GM/Brembo Performance brakes - thoughts + pics

[ProfeZZor X]

I'm curious how your rig stops compared to a Tahoe PPV in an instrumented panic stop situation.

I would imagine your tires would actually be the limiting factor (and not the brakes) compared to a Tahoe PPV that has the Firestone or the Goodyear Enforcers.

I've been rocking RBP tires, which have a very soft compound. Although they're inexpensive, they're not the cheap plastic-like tires some inexpensive brands push out on the market. I don't think those Tahoe PPV's have 8-pot brakes, but they certainly have skinnier tires which wouldn't do much for stopping. But to their credit, those wheels are definitely not as heavy as mine. They may be forged, but it takes two people to pick one tire-mounted wheel up.

Another thing to remember is that I have a wider tire track than a typical 10 or 12 inch wide tread, so I have more contact with the pavement - which greatly improves my braking. I've been in situations where I've had to slam on my brakes, but there was no skidding or sliding. Just very hard braking and harder g-forces on the body.

 

[ProfeZZor X]

I put these on my Yukon. EVERYONE should have these. This beast stops like a little car. And this brake kit wears like a stock part. No extra noises, np extra dust. Just STOP. on. a. dime.
One negative...Replacement pads? 300+ bucks

Got any picks? ...And a link to getting those $300+ pads.

 

[Polo08816]

I've been rocking RBP tires, which have a very soft compound. Although they're inexpensive, they're not the cheap plastic-like tires some inexpensive brands push out on the market. I don't think those Tahoe PPV's have 8-pot brakes, but they certainly have skinnier tires which wouldn't do much for stopping. But to their credit, those wheels are definitely not as heavy as mine. They may be forged, but it takes two people to pick one tire-mounted wheel up.

Another thing to remember is that I have a wider tire track than a typical 10 or 12 inch wide tread, so I have more contact with the pavement - which greatly improves my braking. I've been in situations where I've had to slam on my brakes, but there was no skidding or sliding. Just very hard braking and harder g-forces on the body.

Tahoe PPVs have a 6 piston front caliper design. The Goodyear Enforcer series are pretty soft compounds. They are in the 400s for treadwear rating. They are probably as sticky as you will get for a non-directional SUV tire for 1/2 ton based SUVs.

https://www.tirerack.com/upgrade-garage/what-is-a-tire-contact-patch?srsltid=AfmBOornUo-mcoN7y4tQELPyrI1BvTPPM3q0vQYh5RFVC574lnnC0Z0v

A "wider" tire does not mean you have a "larger" contact patch. A "wider" tire does usually mean the tire will have a "wider" contact patch. Contact patch "area" is generally determined by tire pressure and tire stiffness - but largely the former. Contact patch "shape" is determined by your tire dimensions.

Since braking in a straight line is a longitudinal motion, having a "wider" contact patch is not as beneficial as having a "longer" contact patch. But braking performance is largely determined by tire compound as well as tread pattern.

Either way, I rarely see MT tires outperform highway all seasons or even AT tires on pavement. This is probably the reason why the most off-road oriented tires that are still pursuit rated are still AT tires (Goodyear Enforcer AT).

The purpose of more robust braking systems isn't usually just for a one time panic stop as tires dictate this performance. The purpose of more robust braking systems is to have repeatable and more consistent braking performance in multiple braking applications in a short period of time. Usually you would only touch these limits on a road course track, towing a load (for SUVs/trucks), or severe duty use like the police fleet. A more consistent and repeatable braking performance allows the driver to apply braking input more precisely and confidently in order to optimize the vehicle's balance from the braking zone to the apex (ie. trail brake).

You can use some of these to perform an instrumented test:

RaceBox

www.racebox.pro

VBOX Touch Motorsport

Versatile touch screen performance meter, lap timer and data logger with the ability to run other applications on the same hardware.

www.vboxmotorsport.co.uk

 

[Stbentoak]

If you "Order" these, do they come installed from the factory or does the dealer have to install these?
Also, are they freely available or is this constantly a late availability or out of stock Item?

 

[91RS]

Dealer installed. The 21+ lit is available, I think the kit for the K2 and older trucks is discontinued.

 

[Polo08816]

If you "Order" these, do they come installed from the factory or does the dealer have to install these?
Also, are they freely available or is this constantly a late availability or out of stock Item?

Dealer installed. The 21+ lit is available, I think the kit for the K2 and older trucks is discontinued.

Based on the order guide:

LPO, Front 6-Piston Brembo Brake Upgrade with
Color Matched Rear Calipers, Red calipers on front
and rear, front 16.1" x 1.3" Duralife rotors, Chevrolet
Performance logo on front calipers (dealer-installed)
1 - Requires any 20” or larger RPO or LPO wheels.

But just for clarification the PPV and the 5JL brakes are not the same. I believe the PPV calipers are bridged.

 

[RST Dana]

Not many... 6 months, if that. I was researching aftermarket items a year before I got the AT4 and already had an idea of what I wanted to get. Mine didn't come with the Brembo package from GMC, but I knew I wanted bigger brakes. The GMC Brembo rotors looked a bit small behind the stock wheels, so I did some research on 8 pot calipers and larger rotor options, and ended up with Brembo's GT BM8 kit.

I was asking how many miles on the first Brembo pads?

 

[ProfeZZor X]

I was asking how many miles on the first Brembo pads?

I'd say around 50k miles on the Brembos, easily. I currently have over 58k on the vehicle now, and I didn't get the Brembos installed immediately. They weren't installed for another 7 months after I bought the vehicle.

 

[Maverick803]

I plan to install these on my 2022 Z71 Tahoe, so I stopped by the dealership here in Charlotte to inquire. My main questions were around the rear performance brakes. They said it was really just a pad and caliper upgrade. Anybody done this with the front? Needed? Looks like you could get upgraded pads and red calipers (or paint the stock ones) cheaper? What am I missing?

 

[rlhmarines]

I've had my brakes for a while now, going on 3 years, and they've been fantastic. It's getting to be around that time where I need to shop for replacement pads, but I'm discovering that it's not all that easy. You'd think that Brembo parts would be pretty easy to acquire, but no. I've had to jump through a few hoops to narrow down the part number for my 8 pot brakes, but I was lucky to find them. The lowest price I was able to find them for was $850. Expensive yes, but can anyone put a price on their own well-being and safety.

Anyway, here are some pictures of my calipers when I first bought them. In total, I require 4 performance pads per caliper, so that's where the money is going. Do I regret my choice, no. They've given me a lot of confidence on the road, so I'm never worried about rear-ending someone at the last minute. If anything, it's the people behind me that I worry about more.

View attachment 444255View attachment 444256View attachment 444259View attachment 444260

Those rotors look similar to my Camaro ZL1 front stock rotors that I have in my garage except they are not drilled. What’s the spec on your front and rear rotors? I may have missed it from earlier.

 

[ProfeZZor X]

412 x 38mm for the front rotors. The rear rotors are stock, just cross drilled.

 

[ProfeZZor X]

My 8-pot pads arrived today. 8 plates total. 4 per caliper. Too bad I couldn't find a reliable Brembo distributor here in the states. I tried several, but their customer service was horrible and unresponsive when I reached out and left my contact information. OPSHolders is a European based company specializing in performance parts. I owe them nothing, but I just wanted to give them props for helping me out to find what I so desperately needed.

UPDATE: So far so good. The truck brakes well with no issues. Although I didn't realize my pads were so low before I took it to the shop this weekend, the material was as thin as two stacked rubber bands. I literally wouldn't have made it past two weeks had I kept going.