dkz

Looking into replacing my front rotors and padlets. They look like they have enough life left for one more track day. The rears look fine and i don't think i need to replace them.

I plan on attending another track event this year and know that I will pick up more speed. The tires i am running are Conti xtremecontacts and the stock pads can easily overpower them. Should I stick with AC Delcos or another brand for the front? Car is a c6z.

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

Take a look at the Carbotech XP8 if interested I will be happy to help you.

XP8 1 piece pad $298

Carbotech™ XP8™

A high torque brake compound with a wide operating temperature range of 200°F-1250°F+ (93°C to 676°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. 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.

dkz

Wouldnt the XP8 be too aggressive for my conti extreme DW tires? I don't daily drive the vette so a little noise is not a problem. Don't think i am going to swap out pads after tracking too.

Bad Karma

For me it was less about being able to overpower the tires, and more about being able to handle the heat. I overcooked several brake pads trying to get a street/track pad, chewing up the rotor in the process. I threw away a lot of money on worn out pads and trashed rotors before switching to race pads.

At a certain point you could get yourself into a dangerous spot if you are working the pads above their operating temp range and not have stopping power when you need it.

I'm not saying you need a full blown race pad on your second outing, but the faster you go the hotter you will get your brakes, it's something to keep in mind as you keep going. And I really wish I would have mad3 the switch to race pads sooner.

mikeCsix

The 8 isn't a bad recommendation, its the low end of the high performance group and may be good for you if you are not getting the brakes up to high temps. It'll be a little noisy on the street. I run street tires on mine too, I keep away from engaging abs and run 10's in front. I seemed to get the stock pads pretty hot and I would fill the holes on the stock rotors. I've since gone to DBA rotors, they seem to handle the heat better. You didn't mention what rotors you are using or if you are using stock calipers.

dkz

Using stock rotors and calipers and padlets. My tires get greasy way before I feel any brake fade. Probably have ot play around with the air pressure but that's another story. Anyway I'm looking at the DBA T2 rotors to replace teh stock front rotors with.

mikeCsix

I like the DBA's, I have the curved slots which seems to help. I kept filling the holes on the stock rotors, I suspect the pads were cooking.

Keep your tire pressures down. I start out low, 26psi right front and 27 for the others, after the first session, I deflate all tires to 30 (while they are still hot). The age of the tire has a lot to do with grip b too.

I too run padlets but want to try one piece pads next.

The Carbo tech pads can be purchased pre-bedded which will save you an extra step.

Hth..

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

No, XP8's are fine for what you are doing. They are a mild track pad.

jesup16

Good advice here... Only thing I can add is using high temp fluid life a Motul RBF600 or similar.

I can vouch for the Carbo XP10/XP8 combo.

96GS#007

I run 10/8 one piece pads.

Switched to Motul from ATE Typ 200 since a local place carries the Motul but the ATE worked fine. I bleed the brakes before each event for peace of mind.

I have brake cooling ducts and may add the ZR1 brake cooling pieces as well.

apex26

The C6Z is a track weapon, and IMO you should never be on stock pads. Go to Essex Parts and watch a stock pad actually start on fire. Not switching pads out after track sessions may not be realistic, if your goal is to get faster. When you decided to track your C6Z, you basically dictated your future: for yourself and everyone around you, you need race brakes!

Bossdog

I ran Carborech Xp 8s on my STi, 400 HP, 3200 LBs, 200 compound tire. I wish I had a bit more bite. They were very linear, good track pad. I'd suggest XP10's or 12's I thought I could live with the noise as it it was mostly a track car. No, Sorry, it was too irritating. However, the Carbotech 1521 is a great street pad you can swap out the track pads when street driving with out re-bedding the pads. They are made of the same compound, just different ratios.

JRitt@essex

OEM pads and the track do not mix, regardless of what car you're driving. OEM pads are designed for 'sporty' street driving, not repeated trips to 1500 degrees F. Please check out this article I wrote, How to Choose the Best Street and Track Pads.

dkz

So just wanted to update my thread. I went with XP8 all around and with some cheap stoptech sport rotors i found in the for sale section. I can't tell if the XP8 have more stopping power than the stock pads but the brakes feel more solid. I was actually more worried about my tires(conti extreme cont. d/w) this time and not my brakes. The brake pedal still gets a little mushy at the end of each session but it's not as bad as stock setup. I'm also running the lambert spindles,with intake ducts from the grill, and RBF600.

So far i'm liking this setup for my skill level and tires just wished the pedal would stay a bit firmer.

Magister Ludi

Jeff,
I just got around to reading your excellent article. Thank you very much. Really appreciate your contributions.

Dave