FASTFATBOY

This is hard for me to understand, I run stock brakes on my C5 Z06. With slicks on the car I can generate 1.3G of braking force and activate ABS at will with track pads, it will actually bottom out the front shocks and bounce back up if you romp on them too hard(I'm all stock underneath).

The C5 brakes are DAMN good with stainless lines, tight wheel bearings, free slide pins and good pads.

alxltd1

I would agree and the C5 is not under braked. It is more for aesthetics and that compared to all the newer super cars and current crop of muscle cars the C5 stock calipers and rotors, while more than adequate for what 99.9% of us are going to throw at them, just look anemic. Being just as guilty as the next guy I first replaced my rear calipers with stock C5 fronts (including Z51 rear rotors to keep from losing the E-brake function), but wound up getting a box new set of C6 Z06 (actually Grand Sport in yellow, they are the same) calipers front and rear for under a $1000. Added some Brake Performance drilled and slotted rotors and called it a day. They are probably marginally better than my stock C5 brakes, but I will never push them enough to know and they look like they belong on a much more modern expensive super car. They go well with the C6 18/19 OEM Grand Sport wheels and flared fenders/quarters as well.

a_ahmed

Any updates on this? CTS V calipers on C5?

I am sick and tired of the stock C5 brakes, id id a brake job twice last year and i'll have to do another soon... it's so expensive... they burn through so fast and don't last long enough, rotors or pads...

I ran stop tech performance pads, HP+ pads (better performance) and would opt again for HP+ pads and new rotors.. but this is getting pricey having to do multiple times in year...... the brake feel is dinosaur like in comparison to more modern brakes I've used on other cars...

FASTFATBOY

Are you using the car for road course duty to burn through pads and rotors like that?

If not, it's either your driving style or you have a mechanical issue with the brakes.

a_ahmed

They are garbage brakes, I didn't buy a sports car to have worse braking than my other cars.

My track car had willwoods, but I'm not ready to dish out over 3000 yet... but by now I could have bought a BBK at least for the front...

Yes it's my driving style, I don't granny drive it. The brakes are an embarrassment for a car like this...

The rotors get used fast, HP+ pads at least lasted much longer than the stop tech performance pads with better braking.

FASTFATBOY

I track my car with the stock brakes, no cooling on them either and I'm on slicks. You can sell the "They are garbage brakes" elsewhere....I'm not buying.

It's not the brakes fault you drive like a madman on the street. The C5 brakes are pretty damn good when functioning properly, I know a lot of guys who track the C5 on stock brakes with only race fluid, stainless brake lines and good pads.

Buy better rotors like Centric high carbon, make sure the slide pins are greased and slide freely. Make sure the rotors are on the correct side, C5 rotors are side specific.

I have had the same set of cheap Autozone ceramic pads for the street on my car for almost 3 years, I use too cracked to use on track rotors for the street and have no issues in 15,000 miles of street use, plenty of pad left. But I'm not to scared to run down into a corner at crazy speed either.

Want to drive a car with truly crap brakes? A 4th gen Fody, I tracked one for 5 years. The C5 Vette brakes feel like a parachute in comparison.

a_ahmed

My biggest disappointment on the vette are the brakes, then the suspension. The suspension is another story, the car feels very floaty and not precise... it feels more like a car that you point and shoot.. but I am used to driving lighter cars. The feedback is not quite there, the steering feels kinda dead. However I still love the car.

I heard the same arguments and stories from other people on other cars about every brake upgrade, most suggestions I found as crap, until I went willwoods... and what a difference. Feel, braking, fade, etc...

Multiple 250+ stops and the brakes are down, do enough heel & toe into too many corners and they are toast.

I used centric high carbon rotors each time... definitely better than cheapo blanks... but this is a heavy car with plenty power and the brakes imo are rubbish for a car like this...

F body brakes may be garbage, but that doesn't make c5 brakes amazing.

Whatsa347

Buying a BBK won't stop you from burning through pads and rotors, so I don't see how that helps your argument. You'll stop better because it's a bigger rotor and a bigger caliper with more pistons, but at the rate you're saying you're burning through them, you're gonna be really pissed when you have to replace those rotors and pads at their prices. As far as steering feedback, I'd say my FRC with Bilsteins and a proper alignment and tires feels every bit as good if not better than our 911 Turbo and my best friends Cayman S's, and it feels even better than my E36 M3 with Koni everything suspension. Sounds like you just need an overhaul on your car for wear and tear items because none of that sounds normal.

FASTFATBOY

"250+ stops", please explain.

I heel and toe my car, with zero issues. You may think I'm slow....I'm not.

The C5 is not a "heavy car", try lapping a 3800lb 99 Z28 with C5 brakes on the front and basically NO rear brakes(in a 4th gen F body you have to run a street pad on the rear brakes so it doesn't wheel hop when braking).

My C5 Z06 is factory stock underneath, at speed and in a corner it feels solid as a rock, again...drive a 99 Camaro fast and you'll know what a **** platform is for comparison. My Z06 even though it's stock underneath is DAMN fast on 305/660/18 Pirelli race take off slicks.


Sounds to me like you want to blame the car for some of your own shortcomings.

I've seen some guys go stupid fast in a well setup stock C5.

Put some stainless brake lines on the car with some Doug Rippie Motorsports stainless caliper pistons for the front along with some race brake fluid like ATE and it makes good brakes even better.

Also check for worn wheel bearings and tie rod ends.

a_ahmed

I put SS lines and wilwood fluid. Brakes still suck, I mean they will brake OKAY, with more aggressive pads, but none of the pad choices last at all. Kind of pointless. Yes I know they are reusables, but that gets expensive fast. I haven't had this kind of issue on any other car, with more aggressive pads. I'll at least get a year out of rotors and pads on the street.

The willwood setup I had with even BP20 pads braked better and lasted long with track days and summer street driving.

I wish I just bought a wilwood kit from the get go... but I again just ordered centric high carbon front and rear rotors and ordered new pads... Disappointing at best. That's three times now twice in summer and now beginning of spring/summer.

I don't know how you can compare a slowmaro to the vette, they were never meant to take corners like the vette. Totally different platform, heavier, slower, worse.

That doesn't mean this is great...

When someone says they throw away calipers every season and that the brakes are fantastic (I've read through threads where people talk about C5 calipers)... uhm... I'll pass. They are not 'great' brakes if you race them and throw them away every season but call the braking abilities great.

It's a 20 year old car so frankly... no it's not that great.

Just to make a sad case sadder, my winter beater outbraked the vette and would last longer (also with centric high carbon rotors and HP+ pads)... and not even on summer or R comp tires but cheapo tires. That's sad.

nsogiba

I don't see where your poor braking performance is coming from. With Power Stop Track Day pads and regular NAPA rotors on Hankook Ventus V12 tires (245/40/18 front, 285/35/19 rear), the braking performance is hard enough to feel like the skin is being pulled off my face. Granted, these are race only pads and squeal like mad. I'm running all stock 17 year old calipers and rubber lines, with Motul 600 fluid.

POWER STOP PST731 (PST-731) Brake Pad $ 99.79
POWER STOP PST732 (PST-732) Brake Pad $ 84.79
Discount $ -9.23
Shipping Ground $ 7.99
Order Total $ 183.34

jackthelad

[QUOTE=a_ahmed;1594511219
Just to make a sad case sadder, my winter beater outbraked the vette and would last longer (also with centric high carbon rotors and HP+ pads)... and not even on summer or R comp tires but cheapo tires. That's sad.[/QUOTE]

With respect, this makes little sense. If you look up the road tests of the C5 and check measured braking performance, which was always picked out as a strong point, a "winter beater" does not compare - unless it's a 911.

I don't think I have seen anyone else on here complaining of poor braking with stock brakes and decent pads.

a_ahmed

I don't want to derail this thread... I think it's just perspective... we should open another thread and continue...

Yes BMWs and Porsches have great brakes, but how much do you want to pay to play is always the question right? My point is, the way people talk about stock C5 brakes is ... sorry to say, perspective...

Braking performance obviously encompasses:

• Stopping distance
• Endurance/fade
• Feel (Firm/responsive or marshmallow pedals) -- Personal preference plays a role. I have big legs and I like a firmer pedal. I've run no booster manual setups on cars.
• Durability/replacement times and costs. (Clearly this one sucks with the C5 setup). Yes I know my wilwood rotors would run 400, but they would last a hell of a lot longer and offer performance enhancements (brake fade, durability, stopping distance, weight savings).

Yes you can slap aggressive pads on just about anything and brake faster if tires permit, but I am not that impressed with the entirety of the package. Use better tires or even race slicks and you will stop even better, but for how long with this setup?

Someone actually said c5 brakes are great BUT they chuck the calipers each season.. Come on man... think about that... I'm complaining about pads and rotors not lasting long... and here's someone chucking calipers... No thanks...

Don't get me wrong, perhaps it is perspective, I've always upgraded brakes on everything I've owned in the past 15 years and therefore I'm not impressed with the brakes on a car that can hit 290 but not stop just as well or not stop for very long lol...

I'm pretty sure the average Corvette or Camaro owner will upgrade power and looks first, but I always upgrade brakes, tires and suspension first.

My winter beater would do 60-0 in 80ft.... impossible??... OEM BBK (ATE calipers) with HP+ pads, SS lines, good fluid. One of those rare gem setups, but man it worked. Hard to be satisfied then no? The same setup with regular pads would average 89ft (tested repetitively) that is better than a corvette. A 2014 stingray is reported to do (90ft). I wouldn't even need to know these numbers because the moment I stepped in the car and drove the car you could feel the in car difference, response and how fast the car stops...

The only car I owned that braked faster was my old track car which I still drove on the street (Willwoods and R comps -- R888s or NT01s). 100-0 would happen so fast that you would feel like your face is about to hit the windshield face first. The car's suspension was such that there was barely any nose dive, so when I say braking felt fast, it was stupid fast and you would feel the harness making you feel like you're flying forward...

I don't mean to be disrespectful, but you can tout one setup as adequate or that you track with a certain setup but that doesn't make the C5 setup that great... I've seen the threads on here where so many guys say the C5 brakes are amazing... but then there are also people who say it's antiquated crap and they opted for more expensive and more modern setups....

Both the vette and the daily/winter sported Centric rotors and HP+ pads but the braking in the vette was inferior, fade was more pronounced and the rotors and pads wouldn't last more than 3 months.

That makes me one very very sad vette owner lol. Clearly my expectations are a lot higher...

One of the first things I did on the vette was put centric high carbon rotors and stoptech performance pads but they turned out completely worthless. Better than stock? Of course. However still mediocre and I think it lasted me two months of street driving? I then put HP+ pads, it stopped better, lasted longer... but boom here we go, already done. Worthless durability and still inferior to my daily setup somehow... that makes me very sad...

Powerstop:
I saw the Power Stop offerings on rockauto, there is very little feedback out there, I found a few reviews, not a lot of info...

I just ordered their z23 pads which are supposed to be more aggressive than oem pads for the rear in hopes of complimenting the front HP+ pads which are notably more aggressive (aggressive street/autocross, not really great for track obviously...).

How are the Z26 and 'track oriented' pads, what is their coefficient and operating range? How do they compare to say HP+ pads or any other equivalent pads? There is so little feedback on these...

nsogiba

I have literally never heard of someone ditching their C5 stock calipers after every season unless this was a hardcore dedicated track rat running thousands of track miles per year.

So you tried the HP+ pads and didn't like them, then you tried the StopTechs and didn't like them, but you're blaming the calipers and stock C5 braking system?

I plan on running some open laps at TMP this Friday using the Power Stop PST 731/732 Track Day pads with brand new rotors, I'll let you know how they do. I expect them not to fade.

Sam Handwich

250+ stops probably means speed in kilometers per hour.

ya know - some people just LOVE to B!TCH

a_ahmed

I've run a variety of pads on other cars, but I've come to accept generally that HP+ and DTC30 pads are great street pads.

HP+ > Stoptech performance pads, I wouldn't spend the money on the stoptechs again... they were inferior to the HP+ pad and the HP+ pads make no noise on the C5, they do squeel on some cars, I wonder if the compounds differ car to car somehow. In the early days when I ran HP+ pads they used to squeel like crazy, not quite like a dedicated track pad but...on the C5... I'm just wanting more...

Frankly if C5 calipers are so great then GM would have kept them on all subsequent corvettes...

Edit: Maybe I should have gotten the DTC30 pad and tried it out on the vette... but too late... already got the HP+ on the way... not sure that would do anything for durability/length of time the rotors would live... probably would last even less... the wife would also most likely hate the noise lol...

FASTFATBOY

They did, the base C6 and the C6 Z51 had the same caliper all the way through the C6 run.

a_ahmed

But not the C6Z or C7 right?

Fine we can agree to disagree.

_zebra

yeah, 17 model years ain't enough of a run to call anything good enough

SSmokinSS

http://www.tceperformanceproducts.co...te-c5/kits-35/

Get the 6 piston fronts and 4 piston rears. Source out your own rotors and you could stay under 2k. That's what I did.