Goodridge SS Lines....
are very high quality. Are made specifically for racing applications and are used by most F1 teams, Factory sports car teams, touring car and rally car teams in Europe.
The advantages of SS Lines are:
1. Safety - they are armored against exterior damage and internal pressure overload which could cause failure.
2. Won't kink under heavy steering and breaking and suspehsion changes which could cause uneven braking resulting in a spin.
3. Consistent braking pressure. The same pressure each time produces the same result. The amount of expansion changes with temperature and pressure. The external temperatures vary from exahust heat radiation, underhood temps and even pavement heat radiation. The greatest change in heat is internal with fluid temps reaching 600 degrees. This plays havoc in rubber lines. There is a great change in resistance to expansion as the system heats up, the resistance goes down dramatically with rubber lines and the brakes feel mushy. Is it the pads or the lines?. You never really know how much pressure to apply until you do. You must modulate the brakes not only to what the car is doing but to what the brakes are doing as well.
4. SS Lines give you pricise control every time. You can then modulate the brakes better and hence drive the car better and be faster.
5. In ABS systems which the Z06 has you have less "chatter" as the ABS system becomes active. Also on the Z06 the Active handling seems to work better and not as often, as hard and extreme. Believe me I have pushed the car to the limit and spun it a couple of times.
6. You need less input and pedal pressure. This gives you better control. Its better to "surgically" use the brakes rather than being a Gorilla with them. This also means less fatigue.
Why are the Goodridge's better.
1. Quality construction, ie. Race quality.
2. Each and every line is tested at the factory to 3,000 psi.
3. The Braid is a tighter weave than Earl's, Aeroquip or Russels.
4. The kit comes with all hardware, attatchments and line brackets.
5. Each kit is vehicle specific.
6. They are specifically made brake lines not just braided tubing
7. Come internal teflon coated
8. Can be ordered with external coatings and coverings and colors
9. They make a Kevlar Line if you want to go that route.
Some hints if you go that way.
In the Z06 if you go with the SS Lines ($80-100) you should also get quality pads ($300-$400) and use racing fluid. I use AP600. Its boiling point is 600 dry and is somewhat less expensive than Motul or the Castrol Racing fluid. Although Castrol is the best and should be used I think in full race situations I have been told that it is very corrosive to the Corvette System and you my find yourself bying a new master cylinder after a year. I have also been told that you should drain the fluid before winter storage and replace with GM DOT fluid for storage.
When replacing fluid you can't just bleed the system and refill. You must bleed the ABS as well. This requires a Tech II system to do it. Your local Chevy garage has one as do some others around town probably. I had Mallett do mine. For auto cross I use his "Silver" Autocross Carbon Kevlar Pads in the rear and his "Gold" Race Carbon Kevlar Pads in the front. This gives me maximum stopping power for autocross but keeps the rear where it belongs, in the rear.
The Z06 braking system is fantastic but you can improve on it for competition and you should. For less than $600 for pads, fluid, lines and labor you can noticaly improve the system. Now if I could only use those SS lines and cross drilled and slotted rotors I'd be happy.
If you have to use the stock rotors have them cryo treated. This will extend their life, reducing warping and heat cracking.
One further secret. The caliper pistons in the Z06 are Aluminum, This saves weight but also transfers heat to the brake fluid. Remember heat is the enemy here. Doug Rippie has a set of Stainless steel replacement pistons, these work well insulating the caliper from the heat but increases weight. There is another solution. You can have Titanium pistons made for around $500, This solves both problems, weight and insulation from heat. How fast do you want to go and how much money do you have?
If you ever wondered how much heat is built up in a brake system here's an example. I decided I didn't like the color of the stock rotor "hats". I found some high temperature (1,200 degree) red paint to match the calipers. I removed the rotors, masked the braking surface and painted them inside and out. I did this not only for looks but to insulate the wheel bearings from heat shock.
They looked great and everything was fine for 2 weeks. I went to a local autocross, a small, tight, low speed, first gear course. After 3 runs the red 1.200 degree paint on the front rotors had vanished. Vaporized by the heat in 3, 40 second runs. I borrowed an infrared heat gun analyser and the rotors were at 1,700 degrees 5 minutes after the last run!!!!
Just check out those front rotors on the GP cars at night during the 24 hours of Daytona. Red hot and glowing molten orange!!