quick04Z06

I know there are many posts on this topic, and lots of history on this car, but I want to phrase these questions anyway:

For dual purpose track/street duty, I want brakes I can beat on all weekend with no fade, no bleeding, no maintenance, and I want to be able to just swap pads and run them on the street. I'd also like to be able to just drop pads in through the top of the caliper.

I also want to know what can be done using the stock master cylinder/booster, and what options require a new master cylinder/booster, and if so, what master cylinder/booster.

Also, I want to know if I can use 17 inch stock wheels or if I need 18 inch front wheels.

And finally, I am looking for the most cost-effective solution to meet these goals.

Okay--so what do you think?

Thanks in advance.

troyguitar

http://www.tceperformanceproducts.co...te-c5/kits-35/

Either of the FNSL6/4 kits, whichever one fits under your wheels (13" rotors for 17" wheels, 14" rotors for 18" wheels). Nothing else really comes close in price for a front+rear kit that allows for pad changes without pulling the calipers.

argonaut

This is one of the primary reasons I have the AP racing endurance system on the front. To be clear - aftermarket BBKs DO NOT stop the car any better in a single stop scenario than a stock system (at least when both systems are new, pads are same, fluid new, tires are same, etc.). Where BBK's shine is in the above and typically they are able to handle the heat over a more prolonged stint.
The most popular BBKs designed specifically for the C5/6 do not require a MC change: Wilwood, StopTech, AP Racing. Their front caliper piston sizes are designed to be very close to the OEM size - thus maintaining approximately the same front to rear balance. Some people elect to change the MC anyway for various reasons. DRM offers an adjustable one.

Both Wilwood and AP racing do offer options that will fit under 17" wheels (those with enough backspacing such as the OEM C5 Z06 fronts). But the downside is the rotor size. You can only get ~12.8 inch rotors to fit. 18 inch wheels on the front give you more options. They also allow 14" (355mm) rotors which have quite a bit more mass and are able to handle the thermal stress better for longer periods of use - rotors last longer, pads last longer, etc. Its a trade off - new rims are needed (assuming you don't already have 18s for the front), they are heavier, they are more expensive to buy initially, etc.

As always - you get what you pay for. Wilwoods have the lowest price and a lot of guys use and like them. Personally I had a top notch BBK system in the smaller size and sold it and upgraded to the AP endurance kit - mainly for the exact reasons you state in your first paragraph. They are litterally - configure and forget - I simply do not worry about or have any brake related issues - and I've gone as many as 4 back-to-back track days at VIR without touching them. Priceless!

quick04Z06

Argonaut, you just have the AP endurance rig on the front w 18 inch wheels and stock brakes on the back?

Thanks for the responses.

Vettechris996

As another point of reference I run a full Stoptech setup (ST60 front, ST40 rear) and I LOVE it. The kits are designed so you can just run the front if you want and that's most likely all you need. I use stock C5Z rear wheels in the front that I bought new from Houseofwheels. I change pads and wheels/tires for the track and its is amazingly easy. I could not be more happy with my purchase, the performance is night and day compared to the stock calipers. The pedal is there and its consistent lap after lap, corner after corner. Loading pads in from the top is exactly as good as you'd think it would be. It makes life so easy. Probably takes me a matter of minutes to swap front pads out for track days. I have 355mm rotors front and rear and I expect the rears to last basically forever haha. The fronts, I'll have to wait and see but as a casual autocrosser and track day participant I am expecting probably two seasons on a set of rings (20 or so autox days 8-12 runs a day at a little over a mile long, and 4-6 track days). I would say you'd be happy with any other high end kit too, AP Racing, Brembo, etc but based on my experience I would suggest Stoptech.

quick04Z06

Standard Stoptechs or the Trophy set? Thx

Vettechris996

I have the standard calipers. Didn't see a need to go with the Trophy kit. Calipers are a bit lighter but other than that they are the same minus the finish.

Bluefire

I second everything Argonaut said. I also went with the AP Racing Endurance kit (front only). No more "fade fears" on track days anymore. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the fact that swapping pads from track/street now takes me < 30 minutes (including jacking time). No need to remove the calipers to do it.

I am very happy with my purchase.

argonaut

Yes -that's correct

fair

Excellent advice already. I've been in racing for nearly three decades and have driven cars with all of these brands of calipers. What I have noticed is that price does usually indicate the better options. "You get what you pay for" applies here. My rough, very generalized guide to brake system superiority is as follows:

AP/Alcon > Brembo/Stoptech > Wilwood > OEM > any Chinese built anything

All of the brands shown above OEM offer great performance, but the higher end brands tend to need less maintenance and have longer life.

Pad selection is about the same way - price indicates the better pad life/performance as well. The cheaper the brake pad the more "filler" they are using. On this same type of scale the (low cost) Hawk and EBC pads tend to be at the bottom of the performance spectrum. PFC, Ferodo, Pagid, and Carbotech outshine them, and while costing more up front tend to last much longer on track and give better value over the life of the pad.

Just my observations.

JRitt@essex

All of the kits below that we (Essex/AP Racing) offer are designed to work with the OEM master cylinder. They closely mimic the OEM front brake torque output, so they will maintain proper brake bias, not interfere with ABS, etc. All you have to do is bolt them on...no other modifications required.

As mentioned above, if you want to stick with the 17" OEM wheels, you're going to be fairly limited on front disc size. The kits the others in this thread are referring to are as follows:Our Essex Designed AP Racing Sprint Competition Kit fits the OEM C5 Z06 wheel without a spacer.

Moving up to an 18" front wheel really opens up your options, and will allow you to run a considerably larger front disc. Many people run the rear 18x10.5" OEM C5 Z06 wheel at all four corners. That's what I did on my car, with 305 tires on all corners. It was a great, balanced setup. With that wheel setup, our Essex/AP Racing Endurance Competition Kit will clear without a spacer.

Since you're also looking at street use, our AP Racing Factory six piston BBK would be a really good option for you. It has a beefy 362x32mm disc, which is about as you can cram into an 18" wheel. It also uses a relatively common pad shape, and would be very low maintenance. You'll be able to beat on them all you want at the track with race pads, and then switch back to the street pads as you mentioned. They fill an 18" wheel up very nicely, and the disc is so large that it can take a huge amount of heat without any fade issues. I'm not 100% sure these will clear the rear C5Z wheels when run on front, but I think they likely will. You could verify with the wheel fitment template. These are available with red and black calipers.

We're putting these on a Tax Day sale this week for $1,000 off of retail! As far as bang for the buck goes, these are going to be really tough to beat!










In terms of cost-effective solutions, focus on getting the best front BBK you can. On modern Corvettes, the front brakes take the brunt of the beating, so you should focus your efforts there, particularly if you're on a budget. On the rear, you should be good with some nice race pads, SS brake lines, and quality brake fluid.

You can go with a lesser brand/something cheaper, but chances are you'll be circling back to do the job again down the road. As others have noted, it's more cost effective to do it once and do it right. The solutions we offer will get you to the point of not having to really think about your brakes any more. Check out our essex blog for more comments from owners who were in a similar situation. You'll have added confidence in the car, which typically translated to more consistency in your lap times. You'll also get to relax between track sessions, rather than changing cracked discs, bleeding brakes, etc.

Here is the link to the Tax Day Sale we're offering...both the Factory and Endurance six piston kits are on sale.

NemesisC5

In..

quick04Z06

Jeff, check your PM. Thanks.

FASTFATBOY

How much experience do you have? The stock stuff can last a while if you are a beginner on a street tire.

Soloontario

The Z06 front 17" rims have 4 mm less offset than the rears. Do they fit if you use a 12.9 " rotor or do you need 18" all round?

BTW, where did you buy your Stoptech setup ?