drewkeen

I am planning a trip to track my car in the next couple of months. I have a 2002 Z06. I have been on a track before, but it has been a while and I am still not very experienced...I figure the only way to get better is to go have some fun and run the car!

I will be on street tires and the car is not a primary driver. I am wondering if first I should replace the stock Z06 pads on my car with something different to be safe at the track and not have the brakes get hot on me and fade. If so, what are some good and budget friendly track pads? I would run the at the track only and then switch back for street driving.

I understand that I will not be as hard on them as some of the more experience people here, but would also like to purchase a good set of pads from the get go if they are something I should consider for my current goals.

Thanks in advance!

redtopz

I currently use Hawk and Raysbestos pads on my race car. However, one pad that I was very impressed with that would meet your needs was the Performance Friction 08 compound. We used that pad in the 25 hours of Thunderhill and it performed flawlessly the whole race. We never had to change pads or rotors, which was pretty amazing. To prevent fluid boiling, you will need to flush in some high temp fluid. I recommend Castrol SRF because it will last a long time without bleeding.

johninar

One choice for a pad that you can run on the street and then thrash pretty hard on the track are Hawk HP+. they are dusty though, but have some pretty good bite. Changing pads at the track opens you up to many track pads. Not sure you need to go with much more pad. you will run out of tire before the Hawks give up.

JMHO, YMMV
good luck!

Hi Volts Z06

I would go with a setup of Carbotech XP-12's in the front and XP-10 in the rear but you should talk it through with Danny from Carbotech when you order. They are great with support and can help you select the right pad for the track you will be running. There are a lot of tracks that will allow you to carry a lot of speed and run the risk of fading towards the end of the session. The advice to bleed the system and use the SRF is very sound advice regardless of pad selected. The PFC08 are good pad but I think you will find the Carbotechs more cost effective for HPDE.

bdanyluk

Carbotech XP12/10 combo !!!

You will love these! Work great and non-fading until you use slicks, but that should be a long long long time away from where you're at.

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

I will be happy to help you with some Carbotech pads. I would start with XP10 front and XP8 rear. This combo can be driven safely on the street to and from the track and if the noise does not bother you, you can leave them on. Please give me a call at 216-780-8825 to order a set or with questions pricing and pad description is below.

XP10 $201 XP8 $157

Pre bed option $40 total (I highly recommend)

When Carbotech™ unleashed the XP10™ to the general public it was an instant success. XP10™ immediately gathered multiple regional, divisional, and national championships. The XP10™ has a very strong initial bite friction material with a coefficient of friction and rotor friendliness unmatched in the industry. Fade resistance is in excess of 1650°F (898°C). Due to the high level of friction and bite, this material is recommended for cars weighing around 2,900lbs or less. XP10™ still maintains the highly praised release, excellent modulation and rotor friendliness that have made all Carbotech™ compounds so successful. Carbotech™ XP10™ is not recommended as a daily-driven street pad due to possible elevated levels of dust and noise.

A high torque brake compound with a wide operating temperature range of 200°F-1350°F+ (93°C to 732°C+). Carbotech™ XP8™ is the first of our racing compounds. Good initial bite at race temperatures, high coefficient of friction, excellent modulation and release characteristics. Extremely high fade resistance and very rotor friendly. Excellent as a front brake pad for lighter applications weighing around 2,400lbs or less. Perfect for track day use with any tire and can still be driven safely to and from the track. Carbotech™ does NOT recommended XP8™ as a daily driven street pad due to elevated levels of dust and noise. Carbotech™ XP8™ is a great compound on the front & rear of most open wheel and sports racers.

RedLS1GTO

Hawk all the way for me.

Which compound specifically really depends on your driving style.

Scooter70

I loved Hawks until I tried the Raybestos ST-43s last year. Same feel, similar torque, similar price, and better wear.

drewkeen

So it sounds like a brake pad upgrade beyond my OE Z06 pads is definitely something I should do from the advice given.

Any brands I should completely avoid as well?

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

Yes, EBC.


All I can say is don't cheap out on this item. They are also for your safety.

Also you definitely are going to want to replace your fluid with a DOT 4. We sell Brembo, Motul and Castrol SRF.

Dr.Ron

If you are a beginner, the stock pads work great, especially in a stock car on street tires. They last long as well. Once you get to the point you are passing EVERYBODY in the beginner run group and move up to intermediate solo driving, then I'd consider better pads.

I'm no expert by any means, but this is the path I went and I had NO issues in my C5Z or my C6Z!

Good luck and enjoy!

Ron

flyloeZ06

0Anthony @ LGMotorsports

I would agree to this to a point.

Pads are for sure a safety issue, and yes the stock pads will work ok for most guys doing their first track days. The car will let you know when you start going past the heat limit of those pads by getting a soft pedal. If you back off and let it cool down, they will come back to some degree.

What I would suggest is using stainless lines and a better brake fluid and make sure you have fresh fluid in it when you go out. Bring some tools and the ability to do a quick bleed at the track.


Once you are ready to start really pushing past people and past what the stock brakes can do...then there are many options. PFC makes an ok pad...customer support is ZERO if you have any questions. Hawk makes a good pad, but you have to make sure to wash the wheels after each track day or they will destroy the wheels.....if they get wet and you don't clean them, yeah that isn't fun. To date, we have not found a better, more consistent pad than Cobalt Friction. Most of the ALMS, GrandAm, and World Challenge teams are running them now as it is THE PAD to beat, bar none. Again we can talk about pads later on once you really get bit by the bug!

95jersey

First real track day...just make sure you flush with high temp brake fluid. Stay with stock pads, just make sure they are 50% or better. You won't go past the stock brakes on your first day unless you have some Andretti genetics. Don't worry about pads/performance parts, just go, be safe, and have fun.

RedLS1GTO

Raybestos is about the only brand I HAVEN'T tried...

Seeing as the wear is the 1 thing I don't love about the Hawks, I might have to change that.

96solo

Yes great, but my experience that factory style rotors will not handle the heat created by XP10 or 12's, unless you use Vette Brakes and Parts cyro/ heat treated sloted rotors. I went a whole season on those rotors with no failures. Stock rotors... Ping..Crack.. in one 20 minute session. If you're a beginner, use XP 8's around and have no problems on the street or the track with stock rotors.

D.J. Covert
2008 NASA-Az TTS Champion

MX621

my first time at the track in my 02z couple years ago, ( not my first track day, just first in this car) i ran stock z pads on njmp thunderbolt. fresh mutol fluid and braided lines on nt-05s. did just fine, yes i never really tried to push braking very hard, but did just fine.