321gooo

I’m going to pick up some Power Stop brake pads and have searched the forum but don’t see much on anyone using the Z23 pads for the z06. I have seen stuff saying that the Z26 don’t perform real well at cold temperatures / don’t have a good bite until they warm up. So I’m figuring since I dont track the car and it’s mostly just daily driving and letting her eat once in a while if the z23 pads would be a better option because it seems that they would perform better at lower temperatures than the z26 pads. Thoughts? Anyone with experience? Thanks

gve

They both have the same pad material
Z26 has a SS plate at the backside to help with not transmitting as much heat to the calipers.
Z23 is fine for street use.

321gooo

Yeah I’ve read that, just don’t see any z06 cars running em. 👍🏼At least from what I’ve seen on here.

johnny3

I've put the 23 ones on 2 ZO6 cars & 2 Grand Sports (we're a Corvette family) & like them fine, wheels stay very clean, can't tell any change in stopping performance.

dennismur

I put the 23's on my Z06 and they perform just fine. I only put them on the front and left the stock pads on the rear. Brake dust on the front is minimal and the stock pads on the rear produce very little. For me, it is not necessrary
to change the rear pads, I paid for the stock pads, why not use them and save the money and labor.

321gooo

Thanks!

321gooo

Interesting.

malexand123

If you plan on doing ANY track activities, do NOT run these pads on track.... Run them on the street and find yourself a good set of track pads and swap back and forth.

321gooo

Safer to go with the z26 then if there’s a chance I may hit a track? Watkins Glen is close to me so I’ve been thinking about it.

Maxpowers

^^^
You don't want to be running these pads on the track. It's not safe. Swap the original brembos back in for that.

malexand123

No. They are unacceptable for the track. 23 and 26 are the same compound. Which is NOT suitable for track conditions.

Find yourself a decent track pad and swap back and forth. It’s a standard practice for those of us who both street and track the same car. The swap process is quite simple and quick.

tzoid9

Powerstop recommended the Z26's for the C7 Z06 when I bought them in 2016 for my then new Z06 and they still recommended them today when I bought them for my new 2018 Z06. As I remember the cost difference between the two pad models (Z23 and Z26) was minimal. Why would you want the Z23's, which I am sure are a very good brake pad, when the slightly more expensive Z26 pads are recommended by the manufacturer?

321gooo

Thanks for the info.

321gooo

Because I’ve read that the z26 cold / warm performance isn’t that great.

tzoid9

Oh, really? Now where in the world did you read that? I've run the Powerstop Z26 brakes on 3 cars now and never experienced the problem you are stating. Now just think about what you are hearing....does it make sense? The difference between the two brakes is the metal backing plate on the Z26, as has already been stated. The Z26 brakes are a step up from the Z23 brakes, per the manufacturer. Looking at these two models, the Z23 and the Z26, the braking on the Z26 is inferior to the Z23 in cold and warm performance? Some idiot wrote that, it is complete BS! But, if you believe it, suit yourself and buy whatever you want, it's your money.

flying_vette

As others have said, these powerstops are not meant for track use so make sure you swap them.

Also, powerstop has less initial 'bite' compared to stock ones so be careful initially for a few days.

blackbirdws6

Z26's installed last week. So far I'm very pleased with them. Nice and quiet, very very minimal if any dust. I will swap the stock pads back when I hit the track as they work just fine for what I'm doing.

mig1980

I run the Z23 pads and have been for the last year. Great pads overall. No complaints.

I also completely agree with others...these are not track pads.

Operations

My observations
In my old 2017 Z06 yellow track car I ran the 9668 372mm front, 9661 355mm rear for 5-6 years, my current 2019 GS with CCB calipers, iron Girodisc rotors, with Brembo race pads, stops ridiculously harder, and I don't get the ice mode hard brake pedal like I got on the Yellow car.
The CCB pad size is huge compared to the AP's

There were other differences in the cars, the yellow Z06 was a non Z07, whereas the GS is a Z07. The Z06 was 200lbs heaver then the GS and made 150 or so more HP, but also made a lot more heat.
What I don't like is the Girodisc rotors are that they are stupid heavy, i'm sure this really impacts the cars performance, on the other hand breaking feels so much better.

I'm wondering if it is a wash going one way or the other.
I think this would be worth a back to back test, to set this up would be costly and a lot of effort to create the test envelope where the results would be definitive.

If I were a betting man I would put my money on the AP setup being a slight advantage in the hands of a well seasoned driver (they usually have low % break use)

Just spitballing here