nmbsun

I have searched all the posts about brake pads and there is great info on how to install, etc. But, I cannot find out if the OEM pads are Ceramic or semi metallic or what. I have 50k on my original pads and they have been great and I want the same performance without having to pay a huge price from GM. Anyone care to share what would be the best brand that is closest to OEM. Car is a daily driver and not tracked. And it is a Base model C5.

Verrückt ZR1

I went with BrakeMotive ceramic pads (in addition to their drilled and slotted rotors) on my '04 Z06. I never noticed any difference in braking performance on the street. Very little dusting compared to typical brake pad compounds. Good luck.

ArmchairArchitect

I will be going with the BrakeMotive cross-drilled/slotted rotors and pads when it's time. Lots of good reviews from CF members on here if you search this C5 forum.

Best part is the price- around $160 on ebay for rotors and pads for all 4 wheels.

nmbsun

Thanks for the reply's but my question still remains. What are the OEM brake pads, Ceramic or semi metallic or what are they???

Verrückt ZR1

The stock pads are definitely not ceramic. They dust heavily, and are fairly quiet when new, which leads me to believe they're probably non-metallic, as well.

DarthVetter5

I'm still tossing between brakemotive or the power stop kit which is around $277 on amazon. Anyone use the powerstop cross drilled and slotted kit? I too have heard great things about the brake motive kit. Thanks

nmbsun

Thank you for your input. I was sure someone could answer my question about ceramic or semi metallic. Seems everyone is like me, they just don't know what kind of OEM brakes are on a C5!

Gordy M

The c5 and the c5Z pads are semi-metallic with the Z pads being more aggressive. Many on the forum have switched to a quality ceramic pad because of the dusting to the wheels. What pad you choose depends on the performance level you are looking for. For the boulevard driver--average driver--a comparable semi-metallic or ceramic will do. For more aggressive driving then there are other solutions. For a good ceramic look at Carbotech options and for semi-metallic look at Hawk, etc. Bottom line ceramic can stop the same as semi-metallic with less dust. Be sure to follow the mfg. break in instructions. For rotors you will also have different options.

SG Lou

C5's rolled out of Bowling Green with semi-metallic pads.

DarthVetter5

I do apologize to the original poster, didn't mean to "seem" to thread jack as that wasn't my intent. Carry on..

Vetteman Jack

I agree that the OEM pads are semi-metallic. When I put on some slotted/drilled rotors on my last C5 I went with some Hawk HPS pads and I liked them a lot. Low dusting too.

Yello95

Contrary to many opinions on which brake pads to get...here is the opinion I trust...and you can take it to the bank

Brake pad choice...I am directly quoting Bill AKA Evil-Twin who I no longer communicate with but still trust most of what he says
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“Soft pads stop much better, protect the rotor from warping and keep the level of heat to a minimum so as not to cause discoloration due to excessive heat build up. Hard pads, those that are ceramic require much more force to stop the car... you don't feel it because the brake booster does most of the work, BUT>>>>> your rotors can feel the excessive force required to stop the car because ceramics have a poor frictional coefficient. AS I always say.. everything is a trade off..... hard pads, less dust.. more force required to stop, more heat and potential to warp and more fade. Soft pads, more dust... less force and less heat.. no fade,

Ill take soft pads any day ... safer, cooler, and in a panic, a soft pad will stop quicker and with less chance to fade or rotor warp.”
======================================== ====
“Ceramics are a down grade.. for sure. I wont post again in this thread. take my advice or leave it. I just can not post in these ceramic posts, where people only see the hype and not the actual function... @ 60 mph, a panic stop with ABS engaged cold ceramics will require and extra 20 feet. That could put you about 15 feet under a jack knifed tractor trailer.
as far as rotors what is wrong with the OEM? they are about the best quality rotor for a solid cast iron rotor. There are no real upgrades with solid cast rotors, especially for a street car. The GM brake system is one of the best factory production systems on the planet for it's high friction coefficient. ( the ability to stop. ) Dusting should not be a concern when it comes to the safety of stopping your car. You want to upgrade the cleanliness of your care, say that.... but don't think for one minute that ceramic brake pads are an upgrade for their intended purpose.”

“the harder the brake pad compound, the less dust. WE did a study of BMW's brake pads together with their system. BMW is the world leader in brake safety and design... they have the best numbers on stopping in cold stop ( Panic stops ). BMW's brakes are the dirtiest brake pads and last the least amount of time but they will save your life.. AT GM we wanted the best compromise between stopping and longevity. Thats why we chose the ACdelco pads that came with the car. They dust, thats a good thing, because that dust is what is keeping your pads from fading. Now add some hardness and you get less braking, but it makes those who cry about brake dust happy...
Now here is the scenario.. Your on the supper highway safely behind a Panel truck your cruising comfortably at 70 mph and the panel truck and you go around a slight turn in the highway and all of a sudden the truck swerves into the next lane, and 120 ft ahead is a complete standstill, you hit the bakes and the abs works and you stop 5 ft before you slam into the stopped cars... Now add dustless or less dustless pads, or worse yet you add ceramics which require some heat up to give full stopping power.. all of a sudden your bake stopping power is decrease by 15 % this add 20 ft to the above scenario putting you about 15 feet into the stopped cars. These dust free brakes will stop your car and you wont notice any difference in stopping power under nominal driving conditions. But you may only get one chance in life to do a successful Panic stop.. the other scenario I mention is a deer in the road.. you have two choices swerve to avoid the deer, but statistics show that swerving is usually fatal, because the situation usually occur on a highway with cars on other lanes, and its these cars that will kill you, your much better off trying to stop. MY point to this, is do you want to risk your life because your too lazy to wipe down your wheels... I would always want to get the softest most stoppable pads I can find, and the original AC Delco pads are my choice only because of the data... the ceramics are GM's answer to high brake dust on these cars, not quite as good as the originals but a compromise. Next time you're next too a BMW, take a look at their wheels, they are driving one of the safest cars on the road, with the best stopping ability. Your Corvette comes from the factory as a close rival to the BMW system. Its a shame that so many people want to change things for the sake of change. IN this case, a change for the worse.. Bakes are designed to stop your car, as quickly and as safely as possible, without regard for their cleanliness. “

Finally, ...I trust ET's answers 999/1000 other than his opinion on my MCM S/C high rise hood...

nmbsun

This article did not say it but I am assuming that the 'Soft Pads' would be Semi-Metallic? Or does 'Soft Pad' mean something else?
________________________________________ ________________________________________ ___________________________________

As a follow up. Everywhere I look for c5 brake pads, autozone, advance, rockauto, amazon, they all say that OEM is Ceramic. I trust you guys on the Forum more than the dealers but I am totally confused as to what to put back on my Vette. By the way I called a couple of dealer parts dept. and they all said that the info they had did not say if the exact replacement pads for my Vette were ceramic or semi-metallic. ?????????

Yello95

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semi-metallic

Product Highlights

Friction Material Composition Metallic
Pad Wear Sensor Included Yes
Mounting Hardware Included Yes
Grade Type Regular
Pad Shims Included Yes
Friction Material Bonding Type Bonded
======================================== ===
ACDELCO 1711093 {1710873, 171860, 19259588, 88955513, 89060211 }
Front; Convertible; Coupe
$92.89
======================================== ==
ACDELCO 1711094 {#1710879, 19259589, 88964095}

Rear; Convertible; Coupe
$73.79

Hope this helps

jrprich

ET still has a legacy on this forum...I trust his answers

I couldn't agree more !!!

Jim

nmbsun

After doing some more research it seems that the AC Delco 171-1093 brake pads are only for 2003 and 2004. Also I found that on ebay the following listing gives a code that has an Exception.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Disc-Brake-...dZ-KUh&vxp=mtr

That Exc is T2F. If my source is right then T2F is 'European Brake Provisions'. I am not really sure just exactly what the T2F means. Perhaps if you have this build code these brake pads will not work?

Any help on this would be most appreciated.