are the same from 05-20) you can change to a 4 piston without the world screeching to a halt. I’m all for doing things correctly but these are just road trucks. The braking systems in these trucks are VERY different from a 90 Corvette.
 

Hrocks

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These trucks aren’t race cars. If you can change from the stock 2 piston calipers to a 6 piston Wilwood or GM Brembo kit (which GM and all their lawyers supports on the 15+ and the calipers are the same from 05-20) you can change to a 4 piston without the world screeching to a halt. I’m all for doing things correctly but these are just road trucks. The braking systems in these trucks are VERY different from a 90 Corvette.

Ah, I think we're all in agreement that Silverado's are not race cars. Obviously, the fellow who did exactly what you stated couldn't even get his truck to screech to a halt because his system was a total mismatch of components. My comments were to those who might blindly choose to follow the somewhat misguided internet "how to" video. Some, (many?) forum members may not be aware that upgrading your brake system is not plug n' play like plugging in the USB of a different mouse on your computer. To be generous, it would be surprising if anyone could successfully simply change from their two piston slide caliper system to a 4 or 6 pot system in the front and a 4 pot rear without a master cylinder modification and not have deleterious effects on their braking system. And you have it on good authority I assume, what brake modifications that General Motors' attorneys support...
 

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