Thread: Rear Brake upgrades?

grand am brakes are lighter...

i believe i was reading about someone doing gxp rear brakes. Other than that theres the grand am brakes and those overpriced rear big brake kits. Save your money or get something else because, all the real braking power is in the front anyways.

There's not much for the rear, just 3 options I know of. You can use the 12" rears off a GXP, SSBC has a 12" upgrade available, or you can use the aluminum calipers off a Grand Am with your stock 11" rotors.

what is the point rear brakes are almost pointless anyways they only do about 20% of the braking on grand prixs so whats the point of upgrading unless you have a high performance 9 or 10 second car i dont see the point? other then looks

Originally Posted by GTPJOE90

what is the point rear brakes are almost pointless anyways they only do about 20% of the braking on grand prixs so whats the point of upgrading unless you have a high performance 9 or 10 second car i dont see the point? other then looks

So, do you see the point?

There is not much to be gained by lighter calipers, as they are not rotating mass.

thats what i just said josh???

Originally Posted by JoshMcMadMac

So, do you see the point?

There is not much to be gained by lighter calipers, as they are not rotating mass.

They're still unsprung weight, which affects the way the suspension reacts.

Originally Posted by GTPJOE90

thats what i just said josh???

Four times in one run-on sentence, actually.

Originally Posted by TMC

Thanks for the replies. I already have the 12" front brake upgrade and my rears are in need of new calipers and pads, so I'll go with the Grand Am aluminum and some better pads. I realize the rears only do 20 - 30-% of the breaking but every little bit helps if you are autocrossing. Again, thanks to all who replied. I'm in Japan for 2 weeks on business and haven't kept up on the forum. The Japanese are really into their cars even though they are mostly ricers, it's still good to see the enthusiasm. Gas is $4.80 / gallon here, and highway tolls are outrageous!
Great to see Japan for the first time. It's a rare opportunity.
Blessings to you all in the U.S.A. and Canada.
Tim (TMC)

Be aware, the Grand Am calipers take a little modification to run. There's a couple of areas on the bracket that need ground down so that the bracket mounts flush, and you'll need to grind around the bleeder to get clearance if you're using the stock brake lines. Overall it's pretty simple, but it's not straight bolt-on.

Originally Posted by JoshMcMadMac

Four times in one run-on sentence, actually.

which grand am calipers, actually? I have a 2000 Grand Am SE... the front are calipers but the rears are drums.

I mean... if I can just them... I will... the G/A isn't any race car so I don't care if the GP brakes are on them.

It is 99+, but it's the rear calipers you need, so if you've got drums in the rear, it's a no-go.

yea I didn't think so. However, would it be an upgrade to throw my front calipers onto the front of the GP instead of doing F-Body brakes? Could I just throw the GP calipers on the GA?

I think with all of that work you still would come out with some poor performing brakes...not saying its an idea...just saying for the trouble you can get 12" brakes or drilled/slotted rotors for the GA and be twice as effective IMO...

Putting the GA fronts on the GP is actually a slight downgrade. The rotors are thinner, so they have less heat capacity, otherwise they're the same diameter and everything, so the only thing gained is weight savings. Some people have done it for a car that's going to be on the track most of the time to save rotating mass.