Thinking the next mod will be brakes. Running not much more than stock on the engine. (2004 C5 M6) Don't track the car. Prior owner put in some cheap drilled and slotted rotors and I can feel the warpage. Looking for recommendation - Can I keep the original calipers? Is it work going to the "name" brands for this application? Suggestion on pads for minimal brake dust? Or - am I just wasting my money and do a OEM brake job - do the investments in brake upgrades really show?

Thanks,
Bob

 

I went with C6 Z06 brakes purely for the look.

They work too.

 

As long as the calipers are working OK, no reason you can't stick with the stock ones. I ran Hawk HPS pads on my '00 and they did not create a lot of brake dust.

 

I swapped out the stock rotors for Powerstop drilled and slotted and went with the GM ceramic pads. This made a HUGE difference in stopping ability and brake feel. I swear the car stops better and feels much better during spirited street driving than my C7 Z51.

 

I am running DBA T2 street rotors with Hawk 5.0 pads on both my coupe and my Z. Dust is absolutely minimal, they look great, stop great. My son runs the same setup on his Z, we are both happy with the set up. We got them from forum vendor KNS.

 

It's better to avoid drilled rotors, but slotted are a great choice. They prevent gas build up between the pad and rotor surface.

Drilled rotors tend to create hotspots on the rotors and can accelerate war page.

 

Go to NAPA, buy premium stock rotors and their top line pads. Install them and drive happy.

 

If you want a quality aftermarket pad I recommend the Carbotech 1521 pad. A low dust pad that is rotor friendly and performs like OEM if not better under thresh hold braking and last longer. 100% non-corrosive dust will not harm your paint or wheels. This pad also contains NRS technology. Carbotech uses NRS technology on all C4, C5, C6 & C7 front and rear brake pads.

Here is a link to explain further what NRS technology is exactly: http://www.nrsbrakes.com

If interested let me know I will be happy to help you.

Carbotech™ Bobcat 1521™ The Carbotech Bobcat 1521™ is our high performance street compound that is our most successful compound. The Bobcat compound is known for its awesome release and modulation, along with unmatched rotor friendliness. Like our AX™ & XP™ line of compounds, Bobcat 1521™ is a Ceramic based friction material offering minimal rotor damage and non-corrosive dust. Bobcat 1521™ offers outstanding performance, even when cold, low dusting and low noise with an excellent initial bite. This compound’s virtually perfect linear torque production provides incredible braking force without ABS intervention. Bobcat 1521™ operating range starts out at ambient and goes up to 900°F. Bobcat 1521™ is suitable for ALL street cars, perfect for your tow vehicle, police cruiser. The Bobcat 1521™ compound has been found to last two-three times longer than OE pads you can purchase at a dealership or national retailer. That’s one of the beauties of Carbotech Ceramic brake compounds. Bobcat 1521™ is NOT recommended for any track use.

Your calipers should be fine make sure everything is working properly and lubed up. Rotors I would suggest some Centric plain face rotors.

 

 

Indeed they do ..

 

With those 3 things in mind, just get some good quality OEM replacement rotors. Non-slotted. Non-drilled. Your tires are what stops the car, so street vehicles don't need fancy rotors, period. Stainless braided brake hoses are a cheap upgrade, and will last long while providing good pedal feel. Ceramic pads will keep brake dust to a minimum, but remember, ceramic pads sacrifice performance. They have less bite when cold, they act as insulators (keeping your rotors hotter), and have a lower coefficient of friction than semi-metallics. They should be okay for 99% of street cars, though.

 

I'm one of the 99% you mentioned. Just ran 18 days and 5,500 miles in the car with the NAPA premium rotos and their Adaptive One pads. Installed them, as well as stainless braided hoses, at 92,000 miles. Left home with 111,000 on the clock and got back with 116,000 on the clock. Traveled from FL to AZ to CO, up and down Pikes Peak ( on the way down there is a safety check point where they check front brake temp with an IR gun). No issues. Still lots of brake pad left and minimal wear on the rotors.

When the time comes the car gets the same brake parts again.

 

Replace the hoses with braided stainless steel as well to complete the upgrade!

 

Thanks guys - some good insight here. I'll be keeping the original calipers and now to look into painting them - which was part of my original motive - thinking a caliper replacement would do the job. Always something...and the next mod is just around the corner.