.
[Z06] Ceramic brake question...
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 12,742
Likes: 43
From: Color my life with the chaos of trouble.
Ceramic brake question...
I know some of you will flame me for even considering it, but I am thinking about putting ceramic pads on my 02 Z06 to cut down on the dust/squeaking. It is my 15,000 mile a year daily driver with polished CCWs on it so you can imagine how much time I spend keeping the wheels looking nice. I plan on tracking it when I can get some time and would obviously switch out the ceramics for that. My question is this. How much difference will the ceramics actually make in performance? I know there is some loss in stopping power, but no idea how noticible it actually is. Thanks in advance! 
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,060
Likes: 291
From: Pasco WA
I don't notice any difference in regular to fairly hard braking, but I've never tracked the car, so.... I got the GM ceramics for the front, and rear, but never got around to doing the back ones. %99 of the dusting occurs on the fronts.
Racer
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 283
Likes: 0
From: Sugar Land TX
St. Jude Donor '08
No flames from me...I've been using 'em for a while. VERY little to no brake dust. For street use, they are fine. Compared to the OEM pads that were on my '03 Z06, they don't have the same "bite", but will still bring my ride to a stop quickly when needed. I've had NO issues with 'em at all.
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,345
Likes: 2
From: Las Vegas Nevada
pad wear!
I too have 2 different pads (1 for track & the ceramic for street) for my C6Z which seems to be where you're headed. Obviously, the more aggressive pads bite much better, sqeal lot more & make much more dust. The exact opposite of the ceramic material. The main issue IMO aside from the few mentioned above, is that if you track the ceramic pads, they will wear out a lot faster than the more aggressive pads. So if you decide to go this route, DO NOT FORGET to switch when you hit the track. Hope that helps.
Patrick
Patrick
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,589
Likes: 1
From: St. Louis MO
St. Jude Donor '06-'07
I don't think the ceramics will cause you any problems at all. An occasional trip to the track they will still perform very well. Not as good as stock or racing pads but for most people it will not make any difference. Keep the stock ones and after first session on a track day decide if you want to change.
Advanced
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 73
Likes: 0
From: long island ny
Installed ceramics about 1k miles ago and didn't notice any difference on the street until this weekend when I decided to try a few high speed stops from 125 - 130 mph. Like you I changed them because of the dust, but I should of kept the factory pads and dealt with the dust. I would not recommend them for track use.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 9,251
Likes: 217
From: 2007 Nat'l Corvette Challenge 11.50 index Champ. New Jersey
The stopping power is not noticeable unless you stand on the brakes. Then you'll likely see a 15% difference.
What I did was put ceramics on the front & kept the stock pads on the rear. No codes & almost no dust on either front or rear rims.
When I went road racing I'd just swap back in the stock front pads.
Try it out this way, you won't be disappointed. Don't use the xeramics on a road course though! They're fine for drag racing...
Ron
What I did was put ceramics on the front & kept the stock pads on the rear. No codes & almost no dust on either front or rear rims.
When I went road racing I'd just swap back in the stock front pads.
Try it out this way, you won't be disappointed. Don't use the xeramics on a road course though! They're fine for drag racing...
Ron
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,001
Likes: 0
From: Naples Florida
If you're looking for a ceramic pad that has a real bite. The Cobalt GT Sport pads are an option. There is little or no dust since they are made of a ceramic/metalic composite.
http://www.cobaltfriction.com/
http://www.cobaltfriction.com/
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,077
Likes: 1
From: Greenville SC
I do the same thing. Ceramics for the street / Carbotech racing pads for the track. No problems. You can invoke the ABS with the ceramics, which means you are stopping as hard as the car can stop with the available traction. The only problem would be repeated high speed stopping would eventually induce some fade.
I live in FL so this is not a problem, but the only circumstance that I would not consider this set-up, would be if I lived deep in mountanous territory, and had to go down very long downgrades during spirited driving... in that case I would stay stock.
MD
I live in FL so this is not a problem, but the only circumstance that I would not consider this set-up, would be if I lived deep in mountanous territory, and had to go down very long downgrades during spirited driving... in that case I would stay stock.
MD
Thread Starter
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 12,742
Likes: 43
From: Color my life with the chaos of trouble.
If you're looking for a ceramic pad that has a real bite. The Cobalt GT Sport pads are an option. There is little or no dust since they are made of a ceramic/metalic composite.
http://www.cobaltfriction.com/
http://www.cobaltfriction.com/
Racer
Joined: Jul 2000
Posts: 485
Likes: 2
From: Charlotte NC
Just being a 'ceramic' isn't necessarily telling you all that much about a specific compound. It's more of a buzzword than anything right now. The actual ceramic content on various pads is all over the map. That said, it's true that the pads most of the manufacturers put in this classification generally do not have as much bite as some of the more metallic compounds. They won't necessarily degrade your stopping distances, etc. though...so no need to worry.
If you're just going to be cruising around on street with them, I would do it if brake dust is a concern for you.
We sell Hawk Performance Ceramics on our site:
Front C5Z06
63.443.0731 Performance Ceramic - STREET PERFORMANCE $104.00
Rear C5Z06
63.443.0732 Performance Ceramic - STREET PERFORMANCE $72.95
https://www.stoptech.com/user/searchproducts.asp
If you're just going to be cruising around on street with them, I would do it if brake dust is a concern for you.
We sell Hawk Performance Ceramics on our site:
Front C5Z06
63.443.0731 Performance Ceramic - STREET PERFORMANCE $104.00
Rear C5Z06
63.443.0732 Performance Ceramic - STREET PERFORMANCE $72.95
https://www.stoptech.com/user/searchproducts.asp
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 1,077
Likes: 1
From: Greenville SC
Just being a 'ceramic' isn't necessarily telling you all that much about a specific compound. It's more of a buzzword than anything right now. The actual ceramic content on various pads is all over the map. That said, it's true that the pads most of the manufacturers put in this classification generally do not have as much bite as some of the more metallic compounds. They won't necessarily degrade your stopping distances, etc. though...so no need to worry.
If you're just going to be cruising around on street with them, I would do it if brake dust is a concern for you.
If you're just going to be cruising around on street with them, I would do it if brake dust is a concern for you.
The good part is that they are both super rotor friendly and completely compatible (no wearing off the "old" coating on the rotors with a lengthy bedding procedure). I switch freely between them. No problems in several years.
MD
Former Law Dawg Moderator
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 29,434
Likes: 96
From: Eads, Tennessee
CF St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '05 thru '24
Racer
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 382
Likes: 0
From: Arlington VA
Just being a 'ceramic' isn't necessarily telling you all that much about a specific compound. It's more of a buzzword than anything right now. The actual ceramic content on various pads is all over the map. That said, it's true that the pads most of the manufacturers put in this classification generally do not have as much bite as some of the more metallic compounds. They won't necessarily degrade your stopping distances, etc. though...so no need to worry.
If you're just going to be cruising around on street with them, I would do it if brake dust is a concern for you.
We sell Hawk Performance Ceramics on our site:
Front C5Z06
63.443.0731 Performance Ceramic - STREET PERFORMANCE $104.00
Rear C5Z06
63.443.0732 Performance Ceramic - STREET PERFORMANCE $72.95
https://www.stoptech.com/user/searchproducts.asp
If you're just going to be cruising around on street with them, I would do it if brake dust is a concern for you.
We sell Hawk Performance Ceramics on our site:
Front C5Z06
63.443.0731 Performance Ceramic - STREET PERFORMANCE $104.00
Rear C5Z06
63.443.0732 Performance Ceramic - STREET PERFORMANCE $72.95
https://www.stoptech.com/user/searchproducts.asp
- Max
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 4,300
Likes: 6
From: San Antonio Texas
I know some of you will flame me for even considering it, but I am thinking about putting ceramic pads on my 02 Z06 to cut down on the dust/squeaking. It is my 15,000 mile a year daily driver with polished CCWs on it so you can imagine how much time I spend keeping the wheels looking nice. I plan on tracking it when I can get some time and would obviously switch out the ceramics for that. My question is this. How much difference will the ceramics actually make in performance? I know there is some loss in stopping power, but no idea how noticible it actually is. Thanks in advance!
Ed
