Is Anti-Squeal compound required on the rear of the brake pads for the C5

 

I don't think it's required, but I don't see how it could hurt anything - and I use it every time. It looks a little out of place for the first hundred miles or so, but pretty quickly it attracts enough brake dust and dirt that it's black as the pad backing plate and invisible...

 

So are there any factory shims between the pad and the Caliper? I remember an earlier model Chevy truck that had factory clip-on shims.

 

there are anti-chatter clips that press down on the sides of the pads from the top of the caliper, I know that for sure.

as far as shims I can't remember f100% if they are already pressed on from the manufacturer or if you need to clip them on - pretty sure they are on the pad from the manufacturer...

 

The GM pad kits come with new copper shims and springs ... the non-OEM kits (such as from Hawk) don't provide them (which is probably why jbauch357 doesn't remember .... ).

there are 3 copper parts .... two are what the manual calls "shims" ..... they sit at the top and bottom of the pad and, as jbauch357 said, provide an anti-clatter function. The other copper part is what the manual calls a "spring" and it presses the pad toward the the center of the rotor.

All of these, IMHO, are for positioning the pads, not for noise suppresion. Noise is more a function of pad material, with "high performance" pads more prone to noise than the "stock" pads.

Pad noise (squeal) is a vibration between the pad and rotor. The springs/shims and goop all help to reduce the vibration, but some pads will still squeal .... for example a Hawk DTC-70 pad is probably gonna squeal for the first few stops until the pads/rotors get up to about 500 degrees .... but then who would use a DTC-70 for the street ???

I would recommend you install new pads (of whatever type) with the GM supplied spring/shims. If you use the car for street driving adding the goop, as jbauch357 suggests, really can't hurt. If you plan to track the car (road course) I'd be concerned what happens to the goop at high temperatures ..... I'd leave it off unless someone can assure you that at high brake temperatures it doesn't catch fire, or liquify and become a lubricant on your rotors.

 

I've done the brakes multiple times on this car, and only the last time did I go back to the stock GM Z06 pads - so between all of the different ones I've run it can get confusing what specifc hardware each comes with. I did remember that the GM kits come with the new shims, and even a new caliper retainer bolt - but it's the actual pad backing plate that I don't for sure remember. I do remember perfectly how each of the pad compounds performed though

Also I run the goop on my car, and it's performed just fine during lapping days, spirited road driving, auto-x, everything that I've thrown at the car. I use the orange brake quiet...

I am curious to see what other people think too...