Midnight F-117A

Since I got the car, i've been through (in order):

1. Stock brake pads, stock rotor, they warped, typical GM quailty rotor.

2. Carquest front brake pads and powerslot rotors, pads were ****, prob the shittest one ever used and one of the rotors cracked after the 2nd autox session.

3. Hawk HPS , good front brake pads, dusting is just a lil more than stock but slighty better than stock. Rotors are now Autozone blanks.

4. Hawk HP+ awesome front brake pads, didn't fade from 140 to 70 slam, turned the Autozone blanks into blue burned color. Increased brake noise, people i know in my town were telling me my car sounds like **** b/c they squeaked and made noises under town and low speed driving coniditions. Eventually removed them as it got low and the noise got worse.

5. Albany/Duralast front brake pads from Autozone, decent pads, about same as stock performance, didn't race much and was busy with college.

6. Stock AC delco front brake pads, was tired of excessive dusting from Hawk HP+ because if not cleaned with 2 weeks, they will stick to the wheel and it's a bitch to remove. Rotors now Baer Eradispeed in fronts.

7. Stock AC delco brake pads in rear, stock rear rotors warped, changed out to Brembo blanks rear rotors.

8. Next pads to use in fronts is the Satisfied GranSport 6 Pads

2MuchRiceMakesMeSick

Hummm maybe you shouldnt break so hard...

OnyxY2KSS

well i guess the only thing left is...

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

I've been running Brembo OEM rotors and bendix rotors from carbotech on the rear (www.carbotecheng.com).

I have used Carbotech Panther (front) and Super Street (rear) on my 2000 GTI VR6 (abs could be modulated at 120 mph). Great combo, noisy, dusty, but they stop.

I put Panther Plus pads on all 4 corners of my 2002 Z28. Some noise, lots of dust, 135-0 no fade (3 times, back to back....don't ask....just don't ask).

I put Panther XP pads on the front. With Panther Plus rears, I actually think I lost brake bite, even hot. Then the rears died and I went to stock rear pads and it felt like stock brakes (who says LS1's aren't "rear biased").

Then I put Hawk HP+ on all 4 corners of my Z. They are not even close to the Carbotech pads. 120-80 begins to show fade, the first time. I am trying to kill them so I can change them. They work ok for street use, but I am less than happy with them. They are more rotor friendly than my Carbotechs were....

We put Hawk HPS on a 99 Mustang GT, they seemed better than my hp+. Then we added the Cobra 13" front brake kit and they were even better. But, still not carbotechs...not even close.

Just sharing what I've experienced. If the Hawk HP+ are "good", the the Carbotech Panther Plus are "beyond amazing", it is that different.

I'm buying 4 piston Alcons for the front now. That should fix it.

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

Rotors - OEM, KVR, Aimco, DBA, Wagner(?), Porsche Motorsports
Pads - stock, Durastop, Durastop Gold, KVR, Carbotech Panther, Carbotech Panther Plus, Hawk Blue, PFC 97, Porterfield R4-S, Porsche Motorsports Blacks

For performance F-Body brakes, Carbotech Panther Plus pads felt the best and Aimco rotors lasted the longest.

For street use, OEM pads worked great and Aimco rotors lasted the longest.

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

I agree on the Panther Plus pads. I'm going back to those.

Midnight F-117A

I wish. I can't justify spending nearly 3k (even at cost price costs under $2,500. I know because my bro works in a local auto parts store and gets these prices.)
And the availability of pads doesn't seem easy as going to a auto parts store and picking up a new set.
But the rising fuel prices and I'm almost finished with college, I want to get my own place when I'm done with college and have a job already.

I considered them when this happened:

the &^$^*#&@(*@# driver's side bleeder bolt broke when I rebuilt the calipers.
First I tried the flare wrench, it slips. I took out the vise grips, it slipped even under the hardest locking load. Then I soaked it in penetrating fluid, and hammered a deep socket on it, took a wrench and tried to open it, it broke.

So I got these the next day since I needed the car to go on a long trip:

Corvette ZO6 front calipers.

2MuchRiceMakesMeSick

Man that brimbo break set is expensive. Why 3k for breaks?

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

I have a 4 piston monoblock version of those brakes, made by Brembo for Porsche.

Why you ask?

To freakin' stop and not worry about warping or punting the car in front of you. And after you replace $100 worth of rotors and $200 set of pads a few times, all of a sudden, $3K doesn't sound all that expensive.

I've had the same set of rotors and pads on my car for 11 track weekends ....

VIP1

FYI.
Brakes not Breaks.
Common misspelling. I'm not trying to be an ***. Its just that if you search for info with the wrong spelling, you might not find much info.

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

And "Brembo".

VIP1

Yeah, I missed that one.

mitchntx

iTrader: (14)

I think he meant bimbo

2MuchRiceMakesMeSick

Hahaha yeah. But jack asses aside, anyone know why it cost so much its just BRAKES

trackbird

iTrader: (4)

Brembo machines many of their calipers out of solid aluminum billet. Cutting the bores for the pistons and such is not easy when you can't take the item apart. So, it is a combination of the equipment and technology needed to build calipers the way they do that causes them to be a little more expensive than the others. Add to that the heavier rotor castings they use and the fact that they are not a "stock part" from a vehicle (only Brembo owners typically need these replacement rotors), so they have to build and stock a "low volume" part. That costs money. The reason they build that part is because it does a better job than anything they could find to use from the factory, so they built their own. If you want to be the best, you simply must build the best. If you can't find it, build it, they will pay for it if they need it.

That is the reason (in a nutshell) for the expense.

Hope that helps!

ActionJack

I have had Powerslot rotors and Hawke + pads and loved them.

On this car I have Irotor rotors and Hawke + pads. I like this setup allot.

I have found the Hawke pads to be great at stopping as a daily driver. However, I do have aspirations to take it road racing. When that time comes I hope the Irotors rotors do not crack and from what I have read I want to try these Panthers Plus.

Hopefully, next year I can get to Gingerman and see what my setup does under a bit rougher handling.

roy

With Stock system I went through 12 sets of rotors in the first year and a half. Pads were Stock , Durastop, PF92. Got tired of bandaiding the system So I upgraded .

I upgraded in 99-02 yr with a Porsche GT3 System adapted by Movit Brakes. Brake problems solved from then on for the front. Ive used a variety of Pads on the front. Stock GT3, Pagid rs14, rs44, rs9, Love the rs44 the best.

Igot tired of burning up the rear brakes with the upgrade front system so I went back to Movit and had the 993 GT2 Rear brake system installed. Problem soved again. The pads for the rear were stck GT2 pads, But the best has been the Pagid RS44 all the way around.
Yeah , they are loud when cold , yes they dust unbelievably. But for what I enjoy doing , there great. Plus a bonus isthe quick pad change there is .

For the Military folks on here , If you want a good Deal check out StopTech Fbody brake system. its a steal with the 25% discount .
It uses Brembo Rotors and Brembo Calipers (I don't care what they say , there still Brembo calipers, I help installed a set ona buddies car ) . The kit is complete with everything you need (-) the spacer.

Midnight F-117A

The went on last nite.

Still breaking in the

JimMueller

iTrader: (9)

I've only used Hawk HPS or stock pads, with OEM, PowerSlot, or Brembo blank rotors. Not much into squealing brakes but I could put up with additional dusting so long as it still cleans up easily within a few days and doesn't damage the wheel surface.

I've been considering the Stoptech kit. Can anyone compare/contrast it with the Brembo/Wilwood/Movit systems out there?

98_1LE

iTrader: (17)

Stock pads and rotors - My '98 never warped a rotor, although the did form some slight cracks after being used on a road course a few times. The '01 had a slight wobble when I took them off.

Next was the LG G-Stop kit which is a bracket that allows the use of C5 rotors with F-body pads, and C5 or F-body calipers. Initially I used the F-body calipers, then switched to the Z06 calipers. I used the stock pads for almost 30K miles and a bunch of autox. The DBA drilled and slotted rotors LG provided held up very well also. There are small cracks around the drilled holes, but they are true as can be and have been abused.

I would actually suggest using the G-Stop kit with stock calipers for street, drag, and autox. The F-body calipers have larger pistons. This keeps the brake bias up front for better braking. The C5 calipers are better castings and have more ribs. This makes them less prone to spreading under extreme use (road racing). I have a set of LG G-Stop brackets for sale. PM me if interested.

I have also used a number of rotors with aggressive road race pads like Carbotech Panther XP. A new set of KVR blanks cracked in 2 sessions on a road course. AutoZone rotors (Aimco) held up well. In the C5 size I used AutoZone (Aimco) and NAPA rotors. They last about the same, and the NAPA rotors are half as much at $25 each.

I have always used stock rear pads, although I may try something that will take more heat next time.

Recently I put Porsche 996TT/Brembo brakes on the car. The initial cost is steep, but I think they will pay themselves off compared to what I have been spending on brake parts. Running road courses in a full weight F-body with some horsepower puts a hurting on the brakes. For street I am using Porterfield R4S pads. They are ok, but I am not overwhelmed by them. Performance Friction 01 compound race pads will be on next weekend at Motorsport Ranch.