Rob Willis

HPDEs

Wouldn't mind swapping (if needed) from standard pads when doing HPDEs.

Would you recommend the standard pad that comes on the C6 Z51, or the C5 Z06 pad, or something else?

The C5 Z06 is more aggressive right?

Don't want something that is extremely costly either though.

I'll be using Z06 front brake duct extensions, hose, phoenix spindle ducts, ATE fluid, and stoptech lines with z51 rotors.

Thanks.

Solo2GS

I'd recommend Carbotech XP12 / XP10 (rear) combination.

I have been running their product for years with much success and have been happy with them.

But no matter what brand you go use the right pad for the right job. Something you use on the street is not going to be the right pad for on the track and vice versa.

gkmccready

There's some debate about whether the drilled C6 Z51 rotors hold up well. Personally, I bought new caliper abutements and run the C5/C6 base rotors...

Last C5

AU N EGL

the AC Delco C5 Z06 brake pads are good combo pads.

True race pads ( not to be use on the street )

Wilwood H
Hawk DTC-70 & DTC-60
PFC01 & PFC02
Carbotech XP12 & XP10

jkonkle

If you want to keep those cross-drilled rotors I go with something less agressive like the stock z51 pad.

If you move up to a more agressive pad, you'll overheat the rotors and THEY WILL CRACK. Not they MIGHT crack, they WILL crack.

Option is to move to a two-piece rotor or get the stocker brackets and run the napa rotors. I like the two-piece baer without the slot's or drills. I have had them on for about 80 (10 months) 20-30minute sessions and some street driving - they are toast for the track moving forward. I could wing it, but I'd rather not have it come flying apart when I'm braking at 150 to 120 over a transition into a sweeping left hander at buck-05.

JK

DOUG @ ECS

If your interested we have several sets of willwood pads in stock at great pricing, feel free to call or pm.

FasterIsBetter

A buddy of mine installed solid/slotted rotors on his C6 Z06 with HP Plus pads, and really likes the way they are performing. He totalled a set of the cross-drilled rotors. They didn't just crack, they split! If you are doing a lot of track days and want to use agressive pads, get solid rotors.

I got the Wilwood H pads from ECS for my C5 with the Wilwood upgraded calipers and rotors, and absolutely love them.

vms4evr

One thing you didn't say in your description. What tires are you running?

R compounds if you run real race pads. If you run your street tires then the real race pads are going to put you into ABS hard and you will outrun your tires. BTDT. So if it's street tires then go entry level race pad. I used Carbotech XP8 with my GY Supercars and XP10 or XP12 with Hoosiers and Nitto R2s.

Rob Willis

I'd be running supercars (stock Z51) tires for awhile to begin with.

Looks like the C5 Z06

vms4evr

For my 1st 4 events or so I ran my 02 Z06 bone stock. The Z06 pads worked fine until I started pushing. Then they wouldn't last a full 20-25 minute session. You'll feel it once they start overheating. With the duct work that will help. The rest depends on the track you run and how hard it is on brakes.

I tried the Carbotech XP8 next after installing the DRM ducts. Ran the Supercars and Nitto R2s and they felt good. But rotors started to crack. XP10/XP8 makes a nice combo with about the same abuse on rotors. Now with the Hoosier R6s and XP12/XP10 setup the car just stops and grips great. No drama in the braking zone.

C6400hp

the Hawk HP+ are good for autox and HPDE on street tires and have better bite and slightly higher heat range than the Z06 pads.. Once moving to R compounds on HPDE toss the Hawks, you will need to go to PFC01 (my personal preference) or the Carbotech XP10-12 or one of the other mentioned "race pads"

rudyarias

I ran with the C6 Z51 rotors for two years with no issues at DEs. Road America they held up back to back weekends :-)

C6400hp

And two weekends at TWS and mine are basically toast.

rudyarias

What do you classify as "toast"? I used Wilwood H/CarboTech XP 10 pads on my C6 Z51 brake set up both of my Z06s. The only difference was my One Lap car had the Stainless Steel Brake Corp "Tri Power" Calipers with the DRM/Phoenix brake cooling duct set up in the fronts. Both have front brake air deflectors that I made and installed.

I originally was recommended to go with the bigger Z51 rotor by a close friend who is an engineer at GM and on one of the NurburgRing R&D teams. He told me that they at first were running into heavy warping and rotor failure on the C5s during the initial runs on the Ring. At the suggestion of members of the Porsche R&D team who they made friends with, PBR sent them the cross drilled 13.4 rotor to check out. They held up.

As an experiment, we recently ran both cars with Wilwood H pads hard first at Road America, then at the full 3.25 mile course at the Autobahn CC and finally back at Road America. Both sets of pads on the cars were worn down to about less than 3 mm and both developed "stress" cracks on their rotors early into experiment using the aggressive pads. The Z16 with the OEM PBR caliper without the additional brake "cooling" ducts developed the heaviest cracks on the outer side of the rotors with its inner side unscathed. The Z06 with the SSBC caliper and the DRM/Phoenix brake cooling duct set up created minor cracks on both sides of the rotors. The heavier cracks on both cars did not go through or connect the holes. I went on to keep the same rotors on the Z06 for the 07 One Lap before changing them.

Whether TWS is more brutal on brakes than Road America, that debate is for another day. I'm sold on the C6 Z51 brake rotors on the stock C5 Z06 & C6 for use in "normal" Driving Events. For Time Trials and out right road racing, that in itself is another subject.

I recently replaced the C6 Z51 brake set up with the J56 (C6 Z06) brakes on both of my C5 Z06s. As I will again reiterate, my opinion and experience with the C6 Z51 brake set up is based on use for "normal" Driving Events, not TT and/or road racing. As for pads, the original (2005) OEM C6 Z51 pads were a more aggressive pad than the C5 Z06 pad. GM changed the pad to the C5 Z06 compound in 2006 because of brake "noise" complaints made by the 2005 C6 Z51 owners.

63Corvette

I run PFC-01, but Lou Gigliotti has been pushing Cobalt race pads since Sebring, and he says they are the best pads he has ever used. I'd give him a call at LGM.

C6400hp

If cobalt was paying for my pads I'd be pushing them too.

C6400hp

YOU might leave these on for your car but I dont trust braking from 150 in the texas heat with them.

sothpaw2

Who has the best price on the Hawk HP+ pads??

WNeal

I got 9 w/e outta my Z-51 rotors
Used HP+ pads for about 5 events then switched to Carbotech 12/10

Many cracks which got a bit worse each event.
Just changed them out for safety reasons and already have a few very small cracks in the new ones after 3 events.


Anyone know of solid rotors that will fit the Z-51