67Riviera

Hey all,

I'm new to the vette scene, coming from Mazda - still figuring out the platform. Bought C5inWV's '07 C6 Z51 just a few weeks ago. Did a few hours of reading this morning but haven't found an answer to my specific questions. Drove the car at Road Atlanta this past weekend and had massive brake fade after a few laps, so here's what I intend to get - let the opinions fly. Keep in mind this is also my daily driver.

New rotors - DBA 4000 T3 slotted - I'd honestly prefer a blank rotor (no slotting, no drilling), but I'm having difficulty finding anything else.
New pads - recommendations? I've heard good things about the HPS pad, but I'm not sure it's aggressive enough. The HP+ might work, but I've also heard that they fade too fast under consistently heavy braking.
Stainless braided lines - brand suggestions?
DOT 4 Fluid - Used Motul RBF 600 fluid on my last car and was satisified with the results, anyone have better suggestions?

Are the stock calipers generally considered to have enough oomph, at least for a semi-noobie?

Thanks!

-Bryce

ltborg

I use Motul 600 and have never had any issues with it. Seems to be some of the best stuff for the price.

I like my HP+'s but have heard the same thing, that they aren't great for the track. I did DD with them for a while on my last car and the only issue was a little bit of noise and a LOT of dust.

el es tu

I run HP+ and while they are miles beyond the factory pads, they still lack even for aggressive street use.

Will be stepping up to the DTC30 line which should get to operating temp just as quick, but offer more friction and heat resistance.

blanks can be found for cheap through kns brakes

dot4 fluid is good or you can go to some ridiculous stuff like castrol's srf, but if youre doing this on a budget its kind of a waste

stainless lines - stoptech and goodridge are available through most vendors. the stoptechs are lower cost

argonaut

I use HPS on the street and personally there is no way I'd take them on track. At the speeds these cars are capable of they don't have the mu and would fade quickly, cant handle the heat. Lots of good track pads available but there is no dual purpose pad thats good in both environments.

In general your calipers are considered OK. Basically the same caliper as on the C5 (I think there have a stiffer clam shell) but your rotors are 13.37in as opposed to C5 12.75in. In C5 world they work ok but its painful - pads taper bad, pads are expensive, can't handle the heat and rotors crack frequently. Many of us upgrade to BBK - not necessarily because of better stopping power but because consumables (at least pads) can be cheaper and last longer. You don't mention cooling ducts - if you don't have them...GET THEM.

0SpeedFreaksUSA

The DBA 4000 T3 are great but depending on how much track time you plan on doing, it may be worth spending a little more and going to at least a 2-piece front rotor like GiroDisc 2-piece fully floating or DBA 5000 2-piece rotor.

Depending on what group your run in and what tires you're using, I don't know as though any street pad will cut it for you. The C6 is decently heavy, powerful car and as you found out it can challenge pads in the stock calipers. I would definitely avoid Hawk HPS unless you plan on swapping in something else for track use, the MOT of those pads is lower than the OEM pads so fade would be even worse. If you don't mind swapping pads for track days, then Carbotech XP10 or XP12 would suit your needs very well. One of the benefits of Carbotech is that all their compounds are compatible so you can use their 1521 (street) compound on the street and then swap in one of their XP series (track compounds) and not have to worry if the transfer layers from the different pad compounds will play nice or not.

as el es tu mentioned- stoptech and goodridge both make great lines. I personally prefer and use the stoptech lines on my car but wouldn't hesitate to use goodridge either.

Some good fluids are obviously the Moutul offerings-RBF 600 and RBF 660 . If you don't mind spending a little more thenPFC RH665, Project Mu G-Four 335 or Endless RF-650 Racing Super Fluid are phenomenal options. Endless RF-650 is, or at least was actually used in F1… the same off the shelf fluid that you or I could buy.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

-Matt M.

0SpeedFreaksUSA

Great info here! Depending on the tires and tracks you run and your skill level you may get away with a hybrid pad like Ferodo DS2500 or especially Endless MX72. However, if you can, it is always recommended to run a proper track pad on the track and have one less big thing to worry about.

-Matt M.

67Riviera

Like this kit?

http://www.lapponline.com/index.php?...ef32e9a8e50338

Thanks for all the good info so far! Can anyone tell me exactly what is meant when pads are described as "not street friendly"? I assume that the optimal operating temp is higher, meaning at lower temps there's less stopping power. As for dusting and braking noise, those really don't bother me.

Hat_Trick_Hokie

Correct. With track pads, the car does not stop when the rotors are cold.

Ex: driving down the interstate for 10min and have to make a panic stop. The car will take much longer than you expect to come to a halt.

Gering

OP: Check out Castrol SRF Racing Brake Fluid - A lot of people seem to like it. Here is one of many threads that you can find if you use google and search SRF Corvette Forum.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...-question.html

0SpeedFreaksUSA

Typically "not street friendly" means they will make noise and eat rotors faster since most race pads are so abrasive when they are cold. Some pads will also wear quickly with prolonged street use. Stopping distance isn't normally an issue as every race pad Ive tried can lock the tires from the first application of the brakes, even in below freezing temperatures. Carbotech XP10 and XP12 have a cold bite on par with the best street pads I've experienced, they are just loud when the transfer layer gets scraped away. If you can deal with the noise and dust you could daily drive XP10 or XP12… ask me how I know

-Matt M.

FASTFATBOY

Brake fluid=ATE is best bang fro the buck from Amazon.

Pads=Carbotech Xp10 front/XP8 rear track only.

If you want a double duty pad Ferodo DS2500 is good.

Z51 rotors=can you buy a Brembo blank for this application?

KBoltz

I just looked up the cost of those GiroDisc rotors for my C6 with C6Z06 brakes. That's 800 bucks PER ROTOR? Or for the front PAIR?

I'll continue to buy all 4 stock rotors for that kind of coin.

67Riviera

I think that's for a pair, based on what I'm seeing. Still not cheap, and probably not worth the coin for my application.

0SpeedFreaksUSA

The price is for the pair. Also, remember that after the initial investment you only need to buy the replacement rings and hardware which makes the running costs less than they initially appear.

There are plenty of benefits of two piece rotors that help justify the cost for those who track their car more than a handful of times per year. Obviously the rotor life is considerably longer than a single piece rotor since a properly designed 2-piece will run cooler and allows the ring to expand and contract at a different rate than the hat. This also means pad life is prolonged and wear is more even since the rotor can "float" in-between the pads. They keep much less heat out of the bearings and hubs, prolonging their life as well. The curved vane design also makes ducting more effective since they actively pump air through the rotor compared to a pillar vane design like the OEM design. Finally, they reduce the most important kind of weight- rotational, unsprung weight, which helps everything (suspension, acceleration, deceleration etc.)

Depending on how often you hit the track, your car setup and your ability they will be less expensive in the long run. Its hard to argue that they are worth it for someone only going a few times per year who is driving in a beginner group, though. Good quality single piece rotors would be the way I'd go in that situation.

If anyone is interested in any brake related component from any brand we carry, we are currently offering a discount for all CF members. Just use coupon code "CORVETTECLUB10" during checkout. If theres something you want but don't see on the website, just send me a PM and chances are we can get it quickly.

-Matt M.

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

Bryce, I have a few questions, what tires are you using, your HP and experience on track? Carbotech offers a number of braking solutions depending on the info you provide. I will be more than happy to walk you through the steps of braking for this car. You can call me direct at 216-780-8825 to discuss or PM me. And as always leave your question here and I will be happy to answer them. If your car has some track time you may have caliper spread. Rotors I would run cheap blanks and a DOT 4 fluid. On these cars it comes down to cooling to get the most out of your brakes.

argonaut

Yep - thats one option. That kit used to be called the 'Quantum' brake ducts but I think they got bought out and are now marketed as Lambert. LG Motorsports also markets a similar product as do some of the other forum vendors.

JRitt@essex

Bryce,

Many people will tell you that running the OEM calipers with some decent discs and pads is a viable solution. For autoX, it would be. If you're going to be continually taking your car to the track however, you'll likely be constantly swapping pads and discs, bleeding brakes, etc., particularly as you get faster and/or further modify your car (stickier tires, more power, etc.).

I would recommend that you at least consider a complete front big brake kit before sinking too much money into OEM-style replacement components. The bottom line is that a BBK will at first glance look like it has a steep price tag, but once you look a bit deeper, you'll most likely find that it will save you a considerable amount of money, time, and headaches in the long run.

I initially wrote this article for the BRZ/FR-S market, but it applies equally to the Corvette...probably even more so due to the speed and weight of the car. Big Brake Kit Benefits you may not have Considered.

Just about all of my BBK customers started down the path you mentioned...first buying OEM-style replacement bits and pieces. Over time they get tired of dealing with all of the issues that go along with them, and then buy a BBK. Every single one of them tells me that they wish they had just went with the BBK to begin with, and skipped all of the headaches...sometimes that is years of headaches! Since you're new to the car, I figure I'll show you the "skip to the end of the line solution." Also keep in mind that the BBK in the link will shave 8-9 lbs. of unsprung weight from the car, or nearly 20 lbs. total off the nose...very nice to have for autoX!

Good luck, and let me know if you have any specific questions.

67Riviera

Currently I've got a new set of Bridgestone Potenza S-04 Pole Position, I've got a set of track wheels but haven't settled on rubber for them yet. Car is at 430hp or so. I have some track experience, but none in a car of this class. The car was purchased from a track driving instructor at Summit Point, so I'd imagine it's got some track time on it.

67Riviera

I actually swapped to a BBK on my last car for that very reason (that and the fact that the stock calipers were floating single pistons ). That BBK was about a third of the cost of a Vette BBK though.

bdanyluk

OP...I've run at Road Atlanta with my base 2006 Coupe, with stock calipers.

Here's my experience.
I used Carbotech XP10 in front/XP8 in rear. I had a cheaper version of the brake ducting kit, that is linked above in another post.

Worked great for a while, but once I started going faster, the brakes seemed to be fading.

I recently ran at Daytona in December 2013 with this setup:
The "race version" Quantum brake ducts linked above, and XP12/10 combo, and brakes were fantastic! Much better stopping than XP10/8 and no fading whatsoever.

So that setup is recommended for you. It's easier to get into ABS braking with the XP12/10, but you can modulate that with your foot and find the correct amount of pressure to press on the pedal before getting into ABS and you will grow into them quickly.

My tires are Nitto Invo street tires. 275 up front and 305 in rear.

My car weighs 3350lbs without driver.