I just purchased an 08 with Z51 package. It has the Z06 wheels but i think they are aftermarket wheels because of the center caps. Does the Z06 have bigger calipers than the Z51 package? I thought that the Z51 package is standard on the Z06. If so I think mine has the Z06 brake kit.

I just purchased an 08 with Z51 package. It has the Z06 wheels but i think they are aftermarket wheels because of the center caps. Does the Z06 have bigger calipers than the Z51 package? I thought that the Z51 package is standard on the Z06. If so I think mine has the Z06 brake kit.
The C6 Z06 has the larger PBR 6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers. Originally, they were red and screen-printed in white with "Corvette" and some circles. These look very nice, but are not competent performers when pushed hard. If the calipers are red, but look like the standard or Z51 brakes, then they are not the PBR's (count your blessings!). There is not difference between the standard suspension brakes and the Z51 brakes except for color.

Chris

The C6 Z06 has the larger PBR 6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers. Originally, they were red and screen-printed in white with "Corvette" and some circles. These look very nice, but are not competent performers when pushed hard. If the calipers are red, but look like the standard or Z51 brakes, then they are not the PBR's (count your blessings!). There is not difference between the standard suspension brakes and the Z51 brakes except for color.

Chris

:iagree: Z06 brakes are larger than Z51

The C6 Z06 has the larger PBR 6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers. Originally, they were red and screen-printed in white with "Corvette" and some circles. These look very nice, but are not competent performers when pushed hard. If the calipers are red, but look like the standard or Z51 brakes, then they are not the PBR's (count your blessings!). There is not difference between the standard suspension brakes and the Z51 brakes except for color.

Chris

Cool avatar buddy!

The C6 Z06 has the larger PBR 6-piston front and 4-piston rear calipers. Originally, they were red and screen-printed in white with "Corvette" and some circles. These look very nice, but are not competent performers when pushed hard. If the calipers are red, but look like the standard or Z51 brakes, then they are not the PBR's (count your blessings!). There is not difference between the standard suspension brakes and the Z51 brakes except for color.

Chris

Well, I guess I have the ZO6 brake and rotor kit on my 08 C6. Two more questions now....

1. How do I know if my C6 really has the Z51 package that was advertised when purchased.
2. If the ZO6 brakes aren't that good, what can I do to make hem better?

:yoda:

Well, I guess I have the ZO6 brake and rotor kit on my 08 C6. Two more questions now....

1. How do I know if my C6 really has the Z51 package that was advertised when purchased.
2. If the ZO6 brakes aren't that good, what can I do to make hem better?

:yoda:

Z06 brakes are nice and better then what comes on a regular C6. The VIN I believe will tell if it is indeed a Z51

Well, I guess I have the ZO6 brake and rotor kit on my 08 C6. Two more questions now....

1. How do I know if my C6 really has the Z51 package that was advertised when purchased.
2. If the ZO6 brakes aren't that good, what can I do to make hem better?

If you have a C6 Z06, then you have the Z06 brakes. The Z51 came with slightly larger rotors (13.4" front / 13.0" rear [12.0" for some early '05's!]) than the standard model (12.8" front / 12.0" rear).

Note: While re-reading my earlier post regarding the Z51 brakes, that was for the C5. The C6 Z51 definitely has larger rotors (as indicated above) than the standard model. The same calipers are used, however.

Some non-Z06 owners have "upgraded" to the C6 Z06 brakes. These look better, but are poor track performers. Better pads and rotors will help some, but the calipers are not very positive feeling and have poor high-temperature stability. I've heard good results from the Mintex Xtreme Motorsport pads and DBA rotors. They make a 2-piece upgrade for the front -- very nice, and a bit pricier than the 1-piece units.

If you can't tell by the build sheet, call the local dealer with your VIN number and they will be able to tell you exactly what you have (or at least what the car left the factory with!).

Chris

It' not a Z06...I wish it was. I don't understand why the Z06 brakes aren't as good as the Z51 brakes. Isn't the Z06 a "Supercar"? Did GM just jack this one up? Usually GM does the corvette right.

I don't understand why the Z06 brakes aren't as good as the Z51 brakes. Isn't the Z06 a "Supercar"? Did GM just jack this one up? Usually GM does the corvette right.
I wouldn't say GM jacked it up necessarily. The Z06 was built to a certain budget (and the ZR-1 was built to a higher budget). GM went to their Corvette brake supplier of many years to make a higher spec system that had much more curb appeal. The long-established racing/high-performance brands (AP Racing, Brembo, Alcon) were likely out of the price range for the budget at that time. As indicated by the price of a brand new Z06 brake system over the counter today, this was clearly a price-point solution.

The caliper/rotor supplier had issues with their pad supplier during car development. Another supplier stepped in with a much better (and more expensive) pad, but the first pad supplier fixed their structural issue and was kept on. The pads represent the first of two major issues with these brakes when they are pushed hard. The second is the caliper.

The caliper design was done by a group that does has not done much of this type of caliper design (fixed) in the past. However, they have done good quality sliding calipers for decades. They did a pretty fair job for the experience they have and the budget constraints they were put under, although these are not stellar performers compared to the high-end systems currently available.

You probably noticed that GM turned to Brembo for the ZR-1 calipers and CCM rotors. These cost a TON more, but the performance gain and improvement in feel is undeniable. I guess it all goes back to to: you get what you pay for. In the case of the Z06 brakes, GM got what it paid for. I'm sure most customers would have happily paid a little more for better brakes, but it looks like the accountants won that battle. The engineers definitely won the engine battle!

It' not a Z06...I wish it was. I don't understand why the Z06 brakes aren't as good as the Z51 brakes. Isn't the Z06 a "Supercar"? Did GM just jack this one up? Usually GM does the corvette right.

?? Z06 brakes are bigger and better than Z51, I think what he was saying was comparisons of the Z51 against "standard" meaning base model Corvette. The Z06 brake was compared to most likely aftermarket big brake kit. I've heard the same, if comparing against brake like Brembo or Stoptech the stock Z06 brake doesn't fair as nice.

?? Z06 brakes are bigger and better than Z51, I think what he was saying was comparisons of the Z51 against "standard" meaning base model Corvette. The Z06 brake was compared to most likely aftermarket big brake kit. I've heard the same, if comparing against brake like Brembo or Stoptech the stock Z06 brake doesn't fair as nice.
Some may say that. But if I was tracking a C6 and did not have a top-shelf aftermarket brake system (AP Racing, for example :hehehe:), I would rather use the C6 Z51 brakes over the C6 Z06 brakes. Yes, they are slightly smaller, but they have a better feel to them, have a lot more pad and rotors upgrade options available. For the street, however, it's not such a big deal. The Z06 stuff certainly looks better!