NorCalVette Kid

Hi All,

I just bought new rotors and SS Brake lines. I'm also about to get powder coated calipers. So I need some advice as to which brake pads to get as well as which brake fluid is best. Now my car is a 98 DD and probably wont see any track time. Also I drive my car all year around so there will be some driving in the rain.

Thanks in advance.

racebum

brake fluid, ate typ200, you can get it cheap shipped on amazon, super blue may also still be on ebay. has a great wet boiling point and is similar to motul 600 for less money

pads don't really matter if you don't have any goals. those rotors you have will create dust regardless. slotted always seems to dust more than blanks, probably because of the sweeping of the slots

few popular pads are the stoptech street performance, hawk hps and hawk 5.0

stoptechs are a neat cheap pad. behave similar to an hps with a better heat range for less money...the hps is quieter however

you could probably use parts store ceramics and be happy truth be told. if you don't push the car or have a goal with braking nearly anything works

Cybermind

Oh boy now you've done it! Asking what brake pad to get is like asking what engine oil to use.

For a street driven car, I like ceramic formulations simply for the "low-dust" aspect. I'm sure alot of members will soon chime in with recommendations. But, bottom line is that you would have to be extremely unlucky to end up with really bad brake pads. Most are of decent quality these days. Just my two cents.

pewter99

POSI QUIETS....work great...low dust

4XLR8N

I use my car for spirited street driving, no track...

Went with Powerslot slotted rotors, Hawk HPS pads and AMSOIL Series 500 DOT-3 brake fluid.

The pads dust a bit, but not bad - I've treated my wheels with Rejex so wiping them down is easy.

DOT-3 is a better fluid choice for a street driven car IMO as it is less prone to water absorption than DOT-4 brake fluid.

Cybermind

Huh? I never heard that one before. The only difference between the two is DOT-4 has a higher boiling point.

I never heard or read anything that shows DOT-4 is more hygroscopic than DOT-3.

4XLR8N

http://www.stoptech.com/technical-su...rs/brake-fluid

From the DOT 4 Section...

DOT 4 is the grade applicable to most race engineered brake fluid in the world today, especially with regard to viscosity limit. Note that although the DOT 4 designation has a minimum dry and wet boiling point, a DOT 4 racing brake fluid may have a dry boiling point over 600F. Its viscosity is challenged, however, to be under the viscosity limit of 1,800 mm2/sec. Some claimed racing brake fluids exceed this important limit. Caution should be exercised if these fluids are used in race cars with ABS systems. This does not mean that DOT 4 fluids are necessarily better than DOT 3 fluids. Remember, the boiling points listed are minimums. There are certain DOT 3 fluids with higher boiling points than some DOT 4 fluids. The real differentiating factor is that DOT 4 fluid should be changed more often than a DOT 3 fluid, because of the effects and rates of water absorption.

Cybermind

It's not as simple as Stop-Tech make it out to be. There are numerous other factors involved. Even if Dot-4 were to absorb water faster, it has a higher tolerance to it and more corrosion inhibitors, therefore is a better fluid in the long term. Here is a very thorough and interesting article on brake fluids. It's a long read, but quite informative.

http://www.mossmotors.com/SiteGraphi...luid_long.html

PS: I realize that this article was written for owners of classic British cars, but the facts and science is applicable to all.

Adam@Amp'dAutosport.com

For a high quality brake pad that is 100% non corrosive, will not harm your wheels or paint but, still performs look at the Carbotech 1521 pad below. I will be happy to help you let me know.

Carbotech™ Bobcat 1521™ The Carbotech Bobcat 1521™ is our high performance street compound that is our most successful compound. The Bobcat compound is known for its awesome release and modulation, along with unmatched rotor friendliness. Like our AX™ & XP™ line of compounds, Bobcat 1521™ is a Ceramic based friction material offering minimal rotor damage and non-corrosive dust. Bobcat 1521™ offers outstanding performance, even when cold, low dusting and low noise with an excellent initial bite. This compound’s virtually perfect linear torque production provides incredible braking force without ABS intervention. Bobcat 1521™ operating range starts out at ambient and goes up to 900°F. Bobcat 1521™ is suitable for ALL street cars, perfect for your tow vehicle, police cruiser. The Bobcat 1521™ compound has been found to last two-three times longer than OE pads you can purchase at a dealership or national retailer. That’s one of the beauties of Carbotech Ceramic brake compounds. Bobcat 1521™ is NOT recommended for any track use.

4XLR8N

I certainly am not a scientist/chemist, so I cannot say for certain which is right. In actuality, they both may be right given that the specific chemistry (and propensity to absorb water) likely varies not only by category, but also by brand within the DOT 3 and DOT 4 categories.

As I noted, I used AMSOIL brake fluid. Here is their take on it (for their specific products)...

http://www.amsoil.com/lit/databulletins/g2476.pdf

...under the Applications section it states:

Refer to your owner’s manual regarding the proper change
interval for your brake fluid. If no information is available,
AMSOIL recommends changing DOT 4 brake fluid every two years. DOT 3 brake fluids typically have a longer life span, so
be sure to follow the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended
change interval.

Again, that is specific to their products and may or may not be relevant to other brands.

One thing for sure, you cannot go wrong flushing your brake fluid regularly, no matter what brand you use nor whether it is DOT 3 or DOT 4.

racebum

brake fluid should be changed yearly in a sports car, every two at most. that's a non issue for most of us

bighank

Advance and Autozone are selling brake fluid which says DOT3/DOT4.
It is supposed to mix with existing DOT3 brake fluid.
What gives?

racebum

dot4 is compatible with dot3, dot5 is not

there is a lot of bogus marketing in brake fluid

the two best buys are ate typ200 and motul 600, both come with free shipping on amazon and have very high wet boil points

the typ200 especially is $19 a litre on amazon with free shipping. parts stores want $12.99 for a basic syn fluid these days

typ 200 is 536/374deg dry/wet
motul 600 is 600/421 dry/wet but also 2x the price of ATE
prestone dot 3/4 is 470/284 dry/wet

Darrell98

I went with ZO6 brake pads, from GM Parts House, when I needed front brake pads. Yes they do make a lot of dust but they do stop. I had to brake hard for a deer last night that had the wife screaming but the deer and we survived.

Wicked Weasel

The Z06 pad is a very good pad. I have recommended them for years.

racebum

do you have part numbers? everything defaults to a basic c5 ac delco pad when you google it

i also liked the stock z06 pads for the street

Wicked Weasel

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-v...rts-house.html

Z06 front brake pads – 19181427 – $150.80
2001 – 2003 Z06 rear brake pads – 12530688 – $67.60
2004 Z06 rear brake pads – 19259589 - $94.90

RedZMonte

I did Performance friction pads (Carbon metallic iirc) on my 04 Vette when i did brakes/rotors. Make sure to "Bed In" the pads when you install them. I also did Valvoline DOT3 Synth brake fluid.

Good street pad, minimal dust and no squeaking. I have had Hawk pads on another car in the past... LOTS of dust and squealing all the time.. Drove me banannas. I have heard the Delco Ceramics are good for dust but dont bite in as good as a metallic pad.

PERFORMANCE FRICTION
Part Number.... Description............Position
0731.20...........Carbon Metallic.......Front
0732.20...........Carbon Metallic.......Rear
0731.10...........Z-Rated..................Front
0732.10...........Z-Rated..................Rear

S

racebum

which hawk? they make a multitude of pads

and what you said is the basic idea behind stock z06 pads,. they bite great, have a good heatrange and are quiet as a mouse

NorCalVette Kid

Thanks everyone for all your advice!!

I think I'll go with a DOT3 brake fluid, it definitely needs a flush.

As for the brake pads, I was leaning towards the ACDelco semi metalic pads but The Hawk High Performance Street 5.0 looks interesting. What exactly is the Ferro-Carbon compound? And how is it in the cold/rain? Anyone here have any experience with these?? Thanks~