I am going to replace my stock C6 brakes with an aftermarket product. Need more braking power when doing low speed course events. Stock brakes do fad and feel very spongy after several runs. I have 36,000 on the original brakes and have about 20% left on the pads. Need to replace soon or just upgrade now.

Brembo is a possibility but what other choices should I consider? I have a 2007 C6 that has the Z51 brake system on it. They were including at the time when I bought the car new in April of 2007.

Also this may be a foolish question but could I replace the front brakes now and then next year replace the back? Brembo or something similar is going to cost $1,200 per wheel. A lot to shell out at one time.

 

Stoptechs; one of the best parts of a BBK is how easy it becomes to change pads. Within the last few years brembo ruined that perk on their systems to save costs and made it so you HAVE to remove the whole caliper.

 

Dedpends on how much you want to spend.

I like StopTechs, but bought Wilwoods becasue of the better packaging and am very satisfied with them.

 

My car stops great with just good brake pads

 

I am thinking this has to be the third option. What type of pad will not squeal, reduce pad dust and work better than stock GM pads when on the track?

My track use is ONLY for low speed events which last 40- 70 seconds.

 

love those rims.

 

That is good to know and I will think about that aspect now. I was assuming too much. that is why this forum is so helpful to all of us.

 

Thanks!

That is one of the reasons I went with Wilwoods, I could keep my wheels!

 

OP: Have you thought about or tried to change to a different brake fluid, such as Motul 600 RBF. Another thing to think about is maybe replace your OEM rotors with lighter and better cooled ones such as these - http://shop.performanceafx.com/C6-Z51-Corvette_c15.htm I have a set of these on my 07 Z-51 and like them a lot. They are light and last a long time. One more thing, if you do purchase a BBK, some of them may require you to install a larger then stock rim. Good luck with your upgrade.

 

I swap pads for track days, but if you are doing such short sessions, you should give carbotech bobcats or ebc yellows a try. Should be much better than stock. Also some high quality brake fluid will help pedal feel and maybe think about some upgraded brake lines.

 

thanks for your thoughts. this is all good info.

 

HPDE or Auto X?

 

What is the possibility of buying Z06 brakes to be adapted to my C6?
My track time is very minimal and i do not want to get into changing brake pads for track use. I am definably switching the brake fluid to high temp.
Is there was way (even with a spacers) to convert to Z06 brake system? What are your thoughts of a 3/8 spacer. Never used one in the past and do not want to change my rims for a larger offset.
Spacers seem like it is required in almost every type of upgraded brake system. I think Wilwood may be the exception. I really want to go to 6 pistons up front.
Any more thoughts?

 

Wilwood kit required spacers and ARP studs to retain stock wheels in my case. I have OEM 2006 wheels; cant tell which ones you have in your avatar. Spacer width for me was 5/16" which are impossible to find so I had custom ones made- not cheap!

I think aggressive pads and high temp fluid are your best bet personally. I do a lot of high speed runs so the bigger calipers were a must.

 

OP - I'd start by using Hawk HPS pads -- a good performance pad for the street that should take the low-speed events well - and they are low dust - low noise - easy on rotors. ALSO flush and replace your barke fluid using a high-temp product. Do Not replace just one axle as the different characteristics could casue real handling problems as you apply and realse the brakes. I ran the above setup in several low-speed auto-x and even a couple of open track days on a short course with 20 min sessions.-- without problems.

 

OP: You have plenty of brake capacity with your stock brakes. If your stock brakes can put the car into full ABS at all 4 wheels when you hammer the brake pedal you have as much braking power as any high dollar aftermarket system can give you. There are lots of people who use the stock C6 brake calipers, pads and rotors for track events where the speeds are much higher and they are braking hard losing from 70 to 30 mph each time and they do it time after time for 20 minutes without having the issues you are having. 70 second low speed autocross runs don't last long enough to cause you to over heat your stock brakes. You have some other issue and need to figure out what it is.

First thing I would check is to see whether your brake pads are tapered. Here is a picture of the stock C5 and C6 pad showing the kind of taper I am talking about.


This kind of taper will give you a long pedal that increases with the amount of taper. It may not be noticeable on the street but once you start cornering hard you will get some additional run out which will cause the pads to be knocked back more than normal thus giving you more pedal travel. If you have this condition you can combat it by swapping the pads from one side of the car to the other so the outside pad on the left becomes the inside pad on the right side of the car and vice versa for the other set of pads. Swapping evens out the taper. A quick way track guys compensate for taper or pad knock back is to tap the brake pedal with their left foot as they approach a turn. Their right foot is still flat on the floor but they just apply two light taps with the left foot shortly before reaching the brake zone.

That brings us to the next thing. It would be a good idea to check your wheel bearings to see if any of them have too much run out. Excessive run out in the bearings will definitely cause this problem and if you also have tapered pads in combination with a lot of pad knock back your brake pedal could get long quick.

I would also check the calipers and brackets to see if the caliper guide pins are loose and/or the caliper brackets are worn excessively. I had to have the brackets replaced on my C5Z due to excessive wear.

As for pads it sort of depends on how good you are at autocrossing. Stock pads will work fine but I prefer HP+ because they are fairly cheap and also a little more aggressive on initial application so you don't have to hammer the pedal as much.

You should also bleed the brakes and get a good DOT3 fluid in the system. Ford Super Duty fluid (500 deg dry boiling point) works fine even at track events and it doesn't cost much. You could also have air captured in the ABS modulator valve so you might want to have a shop with a GM Tech 2 do the automated bleed which will get the air out of the valve.

Upgrading to an aftermarket brake system should be your last choice. Even the lowest cost ones aren't cheap and if you are currently running in a stock class you will be instantly bumped into a modified class where you will be up against more experienced and cars that have been even more aggressively modified.

Bill

 

Yes, like Bill and others have said, you shouldn't be having ANY brake problems with any type of low speed blast that lasts < 70 seconds. Are you driving with Active Handling on or Competition Mode? If you are it is likely the culprit of your soft pedal. With either one of those on the car is using the rear brakes excessively in aggressive turns to try and stop any sliding. That in turn cooks your rear brakes and boils the fluid back there. Turn off the nannies and learn to drive without it, done.

 

thank so much for this info. i plan to look into all these issues. i am at 20% pad left so I am going to replace before Spring. I also plan to replace the fluid as you have made excellent points. I will replace pads with a slightly more aggressive pad. I do run a modified class because of engine and tires. Last year I had to back off on the turns because of the brakes. thanks again for the insight especially to tapping the brakes before hitting the braking point.

are these the pads you are recommending for street use and occasional track use

mdh