More $$$ than it's worth....You'd need the rotors, pads, calipers AND the 6 bolt V hubs, it's been discussed but don't think anyone has ever done it due to the money needed to do it.

 

Searching back I have found some reference to it being done (as concorso said), but haven't found the actual thread(s) that talk about it. In this post "odysseus" mentions that one member had converted to V brakes, but he doesn't give a username.


It really isn't terribly expensive, although I suppose "expensive" depends on who you talk to. You can get the front calipers brand new from GM Parts Direct or Luke @ Lindsay Cadillac for ~$140 each. Rears are ~$125 each. You can get reman calipers from rockauto.com for about the same. Centric C-tek rotors from rockauto.com will cost you $180 for all 4 corners. Centric pads from rockauto.com will run you anywhere from $25 to $110 (for front and rear combined), depending on what you want to go with.

You don't need to change the hubs. It is possible to re-drill the 6-lug V rotors with a 5-lug pattern. I did the opposite on my car to mount OEM V2 rotors (which have a 5-lug pattern) on my 6-lug V1 hubs. Of course, I had the advantage of the V2 rotors being bi-cast, so the hats are aluminum; it would be a little more work to drill the cast iron V1 rotors, but it's still shouldn't be all that hard.

I don't know how the brake lines compare, but might as well swap those out while you're at it. So, figure another $150 or so for Goodridge lines. All together you're looking at ~$1000 for 14"+ rotors and 4-piston Brembos at all 4 corners, with all new parts! That's a frickin' steal in my opinion.

Of course, that $1000 price tag ignores the cost of wheels. The only OEM V6 wheels that would work (most likely) would be the 18" Sport wheels, but even those may not have enough clearance for the wide Brembo calipers - I dunno. I did find one guy that said he had measured his 18" 18-spoke wheels and that it looked like they would clear.

And I don't know how the brake booster, master cylinder, and proportioning valves on the V6 and CTS-V compare. If you have to change any of those bits this obviously becomes quite a bit more labor intensive. Without being able to find the old thread(s) about doing this swap I don't know for sure whether any of those parts need to be swapped out.

If you have $$$ there is a few after market kits the cheapest > http://thmotorsports.com/i-508724.a...r&utm_medium=CSE&utm_content=508724NOFITMENT&utm_campaign=PricegrabberNOFITMENT

Actually, the cheapest is this setup for $1662 (again, fronts only).

You could also upgrade to the factory sport brakes. Increasing the rotor size almost an inch to just under 13". Buy loaded calipers front and rear and a set of aftermarket sport rotors. Bolt on, bleed brakes, done.

That's definitely the more prudent approach.

I[']d think its a waste without 1st upgrading the tires. The way I was taught is that if you can engage ABS, then upgrade the tires.

That's actually not a very useful metric. I can engage ABS on my car even with fully warmed up R-compounds - you're not going to get any stickier tires than that. And one of the benefits of larger diameter rotors and fixed calipers is not the ability to lock up the brakes at will, it's improved ability to not lock up the brakes. The larger rotor gives you better leverage, making it easier to modulate the brakes, as does the more rigid opposed piston caliper.

The heavier V brakes will affect ride and acceleration.

It would be a minor effect. I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of drivers would not be able to feel the difference if they did a "blind taste test", so to speak.

For a car that sees no track time, I don[']t see the benefit.

Better brakes make a car way more fun to drive, whether you're on the track or not. I'm not saying that one needs the CTS-V Brembos to improve the braking performance, but there's more to bigger/better brakes than just track performance.

And there's also the visual impact. The OP didn't really say why he wants to do this, so that may be all he's looking for - maybe he just likes the looks.

 

For the cost of the swap and the labor involved forget it. For the money and time, I would rather get myself the highest quality premium rotors (drilled and slotted, just slotted might do too depending on the application) that I can get my hands on and the best high performance pads to go with it (probably would go with EBC pads or an equivalent quality competitor). And for street use it will be more than %100 sufficient.

The bigger question here is have you felt that your cars braking is subpar? And if so, it's worth your while to experiment with higher quality rotors and pads before trying to venture over to part swapping territory, it's a risky, costly and time consuming thing to do and most of the times just not worth it.

 

If you have $$$ there is a few after market kits the cheapest > http://thmotorsports.com/i-508724.a...r&utm_medium=CSE&utm_content=508724NOFITMENT&utm_campaign=PricegrabberNOFITMENT

More expensive > http://thmotorsports.com/rotora/rotora_complete_brake_system/rbk12501/i-278423.aspx

And that's just for the front only.

You could also upgrade to the factory sport brakes. Increasing the rotor size almost an inch to just under 13". Buy loaded calipers front and rear and a set of aftermarket sport rotors. Bolt on bleed brakes, done.

 

^That's some good info Iceman provided. Especially about the CTS Sport rotors. But do the CTS Sport Rotors have proper dimensional clearance with base non-sport CTS wheels?

 

Caliper should fit most 17" wheels.

 

Just to echo, I use 17 winter steelies on mine. 17 is without a doubt the smallest you could go on the front. You could put a 16 on the rear tho.
Also, the V swap has been done. I dont recall the members names, but back when I first started reading here, there were a couple members who swapped them. Noone showed a writeup, but they had picutures of the final product. Id think its a waste without 1st upgrading the tires. The way I was taught is that if you can engage ABS, then upgrade the tires. The heavier V brakes will affect ride and acceleration. For a car that sees no track time, I dont see the benefit. Personally, Id contact a reputable brake company, get a better set of calipers, pads, brake lines, and a better rotor in stock size.

 

like everyone said. I can be done,,, just need that cheda.

you're beter off buying a Brembo upgrade kit for your car or something like that.

 

Theres another potential for improvement as well. Brake fluid is hydropscopic. If you have original brake fluid, there might be a fair bit of water mixed in with it, which lowers the boiling temp of the fluid, and increases the spongy feeling that leaves your heart racing in an emergency braking situation. Try changing to fluid to fresh before spending any money. FWIW, I change my fluid every 2 years, and I can feel a difference just from fresh fluid. I couldnt imagine what its like for 5+ year old fluid.

 

concorso has a point.

if your looking for a strong bite.

you can always upgrade to the Blue race brake fluid (Big difference)
SS steel brake lines
Hawk HP plus brake pads (or equivilent)

and wear teeth guard on your initial test drive

http://ls1tech.com/forums/cadillac-...s/cadillac-cts-v/1446040-goodridge-stainless-steel-brake-line-installation.html

enjoy

 

Let me know if decide to go with the V1 setup. I'm going to finish pulling all of my knuckles and hubs in the morning. I still have the rotors as well. The rears are worn some but the fronts look brand new. I already sold the calipers, but should have everything else you'd need.

 

thanks for your help everyone. I think ill try upgrading the rotors and pads and probably put the sport brakes package on it. upgrading the hubs gets costly and then rims on top of that may not be worth it.