What pads and rotors to use with ls1 calipers.
03-18-2013, 09:53 PM
#1
On The Tree
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Sunnyvale, CA
Posts: 146
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
What pads and rotors to use with ls1 calipers. LONG POST BELOW: 
Summery for lazy people: Best pad rotor combo for no brake hop or fade with ls1 front brakes and lt1 rear brakes. Hps pads vs. stoptech street pads for daily driver that sees canyon roads regularly. What rotors to match or improve the performance with the pads. What rotors wont fade, or warp or crack, and preferably wont rust.
I'm doing an ls1 brake swap on my lt1 that I may or may not keep depending on how I like it because I have been thinking about the cts-v brake swap for some time, but I'm not convinced that it is problem free either.
So anyway, I have narrowed it down to Hawk HPS pads or Stop-tech Street performance pads.
I need the ability to daily drive this thing down the street to school and back every day. I also want to be able to drive aggressively through canyons and back roads. There are plenty of hills around where I live, (bay area) so the types of terrain I will tackle are things like Santa Cruz mountains, highway 9, skyline road, and highway 1. Also Fremont/hayward/livermore and san jose hills are close to me. Anyways the point is that I live in very close proximity to lots of curvy canyon roads that don't have much police. I probably have more hills around me than long flat straights, other than a freeway, which is crawling with police and traffic.
So which pad is the 'Ultimate' all round pad. One that stands up to the duty of track use that doubles as a daily driver. I am currently leaning towards the stoptech street pads because I have heard Kevin @ bmr preach about how great they are. I have also heard the guys at the Noisaic forum swear by them. Nosiac (subaru fourm and all around racing fourm) seem to think the stoptech pads are miles better than the hps pad. But, when I hop on ls1tech everyone seems to swear by hps pads. So, what's the deal with these two? who's the best?
Now, which rotors to compliment these pads? I want something that will hold up the type of driving I do through the back-roads and hills, and still function reliably every single day to school and back. I am pretty much looking for the exact same attributes in the rotor that I am looking for in the pads. I need something that won't fade, wont rust and wont warp. Anything that actually improves braking performance and meets that criteria is a bonus too. I am not really looking to spend a lot of money on rotors by themselves unless I know for sure they will last a long time and offer kick *** performance. If there isn't anything out there that can do this then I would probably just get something that I can replace under warranty. But honestly, being a daily driver that seems some back-roads I don't want to be bothered with changing the rotors out all the time. I would literately have to be able to drive the car every single day with no down time monday through sunday because between school and work there is rarely a day when I am not required to drive anywhere.
Lastly, I have lt1 rear end with lt1 rear brakes, but I have an ls1 rear end complete in my driveway collecting rust. Is it worth the trouble to swap rear ends just for the ls1 rear brakes? Or should I just get a good pad/rotor for the lt1 rears and call it good enough. I don't want brake hop anyway so I think I will just keep the lt1 rear brakes unless somebody can give me a really good reason not too.
Lastly, should I match the pads front and rear, like stoptech street pads front (ls1 brakes) and stoptech street rears (lt1 rears) or run something less, like stoptech fronts with hawk ceramics in rear? or just what rear pad in general. I have no idea what pad to use to reduce fade but not induce brake hop or have to much rear brake bias.
Summery for lazy people: Best pad rotor combo for no brake hop or fade with ls1 front brakes and lt1 rear brakes. Hps pads vs. stoptech street pads for daily driver that sees canyon roads regularly. What rotors to match or improve the performance with the pads. What rotors wont fade, or warp or crack, and preferably wont rust.
I'm doing an ls1 brake swap on my lt1 that I may or may not keep depending on how I like it because I have been thinking about the cts-v brake swap for some time, but I'm not convinced that it is problem free either.
So anyway, I have narrowed it down to Hawk HPS pads or Stop-tech Street performance pads.
I need the ability to daily drive this thing down the street to school and back every day. I also want to be able to drive aggressively through canyons and back roads. There are plenty of hills around where I live, (bay area) so the types of terrain I will tackle are things like Santa Cruz mountains, highway 9, skyline road, and highway 1. Also Fremont/hayward/livermore and san jose hills are close to me. Anyways the point is that I live in very close proximity to lots of curvy canyon roads that don't have much police. I probably have more hills around me than long flat straights, other than a freeway, which is crawling with police and traffic.
So which pad is the 'Ultimate' all round pad. One that stands up to the duty of track use that doubles as a daily driver. I am currently leaning towards the stoptech street pads because I have heard Kevin @ bmr preach about how great they are. I have also heard the guys at the Noisaic forum swear by them. Nosiac (subaru fourm and all around racing fourm) seem to think the stoptech pads are miles better than the hps pad. But, when I hop on ls1tech everyone seems to swear by hps pads. So, what's the deal with these two? who's the best?
Now, which rotors to compliment these pads? I want something that will hold up the type of driving I do through the back-roads and hills, and still function reliably every single day to school and back. I am pretty much looking for the exact same attributes in the rotor that I am looking for in the pads. I need something that won't fade, wont rust and wont warp. Anything that actually improves braking performance and meets that criteria is a bonus too. I am not really looking to spend a lot of money on rotors by themselves unless I know for sure they will last a long time and offer kick *** performance. If there isn't anything out there that can do this then I would probably just get something that I can replace under warranty. But honestly, being a daily driver that seems some back-roads I don't want to be bothered with changing the rotors out all the time. I would literately have to be able to drive the car every single day with no down time monday through sunday because between school and work there is rarely a day when I am not required to drive anywhere.
Lastly, I have lt1 rear end with lt1 rear brakes, but I have an ls1 rear end complete in my driveway collecting rust. Is it worth the trouble to swap rear ends just for the ls1 rear brakes? Or should I just get a good pad/rotor for the lt1 rears and call it good enough. I don't want brake hop anyway so I think I will just keep the lt1 rear brakes unless somebody can give me a really good reason not too.
Lastly, should I match the pads front and rear, like stoptech street pads front (ls1 brakes) and stoptech street rears (lt1 rears) or run something less, like stoptech fronts with hawk ceramics in rear? or just what rear pad in general. I have no idea what pad to use to reduce fade but not induce brake hop or have to much rear brake bias.
04-06-2013, 12:05 AM
#2
Man you are going to get a lot of opinions on here. I use hawk hps pads and love them.
I have baer eradispeed drilled and slotted rotors on now and I would probably not buy them if I had to again.
I would talk to Sam Strano at Strano Performance and see what he recommends.
I have a lot of his suspension parts and love them. When it comes to suspension and brakes Sam is the man period.
I have baer eradispeed drilled and slotted rotors on now and I would probably not buy them if I had to again.
I would talk to Sam Strano at Strano Performance and see what he recommends.
I have a lot of his suspension parts and love them. When it comes to suspension and brakes Sam is the man period.
04-08-2013, 03:58 PM
#3
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (11)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: fort walton beach,fl
Posts: 1,954
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hoping for same info and part #'s as I was going to post a nearly identical thread.. HPS or EBC pads or? I also have ls1 front end and lt1 rear..
Going with Brake Motive rotors .
Subscribing .
Going with Brake Motive rotors .
Subscribing .
04-08-2013, 04:35 PM
#4
I have EBC directional 1998-2002 f-body rotors and EBC Yellow brake pads on the back of my car, and Wilwood 12" Dynalites w/ EBC Yellow pads on the front. They definately haul it down from high speed. Noted some fade after several 130 to 150-0 stops, but that was probably due to boiling the fluid. 
.
I might be wrong on this, but your hop issue is likely due to needed suspension adjustment or replacement (shocks, springs, arms, tires), not your brakes. My car doesn't suffer from wheel hop, but it is also a different design (leaf suspension) and has aftermarket lowering/handling springs (Global West). Even with the original brakes and k-mart shocks, it never hopped.
Anyway, my 0.02
Btw, highway 1 should be a blast, but make sure your setup is up tp par with the level of agressiveness behind the wheel. There's not much room for error there, especially around Big Sur.
. I might be wrong on this, but your hop issue is likely due to needed suspension adjustment or replacement (shocks, springs, arms, tires), not your brakes. My car doesn't suffer from wheel hop, but it is also a different design (leaf suspension) and has aftermarket lowering/handling springs (Global West). Even with the original brakes and k-mart shocks, it never hopped.
Anyway, my 0.02
Btw, highway 1 should be a blast, but make sure your setup is up tp par with the level of agressiveness behind the wheel. There's not much room for error there, especially around Big Sur.
Last edited by 1981TA; 04-08-2013 at 04:40 PM.
04-08-2013, 05:40 PM
#5
Quote: I have EBC directional 1998-2002 f-body rotors and EBC Yellow brake pads on the back of my car, and Wilwood 12" Dynalites w/ EBC Yellow pads on the front. They definately haul it down from high speed. Noted some fade after several 130 to 150-0 stops, but that was probably due to boiling the fluid.
The pads sound like what I'm looking for. Currently running some parts store ceramics that will fade bad when trying to cut 70 to 100mph off the speedo in a hurry. Does the kevlar bite good when cold? and are they quiet?
The pads sound like what I'm looking for. Currently running some parts store ceramics that will fade bad when trying to cut 70 to 100mph off the speedo in a hurry. Does the kevlar bite good when cold? and are they quiet?
Trending Topics
04-09-2013, 01:31 AM
#8
just buy a brakemotive rotor/pad combo for a c5 and buy the UMI c5 converision brackets. Im not sure if youll need extended brake lines to make c5 brakes fit a lt1 though. Someone might be able to chime in there.
04-10-2013, 12:51 PM
#10
As someone with extensive autoX, HPDE, and testing experience with nearly every popular pad for these cars...StopTech Street Performance Pads.
I use them every single day on my drive to work in my 2005 GTO and I love them. I suggest them to everyone there is. Got a buddy with an S2000 to use them, a WRX, countless members on LS1tech and LS1gto...they simply work.
StopTech claims FADE FREE BRAKING PERFORMANCE up to 1,500-degrees...to generate that sort of thermal energy you need to either be outrageously fast, have undersized brakes/no cooling, or be comically heavy. Formula 1 cars will reach these rotor temps on a regular basis, but a street car will need to be scootin' good to hit that mark.
All of the factors I mentioned above will contribute to heat. Rotor temps differ largely from caliper temps and fluid temps, so keep that in mind. Hydraulic brake fluid will only reach a fraction of what the rotor face will see, but the pads are right there converting the energy. In my personal experience, I have seen the illustrious Hawk HPS pads fade on an autocross course. This lead me to purchase a set of dedicated autoX pads/rotors with HP-Plus pads. Those suckers flung out some dust like crazy. I wanted a pad that would stop like the HP-Plus, but perform like the quiet HPS pads. The StopTech pads delivered just that. You won't be let down with these pads. You can't be unless you're expecting outrageous braking like a race pad. haha
Simply put, they are the best street pads I've ever used, and I will continue to use them on all of my street performance cars.
- Kevin
I use them every single day on my drive to work in my 2005 GTO and I love them. I suggest them to everyone there is. Got a buddy with an S2000 to use them, a WRX, countless members on LS1tech and LS1gto...they simply work.
StopTech claims FADE FREE BRAKING PERFORMANCE up to 1,500-degrees...to generate that sort of thermal energy you need to either be outrageously fast, have undersized brakes/no cooling, or be comically heavy. Formula 1 cars will reach these rotor temps on a regular basis, but a street car will need to be scootin' good to hit that mark.
All of the factors I mentioned above will contribute to heat. Rotor temps differ largely from caliper temps and fluid temps, so keep that in mind. Hydraulic brake fluid will only reach a fraction of what the rotor face will see, but the pads are right there converting the energy. In my personal experience, I have seen the illustrious Hawk HPS pads fade on an autocross course. This lead me to purchase a set of dedicated autoX pads/rotors with HP-Plus pads. Those suckers flung out some dust like crazy. I wanted a pad that would stop like the HP-Plus, but perform like the quiet HPS pads. The StopTech pads delivered just that. You won't be let down with these pads. You can't be unless you're expecting outrageous braking like a race pad. haha
Simply put, they are the best street pads I've ever used, and I will continue to use them on all of my street performance cars.
- Kevin
Pads and rotars ;D
04-11-2013, 07:00 PM
#12
TECH Fanatic
iTrader: (3)
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: MI
Posts: 1,005
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
As someone with extensive autoX, HPDE, and testing experience with nearly every popular pad for these cars...StopTech Street Performance Pads.
I use them every single day on my drive to work in my 2005 GTO and I love them. I suggest them to everyone there is. Got a buddy with an S2000 to use them, a WRX, countless members on LS1tech and LS1gto...they simply work.
StopTech claims FADE FREE BRAKING PERFORMANCE up to 1,500-degrees...to generate that sort of thermal energy you need to either be outrageously fast, have undersized brakes/no cooling, or be comically heavy. Formula 1 cars will reach these rotor temps on a regular basis, but a street car will need to be scootin' good to hit that mark.
All of the factors I mentioned above will contribute to heat. Rotor temps differ largely from caliper temps and fluid temps, so keep that in mind. Hydraulic brake fluid will only reach a fraction of what the rotor face will see, but the pads are right there converting the energy. In my personal experience, I have seen the illustrious Hawk HPS pads fade on an autocross course. This lead me to purchase a set of dedicated autoX pads/rotors with HP-Plus pads. Those suckers flung out some dust like crazy. I wanted a pad that would stop like the HP-Plus, but perform like the quiet HPS pads. The StopTech pads delivered just that. You won't be let down with these pads. You can't be unless you're expecting outrageous braking like a race pad. haha
Simply put, they are the best street pads I've ever used, and I will continue to use them on all of my street performance cars.
- Kevin
I use them every single day on my drive to work in my 2005 GTO and I love them. I suggest them to everyone there is. Got a buddy with an S2000 to use them, a WRX, countless members on LS1tech and LS1gto...they simply work.
StopTech claims FADE FREE BRAKING PERFORMANCE up to 1,500-degrees...to generate that sort of thermal energy you need to either be outrageously fast, have undersized brakes/no cooling, or be comically heavy. Formula 1 cars will reach these rotor temps on a regular basis, but a street car will need to be scootin' good to hit that mark.
All of the factors I mentioned above will contribute to heat. Rotor temps differ largely from caliper temps and fluid temps, so keep that in mind. Hydraulic brake fluid will only reach a fraction of what the rotor face will see, but the pads are right there converting the energy. In my personal experience, I have seen the illustrious Hawk HPS pads fade on an autocross course. This lead me to purchase a set of dedicated autoX pads/rotors with HP-Plus pads. Those suckers flung out some dust like crazy. I wanted a pad that would stop like the HP-Plus, but perform like the quiet HPS pads. The StopTech pads delivered just that. You won't be let down with these pads. You can't be unless you're expecting outrageous braking like a race pad. haha
Simply put, they are the best street pads I've ever used, and I will continue to use them on all of my street performance cars.
- Kevin
