New brake pads
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 6,528
Likes: 752
From: South Dakota
I will probably get flamed for this, but I tried some really inexpensive pads from Rock Auto.
They are Friction Master ceramic pads. They were on closeout and even cheaper. Currently they only have the fronts (CMX731 pads) for $12.18. I put them on my '99 and they have better stopping than the (I think stock) semi-metallic pads the dealer put on. There is practically no dust either.
Another inexpensive choice is the Power Stop evolution ceramic. These are the same pads that forum vendor Brakemotive has been including in their pad & rotor packages. You could check with them for pricing. These have had good reports from quite a few people on the forum. I suspect they are similar to the Friction master ceramics that I tried. Rock Auto also has them for $28.79 front and $23.79 rear.
There are a lot of good choices if you want to step up to some of the more performance oriented name brands, but for a street car, I tried and like some of these inexpensive ones.
Good luck.
They are Friction Master ceramic pads. They were on closeout and even cheaper. Currently they only have the fronts (CMX731 pads) for $12.18. I put them on my '99 and they have better stopping than the (I think stock) semi-metallic pads the dealer put on. There is practically no dust either.
Another inexpensive choice is the Power Stop evolution ceramic. These are the same pads that forum vendor Brakemotive has been including in their pad & rotor packages. You could check with them for pricing. These have had good reports from quite a few people on the forum. I suspect they are similar to the Friction master ceramics that I tried. Rock Auto also has them for $28.79 front and $23.79 rear.
There are a lot of good choices if you want to step up to some of the more performance oriented name brands, but for a street car, I tried and like some of these inexpensive ones.
Good luck.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Aug 1999
Posts: 16,376
Likes: 404
From: Should this thoughtful, valuable contribution meet with no acknowledgement or 'thanks' this post----
I have some slightly used Hawk HPS pads in the for sale section right now...they stop way better than stock, or ceramics. Low miles on them, only have them for sale because I upgraded to C6 Z06 calipers and rotors. Asking around half the price of them new....you won't be disappointed in Hawks...many forum members swear by them.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-p...r-install.html
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-p...r-install.html
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 6,528
Likes: 752
From: South Dakota
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 16,028
Likes: 170
From: oregon
couple things to get out of the way with pads
if you want more bite you will have more dust
if you want a LOT of bite you will have noise
having driven everything from parts store ceramics to axxis ultimate to hawk hps and hp+ i have a few favorities
the stoptech street performance pad are my favorite inexpensive performance pad for the c5. they have a similar feel to the HPS but they have a higher operating temperature range and also cost less. may have a very slightly stronger bite as well
fronts and rears are something like $110 shipped via amazon
the axxis ultimates use to be owned by pbr but recently have started being cast by bendix. unsure if they changed the formula as they were a very strong street bad with an extremely strong torque co efficient. also would turn your wheels black in a couple days. the really LOL part is they were marketed as a ceramic pad...which isn't a lie, it's just a bit different than what most people think of ceramics as being
anyway, if you're using this for street duty and just want to stop from 100mph on occasion the stoptechs are great. also hold up well to autocross and light track duty on street tires
if all you care about is low dust, any cheap parts store ceramic will work. the raybestos advanced tech ceramic are a decent pad. they don't have a lot of bite but they are hard as rocks and don't dust
if you want more bite you will have more dust
if you want a LOT of bite you will have noise
having driven everything from parts store ceramics to axxis ultimate to hawk hps and hp+ i have a few favorities
the stoptech street performance pad are my favorite inexpensive performance pad for the c5. they have a similar feel to the HPS but they have a higher operating temperature range and also cost less. may have a very slightly stronger bite as well
fronts and rears are something like $110 shipped via amazon
the axxis ultimates use to be owned by pbr but recently have started being cast by bendix. unsure if they changed the formula as they were a very strong street bad with an extremely strong torque co efficient. also would turn your wheels black in a couple days. the really LOL part is they were marketed as a ceramic pad...which isn't a lie, it's just a bit different than what most people think of ceramics as being
anyway, if you're using this for street duty and just want to stop from 100mph on occasion the stoptechs are great. also hold up well to autocross and light track duty on street tires
if all you care about is low dust, any cheap parts store ceramic will work. the raybestos advanced tech ceramic are a decent pad. they don't have a lot of bite but they are hard as rocks and don't dust
Last edited by racebum; Jun 3, 2013 at 09:24 PM.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 420
Likes: 13
From: West Deptford NJ
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 6,013
Likes: 726
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Supporting Vendor
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 50,281
Likes: 518
From: Cleveland OH
St. Jude Donor '11,'13
The Carbotech 1521 is a great street pad, low dust no noise and has stopping power of the oem pad if not better. Price is front $148 rear is $128 Less 5% forum pricing. If you would like to order a set please call me at 216-780-8825 and receive 5% discount. A description is below.
The Carbotech™ 1521™ is our high performance street compound. The 1521™ compound is known for its release and modulation, along with unmatched rotor friendliness. 1521™ is also a very low dusting and low noise compound with an excellent initial bite. This compound's excellent linear torque production provides incredible braking force without ABS intervention. Carbotech™ 1521™ operating range starts out at ambient and goes up to 800°F (426°C+). 1521™ is suitable for ALL street cars, perfect for your tow vehicle or fleet vehicle. Carbotech™ 1521™ is NOT recommended for ANY track use.
The Carbotech™ 1521™ is our high performance street compound. The 1521™ compound is known for its release and modulation, along with unmatched rotor friendliness. 1521™ is also a very low dusting and low noise compound with an excellent initial bite. This compound's excellent linear torque production provides incredible braking force without ABS intervention. Carbotech™ 1521™ operating range starts out at ambient and goes up to 800°F (426°C+). 1521™ is suitable for ALL street cars, perfect for your tow vehicle or fleet vehicle. Carbotech™ 1521™ is NOT recommended for ANY track use.