For C5 there is right and left for front and rear. For C6 GM decided that even spinning backwards the slight reduction in efficiency of the cooling fins did not warrant making different rotors and so all C6 cars have LH rotors only. unless you get something like EBC rotors.
So do you want period correct or what will work?
glad you posted the above info, because I had read that C5 GM rotors were not directional and I have been trying to chase down the accuracy on that for some time. I didn't really think it was a super critical issue, given the size and design of the openings, it would seem there wouldn't be time for much airflow that wasn't going to be pushed out anyway. But I still like to optimize the small details, it makes me feel better if my machines have some attempt toward optimization, even if fictional.
But now I see I had missed what I consider an actual deal breaker, Made in China. Of course I know China is perfectly capable of making brake rotors , I just don't care for their politics, their reputation for possible bootleg products, slave labor, or poor quality control. I also know China makes the majority of rotors used world wide, but I had naïvely assumed that since rotors are kind of heavy to ship, that GM had a long term domestic supplier for such a simply made part.
of course I was going to check the country of origin before I cracked cash, knowing the Chinese dominance in brake rotors. I think it was raybestos manufacturing the GM C5 brake parts at one time , so I once again kind of naively assumed an american supply chain, with such an old company name involved.
However, the other day I was investigating all things brake rotors ,and was watching some guy on YouTube do a budget end run to put bigger brakes on his C5. As a preliminary step to his final build he was using GM brake pads, because he knew they would fit, as he experimented with rotor fitment .
And in one of the video shots, the GM brake pad box read , "made in china", so that ended my fact checking for GM brake parts country of origin. I had wanted to go GM stock because it was simple, the system would still be optimized, and so many of the american aftermarket upgraded rotors were drilled or slotted to sell as a performance upgrade, whereas I wanted the greater swept area of a solid face rotor.
I need all four rotors so system balance will not be an issue. right now I am still shopping among the american suppliers I have identified so far. It seems most of the search engines don't supply a lot of answers when asking for american rotor manufacturers . Wilwood would support my local community, and offer a matching pad, but they are costly, slotted and drilled. I might go Hawk, but am still shopping and trying to sift through the vague "where are they really made"answers that are all over the place. I don't want to pay to return four rotors that used to be domestic, but are now Chinese. Or that specifications are subject to change, only to find that when I get the parts that the C5 stuff is now Chinese. I doubt the local auto parts stores, Oreilly or auto zone, sell american or quality. I guess it wouldn't kill me to check.
Any suggestions of american solid face rotors and/or street pads are entirely welcome. I consider personal experience from someone on the internet that I never met probably stronger than just a search engine answer, since those answers are subject to manipulation by the highest bidder.
