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If you plan to modify your car, improve your skill, drive different tracks, etc., you have to think long-term (the next 5 years), not just today/tomorrow. Here's a video I did on that topic:
Below are two videos on our Essex Designed AP Racing Competition Brake Kits. Our kits have a laundry list of features not available elsewhere, and we have a variety of systems depending on how you view your long-term needs, your long-term budget, etc. My advice is to not rush into the decision without some careful consideration. We've helped many hundreds of vette owners with this decision, and we can give you some guidance as well. Feel free to PM me, email me, or call at 704-824-6030 and we can walk you through the process so you end up with the most appropriate choice to match your needs. I'd have to know more about your car and your future plans for it to make a specific recommendation.
Over the past decade I've helped hundreds of C6 Z06/Grand Sport owners with their brakes. There are some serious deficiencies in the OEM brakes on that car, with both the calipers and discs. While throwing band-aid solutions at the car appear less expensive, they will end up costing you in the long-run. Even more importantly, they will perpetually inhibit your fun with the car, and limit your ability to improve your consistency and confidence.
I wouldn't even consider moving to the C6 Z06 OEM brakes for a whole bunch of reasons. Those OEM calipers are not particularly effective. You've already seen all of the issues with the one-piece pads vs. padlets, funky pins/bolts that make swapping pads a hassle. Those calipers also weigh a ton, have aluminum pistons, not terribly stiff given their mass...the list goes on.
The OEM discs don't flow much air, they're heavy, not terribly crack-resistant...again, the list goes on.
For those on a budget who are serious about tracking their car, my recommendation is to go with the best front brake system you can afford. Most people go through 3-4 sets of front pads and or discs for every set of rears. The front is where these cars have the biggest issues, and where you'll reap the greatest dividends from a complete big brake kit. The OEM rears have all the same problems as the front, but they aren't as much of an issue because they simply don't see as much abuse as the fronts on these cars. Later on if you decide you need, or just want, a rear BBK, we have matching ones that can be added on and will integrate seamlessly.
Rather than going with 2-piece discs at all four corners, that money will be far better spent if you go with a killer front brake kit and just continuing on with the rear setup you're running now (upgraded rear pads, discs, lines). The rears will hold up okay, and there is no sense throwing money at the rear if they aren't problematic.
Here's what one of our complete front brake kits will give you:
1. Confidence- There's no replacement for diving into a turn from any speed, on any track, and not having to even think about your brakes. Our customers mention this word over and over again when describing our kits vs. the stock brakes.
2. Consistency- That confidence comes from consistency. Our brake kits allow you to run all day, every day without any chance of fade, and the brakes feel the same on the last lap of the day as they did on the first.
3. Convenience- You won't have to bleed between sessions. Some of our customers don't even bleed their brakes between numerous events. You won't have to fiddle around with weird hardware to swap pads, and it will take you longer to jack the car up than it will to change pads. Our kits use a pad shape that is available in every compound from every manufacturer. We also now have a bunch of people running our kits out at the track, so someone may even have spare pads on hand if you need them in a pinch. You'll be able to hang out and relax between sessions, rather than messing with the car and potentially missing out on expensive track time when they call your run group.
4. Cost- The up-front cost is higher to go with a complete front BBK, but it will save you money in the long-run. The longer you own your car, and the more frequently you go to the track, the more money you will save. One of owners on the BRZ forum wrote a cool "cost/benefit" review. He shows that our brake system paid for itself in less than a year, just on consumables savings (pads and discs). He helps run Chin Motorsports and is constantly tracking his car more than most, but it exemplifies the cost savings associated with a proper brake kit designed for heavy use. The biggest factor is that when you sell your car, you'll be able to pull off our kit and recoup 60% of your initial investment. If you spend $1,600 on two-piece front and rear Girodiscs now, you're not going to get much of anything back for them after beating up on them for a couple years. If you bought our six piston/355mm kit for $3,599, you'd likely get $2,000 back for them after running them a few years. That means your out of pocket over the long-haul is going to be about the same ($3,599-$2,000=$1,600). The big difference is that during the next few years you'll get to enjoy all of the benefits of the BBK listed above!
Our standard Essex/AP Racing CP5060/355mm kit is IMO the gold standard for this chassis. We have hundreds of these kits on tracks all over the world doing HPDE, Time Trials, AutoX, and wheel-to-wheel racing, and they have proven bulletproof. The 72 vane AP Racing discs in this kit were actually used in 2012 to win the Daytona Prototype championship...they are stout!
Our recently introduced Radi-CAL kits ratchet things up another level and have a few more options. You can see discussion of our Pro5000R Radi-CAL kits in this thread. The CP9660/355mm kit uses the same discs as the above kit, but the caliper adds considerable stiffness and weighs a little less than the conventional caliper design.
Our CP9668/355mm kit uses a 25mm thick pad. It's far from a necessity, but if you don't want to fiddle with pad changes, that big 'ole inch thick pad burger will give you a LOT of freedom from messing with them!
Support is another big issue. Down the road, are you going to have spare iron disc rings available when you need them? Will you have someone who can rebuild your calipers in a few years when it's time to sell them? Will you have someone to consult if you run into an issue, have a question, or want to discuss which brake pad to run? With Essex/AP Racing, you will. We've been in business over 30 years, and also forum sponsors for about 6 years now. We also frequently email and talk with customers while they're out at the track on the weekends. We know brakes, and we know these cars:
Is our front BBK a big investment? Yes it is. That said, we have never had a customer tell us that it wasn't worth what they paid. Even though our kits are the most expensive on the market, our customers consider them a great value. Most tell me it is the single biggest improvement they've made to their car for track days. The C5.R, C6.R, and C7.R's have all won Le Mans running AP Racing brake kits during the past 15-20 years. They don't run AP because they're cheap, they run them because they are the best available at any price. You can go with lesser equipment from a different brand, but none offer the laundry list of benefits that our kits offer. My advice if you can swing it is, "Do it once, do it right." All of our customers tell us they wish they had done our full kit sooner, rather than incrementally trying twenty six different things until they got it right. Our kit will free you up to worry about other things while you're at the track, not brakes. It will pay dividends for as long as you own it via low running costs, and when you sell it, it will pay you back again due to the high resale value of the premium AP Racing brand.
Feel free to ask any questions via PM, email, or phone. We are open from 8am-5pm ET, M-F, and you'll always get a live person on the phone.
Last edited by JRitt@essex; 06-06-2016 at 09:33 AM.
JRitt nailed it. After 10 years of only modifying 'just enough' I thought I was saving money. After buying 2 or 3 upgrades through the years I realized I would have saved a lot of money and enjoyed the vehicle for a longer period of time if I had gone with the really good stuff to begin with. I would caution that you should look at the price of replacement pads and rings when upgrading. Some pad designs are used by several different manufacturers and are, therefore, much cheaper by reason of sheer volume.
Forgot to add that if you really want to experience what a good braking system feels like, maybe you can get a ride with someone in a new C7Z. That is what braking is all about! Not saying the aftermarket isn't as good but there seems to be several of these cars now at the various track day events.
Last edited by SouthernSon; 06-06-2016 at 10:40 AM.
JRitt nailed it. After 10 years of only modifying 'just enough' I thought I was saving money. After buying 2 or 3 upgrades through the years I realized I would have saved a lot of money and enjoyed the vehicle for a longer period of time if I had gone with the really good stuff to begin with. I would caution that you should look at the price of replacement pads and rings when upgrading. Some pad designs are used by several different manufacturers and are, therefore, much cheaper by reason of sheer volume.
Forgot to add that if you really want to experience what a good braking system feels like, maybe you can get a ride with someone in a new C7Z. That is what braking is all about! Not saying the aftermarket isn't as good but there seems to be several of these cars now at the various track day events.
I did ride in my buddies C7Z......It has amazing brakes,that is what made me realize how much worse mine were...
JRitt nailed it. After 10 years of only modifying 'just enough' I thought I was saving money. After buying 2 or 3 upgrades through the years I realized I would have saved a lot of money and enjoyed the vehicle for a longer period of time if I had gone with the really good stuff to begin with. I would caution that you should look at the price of replacement pads and rings when upgrading. Some pad designs are used by several different manufacturers and are, therefore, much cheaper by reason of sheer volume.
Forgot to add that if you really want to experience what a good braking system feels like, maybe you can get a ride with someone in a new C7Z. That is what braking is all about! Not saying the aftermarket isn't as good but there seems to be several of these cars now at the various track day events.
Todd worked with me find a solution for my C5Z
06-06-2016, 09:31 AM
