Z06/Grand Sport Corvette Brake Pads
In 2005 Corvette was having a great year. The new Corvette was selling well and it was the first year of the new body style and it was hot, yet better things were brewing for the Corvette. At the end of the 2005 model year the new 2006 models were being shown off and the rumors of a new Z06 were confirmed. Among the many great options on the C6 Z06 Corvette was the addition of brake padlets, which allow each piston to have its own brake pad. There were a total of 12 padlets in the front and 8 in the rear. This design came from the world of F1 and had never been on a production road car. These came with mixed feelings, but they have proved to be very effective.
Another first for the Corvette, which had not occurred since 1982 was that the Corvette used opposing pistons vs. a single side piston. Opposing pistons means that you have a piston on each side of the rotor vs the 1984-2004 style that only had pistons on the inboard side and the caliper slides to pinch the pads against the rotors. Part of the reason for the padlets was to give multiple leading edges vs. just two on the single pad design.
The new brakes were not well received by some, GM taunted the car as basically a street legal race car. There were some who thought you should be able to take it straight to the track as it sat on the showroom floor. For the most part you could, but you would quickly find the limitations of the brakes. However, the problem was not the brakes themselves, it was the pad compound that was the issue. When the proper compound brake pad was chosen the brakes would perform extremely well. The only downfall of the new design was the pins that held the pads in place. The pins themselves were fine, but finding a new pin(s) was a challenge. In order to get new Corvette brake pad pins you had to buy a new brake caliper.
Zip Corvette is proud to announce the addition of the OEM AC Delco C6 Corvette Brake Pads with all new pins. It is always recommended to change the pins when replacing the pads, it is not always required but the pins do wear and it is a sure fire way to keep everything in proper working order. Zip Corvette has a wide variety of brake pads from some of the best companies out there like Cobalt, Hawk and Carbotech and compounds ranging from street pads with little dusting to full on race pads that will require a harness system to keep you from imprinting your face into your windshield. Zip is also a dealer for Corvette Racing Brake Caliper Pins. These pins have a 10mm socket head on them instead of the factory torx or 6mm hex head. This will insure that your brake caliper pins will come out every time.
If you have a standard C6 or even a C5, and you would like to upgrade your Corvette’s brakes, then Zip has an answer for you. Zip Corvette has put together an exclusive Z06 Corvette Brake Upgrade Kit. It includes new GM Z06 brake calipers front and rear, Zip’s two piece Coleman rotors with park brake capability, new stainless brake lines and a complete set of AC Delco brake padlets with retaining pins. Please note you will not be able to install this brake kit using stock Corvette wheels. Zip is an authorized dealer for Forgeline Wheels and CCW Wheels and will be happy to quote a package deal to get your Corvette braking just as well as a new C6 Z06.
Cobalt Corvette Brake Pads
Cobalt Friction Technologies Inc. is a leading developer and manufacturer of high performance brake friction compounds for professional motorsports and club racing applications. The uncompromising performance and quality of Cobalt Friction Brake Pads, along with their industry leading support and product knowledge, is the reason for their broad and continually expanding customer base in professional motorsports, club racing, and high performance driver education programs. From street and autocross to the highest levels of motorsport competition, Cobalt Friction has a solution to meet your exact performance requirements.
We now have some of Cobalt’s most popular C4, C5 & C6 Corvette Brake Pads available. The highly sought after Cobalt Friction brake pad compounds include their CSR, XR1 & XR2 compounds.
The Cobalt Friction Club Sport R (CSR) Corvette Brake Pads set new levels of performance for the competitive autocross and/or HPDE participant. As compared to competing products the Cobalt Friction CSR Corvette brake pad compound provides a stronger initial bite, higher average torque and improved disc/pad wear. While the Cobalt Friction CSR can be driven on the street to and from events, it is not designed as a replacement for OEM street pads.
Cobalt Friction CSR Corvette Brake Pad Characteristics:
- Temperature Range: 50-1000°F (10-538°C)
- Initial Bite/Attack: Strong
- Torque Level & Ramp Rate: Medium + Medium Ramp
- Modulation: Excellent
- Release: Excellent
- Consistency (across temp. range): Excellent
- Consistency (throughout pad depth): Excellent
- Pad Wear & Finish: Excellent
- Disc Wear & Finish: Excellent
The Cobalt Friction XR1 Corvette Brake Pads combine a very aggressive initial bite/attack and high sustained torque levels with good modulation/threshold control and release characteristics to deliver unparalleled deceleration rates across a broad range of operating conditions. Cobalt Friction’s proprietary Thermo-Velocity Design Profile yields unmatched consistency and torque stability across an extremely broad temperature range, throughout the life of the brake pad material.
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Many customers call us and complain about having squeaky brakes. Though some instances may call for a much more in-depth solution, often times the problem is a set of loose, vibrating brake pads. Now available from Zip Corvette for all 1965-1982 Corvettes is an anti-squeak brake pad shim kit. The shims are made of a long lasting plastic designed to stabilize the Corvette’s Brake Pads inside the caliper eliminating any noise or vibration. Each kit includes 8 plastic shims, which is enough to quiet every pad on any 65-82 Corvette.
Corvette Brake Pad Shim Kit
To install the shims without removing the pads from the brake caliper just rock the pad up and down while they are still inside the caliper. Slide the plastic shim down the trailing edge of each pad as far as possible and trim any excess from the top. The kit is designed to have one shim installed on each inner and outer brake pad on the Corvette. If vibration or noise persists you can move the shim from one edge to the other, or, place a shim on both edges of each brake pad. One way or the other, this simple brake pad shim kit from Zip could be a simple solution to a noisy set of brakes.
As with most vehicles, stock Corvette Brake Pads can only handle a certain amount of overall performance. Once you start upgrading your Corvette or if you have the already powerful Z06, chances are your brake system has plenty of room for improvement. One of the quickest ways to step up your Corvette’s braking abilities is to add performance brake pads from Carbotech. Unlike conventional brake systems that use carbon and iron, Carbotech uses ceramic and metallic compounds, which are much more “rotor friendly”.
Zip Corvette carries Carbotech Brake Pads for every C4, C5, & C6 Corvette including the Z06. With many different brake pad compounds available for both street and track use, be sure you are getting the right brake pads for your Corvette. Here are the popular Carbotech Corvette Brake Pad compounds available from Zip Corvette Parts:
XP8 Corvette Brake Pads
The XP8 is a high torque brake compound with a wide operating temperature range (200F-1350F). Carbotech XP8 is the first of their racing compounds. The compound has outstanding initial bite at race temperatures, a high coefficient of friction, and excellent modulation and release characteristics. It has extremely high fade resistance and is rotor friendly with 100% non-corrosive dust. XP8 is perfect for novice, intermediate and advanced track day (HPDE) use with any tire, and can still be driven safely to and from the track. Many people use the XP8 on the street or at autocross and track day (HPDE) events. Carbotech does NOT recommended XP8 as a daily driven street pad due to elevated levels of dust and noise. This brake pad compound is available for C5 and C6 Corvettes.
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For all C4 road racers looking to upgrade your Corvette’s Brake System, Wilwood has produced some of the best big brake kits on the market. Each kit is equipped with Billet Superlite 6 piston brake calipers in red or black, BP-10 brake pads, machined aluminum hats, 13″ 2-piece SRP or GT brake rotors, and Wilwood stainless steel brake hoses.
C4 Corvette Wilwood Brake Kit
Every part that comes in any Wilwood Brake Package is a performance upgrade from the factory brake system and here is why: The Billet Superlite 6 piston Corvette Brake Calipers feature a fully CNC machined billet body with closed end bridges and a reinforced bridge to body transition. Center bridge body bolts provide additional strength and positive retention of the Corvette’s Brake Pads. These elements combine as an ultra-rigid body that resists separation and deflection under high load. The SL6 brake calipers generate high clamping force and balanced pad loading from a race-proven differential bore six-piston configuration. Staggered piston sizes distribute pressure to compensate for the natural variances in temperature, load, and wear rate that occur over the length of the pad. Therefore, the Corvette Brake Pad life is extended and performance is measurably improved. Stainless steel pistons are used for their low heat transfer properties and resistance to corrosion. Stainless steel bridge wear plates eliminate pad gouging and extend the service life of the caliper. The spring-loaded action of the SRS plates also eliminates brake pad rattle and dampens the vibration harmonics that contribute to brake pad squeal. Fluid tubes are dampened to eliminate vibration stress and recess mounted for protection from track debris. SL6 Corvette Brake Calipers comes with optional black or red anodized finish.
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