Brembo OE Brakes for the Chevrolet Camaro: Which Parts Fit

By Core Brake Parts Tech Team — Circleville, OH warehouse

The Brembo OE part we carry for the Chevrolet Camaro is the Brembo OE KT00987 front disc brake kit, and it fits the 2010-2015 fifth-generation Camaro SS, the car that left the factory with Brembo brakes. It pairs two UV coated Pillar Venting Technology rotors with a set of Brembo Prime ceramic pads for the front axle. If your Camaro is a V6 car, a ZL1, a Z/28 or a 2016-and-newer model, this kit is not the right part, and the sections below explain how to tell.

Which Camaros Have Brembo Brakes From the Factory

The fifth-generation Camaro SS (2010-2015) is the model built around a Brembo package. Published specifications for the 2010 Camaro 2SS list Brembo disc brakes at both the front and the rear, with a 14.0 inch (355 mm) front rotor and a 14.4 inch (365 mm) rear rotor, and ABS as standard equipment. The front calipers are four-piston fixed units with a staggered piston layout: smaller pistons on the leading side of the caliper and larger ones on the trailing side, which helps the pad wear evenly across its length.

That matters when you shop, because "Camaro" alone is not enough to pick a brake part. The same body style was sold with several different brake systems:

The quickest check is to look through the wheel. A Brembo SS caliper is a fixed caliper that wraps both sides of the rotor, with the Brembo name on the body. A V6 car's caliper is a sliding design that sits on one side of the rotor. If in doubt, confirm your year, trim and brake package before ordering; our product page asks for the same thing.

What Is in the Brembo OE KT00987 Kit

KT00987 is a complete front axle set, so the rotors and pads arrive already matched to each other and to the SS caliper:

• Two front rotors with Brembo's UV coating and Pillar Venting Technology (PVT), cast from high carbon iron.
• One axle set of Brembo Prime ceramic pads, a compound aimed at low noise and low dust for street driving.
• Position: front axle only. The rear Brembo brakes on the SS use a different, larger rotor and different pads.

Brembo says its PVT pillar pattern increases airflow through the rotor for up to 40 percent greater resistance to thermal cracking compared with a conventional vane design. The UV coating covers the whole rotor, including the internal vents, to fight corrosion. That is the part of the rotor you cannot paint or clean, and it is where rust starts on a car that sits through a winter. Brembo positions its Prime line as an OE equivalent design, which fits what most SS owners want from a stock-replacement brake job: factory feel, quiet stops, and less rust bleed on the wheels.

Signs Your Camaro SS Front Brakes Are Due

GM's owner manual for the Camaro describes the warnings to watch for, and they line up with what we see on worn SS brakes:

• A high-pitched squeal while driving. The disc pads have built-in wear indicators that make this sound when the pads are worn. It can come and go, and it may stop when you press the pedal firmly. GM warns that this sound means the brakes will soon not work well.
• Pedal pulsation. A shudder through the pedal or steering wheel during normal stops usually points to uneven rotor thickness or pad deposits. GM notes that properly torqued wheel nuts help prevent pulsation, so lug nuts run on unevenly with an impact gun can cause it.
• Longer pedal travel. If the pedal does not return to its normal height, or travel increases quickly, GM says to have the brakes checked.
• Brake warning light with low fluid. Fluid drops slowly as pads wear. A sudden drop or a wet caliper means a leak, not something to top off.

Some light squeal when brakes are first applied, especially on cold or damp mornings, is normal on a high performance system and does not mean something is wrong. A constant squeal while cruising is the one to act on.

Doing the Job: Pads and Rotors Together

Replacing the front pads and rotors on a Brembo SS is one of the simpler brake jobs on a performance car, because the fixed caliper does not slide and has no guide pins to service. The general sequence:

1. Loosen the lug nuts, raise and support the car on jack stands, and remove the front wheels.
2. Remove the pad retaining hardware and pull the old pads. Push the pistons back into the caliper bores evenly, watching the fluid level in the reservoir so it does not overflow.
3. Unbolt the caliper from the knuckle and hang it with wire. Never let it hang by the brake hose.
4. Remove the old rotor, clean rust and scale from the hub face with a wire brush, and fit the new rotor. A clean hub face is what keeps a new rotor from running out.
5. Reinstall the caliper and new pads, torquing the caliper and hardware to the values in the factory service manual.
6. Pump the pedal until it is firm before the car moves, then torque the wheel nuts in the proper sequence to the specification in the owner manual.
7. Bed in the new pads with a series of moderate stops so pad material transfers evenly to the rotor face.

GM's manual says brake pads should be replaced as complete sets, and it tells owners to always use new, approved replacement parts because the wrong parts can change braking performance. That is the reason to buy a matched pad and rotor kit for the SS instead of mixing a random pad with a random rotor.

What to Replace or Check at the Same Time

• Brake fluid. The Camaro reservoir is filled with DOT 3 fluid, as marked on the cap. GM says to use only new DOT 3 from a sealed container. If the fluid is dark or the car has seen hard driving, a flush while the wheels are off is cheap insurance.
• Pad hardware. Retaining pins and anti-rattle springs that are rusted or weak cause noise even with new pads. Our brake hardware kits cover the small parts.
• Brake hoses. Look for cracks or bulges on the front rubber hoses. On a car that is a decade or more old, replacement brake hoses are worth considering.
• Rear brakes. The rear Brembo pads usually outlast the fronts, but check them while the car is in the air.

If you only need pads, or want a different rotor style, browse our full selection of brake pads and brake rotors and filter by your vehicle.

Classic Camaros: A Different Path

Brembo OE parts are built for the late-model SS. Owners of first-generation 1967-1969 Camaros, or later classics still running factory brakes, are usually looking at a bolt-on big brake conversion instead. We carry several Wilwood front kits for those cars, such as the Wilwood DynaPro 6 front big brake kit for the 1967-1969 Camaro, which includes six-piston calipers, drilled rotors and hubs. Those kits replace the whole front brake, so check spindle type and wheel clearance before you order.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Brembo OE KT00987 kit fit a V6 Camaro?

No. KT00987 is built for the 2010-2015 Camaro SS with the factory Brembo four-piston front calipers and 14.0 inch front rotors. V6 LS and LT cars use a different, smaller front brake, and the rotors will not fit.

Does it fit a 2016 or newer Camaro?

Our Brembo OE kit is listed for 2010-2015 only. The sixth-generation Camaro that started in 2016 is a different platform, so match your exact model year before ordering.

Are Brembo OE pads and rotors the same as the parts on my SS from the factory?

Brembo designed the SS brake system, and its Prime line is positioned as an OE equivalent design. The rotors add a UV anti-corrosion coating and Brembo's PVT vent pattern, which is aimed at resisting heat cracking.

Do I need to replace the rotors every time I change pads?

Not always. If the rotors are smooth, within the minimum thickness stamped on the rotor, and the car does not pulsate, pads alone can work. Worn, grooved or rusty rotors should be replaced, and doing pads and rotors together gives the best pedal feel and the quietest result.

What brake fluid does a 2010-2015 Camaro use?

GM fills the Camaro with DOT 3 brake fluid, as marked on the reservoir cap, and says to use only new fluid from a sealed container.

Is some brake squeal normal on a Brembo SS?

Some squeal on light or first applications can be normal on high performance brakes. A steady high-pitched squeal while driving is the built-in wear indicator telling you the pads are worn.

Sources

1. VelocityJournal - 2010 Chevrolet Camaro 2SS specifications - Brembo front and rear disc brakes, 14.0 in (355 mm) front and 14.4 in (365 mm) rear rotors, ABS standard
2. BigBrakeUpgrade - GM Brembo caliper identification - fifth-generation Camaro SS four-piston front calipers with staggered pistons and 14 inch rotor
3. Brembo Store - PRIME UV coated disc brake rotor - PVT up to 40 percent greater thermal crack resistance, UV coating including internal vents, Prime line OE equivalent design
4. 2015 Chevrolet Camaro Owner Manual (GM) - pad wear indicator sound, replace pads as complete sets, approved replacement parts, wheel nut torque and pulsation, DOT 3 brake fluid, Z/28 ceramic rotors and wear sensors