Looking for feedback from other C6 Z06 owners who have switched to aftermarket brake pads. Do they really live up to the billing about low dust and non-squeal? Shorter stopping distances? Ease of installation? Brands?:patriot:

Looking for feedback from other C6 Z06 owners who have switched to aftermarket brake pads. Do they really live up to the billing about low dust and non-squeal? Shorter stopping distances? Ease of installation? Brands?:patriot:http://www.ctbrakes.com/index.html


1. Carbotech Overview & Philosophy
Carbotech Performance Brakes™ began almost 15 years ago. In the beginning we thought like everybody else and made brake compounds out of carbon & iron. The problem with carbon & iron is that when it heats up it forms carbide. Carbide is used in cutting tools, so imagine what that does to your rotors. Along with the fact that those compounds tear up rotors, they also produce very corrosive brake dust. While our competition stills uses carbon & iron as the main ingredients in their compounds, Carbotech started an entire new philosophy almost seven years ago.

Carbotech Performance Brakes™, the world leader in Ceramic friction materials™. It was almost seven years ago that Carbotech started building brake pads out of Ceramic, Kevlar, and Carbon for street, autocross and racing applications. Carbotech is the only brake pad manufacturer in the world with a complete line of Ceramic compounds for street, autocross, and track use. Carbotech-Ceramic™ compounds are known for their unsurpassed release & modulation, while maintaining very consistent torque control characteristics. Carbotech brake pads are extremely rotor friendly and contain 100% non-corrosive brake dust, that’s something that has been unmatched by any other brake pad in the industry.

Our competitor’s brake pads perform like an “on/off” switch. Brake pads that perform like an "on/off" switch are upsetting the balance of the car by violently throwing all that weight forward (not to mention that you don't get any modulation with an "on/off" type of brake pad). You don't realize how much it upsets your car until you have tried Carbotech Performance Brake pads. Carbotech has almost a seven year head start on the competition when it comes to our great philosophy on release & modulation, rotor friendliness, non-corrosive dust, and an unmatched consistent bite.

Carbotech uses advanced friction technology to perfect all of our compounds for the street & track. Research & Development (R&D) is not just a company philosophy; it’s a way of life for Carbotech. In fact, R&D at Carbotech is a 365 days a year job. Continuous improvement is a cornerstone in Carbotech’s solid reputation it has built, because great compounds are not engineered overnight.

You’ll find that no one else in the industry releases new compound formulations like Carbotech consistently does. We don’t believe in finding a good compound and trying to ride it as long as possible. We have a saying around here that is imbedded into every employee’s thought process; it’s called “continuous improvement, with no end in sight”.

We strive in constantly improving our existing compounds as new technologies and materials come to market. In fact, the Bobcat 1521™ compound is arguably our most successful compound, and it continues to gain enormous popularity among the performance industry. But, we didn’t rest on its success. We have just improved the Bobcat 1521™ compound to be even quieter and smoother when applying and releasing the brake pedal while keeping its outstanding performance right on target.

We have just developed another race compound that will exceed the XP12™. This new compound is called XP16™. XP16™ was released in the fall of 2007. Also in the works are a few different endurance compounds that will be suitable for all endurance applications. You will most likely find a Carbotech employee at many Pro, Grassroots, and Track-Day/HPDE events providing customer support and troubleshooting any brake issues (even if it’s not pad related or even if they aren’t Carbotech brake pads).

We don’t just sell you a set of brake pads; we deliver unmatched customer support and technical help. Carbotech Performance Brakes™ are also leading the way with Pro, Grassroots and Track-Day/HPDE groups and drivers. We can help you find the perfect set up for your vehicle by having an entire line up of street and track compounds for your application.

Carbotech Performance Brakes™ allows drives to Go Deep™ into the corners and out brake the competition. Carbotech have won multiple national championships, pro races, and rally races all over the world. Our race compounds start with the letters "XP™" then they are followed by a number. The first number is 8 (XP8™), and as you go up in numbers the initial bite gets much stronger, higher fade resistance, higher torque, better wear rate, and an increase in the temperature range. On that same note, as you go up in our compound numbers you will get more aggressive on the rotors.

Even our XP12™ compound is still very rotor friendly compared to the competition. With all Carbotech compounds you will have to apply a little bit more pedal pressure to get the maximum amount of bite from the brake pads. That's because you have the ability to modulate your pedal with our ceramic/kevlar compounds. That's a huge advantage to any driver, especially a driver who has a good feel for their car. The more you can modulate your brakes the more car control you have under braking. The more control a driver has under braking gives the driver an edge in the braking zone and the first part of a corner. Control which in the end helps you attain faster and more consistent lap times. Go Deep™



2. Why ceramic?
Friction materials have evolved significantly over the years. Brake pads were originally made with organic ingredients such as asbestos and carbon, held together by a strong resin. Asbestos brake linings were used because it was heat-resistant to the intense friction and heat produced in braking. They've gone from asbestos to organic to semi-metallic formulations. Each of these materials has proven to have advantages and disadvantages. Some of those advantages and disadvantages are noise, wear, stopping capability and environmental friendliness. The use of asbestos was eventually banned by the US government. There are still some non-metallic or organic brake pads sold today.

Asbestos pads caused health issues and organic compounds can't always meet a wide range of braking requirements, such as high performance driving. Unfortunately the steel strands used in semi-metallic pads to provide strength and conduct heat away from rotors also generate noise and tend to cut up rotors as well. At Carbotech, we felt this kind of friction materials were not the best solution, and we decided to develop something that was better in performance and better for the entire braking system. That’s when Carbotech decided 14 years ago to take a path not taken by any other brake pad manufacturer.

Friction materials that contain ceramic formulations have become recognized for their desirable blend of traits. Ceramic compounds use copper fibers (amongst other materials) in place of the semi-metallic pad's steel fibers. This allows the ceramic pads to handle higher brake temperatures with less heat fade, and provide faster recovery after the heavy braking.

Another characteristic that makes Carbotech-Ceramic™ materials attractive is the absence of noticeable dust. All brake pads produce dust as they wear. Carbotech-Ceramic™ compound ingredients produce a light colored dust that is much less noticeable and less likely to stick to the wheels. On that same note, all Carbotech compounds produce a 100% non-corrosive dust that can usually be rinsed off with a hose.

Ceramic compounds extend brake life compared to most other semi-metallic and organic materials, and at the same time they outlast other premium pad materials by a significant margin, without compromising in noise control, pad life, and all around braking performance.

Most brake pads sold today are considered semi-metallic, semi-metallic brake pads use brass, copper, and steel wool shavings held together by a resin. Unfortunately the main drawback about the use of steel strands, iron, graphite, and small amounts of filer and friction modifiers (used to provide strength and conduct heat away from the rotors) is that the metal shavings and iron must rub against steel rotors every time the brakes are applied. This can also generates a lot more noise and are a lot more abrasive on the rotors. It also creates corrosive dust that can damage your braking system as well as the paint on your wheels and car.

I'm looking at different pads myself as I'm not really happy with what GM put on these cars. I've been speaking to a few companies and its such a :willy_nilly: to get a straight answer.

Carbotech - Great write up, I'm going to be looking at your web site here, I've looked a few different companies and must have missed you guys. To be honest your write up has my curiousity.

I'm looking at different pads myself as I'm not really happy with what GM put on these cars. I've been speaking to a few companies and its such a :willy_nilly: to get a straight answer.

Carbotech - Great write up, I'm going to be looking at your web site here, I've looked a few different companies and must have missed you guys. To be honest your write up has my curiousity.

please check us out. if you would like to talk to us . you can contact danny or mike jr at 1877-899-5024 they will give you the answers you are looking for.

I have used the Hawk HPS on many cars since it came out. No noise problems,more grip,very little visible dust,no greasy/sticky dust. Hawk also makes trackday and all kinds of race pads.

Carbotech Management

We take you deeper into the corners & across the finish line first.
When you want the control and modulation to take your track-bred car deep into the turns, you need unsurpassed Carbotech brake technology. Going deep before you brake allows you to stay on the accelerator longer going into the corner and even faster coming out.

If you're a professional racer, or if you're taking your street car to the track for club events, Carbotech has the best braking solution. That's why we are becoming the #1 manufacturer of performance brake pads around the world with professional and club racers--everyone who demands the best. At Carbotech, we've been heavily involved in club and professional racing for more than 13 years. We know what you need to win.

Smarter construction.

Only Carbotech uses a proprietary Ceramic and Metallic brake construction, not the carbon and iron used in conventional brake systems. Since carbon and iron combine to form carbide, which is used in cutting tools, you can imagine what those brakes are doing to your rotors.

Carbotech Performance Brakes utilize true race compounds that are "rotor friendly," eliminating the grabbing and locking up that keep so many drivers and race cars from performing at their peak. You want to go deep to gain those precious fractions of a second before you need to brake, and only Carbotech brakes let you do just that. In every turn, all race long.

Custom solutions.

Designed by racers for racers, Carbotech brakes can be specified to meet the needs of your car and driving style. Just give us a call and we can recommend the compounds that will be perfect for your front and rear pads and shoes, assuring that they perform together with optimum effectiveness.

Carbotech Management

We take you deeper into the corners & across the finish line first.
When you want the control and modulation to take your track-bred car deep into the turns, you need unsurpassed Carbotech brake technology. Going deep before you brake allows you to stay on the accelerator longer going into the corner and even faster coming out.

If you're a professional racer, or if you're taking your street car to the track for club events, Carbotech has the best braking solution. That's why we are becoming the #1 manufacturer of performance brake pads around the world with professional and club racers--everyone who demands the best. At Carbotech, we've been heavily involved in club and professional racing for more than 13 years. We know what you need to win.

Smarter construction.

Only Carbotech uses a proprietary Ceramic and Metallic brake construction, not the carbon and iron used in conventional brake systems. Since carbon and iron combine to form carbide, which is used in cutting tools, you can imagine what those brakes are doing to your rotors.

Carbotech Performance Brakes utilize true race compounds that are "rotor friendly," eliminating the grabbing and locking up that keep so many drivers and race cars from performing at their peak. You want to go deep to gain those precious fractions of a second before you need to brake, and only Carbotech brakes let you do just that. In every turn, all race long.

Custom solutions.

Designed by racers for racers, Carbotech brakes can be specified to meet the needs of your car and driving style. Just give us a call and we can recommend the compounds that will be perfect for your front and rear pads and shoes, assuring that they perform together with optimum effectiveness.


You all must be new here, can't say I recall seeing you. Great products you have, I have brother in law that swears by you all. :cheers:

I have a buddy that uses Carbotech and he has been telling me to switch over to them, might do that as he is always talking quite highly of the performance of the pads and the low dust build up.:cheers:

thank you guys for the kind words.:cheers: if anyone has any ? please contact us we will be happy to find a breaking solution for you.