PSU_Vette

I wanted to ask the forum some opinions on a couple simple items. I have a 2008 coupe with the Z51 option. I'm taking it to the Daytona Road Course in a few weeks for my first HPDE experience. The most I've done with the car so far has been "street applications." I'm wondering if I should upgrade my brake pads and rotors before going. I have approximately 60-70% life left on the OEM pads. I ordered the Motul 600 DOT 4 fluid, so I'll certainly be upgrading that first. My concern now is whether I should upgrade the pads/rotors as well. I was looking at the CarboTech option if I go with the upgrade. Any all thoughts/suggestions are appreciated.

spazegun2213

I'd grab some more serious pads for the front for sure. You'll probably go though most of the OEM pads you have in a single track day, not to mention how terrible they'll do on track. I'm not a carbotech guy, but if you could probably get away with something like a DTC-60 (hawk) in the front for your first time out.

with the new fluid, and the pads, your stock rotors will be fine. You'll have have to bed in the racing pads, and then when you swap back you'll have to rebed in your stock pads again.

Good luck and have fun!

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

Yes, you should upgrade the pad, being new to this you will use more pad than most intern your OEM pads will be done. The Carbotech XP10 & XP8 combo will work great for you and you can leave them on off track, if the noise does not bother you. If it does sell the OEM pads to a forum member and get a set of Carbotech 1521 for the street and you will not have to re-bed or do anything just swap pads and go. Give me a call at 216-780-8825 and I will be happy to help you.

FASTFATBOY

Adam is the man.

NVR2L8

I disagree with the recommendations to upgrade your brake pads for your first HPDE event. High temp brake fluid yes.

Most track sponsors and instructors will advise you to "run what you brung". You will spend your week-end learning about safety, track protocol, pit in and out, corner workers, flags, braking zones, turn in points, apex points, track out, car control, passing zones, etc.

You will almost certainly not be anywhere near approaching the limits of the car you are driving. Your most important priority is to learn, and to practice. Education and seat time.

Try to learn how to drive smooth, not fast. You will have plenty of time to move up to better brakes, tires, etc.

Good luck, it is highly addictive.

FASTFATBOY

I was told this for my first event, by the third session on day one my car was shaking under braking so bad I think some screws fell out of the dash. And I DID buy Hawk DTC30 and HP+ for my Z28.

Some people have a little natural ability on track, I was signed off to solo on day 2.

To the original poster, buy a spare set of front rotors and some GOOD pads. Take the rotors with you....if you don't need them fine, you have them for later.

Don't go to the track, spend that kind of money to have a great weekend and WISH you would have prepared better. You aint gonna call Autozone and get Z51 rotors off the shelf.

I went to Lowe's and bought a plastic box with wheels on it that I take with me in the tow truck, has everything I need in it for a track day. Spare pads, rotors, oil, power steering fluid window cleaner, tools etc.

The first event I went to I had to FIND and Autozone to buy rotors and other things I needed.... never again.

Go prepared. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it Mom always said.

Just my opinion.

Z06trackman

Driving on a race track requires race pads. Best case for showing up with street pads: you get through the event OK, but the pads are toast so then you have to replace them. Why not buy a set of race pads instead and have a trouble free time at the track? Then you will have enough race pad for another event or two, and you will still have your street pads.

John Shiels

Depends on how aggressive you will be first time out. Most are probably be fine guess (85%) I have seen. Newbies do tend to hammer pads if they are aggressive. Faster you are and better you car handles you can tend to use less brakes. Race pads won't hurt you in any case unless you were limping around and they are cold.

FASTFATBOY

I feel its just the opposite with students that are less talented. Less speed overall, less corner and less exit speed mean less speed on the straights.

yakisoba

I would run the stock brakes with high temp fluid. Reason: You are more familiar with that, since you drive it on the street. The rule in racing is +1. Change one thing at a time if at all possible. Well, you are going to the track for the first time, so that's out the window. You are going to be doing stuff you will not find intuitive nor easy, and every element of familiarity you can preserve is important. So long as the system is safe, use it, then decide on improvements after you recover from sensory overload. Good luck!

EyeMaster

Beginners are usually hard on brakes. The progression I have seen was like this: Beginner, hard on brakes because they don't know the line. Intermediate, not as hard on brakes, knows the line, can keep better momentum in the turns. Advanced, hard on brakes simply because they are much faster!

The decision is up to you to upgrade the pads and rotors. Realize that you will probably be fine, but you run the risk of using up all your pads or crack a rotor and need a replacement. Be mindful of your limits and the brake's limits, as soon as you feel the brakes are not performing as good, slow down, you're having brake fade. Cool them down and resume. Inspect the pads when possible, that means waiting till the wheels coold down enough (30 mins?) and take them off, check how much pad material you have inside and out. Resume.

RDnomorecobra

I would add 2 things, if your stock pads are ceramic, replace them. 1st time braking from high speed they will not work well. Get a semi-metallic street pad or something like the xp10 mentioned above. 2nd, do not put new rotors on and go straight out on track. Rotors need some heat cycles to be broken in. Once that is done they will last for a number of track events depending on driver and pads that are used. If you put new on and immediately go out and hammer them you could have a problem before your weekend is over. And if you dont have a spare set as mentioned above you may miss out on sessions.

MarkDFW

The answer really depends on how hard you wind up driving the car. I had some natural talent my first HPDE and was solo by my second day. Unfortunately, I cooked my OEM brake fluid by the end of the first day (good for you for using Motul 600 as a starter HPDE fluid) and I also chewed up my pads and warped my rotors. Say "hello" to that judder every time you stop for a red light.

If you are like many beginners, you can probably safely get away with Motul 600 and your stock brakes and rotors. I would hate to see someone do this once and have spent money on parts they won't use again, though you could sell the used brake pads on this forum. (like I have many times) Just don't be surprised if you warp rotors and chew through most of your OEM brake pads.

If this IS for you, and you catch the heroin/crack/pringles addiction that is HPDE, you will absolutely want better brake pads at a minimum. As the addiction deepens you will then realize you need better brake fluid (Castrol SRF), 2 piece rotors, and then you will say "screw it" and get a big brake kit. Finally, you will face an intervention from your significant other over how much money you are spending on your new hobby.

Remember...if accused, deny. If accused again, deny again. If accused a third time, make counter accusations.

FWIW I run carbotech pads and very happy with them. Carbotech Adam posted above and can help if you go that route.

JRitt@essex

In my professional opinion, nobody should ever run OEM brake pads on a racetrack, period. OEM brake pads are not designed to handle the heat of track use. OEM pads are designed to stop the car in a single stop emergency situation, have low NVH, and be priced reasonably well. They're not designed specifically to handle repeated stops from triple digit speeds.

Regardless of how ham-fisted someone is behind the wheel, they'll always introduce far more heat into their brake system on the track than they ever would or could on the street. As others have said, track rookies are oftentimes harder on brakes than a seasoned veteran.

What do you risk by leaving your stock pads in?
1. Overheat the pads and destroy them- Once you overheat most pads, they break down in several manners: Some chip, some come off of the backing plate, in chunks, and some reach a certain temp and burn up at an extremely fast rate.
2. Destroy your discs- An overheated pad taken outside of its operational temperature range many times smears all over the discs in an uneven fashion, causing judder and vibration. At best you'll lose confidence in the brakes and they will feel terrible. At worst the discs will be permanently ruined and need to be replaced.
3. Ruin your day at the track and waste your time/money. Most track events are a couple hundred bucks per day. If your brakes cost you ANY downtime while at the track, your p*ssing money away. If it happens early in the event, you could blow the entire event. You will be frustrated, and you won't be out on track learning like you should be.
4. Potential damage to your car, your wallet, and your ego- If you're not experienced with brake fade (pad or fluid), you may not recognize the early signs. Also, many OEM pads have very little warning before letting go. Many times they go from feeling okay to feeling pretty bad very quickly. There are a ton of things going on out on track, particularly when you're first starting out. Having to worry about babying your brakes, cooling them down, etc. is distracting and counterproductive to learning the racing line, braking points, where flag stations are, and how to drive in traffic safely.

Getting a good set of pads and fluid is cheap insurance to help make your first (and future) track event a positive experience. If you are super tight on money you'd realistically be fine leaving your rear OEM pads in...they don't do nearly the work as the fronts on a Corvette. On front though, don't skimp and mess around. Get a good set of front track pads and some good fluid. You'll save yourself a lot of potential headaches and money for a relatively small investment.

I'm happy to help pick out some parts for you call myself or one of my associates. We carry pads and fluid by AP Racing, Ferodo, CL Brakes, Hawk, etc. Good luck, have fun, and be safe!

yakisoba

Definitely agree that losing track time due to brake failure is no good. One key to good driving is confidence: Confidence in your equipment and in yourself. If you are not confident in your brakes, change them until you are.

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

PSU_Vette, thank you for your order I am sure you will have a great time with the XP10 & XP8 combo. They will be pre-bed and ship Monday.