4 Piston Big Brake Upgrade from 2019-20

[SnowDrifter]

At least for the front, compared against a 2009 model:

Rotors are same dimensions

Calipers are the same - identical OEM part number


Neat to see the years of compatibility

 

[GDiddy99]

So, I just got done doing this to my 2004 Z71 Tahoe. I came across this thread and then found some take offs for pretty cheap from a 2021 Silverado. Initially a tried putting them on with my stock 17s. I could have gotten them to work with some grinding of the caliper or a spacer as many have done. The lip on the side was not a problem, just the radius. But I found some takeoff 18s that fit beautifully. The tires sit a bit wider with the newer rims, but it works good.

As far as effectiveness, I decided to experiment a little. I put on one side first and took it for a short drive. I expected with the bigger brakes on the one side it would pull to that side when braking. What I found was that with light braking, there was no noticeable pull, meaning the braking was pretty close to the same between the old and new rotors. However, when I tries medium and hard braking, it did pull toward the newer brakes. It wasn't a huge pull, but it was noticeable.

Once I got both calipers installed, I tried it again. I do notice a little more effective braking. Is it a lot? no. But it is there. I would say it's a nice upgrade. They certainly look cool. and I can see how pad changes will be even easier.

TLDR: If you're doing normal driving, it's nice, but not drastic enough to change anything unless you have to anyway. It will definitely help if you are towing.

 

[GDiddy99]

As a side note, I also got the rear 2021 calipers with the deal. They have the electric parking brake. Is there a way to retrofit those on the 2004 with an aftermarket controller, or something?

 

[SRQYukon]

So, I just got done doing this to my 2004 Z71 Tahoe. I came across this thread and then found some take offs for pretty cheap from a 2021 Silverado. Initially a tried putting them on with my stock 17s. I could have gotten them to work with some grinding of the caliper or a spacer as many have done. The lip on the side was not a problem, just the radius. But I found some takeoff 18s that fit beautifully. The tires sit a bit wider with the newer rims, but it works good.

As far as effectiveness, I decided to experiment a little. I put on one side first and took it for a short drive. I expected with the bigger brakes on the one side it would pull to that side when braking. What I found was that with light braking, there was no noticeable pull, meaning the braking was pretty close to the same between the old and new rotors. However, when I tries medium and hard braking, it did pull toward the newer brakes. It wasn't a huge pull, but it was noticeable.

Once I got both calipers installed, I tried it again. I do notice a little more effective braking. Is it a lot? no. But it is there. I would say it's a nice upgrade. They certainly look cool. and I can see how pad changes will be even easier.

TLDR: If you're doing normal driving, it's nice, but not drastic enough to change anything unless you have to anyway. It will definitely help if you are towing.

You'll probably see a bigger difference after they break-in. Now that I've been using mine a few months, I feel a significant difference. But then I'm towing 4000-5000 lbs much of the time. They saved me from cutting some lady's car in half a few weeks ago. She pulled out very close to go the opposite direction as me and then realized there was a car coming from that direction too. She came to a complete stop across my lane about 100' feet in front of my rig, including trailer, from 50 mph. She just managed to get out of the way before I got to her. But with my original brakes, no way I would have gotten in reeled in.

 

[tRidiot]

Can't hardly find this stuff in OEM - RockAuto only has rear calipers, all the GM Parts stores I've found say they're discontinued or unavailable - Amazon has the pass front, but it's doubled in price, opportunism from someone who bought a bunch, is my guess.

Supply chain issues? Can't get brakes for one of the most popular models of truck out there. Craziness.

 

[Tonyrodz]

Can't hardly find this stuff in OEM - RockAuto only has rear calipers, all the GM Parts stores I've found say they're discontinued or unavailable - Amazon has the pass front, but it's doubled in price, opportunism from someone who bought a bunch, is my guess.

Supply chain issues? Can't get brakes for one of the most popular models of truck out there. Craziness.

Maybe hit the junkyards for some cores---then swap at auto parts store?

 

[91RS]

Everything is on backorder.

I have two sets of take-offs I won’t be using but they’ll probably cost a fortune to ship.

 

[SRQYukon]

Can't hardly find this stuff in OEM - RockAuto only has rear calipers, all the GM Parts stores I've found say they're discontinued or unavailable - Amazon has the pass front, but it's doubled in price, opportunism from someone who bought a bunch, is my guess.

Supply chain issues? Can't get brakes for one of the most popular models of truck out there. Craziness.

You can try:
BuyBrakes.com
R1concepts.com

 

[Tonyrodz]

Everything is on backorder.

I have two sets of take-offs I won’t be using but they’ll probably cost a fortune to ship.

A few years ago I had 2 used rotors and calipers shipped from Ca(I think) to me in NJ. He used USPS, and it was around $70. I'd think if it was just calipers it'd be a little cheaper.

 

[tRidiot]

I had the '19-'20 test caliper making its rounds on here shipped to me, and I shipped it onwards to someone else. I think it was about $25 or so.

I guess I'm curious about if this '19-'20 upgrade is a significant improvement over the NNBS '07+ upgrade? I mean, my truck doesn't have the Hydroboost, and from reading through one thread about how to add it, it looks a little intimidating to me, so I'm not sure I want to go to that extreme.

Since the '19-'20 calipers are not (very) available new, and I am reluctant to add the Hydroboost, would I really be missing out if I just did the '07+ NNBS upgrade, since it's cheap, available and still (by most accounts) a good bit more effective than my current non-Hydro NBS brakes?