"I like the look. That's primarily why I bought it," Jim Ivanoff wasfrank enough with us. He referred to both the cross-drilled appearanceof the rotors, and in the back the increased size of the disc itself.
Ivanoff had driven his brand new 2004 convertible from his home inDayton, Ohio to Effingham, Illinois and the Mid-America Motorworks giant"Fun Fest." While there, he took the opportunity to upgrade his brakesat the Baer Brakes vendor space.
We got the fact from Ben O'Connor of Baer Brakes as the installation wasabout to start. Chris, also of Baer, was doing the remove and replace.We got out our cameras to record the procedure.
We learned guys like Chris can do this job in their sleep, they've doneit so many times. The task is very straightforward. Just about anybodyfamiliar with wrenches can do it, as we've outlined below.
O'Connor explained Ivanoff had chosen a Baer Brake upgrade that was sopopular today with C5 owners. The front rotors would get the "EradiSpeedPlus" conversion, while the rear would get "EradiSpeed Plus 2" rotors.What was the difference?
The front rotors were basically stock in size at 12.75". The stockwheels did not allow a larger rotor size. The stock rotors, however, aresmooth, while the 2-piece Baer rotors are cross drilled and slotted,which is state of the art.
In the rear, a uniquely engineered Baer Brakes bracket allows fitting atwo inch larger rotor. Stock is a smooth 12" rotor. The cross drilledand slotted EradiSpeed Plus 2 is 14" in diameter. These larger rotorsfill out the 18" wheels on Ivanoff's '04 Corvette for the aestheticupgrade so many C5 owners want. Of course, the increased size alsoimproves stopping power without, as O'Connor explained, "triggering theABS prematurely."
When the installation was complete, we got the overall picture. Ivanoffwas happy with the looks. Plus, he could stop 10 feet shorter from 0-60MPH.
Chris lifted the driver's...
Chris lifted the driver's front and rear wheels with this heavy dutyfloor jack. Be sure and chock the wheels on the other side so the carwon't roll.
Pull the wheels next.
This 2004 model still had...
This 2004 model still had the factory clips to hold the rotor in placeon the assembly line. Pull these.
Then, unbolt and pull off...
Then, unbolt and pull off the calipers.
Rest the calipers out of the...
Rest the calipers out of the way on top of the spindle and pull thefactory rotors.
Chris scraped the hub face...
Chris scraped the hub face with his fingers to remove a little surfacerust, which is common. He said, "You want a good clean surface."