xp800

I ordered a set from Adam at Amp'dAutosport.com (forum vendor) about a month ago. I've had them in for about 500 miles on my Z51.

The first person to post on them to my knowledge was gthal:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c7-g...rake-pads.html


I agree with his comments. Initially I thought the dust wasn't improved all that much, but I suspect it was leftover OEM dust or initial bedding. After the first 200 miles and a thorough wheel/caliper cleaning, the dust is MUCH less than OEM. If I had to put a number on it, I'd say it's 10x better. The dust from the last 150 miles is equivalent to 15 miles with the OEM pads. Very pleased.

I can't detect any difference in brake bite or feel vs. OEM in my daily driving or moments of enthusiasm. And they have been silent for me; not a peep.

Installation was straightforward. As many have lamented, the sticky tape on the front pads is hugely annoying. I found the "Mickey Mouse" ears to be extremely helpful in removal though. Both for my QuickGrip trick (pics below) and for prying.

I'm kicking myself now for not taking pics of the front pad removal, but I was short on time. I did have pics from my G8 GXP pad change that show what I did on the C7 to make it easier.

Pics of the pads are for those interested in seeing the difference between OEM and the Carbontech.

QuickGrip trick I used after pushing out the guide pins. Squeezed against the caliper body and ears to get a bit of clearance between the pads and rotor. Then used a large flat blade screwdriver and plastic trim tool as a barrier to pry the pad away from the rotor:






Front Pads:



Rear Pads:




Boxes:

xp800

An unscientific measurement of 200 miles worth of brake dust:

gthal

Still love my 1521's!! I wash my car once a week and they are remarkably good at keeping dust down and have been absolutely silent. I am VERY impressed and VERY pleased. Glad you have a similar impression!!

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

I appreciate the feed back

dgerstel

I installed the 1521 pads also. MUCH less brake dust with no noticeable decrease in braking noted.

Dale
2014 Corvette
Z51, 3LT, Torch red, red interior, Black Wheels, Red Brake calipers, Auto, Mag ride, performance exhaust, Exposed Carbon fiber roof, Carbon Fiber dash, Black mirrors and spoiler

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

When you take your car to the track, you want to know you can charge aggressively into the corners and be sure your brakes will shear off that speed—giving you maximum control without unnecessarily sacrificing pace. Just call us and our racing specialists will help you determine the perfect brake pad compound for your car and your style of driving. Carbotech brakes are designed to allow you to “Go Deep!” while being particularly friendly to your rotors.

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

If you guys or gals are looking for Brake Pads Street or Track we have plenty of Carbotech compounds ready to go. We offer forum discount. You can use promo code z28 when checking out or call me direct at 216-780-8825. If pre bed is desired please call option will be on our new site shortly.

0East Tx Muscle Cars

Ima have to order a set of these up right now, i HATE the brake dust on my wheels after just 30-40 miles. shoot 150 miles my wheels look a different color completely :-(

Jedi-Jurist

Help! How do you get the pins out without damaging the caliper with an errant punch strike?

Jedi-Jurist

Found that using a metal hammer with the punch was must more helpful than the rubber mallet I started with.

WKMCD

I used a carpenter's nail set to start the pins moving. It has a concave tip that centers the punch. Once below the surface, a thin regular punch works fine.

xp800

I also found that a small metal hammer (like for gunsmithing) was more than enough oomph and easier to tap the pins back in from the backside of the caliper.

Mariano

D,
I don't remember; did you have your rotors turned for the new pads?

Also, get me up to speed on the colloquial terminology, "micky mouse ears"...what's that? :>)

Mariano

xp800

I did not turn my rotors. My car only had a couple hundred miles on the OEM pads. Opinions on this may vary, but I've had no issues using new pads with unturned rotors so long as the rotors were in good shape (low wear, no noticeable runout). Most recommend re-bedding after this, but there too YMMV.

The "Mickey Mouse" ears are the counterweights you see on the OEM front pads (see picture in OP). They are there to combat squeal, but look like...Mickey Mouse ears.

And as I mentioned in my OP, they are really useful for prying the OEM pads out due to the adhesive tape used on the backing plates.

Kourosh Cohen

Can I use Carbontech 1521 brake pads on 2017 Grand sport 3LT with Z07 package my OEM pads make so much noise at slow speed after 20 minute driving took the car to dealer they say it's normal but
I can't handle squeaky noise please let me know Thanks in advance.

JerryU

Yep. As long as you don’t have the carbon ceramic brakes. The very expensive package used if Tracking.

I have them on my Grand Sport that has the Stage 2 aero package that I added Stage 3 winglets on the Splitter.

When cold they stop better than OEM! The same when warm in street applications. I have a somewhat unique application I test everyday! I have to merge into ~65 mph traffic on a 4 lane divided highway at the end of my street. It’s 2 miles away but that is a narrow twisty 25 mph road in our development so no way/time to get the pads warm. After merging into traffic I have to make a turn to another rural road a short distance down the road with no shoulder etc to get out of the way of traffic. I use the brakes very agreesive so no one behind has to slow. Especially those log trucks going to the papermiill 15 miles away!

Very linear peddle modulation and stops better than OEM. I had them for 3 years on my 2014 Z51 and stopping was the same or even slightly better with the larger Grand Sport brakes.

Frankly, as soon as I got the Grand Sport home switched to the cheap Chinese pads a number of forum members said worked fine. They did not stop as well when cold! Bought what I should have bought in the first place, Carbotech 1521s. The Chinese pads stopped OK when warm but did not fit my needs. lIn addition there was hard brown “stuff” in my rotor slots. A forum member posted about the same time that his rotors tuned brown after about a year on the Chinese pads. Made my decision, switched at 900 miles.

Understand some are happy with the Chinese pads and that is fine. However when I consider I only paid $125 from Amazon, that included the S.C. 7% sales tax and free to me shipping (note UPS does not ship for free, Amazon paid as well as made a profit.) That meant the pads were sold by the importer for ~$100. Someone paid for the ship that probably brought them to Oakland CA and the truck that brought them to a warehouse. Do wonder how much QC could have been done at the plant!

Some talk about Corvette Tax but the other quality street pad available from HAWK cost a bit more than the Carbotech pads! They both sell pads for many cars at about the same prices, the Vette pads are not overpriced IMO for the quality.

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

Yes, they can be used with the ZO7 package. Yes, they do work with ceramic rotors. Give me a call 216-780-8825.

F: $342
R: $245

Stan0324

Installed the front last Thursday. Only driven 20 - 30 miles but I still get an occasional squeal. How many more miles do I have to drive before it goes away. Planning on doing the rears this week. Thanks

JerryU

^^^
Assume you cleaned the rotors when you installed the pads. 60 grit abrasive pads worded for me. I would try "bedding the brakes." The Owner's Manual calls it "burnishing" and has a very aggressive procedure for the OEM pads high performance pads. When I had a squealing problem with my OEM pads bedded them and it went away. Normally Carbotech pads don't need it but I have used their old published procedure
>1. Brake from 60mph to 30mph (not 10 to 15 mph used for some race pads.)
>2. Repeat step # 1, 5 to 6 times.
>3. Let your brakes cool for about 2-3 minutes while driving.
>4. Allow the brake pads and discs to cool down to ambient temperature (driving about 30 minutes without stopping).
Worth a try.