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Thought I would give a quick update. I finally got around to ordering a majority of the parts earlier today except for the left caliper as it's been out of stock (aside from the expensive stores lol). All parts ordered are brand new and acdelco other than the calipers. Cost was $398 shipped for the right caliper, ss lines, factory Fedro1000 made pads, and rotors. just now the left rotor showed in stock so I jumped on it. That was another $162 shipped. Not bad pricing in my opinion. We will see if I need spacers once they arrive.
Just a little caution 07azhhr. If those are the stock pads that came with the SS factory Brembo cars, they are major brake dust makers. Be prepared to wash off a LOT of brake dust from your rims.
I've been waiting for mine to wear out so I can replace them with something else. 43k miles and mine still have over half pad thickness left.
I noticed with the CED kit they include hub spacers that, according to their instruction write-up, are used to center the rotor inside the caliper. One member here had shown a pic of it along with the other parts but said that it seemed to not fit so he went ahead and completed the install without them. He has not been on in almost a year so asking him for info on this is not going to work. Is there anyone else that has gone with the Brembo's that can say if they did or did not use them?
One of the two calipers is OOS currently at the place I would prefer to buy them from so I will end up getting the other sides caliper and my rotors soon(ish). At that point I will bolt that caliper and rotor up and check to see if I need them and if the shape of my spokes clear the Brembo's. That will give me time to order either type of spacer if I do need either one. But in the mean time, if someone already knows the answer please post it.
07: I realize this thread is over five years old but some of us out here are still accessing these forums, trying to fix our warped rotor problems...
I just did my conversion to HHR SS rotors and brackets on my 2006 HHR LS and actually had slight rubbing between the rotors and the brackets. So yes, I definitely needed spacers to center the rotors. Surprised no one else has reported this; others don't mention using any spacers nor do they report the interference.
I went through the trouble to confirm all HHR SS and LS models use the same part no. knuckles & hubs (bearings) & calipers, so this conversion should have worked as well on my '06 as on any other model years. I can't see the reason for spacers being required. The new rotor should end up centered within the new bracket w/o any spacer; the same knuckle (by which the bracket is located cross-car) and the same hub assembly/bearing (by which the rotor is located) would seem to guaranty it.
Last edited by r.char; Dec 7, 2020 at 11:26 AM.
Reason: correction
I just did this swap on an ‘06 2LT , didn’t require a spacer, I’ve done the same swap on my ‘07 LS and ‘11 2LT and didn’t require spacers.
what caliber brackets and rotors did you use?
SS knuckles are different then LS/LT knuckles.
the SS uses 3 mm spacers between the hub mounting flange and the knuckle, with the Brembo brake calipers and rotors.
I used GM p/n's 22705376 (L) & 22705377 (R) support brackets and GM p/n 19303825 rotors.
Rechecked and found you are correct about the SS and LS/LT knuckles being different part no's. The GM parts website I used has an error for where the part is used if you look at the left knuckle part no. 19303851, it is correct for the right one.
The GM parts website I use shows the same "knuckle spacer" p/n 22687783 between hub assembly and knuckle is used on my '06 HHR as well as the '08 SS. Not sure what changed for models after '08, they don't show one, neither for base nor SS levels. I've already replaced both my '06 hub assemblies and both sides have the spacers. If these spacers were roughly twice as thick the rotors would have been better centered in the brackets after the upgrade (for my application anyway). Not sure why my project has gone differently than for most others.
A big "aha" for you will likely be that, I confess, to save money I used parts off salvage vehicles. I am certain the brackets are correct; both the GM parts website and rockauto.com showed the same brackets used on the SS model as the vehicle I pulled them from.. I tried rotors from two different vehicles that use the same p/n larger rotors (11.65") and both had the same slight interference with the inner surface of the brackets. The brackets placed the calipers/pads at the correct location, radially, on the larger rotors.
I measured slightly under 0.002" runout on my like-new used rotors, the significant vibration/shaking beforehand is completely gone, no steering wheel pull or tendency for vehicle to change direction under "panic" braking; I'm happy. Just not sure why I had to use the approx. 3mm shims behind the rotors.
Last edited by r.char; Dec 6, 2020 at 02:00 AM.
Reason: To simply answer the questions raised
Did you pull the brackets and rotors from a Malibu Max?
The brackets and rotors part numbers you posted are correct for the Malibu and HHR SS , so I’m not seeing the reason for the need to spacer out the rotors.
I pulled the left bracket from an '06 Pontiac G6 and the right from an '06 Malibu Maxx LT, because the G6 right bracket had a stuck caliper guide pin. The first rotor pair came from the Malibu Maxx, and demonstrated the slight interference between the rotors and the caliper brackets, the rotors being too far inboard. I didn't like the runout on the rotors, approx 0.006", so I went to an adjacent yard and found like-new rotors on an '07 Saturn Aura (no lip above the top of the brake pads, almost no rust, slotted and cross-drilled) with brake pads that look like they too had just been installed. The one I measured produced a runout of just under 0.002".
I realize the rotors were almost certainly aftermarket replacements and not likely the GM part no I showed earlier, but we "all" use aftermarket rotors and they are made to match the OEM dimensions so I listed the GM part nos. above Even if one purchases the brackets from rockauto.com, they are remanufactured by Cardone so they are essentially the same as GM part no's as well. With rotors and brackets both coming from different vehicles, and having the same interference problems, I don't believe I somehow got all wrong part no's.
Per both gmwholesaledirect.com and rockauto.com, the above three vehicles use the same rotors and brackets as the '08 and the '09 HHR SS. I checked both SS years because after '08 the shim between the hub assembly and knuckle went away after '08 and it appears there was no other change made to keep the rotor in the same lateral location wrt the bracket with that change. The '08 and '09 (and '10 as well) use the same knuckle, hub assembly, rotor, bracket, and caliper, according to GM online parts sources (unless I've made an error), the only difference being the '08 having the spacer. The rotor must have moved ~ 3mm inboard. Same story for the base HHR, part no's stayed the same above 2008 except the spacers went away.
The purist may be bothered by my use of salvage yard parts for my project, but my wife's '06 HHR LS has 137,000 miles and I couldn't see putting the extra $ into it. The rotors were $10 each and the brackets only $5. We may keep it to 200k mi or so, not sure, but I got really tired of messing with the brakes almost yearly. Now I might not have to touch them again as long as we own it, if I have the same success as others have had.
Last edited by r.char; Dec 6, 2020 at 01:35 PM.
Reason: add a detail originally left out
