Bought a Z06 with 20k on the clock and noticed brake squeal almost everytime I brake. What is the normal mileage that should be expected on a street Z's stock brake pads? If the pads are not toast, what causes the squeal? I hate to drive a car that looks this good but squeals everytime I hit the brake. The noise is only when you first apply pressure to the brakes and goes away as you slow down. Any advice would be appreciated.

Jeff

 

Mileage has little to do with brake pad wear. I can eat a set of pads in less than 1,000 miles when I track the car, and people who commute mostly highway driving will have pads last much longer than someone who drives in stop and go traffic.

The pads SHOULD have a wear indicator on them. If they do, you will hear a shrill squeal when first aapplying the brakes, and they also make noise as you drive down the street. Doesn't sound like you are describing that, though.

Most likely you are hearing the noise because the pads are a semi-metallic performance pad. The stock Z06 pads will do this, and if you have a higher performance pad, such as a Hawk HP Plus pad, they will definately do this. In particular, is the noise worse when the brakes are cold? If so, a sure sign of a performance pad. Once the brakes are hot the noise will go away.

If the noise is performance pads, and your driving style/environment is such that the brakes don't get a lot of heat in them, then you either have to live with the noise, or switch to a less aggressive pad. Try the "stock" C5 (not Z06) pads. A little less brake performance (most notably when the brakes are very hot) but for dtreet driving you won't notice the difference (other than the noise ....)

 

The car has the stock never changed z06 pads at this time with 20k on them. I don't hear anything while driving slow until I apply the brakes. It will squeal for a short period then stop untill the next time I apply the brakes.

 

The Z06 pads will do that if they are babied all the time. Either they aren't getting enough of the pad material transferred to build the boundary layer or there are deposits. Either way follow the instructions below to do a bed-in. Follow the Street Pad break in process.

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_bedinstock.shtml

Then tell me if the problem has gone away the next time you drive the car. After the pads have completely cooled that is.

 

With 20k miles on them, I'd inspect the pads for wear ... I would think the fronts are probably wearing a bit thin by now, so you may be hearing the start of the wear sensors. I'd especially suspect this if the brakes have started making the noise recently.

If you were happy with the Z06 pads until now, then replace with the same, as they are VERY good pads. I can post the part numbers if you will do it yourself. Changing out the pads is a pretty simple job, so if you're considering doing it yourself ... then I say go for it !!!

Some people have claimed as much as 30 to 40k miles on a set of pads, but they are either highway cruisers or letting their grandmother drive the car .....

 

I have 5400 miles on my '04 and they do the same thing. I like having the performance pads, so, I just live with it.

 

Thank you, I'll try the bedding process and also check the pad wear.

 

A little brake squeak is a common C-5 ailment, even when new. Replace the front pads with ceramic and your squeak will likely go away as will about half the brake dust.

 

 

Is it true that using ceramic pads decreases your stopping power?

I want ceramic cause i'm tired of the dirty wheels...less dust is ok with me but I am concerned about less stopping power

 

My 04 Z06 with 7200 miles squeals a little now and then. It's just the nature of the Z06 brakes.

 

any particular brand of ceramic?,, do you have part numbers?

 

A lot of people who like ceramic pads use the GM (AC Delco) pads ... GM part numbers are:

88909667 – Front ceramic pad kit
88909668 – Rear ceramic pad kit

 

Check the pads to make sure the previous owner didn't wear them down. If they have sufficient pad material left consider the squeal a non issue. Just because brakes squeal doesn't mean there is anything wrong with them. A previous poster talked about squeal as a common C5 ailment. It isn't an ailment it is the characteristic of a performance car and you should be proud of it. You didn't buy a Hybrid so you are making a totally different statement.

Bill

 

My sister-in-law is a Corvette fanatic. I recall she complained to the dealership of brake squeal not long after she got the last C5. Dealer just swapped in another set of pads. Of coarse that didn't fix it. She then took it to a Vette specialty shop in her home town (Huntington Beach, California) and they ground a slight angle on the leading edge of the pads . Problem solved. I don't know why it worked.