CarbotechDanny

Hello Corvetteforum members,

My name is Danny Puskar and I am from Carbotech Performance Brakes. Carbotech has recently become a sponsor on Corvetteforum.com. I have been a member and a fan of this forum for quite a while now, and would love nothing more than to support this forum when possible. I have made myself available to answer any and all questions from you on this forum.
There isn't a brake pad or brake shoe that Carbotech can't make. We can build any and all brake pads with your choice of our compounds that you need for your application.

If you’re not familiar with Carbotech then here is some information that separates us from everybody else. If you want more information then please visit our website at www.ctbrakes.com

Carbotech Performance Brakes™ began 15 years ago. In the beginning we thought like everybody else and made brake compounds out of carbon & iron. The problem with carbon & iron is that when it heats up it forms carbide. Carbide is used in cutting tools, so imagine what that does to your rotors. Along with the fact that those compounds tear up rotors, they also produce very corrosive brake dust. While our competition stills uses carbon & iron as the main ingredients in their compounds, Carbotech™ started an entire new philosophy over seven years ago.

Carbotech Performance Brakes™, a world leader in Ceramic friction materials™. It was over seven years ago that Carbotech™ started building brake pads out of Ceramic, Kevlar, and Carbon for street, autocross and racing applications. Carbotech™ is the only brake pad manufacturer in the world with a complete line of Ceramic compounds for street, autocross, and track use.

Carbotech-Ceramic™ compounds are known for their unsurpassed release & modulation, while maintaining very consistent torque control characteristics. Carbotech™brake pads are extremely rotor friendly and contain 100% non-corrosive brake dust, that’s something that has been unmatched by any other brake pad in the industry.

Our competitor’s brake pads perform like an “on/off” switch. Brake pads that perform like an "on/off" switch are upsetting the balance of the car by violently throwing all that weight forward (not to mention that you don't get any modulation with an "on/off" type of brake pad). You don't realize how much it upsets your car until you have tried Carbotech™ brake pads.

Carbotech™ has a seven year head start on the competition when it comes to our great philosophy on modulation & release, rotor friendliness, non-corrosive dust, and an unmatched consistent bite/torque control.

Carbotech™ uses advanced friction technology to perfect all of our compounds for the street & track. Research & Development (R&D) is not just a company philosophy; it’s a way of life at Carbotech™. We strive in constantly improving our existing compounds as new technologies and materials come to market.

Carbotech Performance Brakes™ allows drivers to Go Deep™ into the corners and out brake the competition. Carbotech™ has won multiple pro races, national championships, and rally races all over the world. Our high performance street compound is our 1521™. The next in our lineup is our Autocross compound, AX6™.

Our race compounds start with the letters "XP™" then they are followed by a number. The first number is 8 (XP8™, then XP10, XP12, and XP16), and as you go up in numbers the initial bite gets much stronger, higher fade resistance, higher torque, and an increase in the temperature range. On that same note, as you go up in our compound numbers you will get slightly faster wear rate on the pads and a little more aggressive on the rotors. That being said, even our more rotor aggressive compounds are still much more rotor friendly then our competitions compounds.

For more information please visit our website at ctbrakes.com or give us a call at 877-899-5024.




Thank You for your time,

trumper Z06

Good product...

I started using them with the C6 Z06...been a couple of years now.

Many of us Z06'ers use Carbotech pads for the track !!!

95jersey

I do have a question. You state that the higher the number the greater the initial bite/torque/heat resistance, but also the faster the wear. Understanding that brake pads are one of the most expensive consumables for us, many want to try and get every bit of useability possible. I always thought that if you bought a pad that was underrated for your application (eg. street pad for the track) that it would wear faster under higher temp conditions, not necessarily the other way around?

So, if I have a 3300lb 500rwhp C6Z06 running coil-overs and Hoosier R compounds with stock calipers, what is an approiate pad? I have tried lesser pads and ate through them like candy, I used your XP12's last year (and this) and seem to get decent wear with excellent braking. Would I get potentially better wear with the XP10 with a small sacrafice in braking performance? Or with the aggressive nature of the car, will I just eat through the XP10?

I have personally stayed away from the highest friction compound pads simply because they are expensive, only provide that extra 10th, and eat through rotors at 5X the pace. Just trying to understand your statement on "wear rate"?

JaxVette

Hey Danny,

Great pads. I've been using the XP12's in front and XP'10's in the rear for years on both my old C4 and my Z06. Good wear characteristics and excellent and predictable stopping power.

Good to see you on the forum. - Jack -

Jim 47

Hi Danny:

I ran into Larry Narcus of Carbotech Engineering in early 2001 at Charlotte (now Lowes) at a Car Guys HPDE. He was there to help out David Farmer who was building a new C5 T1 car. As things go at these events, everyone was helping everyone else and while I was talking to Dave's father, he introduced me to Larry, who immediaately asked me what pads I was using on my 2000 FRC. They were another brand, and he asked me if I wanted to try their latest track pads for a C5, which I believe were called "Panther Plus 1106". Because the pads I had on the car were destroying the rotors, it was easy for me to say YES.

He and I installed the pads in a few minutes and I went out on the track for my first experience with Carbotech pads. Danny, they were all that you have said, and after a few laps, the rotors also started to look a lot better. I have used Carbotech pads since that date and have never been disapointed or troubled by their performance. I just received a set of XP-10's and will be installing them before the next track event. Thanks for the excellent products and great service.

Jim Helm

davidfarmer

I think he means that driven at their ultimate performance level, they will wear quicker than a lower heat-range pad at it's ultimate level.

I think your philosophy is sound, and that an intermediate track pad is ideal for most drivers. Unless you are running dedicated 5" air ducts through the frame into sealed spindle ducts, most cars can't provide adequate cooling for the highest performance pads anyway.

**Jim, just saw your post....I've never run Carbotech pads, although Larry and I may have been chatting.....

gonzalezfj

I am very glad for you guys that have had a good experience with Carbotech.

My experience with XP12s has been a disaster. I purchased my first set because they had the only pads in town for C6Zs in 2006.

Installed them with new rotors and bedded them in as recommended in their instructions. Off to VIR, where the brakes shuddered so badly that I thought they would break something. The local denizens said they would get better with use, but the fact is I never got them to work right. Two days of HPDE, plus $500 in rotors and almost $600 worth of pads throwh in the trash.

Called Carbotech and was told I didn't bed the pads in right. So i got a second set and new rotors. Bedded them in absolutely and positively according to their instructions. Same thing. A little better in the afternoon sessions, but nothing like I expect from my brakes.

Called them back, and they said maybe something was wrong with the rotors. They were GM OEM. Another $1,100 shot to hell.

Tried a third set and it was no better.

Switched to Hawk DTC-70 pads and haven't had a problem in three years of HPDEs.

Like I said, I am happoy for those of you that have had good results. I haven't and I am not happy about it.

Fire away, asbestos suit is ON.

Frank Gonzalez

the blur

Danny,
I used the XP12's on my C4. They were painted purple.
They wore rather quickly.

The XP10's lasted longer.
Is there a reason the XP12's wear out faster ?

although both were gentle on my rotors.

Z06cool

Welcome aboard Danny....

NavyVet

I've used Carbotech pads for AX (started with the old PantherPlus and later the AX6) since around 2000 or early 2001. I've also used XP10/8 and XP12/10 combos for NASA and PASA track days and events on our Vettes. I've run Carbotechs on two p[repared C4s, two prepared C5s and a one slightly modified C6 Z06, all set up for HPDE and AX. Each of these Vettes achieved great results in brake performance and rotor wear. Carbotech pads are a great pad for those running stock GM calipers.

This year we switched to a Wilwood SL6/SL4 seup on our primary autocross/track car. We never considerd ordering track pads from Wilwood and immediately called Carbotech to order a set of AX pads for them. Note that I explained our use for this car very carefully when making the order and they said, "no problem it's a custom order and will take 2 weeks." Note that brake performance is very important since my wife and I both drive the same car at track events so we may put a bit more heat and wear on ours than some folks do because we usually make back-to-back runs all weekend. They made us a set of AX6 pads on the correct Wilwood backing plates. When we received them it was obvious that they had a smaller pad surface area completely across the outer edge and each inner corner of the pads. After several phone calls, and after I sent pictures with an overlayed tape measure showing the differences to prove my claims, they did take a return. Tehy also charged me for return postage and a 20% re-stocking fee. I wanted Carbotechs very much, but giving up 3/16" the entire length of each pad plus approximately 3/4 square inch total from the two inner corners of each pad would have actually cost us a significant amount of surface clamping area. My opinion obviously, but I believe a total surface loss of approximately 1.75 square inches on each of 8 pads would make a difference during a late corner entry and hard braking. Afterall, improved braking and repeatably consistant performance under high stress conditions was why we changed to the SL6/SL4 Wilwoods in the first place.

I was told by Carbotech's technicians that their pad compound was so good that losing the surface area did not matter and that I would be better off with the Carbotechs over any of the Wilwood compounds regardless that Carbotech's pads were smaller. So, in attempt to get a straight answer, I asked the Carbotech technician if 2 sets of their own pads, one set with 1.75 square inches less surface area per pad and one with full-size pads would brake equally and was told that they could not reply because they would not make a set full-sized (i.e., the same size that Wilwood uses on their pads) set to compare against.

We no longer run CarboTechs on either of our Vettes although I've suggested them to our racing friends for years. We will no longer promote them. I just gave away four sets of new ones from our track spares box too. We are now running Wilwood race pads with very good results.

I wish those running stock calipers the best using the Carbotech pads, but I wish Carbotech would have made us pads with the maximum possible surface area. We went back to stock padlets on the 2007 Z06 for now and gave away those Carbotechs too.

Lan.Jet

I have just purchased new rotors and xp10’s for use on a C6 Z06. In the documentation they said to bed them on the track but I have little time to spare when I am on the track and I also drive the car to the track. Would it be ok to do a few 60 to 10 MPH stops to warm them up then a few rapid 80 to 10 MPH stops .

Miaugi

Welcome Danny, nice to see you as a forum vendor!

We have spoken on the phone and I've been using XP16's on my '06 C6 and I've been happy with them but I find they do wear quickly.

Recently I got a deal on some XP-12's from another member and I find those wearing better with not much difference in stopping performance, which I thought was odd but if I understand you correctly that is what your are saying, correct?

froggy47

I have a question, not specific to CarboTech. I have used the PPlus on my c4, they were fine. Have not tried any yet on the z06.


FWIW I did not notice any greater/lesser rotor wear with Carbo vs Hawk vs stock. Rotors will wear.



Q:

How thin can I go on pad material before changing to fresh pads? I pull wheels & check b4 EACH event. This is for autox, not track. So we are talking about 3-4 one mile runs (Champ event) to maybe 20 one mile runs (practice day)

Thanks.

freefall

I love the rotor wear - but eating pads in 1.5 days kills me (XP12 and XP10).

Gary04Z06

Great news! I've been using the XP10 and XP12s in front and XP8s in the rear for about four+ years now. Only pad I'll use on the track!

Joy of 6

Welcome Danny.

I'm on my 4th set of 10's on the front and 8's on the rear and no problems with abnormal wear on either the pads or rotors. I did suffer some taper but I think is from the calipers spreading out under track use. I have a set of SSBC coming which should negate that condition.

Been happy with the results and will keep using these pads

ciao,

Ed

yakisoba

Glad to see ya'll here. I've been using progressively tougher Carbotech pads for three years. XP10 seems about right for now, with XP8 on the back. I've not had a problem using these pads on the track with stock Z06 C5 calipers.

sothpaw2

Have you tried XP8 on front and stock Z06 on back? Right now I run HP+ on front so I wonder if XP8 would last longer or stop any better or be any more rotor friendly.

Z06Fix

Are you running cooling ducts with this setup? Also are you on streets or R-compunds?

Thanks,

Eric

0Vector Vette

I tried the Carbotech pads last season. I aggree they perform well in terms of stopping the car and brake fade. However, I found they wear out too fast and are very hard on the rotors.