Well, I'm going to do them next weekend. Too cold and too tired to get to them today.

But yes I will just swap the pads leaving the rotors alone. You are correct in regards to the rotors, however, don't be surprised if you get a lot of arguments on turning rotors. The lip is there when they are new.

If you are concerned, mic the rotors to see what you have left. Maximum scoring depth is 1.5 mm.
Front minimum is 30.6 mm, throw-away at 30.3 mm.

Rear minimum is 24.9 mm and throw-away is 24.5 mm.

The important part of the brake job (pad swap) is bedding the pads afterwards. GM recommends 20 stops 0-30mph bring to a stop and repeat 20x. At about the 18th stop you'll start to smell them and after 20 return to your location and allow them to cool down. You'll be good to go.

 

I googled "brake bedding" a long time ago and different sources have different methods...I don't think 0-30 is enough...more like 0-60+ mph stops(never actually coming to a complete stop is important also) is the way to go...I originally did mine this way after putting 500 miles on the Vette after I got it new...

 

I don't think that lip is there from new. Never seen a new rotor of any brand with a lip on it.

What did GM put on my 03Z that makes them turn the wheels black in a few days. Can't keep these clean. They have lasted well but man are they dirty and noisey.

 

Correct, every brake part manufacturer and vehicle manufacturer seems to have their own recommendations on the bedding process. I think for example Hawk recommends 40 mph and 10 stops. The method I quoted was directly from the Factory service manual and hasn't changed for Chevy, same process in older generation corvette FSM's.

I prefer to use the procedure established by Chevy engineers for their vehicles.

The lip is there. It won't be as pronouced as say a rotor with 50% life remaining.

 

The nice thing about slotted rotors is that bedding isn't necessary - at least that's what I've found after 28,000 miles on OEM pads.

 

No need to change when you're happy with the OEM stuff. Nice to see that the kit is some complete and you don't have to buy a bunch of extra stuff.

 

Many have seen pictures of my rotors taken a few years ago, with 60,000 miles on them...well the other day when I was talking about just how great the OEM pads are I was saying that ceramics will turn your rotors dark because the ceramic pads are harder.. increasing rotor temps but ceramics need alot of heat to increase the fiction coefficient.. but that will do nothing for a cold panic stop.. Ceramics are great on the track because they can dissipate continued braking.. but on a street car, they are not good for stopping and if you have nice rotors they will discolor them... anyway I'm going to post a picture that Ive been posting for several years.. note how polished the rotors are, and there is no discoloration,,, I will then show a few shots of the same rotors taken yesterday with 70,000 miles on them and they are now 8 years old.. the car is 11 years old and has 80,000 miles on it..
at 80,000 miles I am still using the original OEM pads.,. they now have 3/32 on them and would pass inspection but I'm going to replace them with the same thing.. these pads are soft and have a high coefficient of friction with the least amount of increased rotor temp... consider the put ceramic tiles on the space shuttle to help absorb reentry temps. Ceramics are designed for supper hot temps. Unless you are doing a road coarse, your steet car would never see more than 800 F where as a road race car can see 1800 F...turn cherry red... this like the space shuttle is a correct application.. but Not a street car.. you actually need to heat the pads up to make them stop as well as the stock pads when cold..you of course do not feel this because you have a brake booster. but if you didn't, you would have to stand on the brake pedal with ceramics.
Here is one of a few shot Ive posted more times than I should have but this shot was taken when the pads were 8 years old and the rotors were 6 years old and the rotors had 60,000 mile Taken a 2 years ago. No discoloration what so ever



EXIF INFO.
Date Taken: 2008-03-27 18:12:52
Camera: SONY DSLR-A700
Exposure Time: 0.0166s (1/60)
Aperture: f/5
ISO: 1600
Focal Length: 28mm (42mm in 35mm)
Photo Dimensions: 1459 x 1165
File Size: 259.47 KB
JPEG Quality: 8/18
Flash: flash fired, compulsory flash mode
Metering: pattern
Exposure Program: aperture priority
Exposure Bias: 0 EV


Here is a shot taken yesterday car is 11 years old , original OEM pads, 80,000 miles


EXIF INFO:
Date Taken: 2010-03-10 15:53:42
Camera: SONY DSLR-A700
Exposure Time: 0.025s (1/40)
Aperture: f/5.6
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 55mm (82mm in 35mm)
Photo Dimensions: 4272 x 2848
File Size: 8.28 MB
JPEG Quality: 8/18
Flash: flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
Metering: pattern
Exposure Program: shutter priority

 

Bill,

How do you keep your paint in such great condition ? It looks great!

Jim

 

Thanks for the very kind words. All I use is Zaino... but I also learned many years ago about not to use a California duster or to rub any type of cotton towel, or micro fiber towel dry.. when I wax, which was done two year ago,, before touching the car I use cold water to remove any surface sand or grit.. I wash down the car with cold water and then blow dry the car.. the air from the blower does not trap any sand or grit into a towel and allow you to rub that grit into the surface of the paint.. then I wash the car with a neutral PH soap...Blow dry it again now that the car is free of any sand or grit I can rub on the paint without fear of any micron scrahches... its sound like a lot of work but its like therapy for me...Its actually fun..My car look brand new...and this may sound far fetched, but when I first got the car, I got to Know Sal Zaino.. and we talked about polymers..anywat we struck up a friendship and tried his products,,,I literally Zaino-ed my car every day for a month or so.. I would clean ans Zaino it 5 times a week for a few months.. then I backed off and only did it once a week in the summer usually on a Saturday morning.. when I first started with Zaino, I could get about 6 applications out of it, but then found that a thin application was better than a thick application and soon I was getting 15 applications out of a bottle..I remember getting Zaino for my birthday ( 5 bottles ) and some gloss, and for Fathers day, and at Christmas time , but over the last four years Ive only had to do a complete detail on the car may be three times.. the paint just looks wet. which is how it should look.. when I see people on the street, be they friends or strangers.. lots of them say one word to me and that is " Shiny" is kind of a joke with friends,and I always laugh because even after 11 years the car rocks both mechanically and visually., they seem to think I'm cleaning the car every day when in fact all I usually do is hit it was cold water and blow dry it.. I dont leave it out and I'm sure being in the garage make sure the UV rays do not attack to paint but Zaino is UV stable.. you can use it in the bright sunlight and on a black car... this is what drew my attention, and the fact that this was not any type of organic Carnuba wax.. which brakes down around 110 degrees F.
another trick is having very clean wheel wells..having clean wheels wells makes the car look like it just rolled off the car carrier.. Its also nice to be retired.. its very hard for anyone to believe that I haven't touched those rotors in two years, I do blow then out with hp air from my compresser.. the two sets of photos where proof that my four corners look better than new... and they do... I see new C6's with drill rotors and they are all rusty..and they should be because they are sitting out in the dealership getting wet and rusting.. but when I pull my car next to a C6 with 8 miles on it, my car look newer..So I owe the shine to many months of waxes originally. I would not call it a garage queen, because it has 80,000 miles on it ad its 11 years old. I was telling my wife just tonight that I could go out and buy a new Corvette, but why should I spend the money when I am perfectly happy using that money to spoil my grandchildren , and fly up to see my other grandchild 4 or five times a year.. If the car felt old to me or didnt give me the buzz I had when it was new then I would consider a new car. the fact that I do not drive it all the times, make getting into iot and starting it up a real joy, and even after 11 years some people have the audacity to ask me if it was brand New.. and this is usually every time I take it out..I know it sounds far fetched, but its very ture to my amazment. there isnt a day that I take it out that someone doesnt have a nice comment or a thumbs up.. The Real End

 

Sorry if I went off topic abit, I was just trying to show the relevance of the OEM pads, to street use and to those with nice rotors, that the OEM pads only make the rotors look nicer..and no hint of heat discoloration.

 

To Evil-Twin, what brand rotors are you running? They look great! No thread take over intended.

 

Your rotors look awesome!

 

ok,hep me out here,im looking to replace my brakes pads also and want to stick with the originals that came with the car.I have an 02 vert and when I log onto gmpartsdirect,it specifies 02-04 Z06 brake pad kit.Other years for the C5s have different part numbers.So,did gm put ac delco ceramics on all 02-04s?

 

Damn ! your rotors look chromed !

 

My Rotors are Baer Eradispeed 2 piece +2 13.25 in the front ans 14 " in the back. The OEM pads have polished these rotors for a long time never increasing the rotor temps to a point of heat discoloration, and I have a few deer in the headlight panic stops over the years and a couple of panic stops on the interstate. When I bought these rotors they were 1200 dollars, I think they are down to around 800 now..but they certainly have worked well for me, and over the years they have brought me over 1200 dollars worth of compliments. The centers ( Hats ) are all aluminum, with aircraft fasteners and powder coated from the manufacturer.. these rotors are manufactured in Australia and assembled here. the only thing I do with these rotors is to hit them with air.. 100 psi.. the zinc coating on the rotors lasted about two years and then started to rust from the inside...I took the time to wire brush ever sq in of these rotors, polish every drilled hole, change the hole chamfer from am 82 degree chamfer to a sinuous curve chamfer.. I sire brushed every internal vane with a wire brush on a dremel shaft.. then I heated the rotors to 100 F and then sprayed them with VHT silver header paint, then allowed them to cool for 20 minutes, the preheated them again to 100 F. I did this three times , and I have done nothing to these rotors between the two years the photos were taken other than to hit them with air..

 

Hi There Evil-Twin;
That was a great write up on using the Zaino & using the OEM pads for street use. Your rotors are super shiney & so is your paint.I was wondering if you use the 8 hp black blower with heated air controls that is advertised on this forum? I believe they sell for about $300
Retired guys rock.
Thanks for any info. provided
robsc501

 

Does not mind these other tips ... If so I am very sorry..I think the op has received some good info here, and rather than ignoring the questions, Ill try to be direct. While I live very comfortably in retirement, I do live on a fixed income other than the flexibility of the stock market.. when I saw that black blower with the heat and flex hose, I said nice product as long as the hose does not prohibit its reach... I could not wrap my hands around 300 dollars for a blower. I have been very successful with a Black and decker very light weight, short nozzle 180 mph leaf blower... its light enough for an old man like me to use.. I know drying the car off with a Towel , chamois, Chamwow, micro fiber towel is very risky.. I am extremely happy blowing any potential sand or air born grit off my car rather than rubbing it into the paint surface with a towel.. if you do your car out doors, there is always the potential of silica landing on the paint, during the time you are rubbing on it could be two hours.. during that time a neighbor 100 yards away could stir up enough air born sand to land on your car, using a blower will never get any of this sand into the paint but it can easily get embedded into any type of cloth... the nice thing about a blower, it gets into places a towel will never get.. behind the outside mirrors the door jams etc.. This wasn't as short as I wanted, sorry.. bottom line, I could not justify the 300 dollars, the 50 dollar blower leaves me not wanting for anything better.I'M sure the 300 dollar one is a much better product, but I'm looking for a light weigh blow dryer, and that what Have, I can blow out the engine bay, and the cabin and the trunk area. and rarely have to use a vacuum

 

300 bucks for a car dryer is absurd