have you ever done a panic stop?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,170
Likes: 0
From: Obama says I'm a bitter white guy clinging to my guns and religon and he's right
Race Director
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 14,051
Likes: 9
From: Houston TX
My opinion on not doing this till its needed except for testing it yourself initially, is I use to carpool with a guy who's little car did not have ABS for whatever reason. We did a panic stop one evening on the way from work and even though he did get us stopped in time to avoid slamming into this fool, he ground off the rubber badly. Car road like it was on rocks due to the flat spots now in the rubber. Using it as intended and demonstrating it to impress people are two different things. Again, I think its a great idea to test for yourself so you know the capabilities, but just once or again after a brake change.
Panic stops with an ABS equipped system can't really flat spot your tyres unless the ABS system has failed, in which case if you are not a practiced thresh-hold braker you will simply lock up the wheels and slide into your unintended target.
That said, with the 2 piece rotors and 1 piece race pads and 6 piston C6 Z calipers warmed up tyres my car stops so hard at anything below 30mph if not paying attention and getting on the clutch pronto, the car will stall.
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 61
Likes: 0
From: Torrance CA
That's the first thing that REALLY impressed my about the Z06.
Have the same tires, Hawk HP+ pads. After buying it, I was driving home in a pretty good rain, some geezer just pulls out of a parking lot right in front of me. I was doing about 45 mph (A1A), hit the brakes pretty hard. Stopped like I dropped an anchor. No twitch, no slide. Wife looked at me and said "Wow!" Adds to the confidence when driving in a spirited manner.
Have the same tires, Hawk HP+ pads. After buying it, I was driving home in a pretty good rain, some geezer just pulls out of a parking lot right in front of me. I was doing about 45 mph (A1A), hit the brakes pretty hard. Stopped like I dropped an anchor. No twitch, no slide. Wife looked at me and said "Wow!" Adds to the confidence when driving in a spirited manner.
The J&D Corvette guys (Bellflower, CA) did a superb job of putting my C5 back together. Their body shop guy did say something that stayed with me: in all his years of performing bodywork, he'd NEVER seen a power brake booster's pushrod that was as badly bent as the one he pulled out of my car.
"You must've hit those brakes HARD!", he told me. I told him there was no lockup, no slew and had the brakes not been as effective as they were, the accident would've been far worse. Takes you back to the point you made re: confidence.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 8,466
Likes: 51
St. Jude Donor '17
There's only one thing between death and life for a young man on bike, and he doesn't even know it. And that one thing is me and my vette.
He was in a green weenie liberal bike lane so beloved by our politicians in Columbia, Mo when he just darted to the left without looking or slowing down while wearing headphones so he couldn't hear either.
If not for me and my C5 he would at the very least have been in the hospital. I missed him by single digit inches and he didn't even see it.
He was in a green weenie liberal bike lane so beloved by our politicians in Columbia, Mo when he just darted to the left without looking or slowing down while wearing headphones so he couldn't hear either.
If not for me and my C5 he would at the very least have been in the hospital. I missed him by single digit inches and he didn't even see it.
Pro
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 696
Likes: 38
From: Niagara Falls Awesome Ends With Me
That's the first thing that REALLY impressed my about the Z06.
Have the same tires, Hawk HP+ pads. After buying it, I was driving home in a pretty good rain, some geezer just pulls out of a parking lot right in front of me. I was doing about 45 mph (A1A), hit the brakes pretty hard. Stopped like I dropped an anchor. No twitch, no slide. Wife looked at me and said "Wow!" Adds to the confidence when driving in a spirited manner.
Have the same tires, Hawk HP+ pads. After buying it, I was driving home in a pretty good rain, some geezer just pulls out of a parking lot right in front of me. I was doing about 45 mph (A1A), hit the brakes pretty hard. Stopped like I dropped an anchor. No twitch, no slide. Wife looked at me and said "Wow!" Adds to the confidence when driving in a spirited manner.
I can remember reading in Road & Track and Car and Driver about how Corvettes are equipped with beefy brakes; nevertheless, when I first applied the brakes the first time I drove the car, I was still surprised that the brakes really hauled the car down to a stop incredibly well.
Last edited by John1990; Jul 1, 2011 at 03:11 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 3,475
Likes: 10
From: Wake Forest NC
I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I like to have both hands on the wheel when in a panic situation. I wish others did the same.
Anyway, one night a herd of deer started running in front of me. I hit those brakes harder than I have with any car I've ever owned. When the 'Vette came to a halt, I observed the last three deer run around the front of the car.
s'noJob
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Instructor
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 184
Likes: 17
From: GUTHRIE OKLAHOMA
A couple weeks ago, my son and I had to make a late run into town. Coming out of the store, I impusively asked him if he wanted to drive home. (duh). Just for fun, I suggested he take the long way home. There's a long sweeping on-ramp that goes way up and over both lanes of the Interstate, really fun stuff in a Vette. My son is 21, and a pretty good driver, and of course, he's very responsible when Dad's in the car. Just before we entered the turn, I reminded him to turn on the hi-beams. I was kind-of coaching him to be smooth, when about three forths of the way around the cruve, there stands a deer right in the middle of the road. We were going pretty fast but he had it hauled down to almost nothing before I could even say anything. I said, "Good job, Buddy," and he just grinned a little bit. Just goes to show you, our cars make pretty good drivers out of us, don't they.