C7 brake pads, rim question for HDPE
 

Winter is beginning to wrap up here in California so its time to get ready for some track days.

I just picked up a 16 C7 Z51. great car.

I usually do about 4 HDPE's each year in Norcal. I have about a dozen days under my belt. I am not a novice but no where near advanced either. :D

Just wondering what people do with their brake pads in a similar situation? Got any pad recommendations for my situation? Do you guys swap out the track pads when you get home? Or run some performance street pads all the time?

I daily drive it but its not my only car so downtime is Ok. I can change the pads if need be just prefer to do it at home. I have truck and trailer too.

I used some Hawk HPS pads on my last car (CTSV) but was not sure if they were the right choice for that car.

Also was looking for Rim and tire recommedations for the track. I want to buy a second set with probably R-comps to start. I was thinking about 18's but nothing is written in stone. I saw the thread on the C5 Z06 OE style rims.

Also anyone got any links to alignment recommendations? Saw a great one for C5

There is alot of great info here for C6 & C5 but less for C7. I was getting a C5 until I wandered into the dealership :D:D. Had the C5 figured out. C7 not so much.

Thanks in advance

I've run Carbotech pads in my Corvettes and Cobalt for years, XP10 are fine if you are on street tires. I haven't ordered pads for the C7 yet, won't be on the track until July, but I generally change pads a day or so prior to the event, drive to and from with them and change out when I'm home. It's worked fine with my C5, C6 Z06 and my Cobalt Turbo SS. Since you are supposed to put those rings on your front wheels for track with the C7 and take them off for street, you'll be in there anyway. I'll probably pickup some real solid rotors for the car and dump the ring business.

Pad choice will depend on your tire and at your skill level I don't think I would go to an R comp tire yet but that's up to you. As far as pads I would suggest you look at Carbotech brake pads they have a number of compounds for street and track. I would use the 1521's for street and switch to XP series for track depending on tire if R comp I would run XP20 front XP12 rear. The beauty of carbotech's compounds is they are all compatible with each other so, you can use the same rotor for street and track just swap pads and go. If you are interested in the Carbotech pads I will be happy to help you.

Carbotech™ 1521™

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.

Carbotech™ XP20™

The latest iteration of the highly successful XP™ series of compounds. XP20™ is a step up from the highly successful XP16™ compound. With an extremely aggressive initial bite, linear torque curve and excellent fade resistance the XP20™ is another major step in progression of the highly successful XP™ series line of compounds from Carbotech™. XP20™ has a temperature range of 275°F to 2000°F+ (135°C to 1093°C+). Carbotech™ XP20™ maintains our tradition of having the outstanding release and modulation that has made all other Carbotech™ compounds so successful. Carbotech™ XP20™ is NOT recommended for use as a daily driven street pad due to possible elevated levels of dust and noise.

Carbotech™ XP12™

Another highly successful XP™ series compound with an excellent initial bite, torque and fade resistance over and above the XP10™ compound. XP12™ has temperature range of 250°F to 1850°F+ (121°C to 1010°C+). The XP12™ has that excellent Carbotech™ release and modulation that has made all other Carbotech™ compounds so successful. The XP12™ is more rotor aggressive than XP10™, but compared to the competition the XP12™ is still very rotor friendly. XP12™ is NOT recommended for use as a daily driven street pad due to possible elevated levels of dust and noise.

http://ctbrakes.com/

I was trying to get the general consensus among users here on whether they swap to track only pads versus running performance street all the time.

Thanks Adam!

As far as tires, I think I was ready for R comps in my old car. But I am going to run street tires until I get used to this Corvette since this car is new me. Once I get the hang of it I will be switching over. That will work out good since I can use up my current tires, Michelin PSS, then change them over after a several track days.

So I guess that means I need to run pads for street tires for a while.

You said XP20/XP12 for R-comps. Does that change for Michelin PSS street tires?

Yes, I suggest going XP12 front XP10 rear with those tires and than grow into the 20 12 set up as you progress with new tires.

XP12 and 10 combo for me. I currently run a Bridgestone re-11 18/19 tire combo. The pads work good for me and a few other C7 and C6 Z06 friends at the track who run pretty good lap times. I swap out my pads and tires for street use to the 1521 and stock MPSS tires. The XP series squeal and dust up to much for my liking in the street.

I have track pads and the OEM pads. During track season I leave the track pads in most of the time, and deal with the noise. OEMs go in during the winter, and during long breaks between track days. However, my car is not a daily driver.

If you're using the brakes like crazy and are seeing 1500 degree temps, hawk DTC 70's are gold. I have a set of DTC 30's that I'll be using for auto crosses and short time trials. They're good up to 1300 degrees and work at ambient temp. These will work for most. Heavy tracking I use DTC 60's or DTC 70's. They are reliable and the initial bite is excellent.

I would recommend having two sets of Rotors and having the appropriate pads burnished onto them. I think the DTC 30's will be my pad 90% of the time with the exception being big courses with prolonged lapping sessions.

Good luck and happy lapping!

I am running 10 track days a year at Sebring and have been changing pads (Cobalt X2) and Rotors (DBA 4000) on my 13 GS for track weekends. The pads have been compatible with Bridgestone RE-11s. Running Carbotech bobcat pads, OE rotors and Michelin PSS for street duty.
Enjoy your C-7!

Thanks for all the takes. :thumbs:

I guess I better start practicing my brake pad changing technique. :D

Plus yesterday I noticed that the C7 comes with DOT3 fluid. Guess I will be changing to DOT4 too.

I better get to ordering some parts!!! I still don't even have the parts yet to jack-up the car in my driveway. :D

I found the following link for the alignment. (item #3)

I have never had a vehicle with a performance alignment before. I may have to run it once without it then again after it is changed to see if I can tell the difference.

Performance Alignment

"Corvette Stingray (with the Z51 Performance Package) wheel
alignment settings should be set as follows for track use
(and returned to normal when high-speed driving has ended):
Front (per corner)
• Caster: +7.0 degrees
• Camber: -2.0 degrees
• Toe: 0.05 degrees toe in
Thrust Angle: 0 degrees
Rear (per corner)
• Caster: 0 degrees
• Camber: -1.7 degrees
• Toe: 0.05 degrees toe in"

When I had 18-19" Bridgestone RE71r's on my car for auto cross and time trials, my last setup was -2.5 in the front and -2.1 in the rear.

I'm going to -2.75 and -2.3 this year. You have to remove the spacers to get that much out of it.

That setup is a good start though. I did several alignment changes throughout the year.