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brake dust

5K views 11 replies 5 participants last post by  c6vette 
#1 ·
Hey you GS/ZO6 guys,how do you deal with the excessive amount of brake dust on your wheels. When I brought my GS home ,the first thing I did was pull the wheels off and clean them and wax the back spaceing thinking it would be easier to clean ,NOT!
 
#2 ·
My rims have polished lips. Coated them with POR-15.
Also I switched to lower dust (and quieter) pads.
 
#4 ·
You cannot completely eliminate brake dust. However, you can minimize it by changing the OEM pads to Ceramic pads. I have chrome OEM wheels and thats what I did. A couple of months ago I found a product called "Auto-Sol". It is a metal polish that puts a protective coat on the wheels as it polishes them. All I do now is hose the wheels down when I wash my vert and they come absolutely clean and the water sheets off. Amazing product.....I also use it my SS exhaust tips which I polished to a amazing shine.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Good info! I'm getting ready to do a z51 brake upgrade and was pondering what pads I should use. How well do the ceramic pads perform, and are they quiet?

From what I understand, the c6 + c6 z51 calipers are the same, but the brackets are different. I'm getting ready to upgrade to c6 z51 brakes all around, and i figure if I can use the same calipers, then I'll only need to buy the c6 z51 rotors + brackets.




Thanks!
 
#8 ·
Good info! I'm getting ready to do a z51 brake upgrade and was pondering what pads I should use. How well do the ceramic pads perform, and are they quiet?

From what I understand, the c6 + c6 z51 calipers are the same, but the brackets are different. I'm getting ready to upgrade to c6 z51 brakes all around, and i figure if I can use the same calipers, then I'll only need to buy the c6 z51 rotors + brackets.

I have the F55 suspension. Which is different than both the base and z 51 especially with the brakes. I didn't notice ANY difference braking with the Ceramic vs the OEM pads. Some say, if you race (road course) do not use Ceramic pads. All I was concerned with was the dust and the Ceramic pads certainly do cut it down by at least 80%. My pads squeak a little when I first put them on, even though, I used the bedding system that they talked about on the forums. The squeak is gone now. Remember, the brake dust can do damage to your wheels if left on. You are still going to have to clean them but with the ceramic pads it won't be as hard. Good Luck
I have the F55 suspension as well. I didn't think the brakes had anything to do with the suspension, so that's another variable that I'll have to look into. I don't road race, so I'll go with the ceramic. I've been talking with the guys at TPS and I'm sure they'll get me what I need, if not, I'll check with the local dealer.

Thanks!:thumbsup3:
 
#7 ·

I've had good luck using this.
 
#9 ·
You're not really going to gain any stopping power with with the Z51 upgrade. The base C6 brakes are capable of locking up the wheels and will haul the car down to a stop from 80 mph just as well as bigger brakes. Better brakes allow you to do repeated stops without fade because they dissipate more heat. The Z51 upgrade is mostly cosmetic. Any gain from heat dissipation that the Z51 rotors might give you will be pissed away with ceramic pads, as they will suffer heat failure pretty quickly. That's why there is the "no road race" warning with them.

I have the bobcat ceramics. They dust less and the dust color is lighter.
 
#10 ·
After finding out that the f55 front rotors are just a bit smaller than the z51's, I thought the same things as well with regards to stopping power. As you mentioned they're also for cosmetic reasons as well. The front isn't so bad, but man, those rear rotors look so puny lol! The prices isn't bad either, found a z51 kit (rotors & brackets) on partstaxi for 519.00. I'll be keeping my stock calipers. I'm going to have the calipers and brackets powdercoated Red.

As for the pads, Mike at TPS said that the Hawk's pad bite pretty good with low dust. What's your take?
 
#11 · (Edited)
I've hawk pads on other cars, but not the ceramics so I can't say. I use Carbotech's pads and dust and noise improved over stock. The car stops fine, but I have not taken on a course with repeated braking from high speed to see when they start to fade.

You have a lot of power and the ability to get to ubber fast speeds quickly. I'd really think about good brakes. With your upcoming mods, you can be at 150 mph in the time and space that a stock C6 would probably only achieve 120 mph. That's a huge difference in kentic energy that the brakes have to deal with. I don't know how often you get to those speeds, but your power will far exceeds your brakes on the top end. Let's face it, you're not running drag radials so you spin like crazy off the line now and will be able to break the tires loose to 70 - 80 mph unless you run a good r-compound tire. That means when you decide to flex your beast's muscle, its going to be in the triple digit speeds.

The Z51 rotors have been known to crack from heat on track days by plenty of people. I've also seen them cracked from a single stop from over 180 mph (not that you exceed the speed limit on public roads). This is typically the front rotors, where you are running a smallish rotor. Even upgrading to the Z06 brakes are bit inadequate for you. Depending up time and budget, you need to look at a real aftermarket solution and front tires with some bite too.

Sorry if this comes off a little too preachy. You have enough occupational hazard, so your car does not need to add to your risks. :patriot:
 
#12 ·
No problem at all, I enjoy learning...that's why I'm here. :thumbsup3:

As for tires, I'm running KUHMO ECSTA XS's. Super good DR with lots of grip,..especially on hot summer days. They're suprisingly good in the rain too..up to about 60 mph.

I like my stock wheels, but most of the aftermarket brakes that I've looked at don't fit with the stock wheels. I'll check with the shop that's doing the work and see what ideas they have. They do excellent work and the guys really know their stuff. :thumbsup3:
 
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