Mike Jesse

I installed the Z26's on my Z06.

Probably 80% reduction in the brake dust.

Initial braking has been reduced though.

BostonJoel

I bought the Carbotech ceramics from Adam about 3,000 miles ago. No more front brake squeal. I do not track the car but do enjoy not hearing that awful noise. Also enjoy less dust on the chrome wheels. To answer your question: Yes, it is worth it!!!!

coupeguyz51

The benefit is that you will have next to no brake dust on your rims. I recommend Hawk ceramic brake pads. No degradation in stopping distance either.

TXSteveF

Hart1499

I hope some of you will chime in on this to help me out. I just replaced all four brakes on my C7 Grand Sport to Hawk Ceramic. It's an easy install and then went out and seated them as instructed by Hawk. They seem to stop as well as the stock did however I can hear when the pads are pressed up against the rotors on the fronts.. I double checked everything to ensure I put the spring tensioners back as they were and double checked the ft lbs torque on the one center bolt. All good just can not understand why I can hear the slight brushing of the pads when they hit the rotors. At speeds less than twenty I can't hear them. Perhaps this will fade away over time when the new pads get worn in a little more. Any suggestion.. Appreciate any help on this. Thanks..

JerryU

^^^
Few forum reports re Hawk pads. Have talked to folks who have used those and Carbotech and the only comment was they were more off/on versus the linear pedal modulation with Carbotech. Frankly for me that is critical, especially with cold pads as I have locations where I need excellent aggressive stops before I can get the pads warm.

Unlike a sliding caliper disk brake with pistons on one side, which many cars use, that have a pad sliding lightly on the rotor the Grand Sport has opposing 6 piston front calipers. Assuming the caliper piston square "O" rings were not disturbed in the pad swap they should be pulling all 6 pistons per car side slightly back into the caliper and they should not rub.

Have replaced pads 3 times in my C7s! Once in my 2014 Z51 with Carbotech1521 pads and twice in my Grand Sport. The first time with cheap Chinese pads and after 900 miles replaced those with Carbotech 1521 pads for the great cold pad stops I was used to for 3 years in my 2014. None made noise.

I assume you applied a small amount of brake lub on the metal parts of the pad ends that touch and side in the calipers.

Hart1499

Thanks.. yes I did use the lube as directed.. Umm .. I may have to check the o rings to see if they were disturbed.

JerryU

^^^

Not so easy as they are inside the caliper and only accessible in an overhaul.

chucky7

Heck yes !!! Was tired of cleaning my rims from brake dust each time that I took the Z out. Took me about 1 1/2 hours start to finish to change out brakes to powerstops. Time mostly spent on raising the car on a jack that needed fluid. Well well worth it. No more dust. And, I don't notice any difference in stopping from originals.

Do it

Flame Red

Yet another thread on this topic. I went though three sets of pads in an attempt to reduce dust. You cannot eliminate the dust completely. I went from the stock pads where I would clean the wheels, drive it around the block and it would be totally covered. Plus the OEM pads pitted the crapulant paint GM used and I had to get the wheels powder coated at 1k miles.

I tried the expensive Forum Vendor Carbon Tech with the Corevtte Tax and they were not much better as OEM as far as dust was concerned. He will chime in shortly as he does on every single pad thread.Pay him the Tax if you are so inclined.

Now I use the Power Stops. There is still dust, but I can drive it three hundred miles before the dust requires wheel cleaning. They seem to me to be just as good as OEM or expensive Corvette Taxed CarbonTechs for street use.

JerryU

^^^
The only issue I have is your comment "Corvette Tax!" Coming from manufacturing it costs money to make quality anything and brake pads are no exception! Carbotech are about the same price as Hawk and other quality pads! Those quality pads cost the same for all cars NOT just Corvettes. What is different is the very low price for the Chinese pads supplied by the importer PowerStop!

After 3 years and great performance with Carbotech 1521's I tried PowerStop on my new Grand Sport because of the very low price and forum comments. After 900 miles I tossed them because of a somewhat unique requirement I have of needing excellent aggressive stops with cold pads. I replaced them with Carbotech 1521's and have the stopping performance I had for 3 years with my Z51. The PowerStop were low dust and stopped fine when warm/hot. Also I am NOT OCD and only wash my wheels with Carbotech pads when I wash the car. What little dust is there is hard to see and did not pit my black OEM Z51 wheels as did the OEM pads. If I did not clean the OEM pad dust off every ~200 miles it was pitting them as well as also looking bad.

I also had some minor rotor discoloration issue and saw a post by a member where with one year's use they looked terrible. They replaced his pads. I know many are happy with the pads and that is fine. But when I look at having paid only $125 including 6% SC sales tax (Amazon goy ~$118) with free shipping to me - I know Amazon paid UPS something. Amazon also covered their costs and made a profit. PowerStop also paid to ship them to the Amazon warehouse and probably from Oakland CA where they no doubt came by ship. PowerStop covered all their costs and made a profit. Those dock workers and the ship owner don't work for nothing! They were delivered from a fatory in China to a port. After buying the steel, pad materials and processing costs, just how much was left for QA of the materials? I have no idea but it could not be much. From my research, variable iron or copper content in the raw material is probably the cause of the rotor discoloration.

Now I buy a lot of product from China, hard not to. To solve a tripping electrical breaker problem in my house the other day I purchased a digital clamp-on AC ammeter from Harbor freight for $13! Crazy low price but helped solve the issue!. With my many tools and meters had never bought one as the cheapest was ~$100 of more.

Bottom Line - It's NOT Corvette Tax as much as China is putting us out of the manufacturing business! Cheap labor? No way the main cost for brake pads, it's a planned effort IMO! But I'll still buy Harbor Freight tools as I'm not a professional and good enough for my needs!

Note: Seldom quote a Harvard MBA Prof but we can't survive as only a service economy, as one said, "Two tailor's pressing each others paints don't make a viable economy!"

PS: I'm not the only one who has seen the issue stopping with cold PowerStop pads. This is a post from a Forum Member:
Z06NJCF Senior Member
"Initially you will feel that you have to step harder to make them brake the same as OEM. That's because all you know up to that time are the OEM brakes. However, with time, it becomes like muscle memory. Now I just brake like normal and don't even think about it.
But I'll never forget the 1st day I got them installed and I was driving home, I was like "WTF's going on here...I'm gonna end up rear ending somebody" LOL But you get used to them. "

Schazaam

Got my 1521's in the mail yesterday. Gonna swap em out this Monday. Cant wait. Tired of the effin brake dust!!!!!!

Don

Iconic

Well said Jerry. I too have the Carbotech 1521 pads. Good **** ain't cheap and cheap **** ain't good.

iclick

Yep, Z26 here--also 26-86% reduction. I've noticed no issues when cold or hot and am 100% satisfied. For my money I don't care where something is made if the price-function ratio is favorable. Suggesting that inexpensive is synonymous with "cheap" or that price is directly related to quality is not based on reality.

For example I have two HFT torque wrenches that cost $31 for both, and they were more accurate than my $350 Snap-On wrench that I later sold. Moreover, they have a lifetime warranty, and I know of no other wrench including Snap-On that has one. Twelve years later they're still working fine. Cheap? No, inexpensive and functional.

PDQ

Looks to me like you have a base Stingray, no Z51, no Grandsport and no Z06. If that is the case you would gain nothing by changing your pads. I'm very surprised none of the other replies mentioned this! Keep your $ in your pocket.

spinkick

For the street, my cheap powerstop pads have been awesome. I'd swap them for race pads if I did any track time.

I swapped them to keep dust down, otherwise I'd have been happy with oem

juanvaldez

Only if looks is more important than performance.

JerryU

I did in post #12 but I agree, everyone is just anxious to change pads! No need in the base C7!

Italianfox

What does the $20 prebedding do with the purchase

spinkick

Nobody is paying me to win races with race brakes on the street.

If you are honestly dealing with brake fade with power stops on the street, you probably should be on the track or in jail. There is no reduction in stopping distance.