Z07 brakes vs standard for GS
 

Looking at finalizing GS order.
I will track the car.
Do I need the ceramic brakes or will the standard brakes be enough giving the power level. (assume upgraded pads)

Thoughts and/or experiences please

No.

I have a 2016 Z51. With factory pads and high temp (550 dry BP) racing fluid, the brakes on the track are incredible. Ceramic brakes will not stop the car any faster.

Unless you are a professional racing at LeMans, Ceramic brakes are an extremely expensive novelty.

My rear Z51 brake rotors were recently replaced... $112 each at the dealer.... check out the replacement cost for Ceramic rotors...eeeeks!

Z06 iron brakes are the best choice for track in my opinion. Combined with track/race pads, they do provide amazing bite, and yet will not fade, and also last a long time. Carbon-ceramic brakes, ironically, are better for street use since they never overheat at street use, rotors lasting the life of the car. At the track, however, they will internally start evaporating, which will force you to take them out before every other track day to weigh them on a sensitive scale to see if you hit discard weight (besides the discard thickness). It really is a big hassle for not much of a gain, if any, besides the obvious unsprung weight reduction.

Shame you can't get the Z07 calipers with steel rotors, because enormous heat sink.

There are steel replacement rings available, but even then, would you want to? They'd be way too heavy, and hinder performance. There are narrow annulus rings available, too, which would make more sense, and mitigate the issue a bit.

I like the steel brakes esp with power stop pads for no dust. Stock pads are awful for dust. My ZR1 brakes when coming off on the interstate ramp
after a long drive the brakes are cool first bite is weak cold and they are not the best on the first cold stop. Steel beats the carbon rotors for me.

The Ceramic brakes are great on the track. However, the consumable cost is outrageous. You don't need to weigh the rotors after every event. It is obvious when they are getting close to replacement. Besides weight you can use rotor thickness as a measure. The rotors have a minimum thickness spec on them. My rotors dropped down to a few tenths of a mm above the minimum thickness after my 13th track day. When I weighed them they were a few grams above the minimum weight.

I went through two sets of front pads over the 13 days and one set of rear pads. One set of front pads were Carbotech XP10s and although they cost less I think they accelerated the rotor wear. The C6ZR1 pads are identical to the C7Z07 pads other than the wear sensors and you really don't want to use the wear sensors anyways. Just shorten the wires and short them together and tie them to the frame. The C6 ZR1 pads are about the same price as the XP10s.

In those 13 track days I never overheated the rotors and I dropped my lap time at VIR down to a 2:08 which isn't too shaggy and better than I did with my C6Z.

I don't know about a 2017 but on the 15 model you couldn't get the FE7 suspension without ordering the Z07. This suspension is the best track suspension while it doesn't ride that bad on the street and it holds up to the aero load better than the FE6. Overall the Z07 is the better track car. I just wish the brakes cost less to replace although it looks like there are some alternatives becoming available. Some people seem to be having success with the replacement iron rotors although they are really heavy and affect performance.

Bill

I'm in the same situation. I don't want the ceramic brakes, but do want the FE7 suspension. I also want to get 19" wheels all around so I have more choices with tires. What are the specs for 19" and what brands are made in those sizes?
Are people successfully tracking the C7 Z06 yet? I see a new cooling package from LG Motorsports.

Thanks,

soon to be newbie

Consider this - Spring Mountain Corvette Racing School uses Z51 Vettes and they have the Z51 stock breaks on those cars. You may consider calling them and see what they say about breaks and their experience.

CCW's track wheels (Corsair series) can even fit the CCBs into 18" wheels! Having 18"/18" or 18"/19" (like what I have) would give you more and cheaper options for tires.

X25,

Thanks, that is great news. I have CCWs for my Porsche and like them. The CCW website says they have none yet for the C7. I'm guessing they mean in the stock sizes. Can you be specific as to the size/offset on the 18/19 that you are using?

Thanks,

Sure, CCW TS12 18x10.5 ET52 front, 19x11.5 ET83 rear.

I still find the steel options better for those that track the car a lot. There are far more pad options out there, replacement parts are also a bit less and from tracking the past couple Z06's we have had here....far less issues with the iron setup than the CCB on the Z07.

Either way you need to have the right fluid, pads, and cooling going to them to make any live on track.

In for more discussion.

For a street car or limited track or slow on track...metal seem prudent.
Lower replacement cost, pad choices.

Carbon has less unsprung weight and can take more heat without warping, yes?

Yet, for a street car do carbons work well in the rain or when colder eg short trip, limited braking, traffic/ commute?

I personally love the weight savings and technical/ modern look.
Yet again, rain performance in commute traffic is my main question.

I don't know if you are ever going to see a warped rotor with a carbon...but you understand that isn't like a warped piece of wood right? Warping is generally a pad issue, not a rotor problem.

http://stoptech.com/technical-suppor...nd-other-myths

Also....I have actually seen more heat issues with the carbon brakes on track, at least for longer track sessions with experienced drivers. Yes they are lighter for sure, and you don't have to screw with switching pads out each time you go to the track

Don't buy Magnetic ride, nor the ceramic brakes.

Buy good 2 piece rotors, add front brake cooling, swap pads and fluid obviously.

Add some coilovers.

Ditch the stupid 19/20 wheels of the GS and buy a set of lightweight 18s and have track only tires (Hoosiers!) on them and just keep your stock wheel/ tire set up for street driving or possibly a rain day. Or just get a streetable track tire (i.e. R888) on those new 18s and sell the stock junk.

~ congrats on the new ride!

Unfortunately, GS comes standard with magnetic ride, so there's no choice on that.

Agreed on stock wheels. Besides R888s, which have bad rep due to their inconsistency, you can also get Trofeo Rs, NT01s, even RS-3s in 18"/19" setups. They also go for a good price, so the new wheels would be mostly financed by stock wheels/tires.

This might not matter to you, but you can buy good condition take off Hoosiers all day long here on this forum (race, for sale forum) for about $75 each, but only in 18s. There is a lot of savings going that route.

Otherwise, clearly you already have a solid plan in mind and know what you are doing.

Ok, I'm hijacking the thread, but I think I can get some suggestions.

I retired my 911 racer, and bought a 1016 Z51. I love the car, but find the MPSS tires to be too much a compromise for track.

I just want a predicable set-up that will allow consistent 9/10ths laps. I'm used to Hoosiers on the track.

At this point I'm looking at a second set of track wheels but still have a drive to the track and drive back option.

I think the Michelin Pilot Sport Cut 2 looks like the best tire option for me... I'm not price sensitive... but I do need predictability on track.

I'll need a second set of wheels for these tires. They must fit my stock brakes and fit the MPSC2. Cosmetics/technology not important.

I have until next season... suggestions?

In my experience, MPSC2 tires have been awful. They take time to warm up, at least 2-3 laps before decent traction, and then you have about 3 laps before they start getting greasy. I've also had similar, inconsistent experience with R888s.

In terms of consistency, the best tire I know is the NT01s. They wear like iron (when compared against its competition), yet provide decent traction even at lap 1, and do not overheat unless you're doing something very wrong with your setup. You can have it in 275 / 305 or 275 / 325 sizes at 18"/19".

Another very good tire is Trofeo R. I went through two sets of it on my Camaro, and they provided very consistent peformance until they corded. They have a much shorter life, though, and I needee decent camber to make most out of it. Hopefully they would need less camber on Corvettes due to different length control arms. Their traction is better than MPDC2 and NT01. You can have them in 295 / 325 size at 18"/19".

If you want to have only one set of wheels, RE71Rs are also great. They are quiet and work great in rain and for street use, yet transform into serious track tire when warm at at the track. They probably have better traction than NT01s, but also much shorter life, despite their 200tw rating (vs. 100 tw of Nittos) during track use.