WannaC5Z

This coming Saturday will be my first time on track with this car. I have six years experience with my former Mustang Cobra but this will be a first for the Z. I have already installed SS braided front brake lines and flushed with Motul fluid, however I didn't get around to changing out the pads yet. How will the OEM pads hold up under hard braking? Should I take it easy on them? I am assuming they are the originals as the car only has 41k miles on it. I did buy another set of rotors and Hawk HP+ pads. Should I go ahead and install them before I go or get a feel on the stock pads first? I assume there will be some gassing build up and some brake fade. I am taking a vacation day on Friday with the purpose of spending time with my daughters and my wife as it is her birthday. I really hate to be out wrenching on the car for a couple of hours when I am going to be gone all day Saturday at the track.

geerookie

I understand the wrenching all day when you have more important things to do.
Brakes come in handy at the track! If you baby them you should be OK but if you want to drive the car you better switch pads. HP+ is better than stock by a bunch but still not up to what a Corvette can actually do under braking.
I still would change pads and I'm easy on the brakes.

John Holmes

Not a concern. I have done it several times in a C5 at PIR. 130 down the back stretch and almost a full on application, 127 down the front stretch and down to about 30 into the chicane. Three or four 20 min sessions once a month or so and never a problem.
Ran my C3 around Packwood on NAPA pads at all 4 positions with no fading or pulsating.
Obviously you know the track and how hard you have to brake so it's your call, but for me I'd have no issue with it.

jbondfl

Well, you'll wear the OEM pads out for sure, even in one day. I'd go ahead with the OEM and replace them afterward.
Tell your wife Happy Birthday from the Forum....

63Corvette

Well, since
A) you will use up whatever you currrently have in one day, and
B) have to buy some kind of pads to get home

I recommend that you buy some Stoptech Street Performance pads
because they are good to 1300 degrees F, AND...they are cheap

Supercharged111

If the fluid is done, why would it take more than an hour to do? Should take less if you're properly motivated, there are only 5 lugnuts and 4 bolts per wheel to do this. I WILL NOT run stock pads on track anymore, no way no how uh uh. I'd rather work grid that track with stock pads, but that's just me. I've smoked stock pads to the point the pedal hit the floor on the gentlest of local tracks in group 1/2, I'd bit the bullet and take 1 measley hour to swap pads and rotors. Wake up early so you don't sacrifice any family time if an hour really will kill them.

JeremyGSU

Don't recommend it. I've had students wear their pads out quickly at Sebring even on their first days.

naschmitz

You probably have less than half the friction material remaining if these are the original pads and the car has 41K miles, so besides pad fade you run the risk of running out of brakes.

I'd change them -- swapping pads is pretty quick.

Pad fade is a lot different than fluid boiling. Fluid boiling you might have a shot at pumping the brakes. Pad fade the pads are too hot, you have a firm pedal, but you have way less braking than you need.

taken19

Just my humble opinion, but if you have 6 years track experience with another car, I don't believe your OEM pads will last more than a few laps.

Like others have said, brakes come in handy at the track. Brake fade is NOT a good feeling when you're relying on them to keep you off the wall!

WannaC5Z

I have a car hauler so B isn't an issue.
You have a good point. I also don't want to be frustrated that I have to go home early because I used up my pads. I guess I will get up earlier than planned. And I was looking forward to sleeping in since I have to get up at 5:30 on track day Saturday. Violins please...

taken19

Trust me, you don't wanna find out the hard way that you are more capable than your brakes. I had brake fade at 150 mph a few months ago while testing out a vendor's proprietary setup and it made my butt pucker big time!

The 1-1.5 hours you put in tomorrow will allow you to come safely on Saturday.

Scooter70

Stock rear pads should be ok but I wouldn't run the stock fronts. (Make sure that there's enough material left in the rears though. If you keep Active Handling on, the car will use a lot of rear brakes.

New HP+ are better than old stock ones. If it takes an hour to do, you need more practice.

Using front jacking point and a hockey puck, jack up one side of the car.
Remove front wheel
Using 18mm and 15mm wrench, remove lower caliper slider pin bolt and loosen the top one. (Or vice versa)
Flip caliper up (or down depending on which option you did in prior step)
Remove pads
Push pistons back in using the tool of your choice.
Drop in new pads
Reattach caliper to bracket
Put wheel and lug nuts back on
Put car back on ground
Torque lugnuts

Repeat on the other side of the car. Once you get good at it and have the proper tools handy it should take 15 minutes (20 if you're doing the rears as well).

RDnomorecobra

If your stock pads are the ceramic ones I would NOT use them. If they are the semi metallic ones then use them, don't drive over 7/10's or so, and change them for next time.

Socko

I used my factory 10 year old pads at my first track day with fresh fluid. It was at Road America, and into corner 1 and specifically 5 there was some serious pad smear occuring. I used 4-5mm of pad, which meant by the time I got home I had 2mm left on my pads.

I would say minimally change the front pads, brakes aren't something to mess around with. I have never been good at hitting times people quote for projects. I have a fairly good and new jack so for pads I just do them a corner at a time on the jack. Still takes me 15 minutes per corner I imagine but its worth it to have come confidence in my brakes.

JRitt@essex

My recommendation is to never run OEM pads on a track, period. Here's an article I wrote on how to choose brake pads.

harrydirty

I also had a Mustang Cobra for my track car (10 years) before I got my C6Z. Before I took it out to the track I changed brake fluid and pads (among other things). You no doubt learned what works or does not work with your Mustang, so put that knowledge/skill to good use and make your vette track ready so you can enjoy your track day.

WannaC5Z

They look similar to the front calipers which were on my Cobra. I always had to remove the calipers to get to the pads. The bolts were so tight from the factory I couldn't get them loose. That is why I didn't swap them when I did the fluid and brake lines. Maybe I am missing an easier step here...?

Supercharged111

15mm on the caliper bolt, 18mm backup for the pin that the 15mm headed bolt threads into. If you break the bolt, the parts store has the new pin for you and it's zero effort to replace, so use as much brute force as you need to and don't sweat broken bolts.

RDnomorecobra

you sure you are trying to remove the caliper pin bolts (23 lb ft)? maybe you are on the larger caliper bracket bolts (125 lb ft)? you don't need to remove those to change pads.

WannaC5Z

Yeah I figured that out this morning! You would think with all of the brake pads I have changed in my life I wouldn't have done that. These were absolutely the easiest brake pads I have ever changed. I spent more time jacking up the car and removing the wheels than I did changing the pads. Thanks for the suggestions guys. This was so much quicker/easier than changing pads on the old Slobra.