speedneed

Going to replace my stock C6 Z51 pads. Local performance shop say's to use the Hawk HPS for street/track use. I don't want to change pads at the track yet. Is this a good choice or bad? Should I stick with stock pads? I have a couple of track weekends under my belt and the stock pads are not gone yet but I plan on doing a lot harder braking next time.

Lancer033

I can't compair them to the C6 Z51 pads, but I hated them. Suppoed to be the best of both world, ended up being the worst. To much noise and dust for a street pad, didn't last at the track.

I use Wilwood E-compund and am thinking about trying out the new BP-10 "Smartpad" from Wilwood. The Es make noise and dust like crazy, but they work great. Not up to the challenge of a heavy breaking track on track tires, but no street pad is. If you're on street tires at a track that isn't to bad on the brakes, the Wilwood Es work great as a dual use pad. Start getting into Track tires or heavy braking track, you'll have to use 2 different pads.

gkmccready

I run HP+ (step above HPS?) on my Miata for the street. I've also run Blacks on an RX-7 (street/track)... the blacks are aptly named... they throw dust everywhere. I loved the Blues on the Pro7 car, but they're insanely hard on rotors, especially when cold.

On my C6 Z51 I'm about to put on PFC 01s (front), and PFC Zs (rear) for a trackday... initially the PFC Zs were suggested all around if I was just going to cruise the trackday but once I made it clear I wanted brakes all day long, no matter what, that's when the 01s were recommended. I've been told the PFC 01s stop well enough cold to be used on the street, but I haven't tried it. The PFC Zs were definitely recommended as street pads. FWIW, I'm swapping the 01s on and then driving to the event, so I'll have a little data early next week.

If you're just looking for something better than our stock pads, but not crazy, I keep hearing the C5 Z06 pads are a great starter pad for street/track.

AU N EGL

FasterIsBetter

I'm running HP+ on the fronts and HPS on the rears on my '03 Z06, with NAPA stock rotors. They work well on the street and had a great feel on the track. I liked the balance that this combination gave me.

Jason

I run HPS on the street and yeah they dust quite a bit, but I've never heard them squeak.

The HP+ I use on the track dust and squeak, especially under light braking and when cold.

provette67

I ran PFC 01s on the track and they worked great.They did not fade all day and stopped like nobodys business even got the fire look going inside the wheel in the darker lighting.But they ate rotors and the dust ate the clear coat on the stock wheels and even got in the finish on the sides of the car When they were cold in the am you had no brakes I just remembered this and would hit them a couple of times on the way to work no problem after that.
I use HP+ all around and they are perfect for autocross and 10+ min. sessions but longer than that they fade.I have no cooling ducts other than the factory front duct on my '02 Z06

speedneed

Does anyone know who makes the stock C6Z51 pads? I have an 05, I believe the 06 has a different pad now due to squeal complaints.

AU N EGL

It is differnt pad materail, but dont use them on the track. the C5 ZO6 pad is a great compramise street / track.

forget the squeal, that tells you it is a good agressive pad. i.e. stopping power. Any agressive pad will squeal when used on normal street applications.

Ceramic pads are ok for the street, but not on the track what so ever.

J.R.

I used the PFC Z's of my C4 for three years as both a street and track pad, as I didn't want to change pads, and had great results. Didn't wear out rotors and had minimal brake dust on wheels. The dust is greater than stock though. Best thing, when they wore out I took them back to AutoZone for free replacement.

On the C5 I have become the track junkie and swap out pads using the Wilwoood polymatrix and am very happy with stopping power,rotor life and pad wear.

yellow01

I would recommend against HPS for any track work. I really did not like them.

I use them on the street (in back, I have wilwood in front) because I had them left over. They're fine for street use.

speedneed

Keeping in mind that I am new to this. Do the C5 Z06 pads fit my C6 Z51? And what are PFC's 01 pads, where do you get them, are they better than Hawk HP+? Just learning.

StArrow68

About availability, I understand that PFC X is either discoutinued or can only be ordered in large quantity, 100 sets (so you need somebody who has stock). I get them from MSI in Roseville and use them for both street and track and like them but I don't get too upset about dust. I swap from track, Z06 wheels, back to stock coupe wheels for street with run-flats and just wash the whole wheel off the car every so often.
The Z06 pads worked well on my coupe for some time but as I was braking harder the feel got to be bad toward the end of sessions. Had me cutting things short just in case.
Randy

Kschwamy

I use the same setup and

Wicked Weasel

I have been using the HPS+ and liked them with r-compound street tires on the track.

As of this week though I switched over to V710s and I thought I needed more braking. I am not sure if it is the tire that made them not work as well or maybe that I am just getting to the next level and now running faster than I was before. Either way I am swapping these out for the Wilwood Hs for track days and then will switch back to them for regular street days. I did not have brake fade (I think the new Blue Brake fluid did its job) I just did not have enough brake.

BTW - the dust and squeak does not bother me. After a day out on the street I just wash the dust off the wheels when I get home.

gkmccready

The C5s and C6s (non-Z06) all run the same calipers so the pads are interchangable.

PFC 01s are an aggressive track-capable pad... I'll know more about how they compare to the Hawk Blues I've run on other cars after Friday. But it may be hard to compare since the C6 with stock pads brakes so well compared to even my RX-7 racecars.

The HP+ is, IMO, a compromise street/track pad. I wouldn't expect it to hold up to a 20 minute session of hard running without some fade.

PFC 01 compound pads are available a bunch of places online if you throw it into a search engine.

http://www.performancefriction.com/pages/compounds.htm (race pads)
http://tinyurl.com/j7feq (PFC Zs aka 20s aka Carbon Metallic)

I've been trying to keep track of some brake information for the C6s at http://www.petting-zoo.net/corvette/brakes.html

Make sure you pick a good brake fluid and flush the system, that'll be as important as the brake pads. (AU N EGL, turns out I had some more Motul 600 hiding in a box inside the racecar, so I'm going to use that up before trying the SRF...)

gonzalezfj

If you plan to push your car hard in HPDEs, look to the T-1 folks for brake pad recommendations. Most T-1 cars I have seen are using PFC-01 or Hawk DTC-70 pads. I have used both in my C5Z and can recommend either of them without hesitation.

Both offer good initial bite, good life, steady coefficient of friction vs. temp and rotor friendlyness, especially the DTC-70. You just cannot make either of these pads fade; but you need high-temp brake fluid to withstand the additional temperature these pads will inflict on the calipers. You may also want to think about insulating the rubber boots in the tie rod ends and lower ball joints, otherwise you may burn them.

Be prepared for some squealing and lots of dust. These are characteristic of high-performance pads.

Be safe, don't mess around with "compromise" (street/track) pads, They don't do either task well.

Frank Gonzalez

GB'sZo6

Hey, Frank

I started the season with HP+ and Stoptech one peice rotors.
I got 5 good track days with the combination before needing to replace pads. After 8 events and chasing you around in the C6 it's looking like the rotors need replacing. From past years experience, this brake combination
seems to be working out well. They are dusty and beat up brake fluid but thats racing.

GB

gkmccready

I've heard this a few times now... anybody have pictures and a source for the heat wrap? I knew there was something missing off my list of prep work for this first weekend in the C6...

yellow01

Get a roll of 1.5" or 2" header wrap from Summit Racing or some other racing supplier.

Just cut a 8" strip, wrap it around the end and zip-tie it around the inside of the rod. One layer works like a champ.

I don't have pics, but as soon as you pull the wheel and rotor and look at the rod-end it will become very obvious. This works well and doesn't interfere with adjusting the tie-rod etc.