So i've searched through many old threads on the subject. Most revies are pretty divided on the subject. But then again those threads were a few years ago. Both brand of pads seem to dust very low and provide quiet braking. There's about a 50-60$ (hawk more $) price difference on a complete set. So based on your preference/experience with the two, which work better for street/spirited driving?

I've heard good things also about the carbotech pads but I'm also on a budget....

 

Ceramic pads will not stop you as quickly as the metallic pads will. If stopping power is your concern get the stock GM metallic pads.

 

I actually read that they do indeed stop nicely, but i'm not a really big fan of the excess brake dust. I'm willing to sacrifice a lil stopping power for a cleaner pad.

 

Is $275 for front and rear for a quality brake pad in your budget? If so call me at 216-780-8825 and I will be happy to place an order for you.



The Carbotech™ 1521™ is our high performance street compound. The 1521™ compound is known for its release and modulation, along with unmatched rotor friendliness. 1521™ is also a very low dusting and low noise compound with an excellent initial bite. This compound's excellent linear torque production provides incredible braking force without ABS intervention. Carbotech™ 1521™ operating range starts out at ambient and goes up to 800°F (426°C+). 1521™ is suitable for ALL street cars, perfect for your tow vehicle or fleet vehicle. Carbotech™ 1521™ is NOT recommended for ANY track use.

 

Thanks for the inquiry but 275 is a little on the high side for me.
Thanks

 

Bump...

Come on, i'm sure you guys aren't running auto zone pads

 

I have the Hawk Ceramic pads and Baer cross drilled and slotted rotors on my C5 Z. I get the odd squeak once in awhile they dont stop as good as the OEM pads (which make noise too) but the dust is like night and day. If u want to reduce dust the hawk ceramic pads are for u as long as u dont mind sacrificing a bit of performance and possibly a sqeek here and there. But much less dust and the dust is like a light grey almost blends in with the stock rims. It would take a very long drive and ALOT of hard braking to get ur rims totally black.

 

the low dusting pads are very hard which is why they don't dust. as stated they don't stop as well and don't do well with heat. they are designed for the grandpa wax and shine type owner

that said it's not hard to go wrong if that's all you're after. raybestos advanced tech is a very low dusting ceramic, centric also makes a very low dusting ceramic. it's also rumored that the raybestos advanced tech is the ac delco durastop ceramic in a different box

hawk i'm not sure about as i personally never buy ceramic pads unless they are composite and i don't know anyone who has used them

one word of warning on "performance ceramic" the axxis ultimates are marketed as a ceramic brake pads. they actually have a high friction coefficient and dust about as bad as an hp+. they will turn your wheels black in a day of spirited driving.

 

I'm not sure if it's still the case, but the father of an old friend of mine used to work for Raybestos and he said their brake pad was the exact same pad GM used, just less expensive because it didn't have the AC Delco name on it.

 

Really Max, a little to high. For a guy who spent 15,000 on his monster engine.

 

But now he is broke because he spent all that cash !

Toque

 

Well actually.

 

Well seeing the GM ceramic are just under 150 shipped and the hawks are 195 shipped. 275 seems a little high for me, especially if maybe there is little difference between them. I ALWAYS research something no matter the cost


Broke no, just as always trying to find the best bang for the buck. Just like you.

 

I've been running the Hawk ceramics for 2k miles or so. I switched to them from my factory Z06 pads. The OE pads were super grippy and confidence inspiring, and I was sure that I would've felt an exponential drop in braking performance once the Hawks were installed,...but no. For the kind of driving I do, I can't say that I feel a difference. Now- when I track the car, I'll put the OE pads and speedlines back on- but just for the HPDE.

FWIW I shopped around too. IIRC, the best prices on Amazon. > $200 Perhaps a CF vendor could match or beat the prices I found. Hope this helps.

 

Alright, now I am totally confused. Time for some brake pad education. Aren't aftermarket pads supposed to be better??


.

 

I too am confused...aren't the OEM pads on a C5 semi-metallic? Or was that only the base models, and Z06's came with ceramic? I have a 2004 base.

 

That's what the aftermarket manufacturers would have you believe...

I look at it this way. Everything on a car is a compromise.

An automotive manufacturer, like GM, pays their engineers a lot of money to design the best car possible that gives the best compromise of price, performance and longevity.

Brakes on a car are properly called, 'friction' brakes, which is to say that when the brake pedal is applied, it causes friction between the pads and the rotors.

The best brakes are going to be those with the most friction. But, super-high friction brakes are not going to last very long because the material that the pads are made from will wear away very quickly.

Conversely, pads that are made from a harder compound will last longer, but will not have as much friction and will reduce the braking ability.

So, the engineers compromised braking ability with pad life and selected a material that worked well, but also provided a reasonably long life.

It stands to reason that a softer compound is going to require less pressure to achieve a certain amount of friction and a harder compound will require more pressure.

It's just like sanding wood.

Imagine the sanding block with sandpaper is the rotor and the wood is the brake pad. As you sand the wood, the sandpaper removes material.

A softer wood will have more friction because the grit on the sandpaper is able to dig more deeply into the surface of the wood. A harder wood will have less friction because the grit is not able to dig as deeply.

To achieve the same level of friction between the sandpaper and the harder wood, you would need to apply more pressure to the sanding block, which would generate more heat.

Since our cars have vacuum-boosted brakes, we can't really tell how much pressure is being applied to the pads when we step on the pedal to stop.

Again, it stands to reason that if we use a harder compound, it will require more pressure to achieve the same level of friction (i.e.: braking ability) than a softer compound.

More pressure equals more heat and heat is the enemy of brakes. If you generate enough heat you'll warp the rotor and even the calipers.

 

kind of

pads all have a friction coefficient rating, it's also kind of an odd one to understand since it changes with heat. some street pads start to lose bite as they get warm where as track pads do just the opposite

the whole softer / harder thing regarding performance isn't really the best analogy. pads like the hawk DTC line are actually pretty hard but the friction material they use is extremely grabby and gets more so with heat

clutches would be the analogy i would use. with an organic disc you have a gentle bite and long life provided you don't beat on it. if you race on that clutch and overheat it you can make it slip, but, it will come back as long as there is material

ceramic clutches are much more grabby

sintered iron is extremely grabby and shines in the heat of racing. each step increases the friction co efficient which is why the torque rating of a clutch is based on clamping force, size, and material.

 

Thanks for the information.

As you point out when the racing brakes are cold they have less braking effect than street pads.

When I was in high-school the auto shop teacher had a C2 with VelveTouch brakes. He said that the hotter they get, the better they work. But, you had to heat them up first because they didn't work too good when they were cold.

To get the best results with racing-style pads requires heavy usage, i.e: hard braking corner after corner which is the exact opposite of how they're used on the street. (for most of us, anyway...)

 

So, if I'm a casual driver of my C6 GS, don't hot rod it, but just hate the dust OEM's create on my high chromed wheels. What would be the best solution to the brake dust problem I hate? Raybestos Ceramic or Hawk?