Brake Pads ~ Brake Dust ~ Grand Sport / Z06
 

The brakes on my 2010 Grand Sport are great but come with one big problem, the huge amount of brake dust. Even a short drive to the store turns the freshly washed chrome wheels dingy red/black, the color of the GS brake dust. BTW, the GS and Z06 have the same brakes.

For the past several days, I have been researching like crazy the various options. Clearly, changing the brake pads is a must do, and soon.

Goal: equal or improved braking, no squeal, minimal to no dust, not harmful on the rotor things, last as long or longer than the OEM brake pads.

Findings:

Ceramic: best for reduced dust and no squeal, but can damage the rotors and have noticeably less performance. OK for normal driving, but not good for frequent spirited street driving. Reasonable cost. Best brands: GM ceramics and Hawks performance ceramics. (some have reported that Hawk ceramics eats the rotors quickly)

Semi-Metallic: about 50% to 80% less dust, minimal to no squeal, tend to wear the rotors more, better performance than ceramic but less than OEM, last a bit longer than the stock organic pads. Acceptable for some mild spirited street driving. Very reasonable cost. Best brand: Centric Posi Quiet Semi-Metallic (many Corvette owners have them and approve)

Ceramic Blend (ceramic / kevlar / metal): also about 50% to 80% less dust, minimal to no squeal, longer rotor life, better performance than OEM and much better than ceramic, last longer than all other pad types. Made for frequent spirited street driving and rally cross. A bit costly (double or more than double than ceramic and semi-metallic, complete set just under $500, not including installation). Best brand: Carbotech Bobcat 1521 (many Corvette owners have them and more than approve). :thumbsup:

My decision: I will purchase the Carbotech Bobcat 1521, one piece type and have the dealer do the installation. The dealer will charge me $99 per axle. With only 1k miles, I don't think my rotors need to be sanded or whatever they do.
However, I'm sure with a bit of "feminine persuasion", I can get the service adviser to reduce the cost a bit. They go all gushy when they sit at the service desk and look down at me to see my cleavage from across the counter. :crazy03:

Once I change the pads, I'll report back on my observations.
Hope this helps some. DTG

I would also look at Hawke Pads. Cost effective, work great, and minimal dust. I changed mine about 1 year ago and no brake fade, squeaks, and minimal wear.

I had the Hawk pads on my previous Vette and had a lot less dust and no noticable difference in performance. If you are not intending to run the GS up to 190 mph and make repeated high speed stops you will be fine! "Occasional spirited driving" will be in the realm of what he Hawk pads are designed for. :thumbsup:

The Carbotechs are a GREAT choice...BUT, I highly recommend having the rotors turned, even at only 1000 miles. The main reason, the difference in the pad materials. You want the Carbotechs to bed-in the rotor properly. Without turning the rotors, you won't achieve a proper bed-in and not have maximum performance. I think you'd like the pads if you don't turn the rotors, but you'll LOVE them if you do. I'm also pretty sure if there is a warranty on the pads, that not turning the rotors will void that. Good luck and enjoy the new pads.

Update: My dealer installed the Carbotech Bobcat once piece pads today. Thus far, my observation is the Bobcats have nicer brake feel than the factory pads. The factory pads brake hard very quickly and allow only a small amount of "modulation" (I learned all about that term recently) while the Bobcats allow for greater modulation but still offer equal, if not better, stopping grip. As for brake dust, it is to early for me to give a final report on that. However, the wheels were dust free after about 15 miles of driving with the new Bobcats. The wheels would already be dusty in that short distance with the factory pads. BTW, no brake squeal from the Bobcats. :thumbsup:

If you coat the wheels with something like Rejex, it would help quite a bit to clean up the brake dust.