I have a 2006 Z51 Coupe with 34,000 miles on it, and dealer told me my front brake pads are on their way out. Thinking about going to aftermarket pads. I have Chrome wheels and it drives me crazy how quickly the front ones get covered in brake dust. I did some forum searches and the consensus seems to be Hawk pads for minimal dust. I have 2 questions for those who have used these.

1) Just how much less dust are we talking about? Currently after I clean my wheels there is noticeable dust within a few days. It would be nice to go a few weeks. I really like using OEM replacement parts but if the difference is significant I would make the switch. Note that I daily drive my vette!

2) Will there be any issue with swapping in hawks in the front and leaving factory in the back? Per the dealer only the front ones are showing significant wear.

Thanks

 

Use ceramic pads and the dust will go way down. I used GM ceramics and they are a fraction of the price of Hawk pads. If you are not tracking your car, I wouldn't spend the money on high performance pads (just my opinion). All pads will leave some brake dust but ceramics will give you what you are looking for. Easy DIY project if you have a floor jack and basic hand tools.

 

I have the Z51 performance package, and replaced my pads with GM ceramics. I replaced my pads (front and back) which still had 50% pad left. I hated the black brake dust.
Dust is almost non existent now. Even after a 3000 mile road trip, it was hard to tell there was any brake dust on the rims. The small amount of dust that was there was a lighter color, not black.
I don't find much, if any difference in braking power, but I don't track the car, so I don't get the rotors/pads really hot.

 

For a quality low dust quiet brake pad take a look at the Carbotech 1521. This pad performs like OE if not better under thresh hold braking.

F:$140 R:$120

Carbotech™ Bobcat 1521™ The Carbotech Bobcat 1521™ is our high performance street compound that is our most successful compound. The Bobcat compound is known for its awesome release and modulation, along with unmatched rotor friendliness. Like our AX™ & XP™ line of compounds, Bobcat 1521™ is a Ceramic based friction material offering minimal rotor damage and non-corrosive dust. Bobcat 1521™ offers outstanding performance, even when cold, low dusting and low noise with an excellent initial bite. This compound’s virtually perfect linear torque production provides incredible braking force without ABS intervention. Bobcat 1521™ operating range starts out at ambient and goes up to 900°F. Bobcat 1521™ is suitable for ALL street cars, perfect for your tow vehicle, police cruiser. The Bobcat 1521™ compound has been found to last two-three times longer than OE pads you can purchase at a dealership or national retailer. That’s one of the beauties of Carbotech Ceramic brake compounds. Bobcat 1521™ is NOT recommended for any track use.

 

Not apples to oranges but my only experience that I know of with ceramic pads some years ago caused my Tundra brakes to squeak and squeal like crazy, so much so that I had them removed and replaced with Toyota OEM pads, any thoughts?? Do you have any of that??
NSF

 

Any brake pad can squeal if the caliper is not reassembled correctly.
Clean all the dirt and debris off of the calipers while the pads are out.

With the new pads, make sure you get the new slide kit. There is a small black lube tube in the kit.
Make sure to use a light coat of the lube on the new slides and on the backs of the pads where they touch the caliper.
The lube will eliminate any squeal.
The kit is like an extra 15-20 dollars and worth it just for the new slides.
I have seen the kit included with the pads, so ask before you buy.

 

Lots of recent brake pad questions on the forum lately. Can't find exactly what I'm looking for so here is my related question.

When replacing stock pads, just a swap out, with the ceramic AC Delco ones, do they need to be bedded? Or, can you just swap and drive without any issues?

I have 08 with F55 bigger rotors and 9K miles. Rotors look good, shiny/smooth.

I hate the black dust to, especially with a car rinse off and how the dust gathers on the inside of the wheel rims and also leaves stains on the driveway.

Thanks,
c5firstimer now C6

 

They still need to be bedded, but that is a simple procedure. A good site for the process is www.zeckhausen.com/bedding_in_brakes.htm

As far as ceramic pads are concerned, I installed GM ceramics on my 06 Z51 a year after I bought it new and have never had any regrets since. Wheels stay clean and stopping performance is fine for street use. If I was to track the car I would change them out.

 

Ideally, for longest life, new pads should have new rotors (or turned, but I don't think anybody does that anymore).

Same idea as with a motorcycle that has a worn chain or sprocket -- for longest life the chain and both sprockets should be changed as a set.

 

Just changed by brakes on my Z51 option package at 30K.

Now having said this, went back to the Z51 pads since they work very well for the street (they and the base pads are not the same pads, and the car gets washed enough that the dust does not bother me).

Now the bad news, the Z-51 pads are aggressive as hell (30K'ish is about right for the life of the pads), so plan on at least have the rotors turned, if not replaced if they are below the min thickness limits once turned. And yes, drilled rotors can be turned, and just take lighter cut passes, and the shop has to install the damper belt/loop around the outside of the rotor as they are being turned so they don't end up with a lot of chatter in the facing cut.

The reason for this (rotors needing to be cleaned up), when you mic the rotors, will find that the outer surfaces of the rotors have worn a great deal more than the inner hub side edges of both sides. By turning them, you are not only cleaning up the rotor surfaces, but squaring the back/front surfaces to each other back together. (allows the pads to mate into the rotor a lot faster, instead of the pads pressure canting when trying to mate in, which makes the pad last a lot longer as well, hence less wear as they seat).

Also, when they are turning the back rotors, have them take the outer lip off the inside of the E brake drum (take the front and back lips off the drum, and just take a very light pass across the entire drum surface if needed).

The reason for cleaning up the E drum on the rotor, when you go to put the back rotors on, can adjust the E brake a lot easier (not fighting to get the pad past the protruding lip when you put the rotor on with the E shoes adjusted correctly).

Ideally, you want the E brake handle to come up about 9 clicks max with a very hard pull at the end when the E brakes have been adjusted correctly; with no shoe contact to the drum (not even a light hiss in a spot or two) when the rotors are turned by hand with the E brake lever down.

As for the E brake shoe, at 30K, no way you wore them out yet, so should not need to replace the E brake shoes.