[libbysman]

Hello All: Haven't been on for a while, but I do have a question regarding 2003 CTS. I'm looking at buying rotors and pads on eBay and I see lots being flogged as " Hydra Brakes" that are zinc plated, drilled and slotted. There are several different models listed for my car, but they refer to "base model", "with sport", "standard suspension". My car has a "sport" mode for shifting, but nothing else relating to "sport". Would the seller know from my VIN which ones to send me? Thanks in advance.

Best Wishes, Brian

 

[the cadillac man]

Likely referring to the difference between the base(non v) and the v models of the cts

If you don't have the v it has the passive gas shocks

 

[Argent1]

Re: Hydra brakes??

All the non-V cars are base models. Refer to the RPO sticker for suspension identification.
Or just use the SEARCH feature up there ^.

 

[arw1510]

To posters 2 and 3, the op is looking for brakes. Not suspension.

I would avoid the eBay packages unless it's from a trusted brand/seller. Check the RPO codes under your spare tire cover. Check acdelco. Check with dealer. There were different sport packages offered and I don't know what if anything changed with the brakes between them for that year.

Say for my 04 and 12 there are different brakes depending on je2 or je5 brake codes

 

[AAIIIC]

Re: Hydra brakes??

Hello All: Haven't been on for a while, but I do have a question regarding 2003 CTS. I'm looking at buying rotors and pads on eBay and I see lots being flogged as " Hydra Brakes" that are zinc plated, drilled and slotted. There are several different models listed for my car, but they refer to "base model", "with sport", "standard suspension". My car has a "sport" mode for shifting, but nothing else relating to "sport". Would the seller know from my VIN which ones to send me? Thanks in advance.

Best Wishes, Brian

I definitely wouldn't trust an ebay vendor to be able to find the correct parts based on a VIN.

According to the 2003 CTS build sheet - http://www.cadillacfaq.com/faq/answers/pdf/2003rpo.pdf - there is only 1 code for the brakes (JL9). Later model years had upgraded (JE5) brakes that came with some of the option packages, but 2003 didn't have that (according to the RPO codes on the build sheet). So, the ebay ad is probably just listing all '03 - '07 V6 CTSs together, when in fact not all the model years had those options. (Which takes me back to my point about not trusting an ebay vendor to find parts based on VIN, since they don't even know enough to know that the option codes weren't the same for all of those years.)

Interestingly enough, although there should be only one brake package for 2003, on rockauto.com I see a number of manufacturers selling two different rotors. What's weird is that they're different part numbers, but they're the same dimensions. For example...
- Centric 12162070 and 12162069 - both 11.93" diameter, but one says it's 3# heavier than the other
- ACDelco 18A1477A and 18A1752A - both 11.92" diameter
- Bendix PRT5449 and PRT5593 - both 303mm (11.93") diameter
(No idea on the weights on the ACDelco and Bendix parts, only Centric lists the weight.) I may buy 1 of each using Amazon Prime just so I can compare them and ship 'em back.

If you don't have the v it has the passive gas shocks

Not sure what that has to do with him looking for the proper brake rotors.

I would avoid the eBay packages unless it's from a trusted brand/seller.

Agreed. Just pick up some good, plain (non slotted, non drilled) rotors from Rock Auto or Amazon. (I often look up parts on Rock Auto, since they have a good parts search, and then find the same part number on Amazon to get a better price and free 2-day Prime shipping.)

 

[the cadillac man]

AAIIIC
Cut me a bit of slack I am not as knowledgeable with the cts as I am with the 02-06 escalade

I was told the cts v has active gas shocks
I know the base cts has passive gas shocks

Now if there is a true difference in brake rotors I doubt it as I don't see gm going through the trouble

 

[briggy]

Re: Hydra brakes??

AAIIIC
Cut me a bit of slack I am not as knowledgeable with the cts as I am with the 02-06 escalade

don't take this personally but the purpose of the forum is to ask questions of experienced users. there are a lot of users who just love to speculate with really doesn't help. if you wish to help and your unsure take some time googling the correct info then respond.

 

[the cadillac man]

don't take this personally but the purpose of the forum is to ask questions of experienced users. there are a lot of users who just love to speculate with really doesn't help. if you wish to help and your unsure take some time googling the correct info then respond.

I know
I am learning more about the car though as I go
So I will research anything about it before posting again
If I had a gm service manual(which I plan to get) I could help more when needed

 

[AAIIIC]

Re: Hydra brakes??

Interestingly enough, although there should be only one brake package for 2003, on rockauto.com I see a number of manufacturers selling two different rotors. What's weird is that they're different part numbers, but they're the same dimensions. For example...
- Centric 12162070 and 12162069 - both 11.93" diameter, but one says it's 3# heavier than the other
...
I may buy 1 of each using Amazon Prime just so I can compare them and ship 'em back.

To satisfy my curiosity, I ordered one of each of the Centric rotors. As far as fitment goes, they're the same - same diameter, same hat offset, same thickness. I thought the added weight of the 62070 would come from thicker rotor faces (and a thinner air gap), but that's actually not the case - they measured out to be the same:

The weight actually comes from the inner face of the rotor, which fits tighter around the hub on the 62070 than on the 62069:

So now I'm curious which rotor is "better"? The air that flows through the rotor venting to cool the rotor comes from the center hat; with the 62070 being a bit more closed off around the hub, it might not allow air to flow through the vanes as freely. But the added mass and stability of the bigger inner rotor face may outweigh that. Obviously GM changed the rotor design at some point, and the aftermarket has just copied the two rotor designs. I wonder which came first, and why GM changed it?

Edit: Note that Centric's specs say there's a 3# difference in weight between the two rotor designs, but for me it was only a bit more than 1/2 that (~1.7#). That's based on me weighing myself, then weighing myself holding each rotor, using a digital bathroom scale. I did it twice for both rotors and averaged the numbers.