First off, let me begin by saying I have done a LOT of reading about brakes, and know that the LS1 front calipers and the C5 front calipers are basically identical, except for the method of production and the ribs go the entire distance inside to outside) instead of half way.... The LS1 front rotor is 12" and the C5 front rotor is 12.75"...

Here is my question:

Can the LS1 calipers and carriers (using the C5 conversion brackets) use the C5 pads and be mounted over the C5 rotors?

I have heard that the C5 caliper is a direct bolt-in replacement for the LS1 car, but can it go the other way?

 

some swaps for some applications use a C5 rotor with the LS1 caliper.. i think they have a different offset from the wheel mounting flange to the face of the rotor or something that makes them a better combination for some applications, but it might just be a rotor diameter thing, i don't know.

 

No, that combination would require a custom bracket.

That should work. You should be able to use a LS1 caliper on a C5 abutment bracket with C5 pads using a C5 conversion bracket.

John

 

Looks like I would need to find c5 abutment brackets. Would the same go for c6 z51 setup?

 

The Z51 uses the same caliper with different abutments. So you could use LS1 calipers with Z51 abutments, Z51 rotor, C5/C6 conversion brackets, and C5/C6 pads.

Keep in mind the GM (and lots of OEM replacement copies) Z51 rotors are directional (curved vanes) but there is only one part number for right and left. So one side is correct and the other size runs backwards. This is how the cars came from the factory. Very stupid. For this reason, I only recommend certain aftermarket rotors when going for a Z51 setup.

John