Hey all, I have a 2001 Z06 and one of my rotors is a little warped. I wanted to price out an upgrade and possibly go with that as opposed to just resurfacing what I have, etc.
1. What are the rotor sizes for front and rear?
2. Are there any fairly affordable packages that any of you guys know about?
3. Would doing the brakes on a Z06 differ from doing them on any other car? Is there anything I should know about?
So Hawk Performance has some good stuff then? What's the difference between street / race pads? Just operating temp?
And I don't think my rotors are warped (after reading some post, forget where/what, I think maybe stoptech) but I think I have hot spots so it feels like the brakes are warped... like I broke very hard and turned the car off shortly after (that's what it feels like) So yeah, I'm looking for an upgrade.. So yeah, thanks a ton for the advice!
Go with the Hawk Street pads. You don't want a race pad for the street. The Race pads don't work well cold and that can be a hassle/dangerous on the street. Plus, they are super dusty.
I've had Carbotech pads too. I prefer the Hawks. I thought they were quiet, not too dusty, and less expensive.
I had the same problems with my '01 Z. The front and rear rotors warped when my Z had 19k miles. The dealership resurfaced all four rotors but the same problem occurred when my Z had 32k miles.
Rather than paying for another resurface or risk getting crappy GM rotors again, I decided to get the Baer Eradispeed slotted/crossdrilled rotors and the Hawk HPS pads. What a difference! I have since put 4k miles on these and the braking is phenomenal with very little brake dust. I got the rotors and pads as a package from TByrne at a very good price. They are a supporting vendor of this site. While you're at it, change your brake lines to the Goodrich stainless steel.
I also, had totally warped rotors @ 23k miles. I just did my brakes a few weekends ago. here are the pictures so you can see what they look like installed: http://z06vette.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103648
I got Baer eradispeed 2-piece front and 1-piece rear rotors, hawk performance street pads and goodridge stainless steel lines.
very happy with the results. extremely smooth braking and zero noise.
the whole project was only ~$1100. looks great too. very easy to install with normal hand tools although you might want to use an impact gun as some of my caliper mounting bracket bolts were tough. nothing real special you need to know about installing these brakes. if you decide on this route let me know if you have any questions.
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I also, had totally warped rotors @ 23k miles. I just did my brakes a few weekends ago. here are the pictures so you can see what they look like installed: http://z06vette.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103648
I got Baer eradispeed 2-piece front and 1-piece rear rotors, hawk performance street pads and goodridge stainless steel lines.
very happy with the results. extremely smooth braking and zero noise.
the whole project was only ~$1100. looks great too. very easy to install with normal hand tools although you might want to use an impact gun as some of my caliper mounting bracket bolts were tough. nothing real special you need to know about installing these brakes. if you decide on this route let me know if you have any questions.
I'll definately be looking into this. The amount I hear it helps plus a relatively inexpensive price on it, plus needing a replacement for my rotors with hot spots and/or warping, I need to do something!
While the above mentioned rotor brands are all fine, consider your options carefully versus your intended application(s).
If you are not taking the car on a track for track days or HPDEs, then drilled rotors are just fine and they look great, especially if they have been zinc washed.
If, however, you do intend on going to the "dark side" and tracking the car, then slotted rotors are the way to go as they do not crack like drilled rotors.
So, do a search, get out your note pad, and compare all the brands against your application(s).
After much gnashing of teeth, I finally bit the bullet and ordered via TByrne a set of Wilwood calipers and two-piece rotors front and rear. That was a big step for me and may not at all be what you are considering.
If you do want to go big brake, then you need to consider also whether your caliper piston area is greater than your OEM setup. If so, then you will be in for a bigger brake booster to handle all that additional hydraulic fluid and to preserve your pedal feel.
Resurfacing the stock rotors is a waste of time - NAPA rotors are around $25 each, NEW. NAPA also sells slotted rotors for around $45. Doing the brakes on the Z06 is easy, just like other cars with disk brakes.
Get yourself a set of Mallett stainless steel brake lines. They are a special version of Goodridge Brake Lines that allow the rear suspension to extend without putting a lot of strain on the brake lines. SS lines will give your pedal a more solid feel.
If you just want real good stopping power and don't need the bling of the drilled rotors then go with NAPA rotors and Carbotech pads. I use Carbotech XP10 up front and XP8 in the rear for street driving. These pads are also suitable for moderate road course use.
From the perspective of the street driver, the difference between streetable track pads and street pads is in initial bite. The Carbotechs will require the use of your seatbelt if you stomp on the brakes compared to what you are used to with the stock pads.
Real race pads will work on the street, but they are likely to squeek and generally sound like your car has issues. Ideally they need to be heated more to behave well, but most street drivers would never be able to get these warm enough - maybe in a canyon, maybe.
For what it's worth, I run the $25 NAPA rotors on the track with Carbotech XP12 front, XP10 rear. Sure, the front rotors crack after 2 days, but spending an additional $200 (or more) for rotors that will last 6 days does not make financial sense to me. On the track the rotors see tremendous heat - they are blue after one session.
I agree with the others above that you should carefully consider what your desired effect is before you spend $$$ on brakes. The stock Z06 brakes are actually pretty good for a daily driver and I doubt I'd spend $$$ on a new setup unless I needed the help at the track.
Also like several of the above posters, I've been using NAPA OEM replacement rotors on the track for several years now and would suggest using them if you don't upgrade to something like Stoptech or Wilwood. At $25 a pop, they are nothing more than a consumable to me. As an FYI, my class is limited to OEM rotors and calipers, but we can run ss lines (I use Goodridge), DRM ducts, any fluid (I use Wilwood EXP 600 Plus) and any pad (I use Carbotech XP11 or 12 front and 10 or 11 rear).
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