Well, the time has come... my service ABS and service ASR lights are coming on under heavy braking.. I have heard that this is a symptom of when brake pads need replacing. I would like to replace them myself, and am wondering what pads you all would suggest???? (BTW: it is a 92 LT1 with stock rotors and calipers)

 

I've used over-the-counter Bendix semi-metallic pads for all of my cars. They've been pretty good so far. When changing the pads, don't forget to use high-temp caliper lube for the caliper bolts. And be sure to check the rotors for warp. On that note, think I'll check mine this coming weekend.

Good luck.

 

I've had real good luck with the stock GM pads. Everything else I tried squeaked like hell and there was black dust everywhere.

 

Any experience with the Axxis Ultimate (latest Bendix offering). Carbotech
seems to be pushing these as a replacement for their Super-Street-F compound.
These are supposed to be light dust, pretty even brake torque from ambient to
1000F with a high resistance to fading. Cf in the upper FF range(.42?). Quoted
me $111.75 for the front and $77.75 for the rear on my C4.

Has anyone tried out the Carbotech Panther? Is this too much pad for Solo2
autocross and Prosolo? CF @ 0.52 to 0.54, temp range 150F to 1100F. They
mentioned these have slightly corrosive dust? These were quoted at $126 Front
and $102 rear (before anyone asks, that for front pair, rear pair etc.)

I'm currently in the market for the ultimate autocross pad. any suggestions?

anybody?

thanks,

Scott

 

I've had good luck with the Performance Friction Z-rated pads, carbon metallic. They don't seem to dust much worse than stock, and do a fine job fighting brake fade. They do squeal a little when they get really warm however. Most extremely high performance pads do.

Also do yourself a favor and flush your brake fluid while you are into it. The last time I was at the track I boiled my brake fluid and almost didn't stop at a very key momemnet (the other end of the track). The thing is though, they never faded at all. I think if the pads can not fade while generating enough heat to boil the fluid, they should be fine. Of course my fluid is probably stock, so it needs to be changed badly. It's on the to do list, but I haven't been able to come up with the help I need.

 

I have the Performance Friction Z-rated. So far I am not impressed. The pads seem to like higher temps, something you don't get on the street or in autox. I am going to do some stopping tests if it ever stops raining. A couple weeks ago I shot out the back of a left hand turn when I hit my brakes and the car didn't stop. Before anybody says anything, I didn't boil my brake fluid, my pedal stayed firm.

 

I am coming up for a pad & rotor change. I was planning on using EBC greenstuff pads sold Tirerack, I heard they were good.

 

I'm using the EBC greenstuff. They're great...no squeals or brake dust. :cheers:

 

...All stock for me...works just fine...

 

The ABS and ASR lights coming on under hard braking is the main symptom of the brake fluid being too low.
On my '92, I was quite suprised at how soon the lights came on when the brake fluid was just slightly low -- I could have been braking **real** hard though.

Tom Piper

 

True, but if add fluid you are only delaying the process, and then when you do replace the pads you will have to bleed some fluid off. Brake fluid shouldn't get low at all unless the pads are worn. If it's leaking somewhere it needs to be fixed immediately.

 

It is not leaking, and my brake pads are getting REAL thin (especialy in the back) so I figured it would be best to just replace the pads instead of adding more fluid.

-Mark

 

I just replaced rotors and pads on all 4 corners and decided to stick with stock rotors (12") vs upgrading to the J55 or GS 13" option and opted for the EBC Greenstuff pads from Tirerack.com. I also had the shop flush and bleed the lines and had new brake fluid installed - WOW what a difference this made. Before my Exployer stopped better than my truck but now - it stops on a dime. I had a little brake squeak but that is just about gone now with about 300-400 miles on the setup. Very little brake dust but then again - after driving 120 miles to a SCCA winter event, driving back and lets me add in that fact I pretty much had to take the Vette "off-roading" if you know anything about the roads in Camden, NJ - they had the roads all torn up. So, long story short - EBC Greenstuff worked for me! I'm also running an 92 LT1 Auto.

 

I just did my second replace job on the brakes. First two sets were Original at 60K miles and OEM from ZIP. At 118K mile I needed new rotors and replaced with new stock ones from Contemporary Corvette, and EBC green stuff pads from Tire RAck. They work great even in rain. little dust compared to heavy dust from original pads. They don't squeek at all. HOWEVER, the instructions say you will only get 20 to 30K miles from a set. At 2k miles I am happy with them so far. I also flushed the fluid completely. I have worn pads down twice to almost nothing and never got any ABS codes. The little squeelers on the pad are the indicators. Codes are from some relay or electronics going bad (I am guessing here).

 

There is a senser in the Brake fluid reservour that will shut down the ASR if it
detects a low fluid condition in order to try to keep air from getting into the
ASR system. If its starting to get close spirited driving may set it off (hard
braking, high G cornering, etc.). Its in the service manual. Of course, changing
out old fluid and replacing worn pads is always a good idea. I've been told its
a good idea to replace the fluid whenever replacing any major brake components.

Scott

 

Went with OEM pads here and turned the rotors - very pleased!

 

While were on the brake pad discussion:

What is the best brake fluid to use after a complete flush of the system?

 

GM or A/C Delco fluid has always worked just fine in all of my vettes... :D

 

i just go to advanced auto and buy there cheap grade around 25 bucks they last me a year or two they dont worp my rotors

 

Another brand to consider is the NAPA Ceramix. They are not cheap at around $160/set of 4. But they after using them for 5 months, I can say they don't dust the wheels at all, no squeal, and stop very well on the street. I can not comment on how they work racing. After a couple of days of easy stops, I had to hit them hard from about 70 mph to fully brake them in. One thing I noticed was they are more sensitive to light pedal pressure than the OEM pads.

One more thing. My car only had 30,000 miles on it before the rear brakes needed changing. Probably a result of the wife driving it a couple of miles with the emergency brake on. Anyway, I decided to change all four and felt it was not necessary to have the rotors turned. According to the Helms manual, you do not need to turn the rotors unless you have pedal pulsing. They recommended simply using sand paper to remove small grooves. I used my orbital palm sander with 150 grit paper on the front rotors while spining them by hand. Took about 3 minutes per side. Surprisingly, this worked very well. But if a car has over 100,000 miles, its probably time for new totors anyway. If you take them to a shop and have them turned, you have a risk of creating run-out and causing petal pulsing. I measured the run-out and they had less than .002", which is good.