First off, I'd like to say I could afford the Baer 6 piston brake system. But I can't!! I have about a grand I could put into some brakes. From the beginning research I have done, it looks like I could get rotors and pads for less than a grand. I'm looking for some advice as to which rotors and pads to get. I know cross drilled look cool, but is there any measurable difference in performance? Thanks in advance, Eric.

 

oceanaire:

If you're looking for :cool: good looks go for the crossdrilled rotors. If you're looking for performance go for solid rotors. The cross drilling weakens the rotor, removes mass (the heat sink) from the rotor and makes the more susseptable to cracking.

Personally, I am interested in Performance, so I'm using the GM heavy duty front rotors and Carbotech Panther Plus pads, which are very rotor friendly and stop excelently in the cold as well as at racing temperatures. Good looks are fine, but they won't help you on the track. :cool:

 

The best thing you could do to your brake system is upgrade to the stainless braided hoses. My good friend has a 99' and bought the sport upgrade from VBP which comes with the stainless braided hoses, Their "sport" rotors which are thermal cycled and double-ball-milled gas slotted, high temp fluid and Hawk HPS pads. The kit cost $894.95 and does all four wheels. He couldn't believe the difference in how the kit made a difference even with the stock calipers. :cheers:

 

who is VBP?

 

Vette Brakes & Products. http://www.VBandP.com

 

Are stainless steel brake lines for looks or for performance? :confused:

 

The stainless braided hoses are for performance but it helps that they look good also. The rubber hoses will actually swell when the brakes are applied. The stainless braided hoses will not swell thus getting more of the available braking power to the caliper. :cheers:

 

When I go to VBP website I am asked for a usename and password. Any idea why?

 

They've been updating the web-site with their new 02' catalog. Sometimes it takes a little while to update all the servers to the new settings, just keep trying every once in a while. :flag

 

One thing you can do right away is stainless steel brakes and super blue brake fluid. These 2 things are cheap and go a long ways in making the stock system better. The only other thing I have done, other than that, is put on some Hawk performance pads. The brakes are much better at the track and have caused me to delay doing anything else for the time being. I got everything at LA Performance.
BTW, all my research says cross drilled are strictly for show.

 

I think we all wish we could afford a 14" front and rear 6 piston Alcon/Baer claw system.

Check out Baer's new Eradispeed+ line. They're cross-drilled, slotted, and zinc-washed. I just bought a set of 4 for my '96 Collector Edition from Lingenfelter, and they're great! They were only $850 for the set of 4 rotors, and I think it's only $745 for the C5! They're direct replacements for your rotors, so you can retain the stock calipers. Throw in a set of pads and the Goodridge BrakeLine kit.

For the C5 front, you'd want the Eradispeed+ rotor (Baer part #23011011), and the rear would be the Eradispeed+1 rotor (Baer part #23012021). Check out the pick of the Z06 in their Adobe PDF catalog on the website. Looks great!


The Eradispeed website was redesigned a couple weeks ago and it has a lot of great info on there. http://www.eradispeed.com/ http://www.goodridge.net/

Direct from the Eradispeed site:
"
EradiSpeed+ versions are still direct OEM replacement units, but the “plus” indicates rotors which are of a two-piece design. The center “hat”, or “hub/hat” portion of EradiSpeed+ rotors are CNC machined from billet or forged aluminum. The centers are then anodized black to finish the “look” and are bolted to the rotors with National Aerospace Standard (NAS) stainless, reusable fasteners, the same hardware used to affix the rotors to an Indy Car. With their two-piece design, EradiSpeed+ units also provide a welcome reduction in total rotor weight.

EradiSpeed+ (PLUS) Direct Replacement 2-piece Rotor Benefits:

No change in wheels is ever required
Dramatically reduced weight
Increased heat absorption
Faster thermal recovery
High resistance to stress cracking
Increased friction, low wear, from proprietary iron specification
Greater airflow efficiency through curved vane or Kangaroo™ port design
Location of holes directly behind vane structure to arrest and limit migration of stress fractures from crossdrilling
Elimination of outgassing
Greater bite or initial onset of friction
Equalized pad surface wear
Improved wet weather performance
Brilliant rust resistant surfaces
Dynamic visual impact
Limited Lifetime Warranty Against Warping
"

Steve Hall :cheers:
1996 Collector Edition coupe, LT4, MN6, F45, Corsa exhaust, Baer Eradispeed rotors

 

I have been taking my Z06 to the track for the last 6-8 months now and have been listening intently to those with more experience than I have. I have come to the following conclusions.

1)Stainless steel lines are for looks.
2)Higher performance brake pads dust more and are tougher on rotors.
3)Flushing and bleeding your brake fluid often is more important than buying extremely expensive racing fluid.

Most guys replace the stock brake fluid with a higher performance type. I go with Ford Hi-performance at $3 a bottle. It has a very high dry boiling point and a low (same as stock) wet boiling point. Technically it takes 6 months in an enclosed brake system for brake fluid to absorb enough moisture to be characterized as 'wet'. In other words, if you flush the fluid every couple of events you get great performance at low cost.

Everyone has their own favorite for brake pads. I have tried PFC '01s with success. Many others have used Hawk, Carbotech, or Wilwood. These will all dust more and might crack the stock rotors after awhile.

The stock rotors are relatively cheap and there aren't any alternatives short of full brake replacements that are in the thousands of dollars range. This leads most people to have a couple of spares on hand.

My advice to you would be to:
1) change your fluid
2) try some different pads to see which you like best
3) have some spare rotors on hand
4) spend the rest of your money on track time.

Matt

 

I have to respectfull disagree on the brake lines. My first change was to the stainless steel lines. And it definitely made the pedal firmer. It also made the pedal more consistent from cold to hot.