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They are really great brakes on the track and I really liked the hassle free usage as long as the rotors lasted. However, after 13 track days I had invested $1K in two sets of brake pads and was looking at another $3100 investment in rotors/pads. Have invested in one set of replacement pads for the rear but the rotors are getting near their end of life and I am looking at another $3600 price tag to replace them some time this year. There are other options available that work just as well without the cost.
Right now I have the Essex AP Racing kit on the front. It cost me $5250 Vs the $3100 the rotors and pads would have cost but the replacement rotors are $400 not $1300. If these rotors only last 13 days I will be looking at a savings of around $1800 which comes close to a break even point on the purchase of the AP kit. The savings on pad costs will bring me to the break even point. If the rotors last longer than 13 days then I will get into the gravy sooner.
I am thinking of investing in a set of standard Z06 brake calipers/rotors for the rear of the car. I can purchase them for about half the price I can purchase CCM rotors for the rear. Also AP Racing has a $3800 kit for the rear which is just $200 more than replacing the rear CCM rotors.
If the consumable cost of the brakes wasn't so high they would be the way to go.
A family friend has a Panamera GTS with the PCCB option. He told me he just paid $4,200 for new rotors/pads.
He doesn't track so I don't see why he got that option. Another friend of mine does track and told me he and alot of other drivers swap out ceramics for steel because they don't last long if you do track/race and it's not worth it when compared to the durability of steel.
Love the carbon ceramics on my ZR1. This will sound dumb, but the lack of brake dust compared to regular iron brakes is almost worth the price of admission alone. Obviously they came with the car standard so it wasn't an option, but if I were getting a new C7 I'd get the Z07 package just for the brakes. Zero fade and power forever.
Having owned a c6 with steel brakes and now a c7 with CCB brakes, I have a definite opinion about both styles:
(1) Steel brakes stop hard, so do CCB's - no real difference there.
(2) Initial bite of the CCB's is far greater, I smile every time I touch them, they stop with very little pedal pressure, it still catches me off guard sometimes.
(3) Very little dust with the CCB's, tons of dust with the steel.
(4) Super cars have CCB's, but I know CCB's do not make a car a super car.
(5) No pedal pulse, something I cannot say about any steel brake car I have owned.
(6) Pride of ownership, I am pleased every time I see those huge high-tech pizza plates behind the wheels.
Are they worth the money? Probably not, but I ask my self the real question: Would I buy them again? A great big yes!
Last edited by mickey3; 01-17-2017 at 08:39 PM.
Reason: typo
They are really great brakes on the track and I really liked the hassle free usage as long as the rotors lasted. However, after 13 track days I had invested $1K in two sets of brake pads and was looking at another $3100 investment in rotors/pads. Have invested in one set of replacement pads for the rear but the rotors are getting near their end of life and I am looking at another $3600 price tag to replace them some time this year. There are other options available that work just as well without the cost.
Right now I have the Essex AP Racing kit on the front. It cost me $5250 Vs the $3100 the rotors and pads would have cost but the replacement rotors are $400 not $1300. If these rotors only last 13 days I will be looking at a savings of around $1800 which comes close to a break even point on the purchase of the AP kit. The savings on pad costs will bring me to the break even point. If the rotors last longer than 13 days then I will get into the gravy sooner.
I am thinking of investing in a set of standard Z06 brake calipers/rotors for the rear of the car. I can purchase them for about half the price I can purchase CCM rotors for the rear. Also AP Racing has a $3800 kit for the rear which is just $200 more than replacing the rear CCM rotors.
If the consumable cost of the brakes wasn't so high they would be the way to go.
Bill
If you do not intend to attend drift racing, you should consider getting Girodisc rear 2-piece rotors for iron C7 Z06 brakes. They are 16.7 lbs or so compared to whopping 24.8 lbs of the iron Z06, since GM had to put a steel hat to make sure you can drag your rear brakes and not destroy your car : P
I have a feeling, those girodisc rotors might even be lighter than the CCB rears, since I presume they also have to accommodate the hand brake with a steel hat.
I've heard these don't work any better on the street because the true strength of these is at high temps, like what you'd get tracking the car. Don't know first hand but seen it talked about on a youtube video from a brake manufacture.
Just because cold pads seem to grab quicker when driving on the street doesn't mean they actually brake any better. If I change brake pads in the AP front kit on my car they will also grab like hell Vs the pads I run on the street. I liked the ceramics because they stopped the car over and over from high speeds with consistent stopping over 20 to 25 minute track sessions. The AP front kit gives me the same feel although the track pads grab a little too much and have changed the brake bias a little too much to the front. I can change that by using different pads.
If you do not intend to attend drift racing, you should consider getting Girodisc rear 2-piece rotors for iron C7 Z06 brakes. They are 16.7 lbs or so compared to whopping 24.8 lbs of the iron Z06, since GM had to put a steel hat to make sure you can drag your rear brakes and not destroy your car : P
I have a feeling, those girodisc rotors might even be lighter than the CCB rears, since I presume they also have to accommodate the hand brake with a steel hat.
The Girodisc replacement rotors for the ceramic rotors are larger than the regular Z06 iron brakes. They are also heavier than the ceramics. The ceramics have an aluminum hat with an iron drum inside. I would prefer having an iron drum for the parking brake. I have been in three different track situations where a parking brake used as an emergency brake helped save my bacon. Two times in a student's car and once in my own. Slowing from 100 mph to close to zero using only the parking brake could seriously chew up an aluminum drum.
Another problem I have with the Girodisc rotors is they only sell all 4 even though they are priced as pairs. You have to buy both pairs. I don't need the front pair. I tried this last year through Amazon. While considering which way to go with the front brakes I ordered the fronts so I could get a look at them. Two days later I got a call from the vendor stating Girodisc wouldn't sell just the fronts. I had to buy both pairs. That made my decision to purchase the AP kit easy. If I can't get what I want from a vendor I won't do business with them.
Bill, I am talking about regular Z06 brakes. I only got as a rear pair first, and later got the fronts since I liked it. So, I suppose you can buy in pairs for regular Z06.
I was certainly looking forward to the amazing performance of the brakes, but was disappointed to learn of the replacement cost and lack of longevity during track use, after I had purchased the car.
The CCBs were not something I would have special ordered, but were part of the Z07 suspension package I wanted. I initially planned to replace them, but decided I might as well wait until the first set of rotors wore out. Admittedly, I really enjoyed their consistency the 3 days I've had the car at the track once I became accustomed to the lack of initial bite. If the rotors would last long enough to equal out their replacement cost, I'd definitely keep them since they perform well on the street and tracking at an intermediate level with the same pads and don't squeal like a bus. Now as far as the no brake dust, well, not sure if this is typical, but this is a pic of my driveway after washing the wheels after one week of minimal street driving.
I enjoyed having the CCB soley for street use for now.. I do plan on tracking my z06 one these days though. Aside from the already mentioned benefits of the CCBs, they are always a neat topic to talk about and they are collectively I believe 25 lbs lighter than the standard option.
The Girodisc replacement rotors for the ceramic rotors are larger than the regular Z06 iron brakes. They are also heavier than the ceramics. The ceramics have an aluminum hat with an iron drum inside. I would prefer having an iron drum for the parking brake. I have been in three different track situations where a parking brake used as an emergency brake helped save my bacon. Two times in a student's car and once in my own. Slowing from 100 mph to close to zero using only the parking brake could seriously chew up an aluminum drum.
Another problem I have with the Girodisc rotors is they only sell all 4 even though they are priced as pairs. You have to buy both pairs. I don't need the front pair. I tried this last year through Amazon. While considering which way to go with the front brakes I ordered the fronts so I could get a look at them. Two days later I got a call from the vendor stating Girodisc wouldn't sell just the fronts. I had to buy both pairs. That made my decision to purchase the AP kit easy. If I can't get what I want from a vendor I won't do business with them.
Bill
I dont know who you are looking at Giro Disc from that only sells all 4, I swapped my 17 Camaro SS 1LE over from GM 2 piece rotors to Giro disc 2 piece, I only bought the front set with no issues. As said the Giro Disc are considerably lighter than the OE GM 2 piece Iron Rotors as well, so with my wheels and the rotors it was a decent weight savings, on the front it was around 12lbs of weight loss.
Personally I wish I could find someone who wanted to trade their CCB for my iron rotors, I doubt I will ever track my car at a level that I would have issues with the CCB stuff. I do though have OCD and despise the brake dust, I have been thru 2 sets of ceramic pads in hope of trying to eliminate the dust. Depending on how much I drive I end up having to clean my wheels off twice a week, it is to the point that I am considering pulling my wheels this winter and having them stripped and re-coated in a matte black finish to try and hide the dust better.
Best choice I ever made when I spec'd out and ordered my '17 Z06. To this day everybody comments, "you must spend a lot of time keeping your wheels so clean"? I reply, no, the carbon ceramic brake pads don't really make any dust! I also received a $5K rebate in April of '17 for buying these brakes when Corvette had a supplier issue with the iron rotors and they offered the rebate for anybody ordering the $7995 option.
01-17-2017, 01:43 PM
Do You Regret Buying Carbon Ceramic Brakes?
