I'm getting ready to pull the calipers on my 2013 Grand Sport for powder coating, and wanted to find out what folks typically use to plug the brake lines for up to a couple weeks. I know I will lose some fluid, but I would rather not lose all of it.

Also I would like some input on selection of new pads - the dust is killing me! I don't run on tracks, but my street and highway driving is at times very "spirited". Would love no dust or noise, but of course I know those things can't be eliminated entirely. Is ceramic the way to go? And as far as padlets vs one-piece, I would think that one-piece have slightly more surface area, and less edges should mean less noise, but is there anything else I should be looking at?

Thanks,
Tom

 

Pad material - definitely ceramic for your purposes. They're less dusty for sure. I never had an issue with the stock pads being noisy so can't say ceramics are quieter
Pad shape - I find the 1-piece much easier to change
Anything else - do a search here or on the Auto-x section. You will find more brake pad info than you will ever need

 

Take a look at the Carbotech 1521 pads, will cut your dust by 70% while maintaing the performance you expect on the street I will be happy to help you if interested. You can contact me direct at 216-780-8825 to order or with questions. Below is a description of the 1521 compound also, a write up a forum member did a few months back. I recommend the 1 piece pad more pad surface and more even wear.

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.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...rake-pads.html

Front and rear 1 piece total $509.00 Subtract $40.00 for padlets.

 

Hey V4V-

I did exactly this a couple months ago. I wanted prettier calipers than the silvery-grey ones on my '13 GS, and had gotten VERY tired of the brake dust from the factory pads after only a few weeks. I figured since I was taking the calipers off anyway, I might as well change the pads. I went with Posi Quiet one piece ceramic pads (found them on amazon--a little less than $200 for all four wheels), and have had them on the car now for a couple months. No issues. Every couple weeks I might hear a little squeal as I pull into the garage, but nothing that would have deterred me if I knew it was going to happen ahead of time. I don't track my car, or really push the brakes very hard. If you plan to do so, consider other pads. For what I do, these are perfect. Dust has been all but eliminated.

As for the caliper removal, I was a gigantic failure and didn't plug the lines. I had read that it would work to zip-tie the finger of a neoprene glove over the end of the line, but that didn't work when I tried it, so I just gave up and let 'em hang. Needless to say, I ended up with four tupperware containers full of brake fluid. The good news is that I didn't have any problems bleeding the brakes when I got my shiny newly-powdercoated calipers and installed them. Stuff I learned:

-Brakes are filthy. I don't recommend doing this in formal attire. Maybe business casual. I wore one of my wife's cocktail dresses, but skipped the heels. Safety first!

-Probably would have been a good idea to tape the lines way up in the wheel wells. I read that suggestion after it was too late. Physics is your phriend!

-If you haven't put your car on jackstands before, think it through first. I ended up with a makeshift ramp of wood planks that served as a car ramp for the RF wheel. Only then was I able to get a jack under the front. Also, you'll need to jack the front up FIRST. I felt really stupid once the rear was nicely set on jackstands and I couldn't get anything under the front. I finally figured it out, but it was a pretty novice-looking operation.

-You need a breaker bar to get the bolts holding the calipers off. You also need a buttload of clearance for the rears, so set the jackstands high. It was especially tough to get the proper torque (129 ft-lbs, I believe) on the rears when I installed them. To remove them, I needed to bang on the wrench to break the bolts loose, since I couldn't fit the breaker bar under the car even with it jacked up. Fronts are easier because you can turn the wheels to get to the bolts. Make sure the car is VERY stable on the stands. Even if it is, I wouldn't get under it and yank on the wrench. It's uncomfortable, but you can get the job done from the side. A long-handled torque wrench was key for installation. I also bought some blue Lock-Tite for the bolts.

-If you're doing this alone, a Motive Power Bleeder is awesome to have. I think it was about $70, and SOOO worth it, even for the one use. I had never bled brakes before, and this made it pretty easy. Just be sure to install the brake lines in the correct orientation or they'll leak like crazy--that's self-critiquing. I made sure there were no bubbles whatsoever coming out of the lines.

-Make sure to bed the pads in correctly. Basically it's just a matter of braking almost to a stop several times from various speeds. Look this up on the forum or Google. It took me 5 minutes.

-Even with the failure to plug the lines, I didn't have any issues with the anti-lock system, but if you DO get air in there I hear it can be a problem. Not sure how that would happen, but I didn't start the car the whole time it was on jacks, just in case that system cycles on startup. I wanted those valves to stay closed until I bled the air out of the system. Look up "redneck bleed" if you're worried about this. Seems like that would work, or you could just take it to a dealer to use the fancy brake machine they have. I prefer to avoid the dealer.

I hope this helps. These were some of the questions I wished I had answered before starting the project. Good luck!

 

Hey draGonS, thank you for the input, which I find both informative and entertaining! I really like the idea of raising the open lines as high as possible, hopefully that will help me out. I'm not so sure I would even try the glove fingers and zip ties...
As far as the jack stands, I didn't really plan to leave it up for the entire couple weeks. I think I will put the wheels back on and drop it while I am waiting. I know it's a little extra effort, but I think I'd feel a little better about it for a couple weeks.
Thanks also for the info on the power bleeder too, I was wondering if it was worth-while.
As far as taking it to the shop to finish my job, I figure if I were going to do that I would just take it down there the first day and let them do everything. I think figuring these things out is all part of the fun of ownership, right?

 

I just pulled my calipers for powder coating and also decided to go with the Hawk one piece brake pads.
Here is the issue I went from padlets to one piece Hawk pads and it looks like the brake clips that were on the padlets won't work for the one piece Hawk pads.
I called the Hawk supplier and he said Hawk doesn't even supply the clips. The retailer says they can get them from a different supplier for another $70.35 now I am up to $497.00
The supplier say this has not come up before.
Ideas please. Price can be misleading if you have to buy more parts the get the job done.
I am disappointed right now on the Hawk products.

 

Is this only a problem with Hawk pads, or all brands? I was planning on going with one-piece ceramics, but this could certainly be a consideration in pricing when I decide which brand to go with...

 

Interesting about the clips. I had no real problems getting this over the Posi Quiets I bought. Not sure if the Hawk pads have a different shape… Still, I can't imagine those clips not fitting on any pad that fits in the calipers. It took me a little work, but I got them in there.

That said, I remember reading a few posts on this forum by folks who said they just threw the clips away. My thought is that GM wouldn't spend money on ANYthing they didn't see as necessary for some reason. Perhaps they're only really needed for the padlets?

I'd look into the Posi Quiets unless you're planning on heavy duty use. If you're not a track guy, I think they'll fit the bill.

 

Yesterday I spent 2 hours on the phone trying to find out what to do with the hawk pad clips.
One person on the forum said theirs came with clips and they just poped them in. Yet the retailer talked to Hawk yesterday and they said they didn't provide or supply clips.
Called Hawk tech line this morning and their "mail box was full" so no help there. Maybe their all at SEMA

 

Remember I went from the padlets to the one piece pads and to me the clips don't fit but the pads I got from Hawk did not have any clips with them

 

It was nice talking with you this morning. I hope you got it sorted out.

 

Well here Iam eating crow. The Hawk pads use the igisting clips.
I talked to Adam @Carbotech to see if they sent brake clips with their pads and he said they did not. He said I would love to sell you a set of ours but the Hawk pads should fit using the igisting brake clips.
Well guess what he was right.
This is a great example of a forum supplier who has a good long term attitude. Next time its Carbotech.
Not sure why Hawk didn't say that to the supplier but Oh Well alls well that ends well

 

If you leave the lines open sometimes enough fluid drains out of the system that you drain the master and pull air into the system thus getting air into the ABS module. That means you go to the dealer to get the ABS Power Bleed performed. A lot of mechanics use clamps to close the hoses so they don't drain. That saves the mess of having brake fluid draining all over the floor and avoiding the risk of getting air into the ABS module.


Bill

 

Nobody does, but you don't need them with the 1-piece pads. Besides, the OEM clips are absolute crap, so useless anyway; you can deflect them with a feather. I removed them. And you made the right decision going with single pads; way less squealing due to only 8 leading edges, vs 20 with the padlets (remember no aftermarket pad has anti-squealing backing plates, like OEM pads). Those Posi-Quiets for $200 sound really nice. I have Carbotechs, but would never spend $500 again on them. Good luck.

 

Hi Tom,

We just zip-tie the lines up here when we're powder coating calipers. It will prevent you from loosing all of the fluid and it is easy to do. I would consider installing some stainless brake lines while you're at it. I know you're not racing but they do provide a firm peddle and reduce stopping distance.

We use and install the Hawk HPS and CP (Ceramic Performance) pads here. I would suggest going with the 1-piece design as they have more surface area and they're easier to install. They perform great without noise or heavy dust. I would probably lean towards the PC compound for your usage personally. We have them in stock and we offer a nice forum discount.

Please feel free to call, email or PM me anytime with questions. Good luck with your project and I'll talk to you soon.

Kind regards,

Jordan Priestley
888.308.6007

 

 

I can help you with pads for your Corvette, we our not the cheapest on the market and I understand that price is always a consideration but, what you have to see is customer service which we provide all day long even if its not our product. Blue Max called me and his first words where I have a competitors product, I said ok how can I help you and he said I don't understand the retaing clips and I was going to return them and buy Carbotech. I told him what to do and I new I was correct and he appreciated my honesty and that's what I stand by. I could have very Easley sold him a set of Carbotech pads but, that's not what this forum is for. I am happy that he resolved the issue. As to why Hawk did not respond to his issues I don't know.