GM Performance Brakes Venting

Glava2876 · March 26

So I love my 2020 Denali and that it came from the factory with the Brembo performance brake option. 36,000 miles later, I still love my truck, but not too fond of the brakes.
Early on, they started to pulse and they resurfaced the rotors and it was fine.

Today with 36k miles, the pads are toast and, since they were resurfaced once, need to replace the rotors too.

GM is the only place you can get replacements -no manufacturer of any type, has replacements.

So even with a discount on the GM parts, Flow Performance, I’m looking at about $1,200.00 delivered.
OK, done venting, still love my truck -just gotta do a brake job this weekend.

Edited March 27 by Glava2876

dieselfan1 · March 27

I get it. Sucks they didn't last at least 50,000 miles.

You know what they say....

If you want to run with the big dogs you can't piss with the puppies

Glava2876 · April 3

So I did the brake job -it was actually hard to find the rotors and pads. Finally gave my vin to Flow and they hooked me up.
I don’t tow or haul large loads and was amazed that the pad on one side was down to metal and the other side was just a thin film.

The funny part is that I never heard any wear sensor and because you lose the thickness monitor with the change to Brembo pads, I had no warning -the brakes actually felt fine and the only way I found out is that the truck failed NYS inspection.

smit303 · April 5

It must be disheartening to have the performance brakes fail probably earlier than the stock brakes would.

repairman54 · April 6

Softer grippy pads with the performance brakes would be the tradeoff IMO. Especially on a 5,000 lb. truck.

Hopefully an aftermarket solution with more robust pads will materialize.

Glava2876 · April 6

I’ve only had one other vehicle eat brakes and rotors this quickly -my 2015 Sierra 1500 with standard brakes did the same at 45k miles.

When I checked on what to expect from Brembo brakes -they say 35-40k.

I checked all of the manufacturers of brakes and none of them listed the performance brake option size, which is over 16”-even called Powerstop which is what I put on my Z06 to get rid of the Brembo brake dust.

Like I said, I really love my truck and will have to live with the brakes

Edited April 6 by Glava2876

SierraStorm21 · April 7

There was another thread on here around hard to find parts for replacement on these. DenaliSS actually came back and posted the part numbers on the post he started. Is that not valid anymore?

I don't have these brakes, however I was considering them. Wondering if I should reconsider.

If you had the choice, stick with them or something like Wildwood or Powerstop?

Glava2876 · April 7

Luckily I have part number now on my receipt They look and work great. Not sure what kind of mileage you would get out of Powerstop or others, but there would be more pad options.

Grumpy Bear · April 7

46 minutes ago, Glava2876 said:

Luckily I have part number now on my receipt They look and work great. Not sure what kind of mileage you would get out of Powerstop or others, but there would be more pad options.

23 hours ago, Glava2876 said:

I’ve only had one other vehicle eat brakes and rotors this quickly -my 2015 Sierra 1500 with standard brakes did the same at 45k miles.

178,000 on my 2015's original set of brakes with over 50% left on the pads. I let off the gas well before the stop sign. I don't try to stick the landing on the stripe.

My ex used to go through brakes like this. She wore heels and was resting her toe on the brake.

I learned early that my wallet and my right foot have a direct link.

SierraStorm21 · April 7

6 hours ago, Glava2876 said:

Luckily I have part number now on my receipt They look and work great. Not sure what kind of mileage you would get out of Powerstop or others, but there would be more pad options.

My truck is not my daily driver. I only have 5300 miles on it currently, and the sensors say I'm still at 98%, so that wasn't my concern really. I was asking from the standpoint of if they were worth the cost, do you notice any real difference compared to past vehicles without them. That kind of thing.

Doing some more digging on Wildwood, they suffer the same issue as likely any big brake kit in that they don't allow the continued use of the brake sensor, which I kind of like. Powerstop on the other hand looks like it retains that functionality, but isn't a big brake kit. Wondering if you gain any noticeable difference with it though.

SierraStorm21 · April 7

5 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

I learned early that my wallet and my right foot have a direct link.

That is so true!

Glava2876 · April 9

The big brakes definitely have a little more stopping power than my 2015 that was basically the same Denali with the 6.2 also -that one was used for mostly highway, but the brakes and rotors were shot at 50k miles. The worst thing, for both trucks, was how severely rusted the rotors were. Maybe the upstate ny salt on the thruway and Route 81 was real intense -I believe that they started using a liquid brine like crap.
So, the my take away is that I gained some improvement in braking and look awesome -but probably would not option them on my next truck.
Also, I wash my truck all the time, so the salt never stayed on my truck for more than a day or two at most -if they don’t salt where you live, you’ll probably get more mileage out of the brakes.

Edited April 9 by Glava2876