SSBC vs WILWOOD vs BAER vs BREMBO

[blazinkrzy]

this is one of the questions i cant find an answer to. it seems like anywhere i search i find that they all have problems on different applications. does anyone have any personal experience with any of these? if so, what kind of vehicle are they on? what are the differences, pros and cons, etc.? any help is greatly appreciated...

[Dan 67 Chevy LWB]

I'm Interested as well.

[mclairmo]

My cousin had Baer on the front of his 67 Camaro and loves them, no issues. Many OEM super cars use Brembo, must be pretty good, too. I always thought Wilwood was for racing only. No experience with SSBC other than I know they have been around a long time and have a good reputation, especially amongst the Vette guys. For street use, I would stick to OEM GM stuff.

[cparman]

I have a customer that has a custom 57 Chevy convertible, LS2 supercharged6 speed auto trans etc.This car is way over the top!! The chassis is an Art Morrision frame, with wilwood four wheel disc brakes. Crossdrilled rotors and 4 piston calipers, stainless braided flex lines etc. I like the pedal feel. this is a heavy car and stops well. The car has about 3500 miles on it now, and I have noticed a noise/vibration when the brakes are applied. I have another customer with a 69 Olds, and he has the same issue with the crossdrilled rotors. There are a few Jeep products that I see with crossdrilled rotors, and customers all complain of this.

[bigblazerboy]

we put cross drilled rotors on my dads benz and there is a slight humming noise when stopping but its not bad

[blazinkrzy]

Originally Posted by cparman

I have a customer that has a custom 57 Chevy convertible, LS2 supercharged6 speed auto trans etc.This car is way over the top!! The chassis is an Art Morrision frame, with wilwood four wheel disc brakes. Crossdrilled rotors and 4 piston calipers, stainless braided flex lines etc. I like the pedal feel. this is a heavy car and stops well. The car has about 3500 miles on it now, and I have noticed a noise/vibration when the brakes are applied. I have another customer with a 69 Olds, and he has the same issue with the crossdrilled rotors. There are a few Jeep products that I see with crossdrilled rotors, and customers all complain of this.

if im not mistaken, i thought i read somewhere from a manufacturer of crossdrilled rotors that a little noise/vibration was normal due to the holes drilled. maybe it was from a company that bevels the edges of the holes to minimize noise/vibration when braking... not sure... im prolly gonna go with slotted only, i want to find out what the best caliper is as far as stopping power... i like to drive fast and i like to stop when needed... thanks for your input, keep it coming...

[mclairmo]

IMO, rotor style is not as critical as pad friction compound. You need to match the compound to the style of driving. Around town requires good cold stopping ability, use good oem pads. Racing requires awesome hot stopping ability, go with race pads like metallics and ceramics. The race pads do eat up rotors faster though. I have factory single piston discs on my 67 Camaro and they are great for the street. Not for racing though.

[cparman]

I have a couple of AMG mercedes that I see on occasion, and they have crossdrilled rotors on them. No noise or vibration what so ever. I would think they should not when the rotors are $650.00 each, and cannot be resurfaced!! We did a brake job on a clk55 amg parts and labor for the front was $2000. After the car left we tried to turn one of the rotors just for kicks. The metal is so soft that you could not get a clean smooth surface

[Tucknuts]

Krzy I think you shouldn't worry about the brakes right now and buy your drop member already lol.

[special-K]

i`ve only used Wilwoods on bikes and a drag truck.Wilwood makes seriously effective brakes.That`s all I can say.that said,I`m pretty comortable with the factory brakes.I imagine just adding OEM-spec rear discs would be a big plus.

[big_al_71]

My front door neighbor put big brembo on his 911 twin turbo and his cayenne both vehicles stop on a dime what I dont like is how I can hear him everytime he comes home with all the noise they make specially the 911's brakes.

My best friend has a 72 camaro with wilwood all the way around and it also stops on a dime and it does not make any noises at all. When I do my four wheel brakes I will go with wilwood but I am putting my own kit together like my friend did on his camaro....

[c10addict]

Noise all depends on the compound of the pad... The track cars we build run a special compound for racing and I gotta tell you make a HELL of a lot of noise!!! Cross drilled rotors work best with beveled pads to eliminate noise..

At the hot rod shop we have run both Wilwood and Baer.. They both make a great product and I think it comes down to cost and who offers exactly what you want...

Not a truck but... I just delivered this Ferrari to one of my customers... You wanna talk about BIG brakes! The wheel is 19".. Rotors are carbon-ceramic... This thing stops on a dime and leaves change!!!

[Hart_Rod]

Originally Posted by big_al_71

When I do my four wheel brakes I will go with wilwood but I am putting my own kit together like my friend did on his camaro....

How about sharing some info on this..................

[danman987123]

why dont you look into mcgaughy's or something...they offer 13'' big brake kits and for the most part use GM parts. I believe the calipers are oem parts from newer cars, as well as the rotors too. The spindles are mcgaughy's made and can come in 2.5'' drop. I am thinking about these when i get to that part of my truck.....just my little opinion....they may not say BAER or WILWOOD on the caliper but if they stop great and look good for a fraction of the price i would try em out...check them out http://www.mcgaughys.com/bigbrake.html .....i believe a baer kit is like 2 3 grand....and this mcgaughys kit you can get complete spindle caliper rotor bearing etc for like 700 or 800

[mclairmo]

My attitude on brakes is use what is safe and oem is safe and relatively cheap. Save your money for go fast parts or paint and rims. Don't dump tons of money on fancy brakes. They don't make you go fast, are not that visible and won't get you much street cred IMO. I don't see the point in having calipers with fancy brand names on them when the oem stuff works just fine. Most guys don't drool over brakes at the street races or even car shows. It's like bragging about your truck's mileage. I don't drive old cars and trucks because they have great brakes and get awesome mileage. As long as the vehicle can stop safely, you're good to go.

[DjS71]

Originally Posted by mclairmo

Save your money for go fast parts or paint and rims. Don't dump tons of money on fancy brakes.

Go fast? Stop not so fast.

Rims? more unsprung/rotating weight, more weight to stop.

Suspension? Changing center of gravity, etc.


You can get by on the stock set up, but be aware that brakes are a supporting upgrade, and a necessary one if you're concerned about safety.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by DjS71

....
You can get by on the stock set up, but be aware that brakes are a supporting upgrade, and a necessary one if you're concerned about safety.

True dat! I have spent lots of money on aftermarket brakes and never felt it was a waste at all.

[mclairmo]

Originally Posted by DjS71

Go fast? Stop not so fast.

Rims? more unsprung/rotating weight, more weight to stop.

Suspension? Changing center of gravity, etc.


You can get by on the stock set up, but be aware that brakes are a supporting upgrade, and a necessary one if you're concerned about safety.

Stock signle caliper discs in 100% condition never gave me problems, even with my 396. If they were good enough for GM to put on their fastest cars, they are good enough for me.

[67ss&99ss]

I just put some brembo blanks (oem replacements) and bendix brake pads on my daily driver and I love them.

I got them from www.autopartswarehouse.com They have live help on the website, you can click on it and chat with a representative from the company and they will help you find the right part for your truck. They also price match and I think that shipping is free with purchases over $50.

[N2TRUX]

Originally Posted by mclairmo

.... If they were good enough for GM to put on their fastest cars, they are good enough for me.

That was then, this is now. Look at what GM is putting on their fastest cars these days. With that mentaility, do you feel that 4 wheel manual drum brakes are adequate too? I mean it was good enough for GM.....

[68 short step]

Originally Posted by mclairmo

My attitude on brakes is use what is safe and oem is safe and relatively cheap. Save your money for go fast parts or paint and rims. Don't dump tons of money on fancy brakes. They don't make you go fast, are not that visible and won't get you much street cred IMO. I don't see the point in having calipers with fancy brand names on them when the oem stuff works just fine. Most guys don't drool over brakes at the street races or even car shows. It's like bragging about your truck's mileage. I don't drive old cars and trucks because they have great brakes and get awesome mileage. As long as the vehicle can stop safely, you're good to go.

i couldnt disagree more.... i notice brakes at car shows all the time...i notice the stock style 11" or 12" rotors with stock single piston calipers with the big wheels, and i think "boy, they should of spent a few $ on some brakes"...and whats good enough for GM is usually the cheapest/most cost effective thing.. im not saying it isnt safe, cause i know they probley were, but like N2 said, 35+ years later, they have better designs.....

[mclairmo]

Originally Posted by 68 short step

i couldnt disagree more.... i notice brakes at car shows all the time...i notice the stock style 11" or 12" rotors with stock single piston calipers with the big wheels, and i think "boy, they should of spent a few $ on some brakes"...and whats good enough for GM is usually the cheapest/most cost effective thing.. im not saying it isnt safe, cause i know they probley were, but like N2 said, 35+ years later, they have better designs.....

True, 35+ years later, almost everything is a better design. Just go and buy a new truck then. I want an old truck exactly because it's a 35 year old design. I guess some folks want an old looking truck with modern mechanicals but I must be old fashioned. I really like 1968 technology. And yes, my 68 C10 does have 6 lug drums all around. Good enough for me. I don't tailgate anyway. I like to keep my distance from others.

[Zoomin]

One nice thing about Brembo's is that lot of places carry parts for them. They've served well as OEM brakes on the cars I've had. But having said that, I'm not sure I'll go with them on my project. I may go the CPP 13" route. Haven't decided yet.

[CSGAS]

If I remember right, Wilwoods were stock on both Jaguars and some Studebakers in the 60's.

Back then, "state-of-the-art" discs were still solid rotors, not ventilated much less cross-drilled. You still got parking brakes on the rears (stock on Jags, optional on Avantis) though. Come to think of it, they were on some Larks, Hawks (& GTs) and Daytonas as well.

Some of the calipers Wilwood still sells are the same design, which may be the ones that seem more street-friendly on that Camaro.

[N2TRUX]

These look good, I don't care who you are...