scarecrowkc5

I never said to lock up the brakes.

I just don't see any evidence to support what you say.

On a funny side note, when I read your posts for some reason I think you are yelling at me. Haha. That's weird, I know. But it's true. Haha.

Detroit Steel

Talk of ceramic brakes over metallic ones seems to have stirred up quite a discussion on the Corvette Forum forums. After sorting through a lot of the comments posted, it all seems to be a matter of preference.

Well, at least to some degree because most seem to agree that ceramic pads make it a whole lot easier to keep those wheels clean as the thread here indicates.

“Just thought I would pass along my experience going from cheap $25 brake pads to $66 ceramic brake pads. No freaking dust build up every time I drive!", posted SFC Rick. “Stops the same, but cleaner rims! That all by itself is worth it.”

Corvette Forum member Mr. Bill added, “I've been using ceramic pads for years, and will replace them with ceramic again.”

“Same for me,” posted Donald 4972. “I recently went to drilled/slotted rotors, and ceramic pads. Love 'em! Great decrease in brake dust. They are quiet and stop just as good. I only wish I'd done it sooner.”

Read the rest on the Corvette Forum homepage.

Mr Russ

Guys,

I'd like to throw in my experience. I'm not here to contradict the experts, just give my own thought on the subject

My son had a 2000 Camaro that I purchased in 2007 when we lived Oregon with 89K miles. The brakes were ok at the time. Lots of work stuff went on during that time and we moved to Arizona. I started to notice that there was a lot shimmy during braking due to rotor warp and poor stopping power.

I purchased new OEM rotors and off the shelf semi-metallic pads for the front. Installed them (had my son do the work for the experience ), found the stopping power still sucked. I had to really stand on the pedal for hard stops. Well that wasn't going to work especially not for a new teenage driver.

I did not know a lot about performance brake products but I was familiar with some brand names. I checked Summit Racing and found the Power Stop kit with drilled/slotted rotors and Evolution ceramic pads. They were affordable so I got the kit for the front and rear. Installed them (again the kid did the work while I supervised). Took it for a drive and it was a TON better. Normal stopping was easy and tight, hard stopping a piece of cake. Hard stopping even then engaged the ABS which did not before.

Not trying to stir up trouble. I respect the advise of the experts and I know more about braking systems now. I do plan on using semi-metalics on my vette as I am happy with it's stopping performance.

Lee DeRaud

A 2000 Camaro (or for that matter any 21st-century car) with OEM rotors and pads that can't brake hard enough to activate the ABS has something seriously wrong with it (e.g. bad booster or a lot of air in the lines), and just swapping pads/rotors should not have fixed it. Didn't bleed the lines properly the first time maybe?

DTV

The Ceramic brake pads are great for low dust.
And if you what low dust than use them.
The other pads will stop the Vette shorter and it may be only 2 feet shorter, but you will have lots of dust. If you like Ceramic pads, it ok with me and it your Vette. I feel with drill and slots rotors will work better with not Ceramic pads. But they do kick out a more dust and I will have to clean the wheels on every car wash and the 2 foot shorter stopping distance I might need some day.

scarecrowkc5

If your corvette can stop in 100' (or less) you are driving about 60 mph.

Mr Russ

No sir, not my first rodeo. The work was done properly both times. It was due to a forum like this one that I discovered the brakes on the Gen 4 F-bodies were poorly designed in the first place.

Lee DeRaud

I'll take your word for it.
But based on that, I'll extend my earlier statement: if a model of car can't brake hard enough to trigger the ABS with stock rotors/pads, it's unsafe on a level that usually makes the network news and generates class-action suits.

STALION

I'm totally with ET on this one. Obviously most of us drive the speed limit so stopping even with ceramic's is not an issue, but try a panic stop then you may be singing a different tune. I have heard some ceramic pads that were said to be as good if not better then OEM but I'm a little skeptical. I recently bought ACT Akebonos that came highly recommended but don't have them on the car yet to compare to my current ceramics. Anyways, like others have said it's a bit of a trade off but I prefer stopping over cleaning my rims

road pilot

I run Wilwood brakes. Polymatrix front and a BP10 rear. Little dust
good braking.

MSG C5

I had a set of GM ceramic pads installed with my original Baer Eradispeed rotors (not the +2) because I bought into the idea of less dust and more performance. I only had about 1500 miles on my original set of OEM semi-metallics, but decided to swap out because I was sold on the fact that ceramics were better.

The first drive out of the shop I noticed that my brakes had a different feel. Not necessarily worse, but different. More of a grinding that I felt through the pedal. I had the shop double-check them and they said it's just the new feel of the ceramics.

Fast forward to now and I am putting together a brake upgrade project where I am switching to the Eradispeed +2 rotors (helps fill in the larger wheel hole of CCW 505As), adding SS braided brake lines, and swapping out my brake pads back to GM AC Delco semi-metallics. Primarily due to feel and the fact that they will not discolor the new Eradispeed rotors as ceramics will/did. Most shops are now pushing Hawk pads, however I'm going with the AC Delco semi-metallics. I don't mind the extra brake dust cleaning as my vert is pretty much a weekend driver and it's a small price to pay to keep the rotors looking good for a long time, per ET's picture proof.

As to the debate on stopping stats, panic stops, etc. I really don't have anything to add expect I like the "feel" of the semi-metallics better.

To each their own. If not, we'd all be driving black Fords.

norcalace

When that kid runs out from between the cars your reaction time will have a lot more effect on your stopping distance than your brake pads ever will.

Evil-Twin

But IM the same person every time I react .. so my reaction time doesn't change... ( your argument makes for thin soup ) I can not react any faster than I can react.
What I can do is make sure the compound I use on my car gives me the best advantage and shortest stopping distance when I do react.. so sometimes the difference between calling your insurance agent when you rear end someone, or stop a foot or two behind the guy in front of you is the difference between ceramics and semi metallic. Same thing if a little kid runs in front of you, reaction time is the same, stopping distance and deceleration is a product of a high frictional brake pad. Ceramics are not high frictional pads, they are hard...

scarecrowkc5

so my reaction time doesn't change

Sure it does, just ask the guys at the drag strip.

The point is that the panic stopping distance is the the same with either brake pad.

Evil Twin you are just "old School" and there is nothing wrong with that.

Vinny 2001

In purely technical terms ET is 100% correct in his statements, I think real world performance may not be so clear cut.

I would like to see comprehensive testing comparing pads on cars in real driving situations, i just have to wonder how much differenced there really as. A C5 is probably not typical of what all cars would see during braking so head to head has to be done on the same test bed.

Also as i read up on them, I think all the ceramic pads I see are compounds with ceramic fibers which will perform differently than a solid ceramic surface.

Evil-Twin

No, I am a Professional automotive design engineer. Physics doesn't change. I may be an Old guy but your sitting in one of the 1/4 million C5's on the planet that I had my hands in. The amazing thing that you can't put your hands around is the simple notion that a high coefficient of friction in a brake compounds effects how quickly the transfer of kinetic energy is absorbed in deceleration in feet per second versa a low coefficient of friction where compound density is directly related to deceleration. I don't know what you do for a living but before I retired from GM, I was teaching 4th and fifth year engineering Co -ops who where hoping to get a job with GM at the GM design center..... I've done this for a living for 40 years. OLd school indeed.

MSG C5

I think the best test would be to rent out a drag strip and have ScarewcrowkC5 and ET perform a side-by-side run up to 70 MPH and then end with a panic stop to compare the stopping power of ceramics vs. semi-metallics.

...and then we all go out for some beers afterwards!

troyguitar

Except even the low friction ceramic pads still have enough stopping power to overwhelm cold street tires, making the pad compound irrelevant in a street panic stop.

Mr.Bill

Evil-Twin

We are not talking multi leavel heat dissipating rotors here. the ones that cost 5000 dollars each that you find on a Bugatti Veyron.. we are talking Buzz words and hype.. Ceramics is a Buzz word used to sell brake pads. its a marketing tool. the amount of ceramic varies by degree of design... Low dusting design gets more ceramic... the ceramic replaces the old and outlawed asbestos use in a Brake compound. If your brakes don't dust, they wont stop as well as a Pad that does dust. There are ceramic pads out there that dusts as much as semi metalics. The amount or the lack of the amount allows them to be called ceramics because everyone thinks that ceramics brakes are a big deal. High degrees of Ceramic content makes the pad hard. discolors the rotor because it takes more force to do the same work as a high frictional pad. you don't feel it in the pedal because the booster is doing all the work. Your rotors feel it. Not only in increased temperature, thermal break down , warp due to internal stress. So what's the down side of a good high frictional brake compound??? They Dust ! It should be a no brainer but for the lazy and the clueless.
And I didn't want to get further involved in this thread...shame on me. I should not care what anyone uses, unfortunately, I do

12 years old and 90,000 miles on these, no heat discoloration, no cracks and no ceramic brake pads will ever touch these rotors..