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Here's the upgrade path as I see it for the C7 Stingray:
Essentials / Must-Have
High Performance Brake Pads
Don't ever run OEM pads on the track. I don't care who tells you it's a good idea, don't do it! You'll run the risk of destroying both your pads and discs. While there are some decent dual-purpose street/track pads out there, the best bet is to have a separate set of track and street pads, particularly for the front. You can get away with a "tweener" pad in the rear on these cars in some cases (Something like a Ferodo DS2500).
High Performance Brake Fluid
This is another must-have. I'd recommend something out of the AP Racing fluid line. They have something for all intended uses and budgets.
Stainless Steel Brake Lines
These are an easy, inexpensive mod that will firm up your pedal. Don't cheap out and buy a $50 set of lines made god-knows-where by god-knows-who. For less than a set of good brake pads you can have something you can be confident in. Front Spiegler SS Brake lines for C7 Rear Spiegler SS Brake lines for C7
Need-Based Options
All of the below will be determined by you, your car, and where and how you'll be driving it. See my previous post above for more details.
Two-piece Brake Discs
The discs on the Base and Z51 Stingray are a particularly weak link in the brake chain.
If you read my article on the track-worthiness of the C7 brakes, it should be obvious that the discs on the C7 have some serious shortcomings. Our 2-piece Essex/AP Racing Heavy Duty J Hook Discs are going to solve a lot of issues for a lot of people! If you own a Z51 you can drop these on without any other modifications. If you own a Base model and want a "budget" BBK, buy some Z51 calipers and our 2-piece discs. Frankly, you'd be far better off sticking to an OEM Z51 caliper and our AP Racing discs than you would buying some of the other complete front BBK's I've seen on the market.
Again, for the Base Model, I believe the Front OEM discs are simply too small for any kind of serious track use. That's why we didn't even bother making a two-piece version. If you're on a tight budget, the minimum track setup I'd recommend is:
The OEM rear discs will be large enough for some people to get away with them. If budget allows, add our rear 2-piece AP Racing Discs. They shave 3 lbs. per side and will last a heck of a lot longer than the stock ones, run cooler, save pad life, etc.
Everything above applies to the Z51 as well, except you'd already have your front calipers.
Brake Ducts
I don't believe the factory air guides are of too much value, and the next step on the upgrade path would be a good brake duct setup. See my notes in my previous post on ducting. These could arguably be placed as a higher priority than 2-piece front discs for the Z51, but not on the Base model IMO (there's no sense blowing a ton of air into a disc that can't actually process the air).
Complete Front Big Brake Kit
The next step up the food chain would be our standard Front Essex Designed Competition Big Brake Kit. Our front kit offers a championship-winning bigger front disc (355x32mm) with greater thermal mass. You also get a huge range of benefits from the AP Racing calipers. Check out the BBK link to see all of those benefits explained.
A great front and rear complete setup with our front BBK would be:
Next up the food chain would be our upcoming Essex Designed AP Racing Pro5000R Radi-Cal front Competition Big Brake Kit. You can read all about them in this thread. The calipers in this kit offer AP's latest technology. One of the calipers allows for the use of a 25mm thick pad, and a future kit we'll be releasing will have a larger 372x34mm, 84 vane disc.
If you went with our wider front six piston CP9668 Radi-CAL mated to the 372x34mm disc option, you'd essentially have an almost identical front setup to what the C6.R's and C7.R's (non-carbon version) are running in ALMS. That kit will more or less be the end-all, be-all in brake upgrades for this platform...capable of serving the most powerful C7, on the stickiest tires, on the fastest track, with the best driver at the wheel.
Complete Rear Big Brake Kit
A rear BBK would be last on the list, but certainly nowhere near as high of a priority as addressing the front brakes on these cars. FYI...We do indeed have a couple of rear kits in the works.
Front vs. Rear upgrades
Let me reiterate this for the 47th time...if you are on a limited budget, focus your efforts on the best front brake upgrade you can afford. You can always add rear discs and kits later, but the front Stingray brakes are what will give you fits on the track. It's best to invest in something that will come as close to completely eliminating any potential front brake issues you might encounter.
For example, if you plan to drive your car hard on the track and have the option of buying one of our AP Racing front-only BBK's and just doing pads and lines in the back, you'll be far better off doing so than you would be going with a lesser front/rear complete BBK. Many, many forum members in the autocross/road-racing section of this forum can back me up on that one.
Last edited by JRitt@essex; 03-26-2015 at 09:14 AM.
I'm going to track my car for the first time next month. Here is my list and a few questions.
Things I purchased or plan on purchasing
1) Motul brake fluid
2) helmet open face sa2005 >
3) carbotech brake pads
4) 5 bc Fire extinguisher mounted
5) I have stock pss zp tires
6) gas and some tools
Questions:
Do I need some type of tape to put on the front of the car? if so what kind of tape?
I have a bottle of Royal Purple "purple ice". Is it worth adding it to the radiator fluid?
I'm going to track my car for the first time next month. Here is my list and a few questions.
Things I purchased or plan on purchasing
1) Motul brake fluid
2) helmet open face sa2005 >
3) carbotech brake pads
4) 5 bc Fire extinguisher mounted
5) I have stock pss zp tires
6) gas and some tools
Questions:
Do I need some type of tape to put on the front of the car? if so what kind of tape?
I have a bottle of Royal Purple "purple ice". Is it worth adding it to the radiator fluid?
Am I missing anything ?
I'd suggest Endless or Castrol SRF for your fluid. If your going thru the trouble of doing it, get the best and you don't have to worry about it.
Carbotech brake pads are a great choice. I've used XP8s, 10s, and 12s before. Very easy cleanup on the rims after your HPDE.
As far as taping the car, just depends on how **** you are about keeping the front nice. Some tracks are harder on paint then others (depends on their asphalt/concrete/type). 3M Blue painters tape has worked well for me over the years, and add a layer of red duct tape on top that if you want the car to "look" good while running. There are various roll on or spray on clear track protection products on the market. You could even use clear plasti-dip for thin layer of protection if so desired.
Gents,
I see some discussion of our Essex/AP Racing brake parts being kicked around here. Here's my take on some brake considerations for HPDE (High Performance Drivers Education), Time Trial, etc. This post isn't geared specifically towards the OP, since he seems to have a good deal of track experience. It is more for novices running a C7, of which there seems to be a fair number. I'll follow-up this preface with a more specific brake upgrade path for the C7 as well.
My estimate is that the average guy who tracks his car regularly will save enough money in two seasons to completely pay off a quality front big brake system. That doesn't even include all the intangible costs of time and potential problems. That's just straight savings on pads, discs, fluid, and resale value. The lengthy list of system benefits is just gravy.
Well, I'll sure second that advice!
I cooked the stock C7 Z51 calipers and boiled fluid (Motul 600 or Castrol SRF made no difference) several times having to get off track. Then I bought a pair of AP Competition rotors and calipers. Night and day difference: 600° on stock stuff and 300° with the AP's (from Essex) with temp strips as measurement on same place on calipers. Brake problems solved. The stock rears seems to work OK with less aggressive Ferodo race pads than the front.
03-26-2015, 09:08 AM
