W-body brake upgrade

The most popular upgrade on 2nd Generation W-body's are bigger front brakes over the stock 11's that did not provide sufficient stopping distances or feel. The Oldsmobile Intrigue was first to get the factory W-body brake upgrade setup with the Autobahn package seen with bigger 12inch front brakes which were sought after for replacement parts that can help upgrade other W-body's. With the release of the 00 Chevy Impala and Monte Carlo parts became more abundant as these cars came standard with 12inch brakes.
Stage 1 and 2 will work with factory 16inch alloy wheels if car was equipped with a 15inch spare that also would need to be changed to 16. Stage 3 requires use of 17inch wheel owners can go to 18 if they like. By using a 245/45/18 series wheel and tire package it will help accommodate bigger rotors and increase handling and braking performance. Wheels that are 19inch would be the ideal look on the cars but they are nearly impossible to find for the 5x115 bolt pattern.
Front brakes
Stage1 12inch rotors, caliper brackets
Stage2 12inch rotors, caliper brackets, F-body dual piston calipers
Stage3 13inch rotors, caliper brackets, F-body dual piston calipers, longer brake lines
The simplest one to do is stage1 because use still retain the original caliper and only have to get the extended brackets to hold the caliper, rotors are available at any auto parts store its a direct bolt on. The 98-02 F-body Camaro and Firebird cars came standard with 16inch alloys V-6 or V-8 but its rotors will not fit since they use a 5x120 bolt pattern. Stage2 caliper brackets can be tapped to fit 14mm bolts that come originally on a W-body car this requires precision machining and is only a one time deal. Although not the only choice people have used a total of 4 copper crush washers 2 on each side to fill the gap in the spindle while retaining use of F-body 12mm caliper bracket bolts. It allows the threads that are only on the caliper bracket to mount up to the spindle with a couple crush washers to secure the position of the bolts. The use of the crush washer allows for a more fast and simple swap without any custom fabrication and still performs as it should.
Rear brakes
Stage1 12inch rotors, caliper brackets
Rear brakes can be upgraded to 12inches although they still remain solid and are not vented discs. Prices are steep and isn't really in demand. More than 60 percent of the weight on these cars hangs over the front wheels.
Appearance
In order to have cleaner wheels use of longer life ceramic brake pads are popular since they dust less. Owners may paint their calipers and brackets with high heat paint and also use stainless steel brake lines for a clean finish. Stock 11inch rotors behind a 16inch wheel look like something that was just put there to stop the car.
Performance

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