Z51 brakes
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Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 24
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Z51 brakes
I am being told that any C7 brake system beyond the basic Coupe will wear out quickly and be costly to repair, that only the Coupe is appropriate for being a daily driver (in terms of the brake system). fact or fiction? thanks -
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 24
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the local dealer says the Z06 with ceramic disks (for example) wears out quickly and is $$ to repair.. So where I get lost is with the upgrades between the Coupe and the Z06, such as Z51 and Grand Sport.. do bigger wheels always come with the more fragile brake system? all nonsense? I want a C7 with the intention of DRIVING it, not just saturday afternoons.. I'm 62 and have waited a long time to get my first Corvette and as I say I plan to drive the thing.. can't afford to screw this up - I want to get the car I want and be able to drive it w/o worrying about anything beyond normal maintenance. thanks for your patience
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,726
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From: Montoursville Pa
the local dealer says the Z06 with ceramic disks (for example) wears out quickly and is $$ to repair.. So where I get lost is with the upgrades between the Coupe and the Z06, such as Z51 and Grand Sport.. do bigger wheels always come with the more fragile brake system? all nonsense? I want a C7 with the intention of DRIVING it, not just saturday afternoons.. I'm 62 and have waited a long time to get my first Corvette and as I say I plan to drive the thing.. can't afford to screw this up - I want to get the car I want and be able to drive it w/o worrying about anything beyond normal maintenance. thanks for your patience
Thread Starter
Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
Ernie thank you for your helpful and patient answer. I am a motorcycle guy and a pretty good wrench. But I know it's annoying to get simple (maybe naive) questions so I appreciate the helpful answer. As soon as I run into a salesman that seems to really know, I find out that he doesn't... so thanks again -
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2015
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Ok, here you go. I'll attempt to answer your question.
There is NOTHING fragile about the brakes. Not on the base car, not on a Z51, and not on the carbon ceramic brakes.
Brakes are a CONSUMABLE item on a car. How quickly you consume them depends on how you use them.
They are no more expensive to replace than most other high performance cars. The rotors on my frounds BMW Z4 M roadster were $350 each.
The carbon brakes might well last the lifetime of the car if you aren't tracking the **** out of it, even then they will probably last 8-10 track days before losing enough material that they require replacement. You might replace conventional pads and rotors 3 times in that same time frame. I'd expect the brakes on my Z51 (not carbon) to last 50,000 miles or more. (judging by what they looked like at 12,000 miles when I put on the winter wheels and tires.)
There is NOTHING fragile about the brakes. Not on the base car, not on a Z51, and not on the carbon ceramic brakes.
Brakes are a CONSUMABLE item on a car. How quickly you consume them depends on how you use them.
They are no more expensive to replace than most other high performance cars. The rotors on my frounds BMW Z4 M roadster were $350 each.
The carbon brakes might well last the lifetime of the car if you aren't tracking the **** out of it, even then they will probably last 8-10 track days before losing enough material that they require replacement. You might replace conventional pads and rotors 3 times in that same time frame. I'd expect the brakes on my Z51 (not carbon) to last 50,000 miles or more. (judging by what they looked like at 12,000 miles when I put on the winter wheels and tires.)
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