
http://blogs.edmunds.com/straightline/2009/04/camaro-brake-weights-nothing-new-bmw-does-it-too.html
Yeah, I'd be pretty ticked if my 35k Camaro had these lead weights on its calipers. It looks absolutely hideous. With that said, I think this poster on the Camaro forum is probably correct as to why the caliper weights exist:
Quote:
This thread just gets more and more interesting. I happen to be an engineer, and I will bet that the weights was a method that was used to see if the noise can be dampened, but that management forced them to actually USE the weights, under the protest of the engineers. I don't know an engineer who would have suggested such a fix to go out to the customer.
As far as the "official" GM explanation, it makes no sense to say that high performance cars are especially prone to brake noise. That's just a cute way of taking your focus off of the problem and puffing you up by telling you that you have some sort of special exotic vehicle. Every car on the road stops in just about the same way, with a brake pad pushed up against a rotor. It's just a [censored] statement.
Don't get me wrong, I love this new Camaro. But I worked as an auto mechanic for many years, and just have to say I have never seen such a mickey-mouse bandaid before.
http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showpost.php?s=91a11976ea6bef704936f227464072d8&p=431865&postcount=412