So most everyone had a full season of driving so it's time to talk about what worked and what didn't. I'll start with brake pads. I ran the stock pads all year with good result until the last weekend at Spring Mountain when I started to get some not pleasant fade. So time to upgrade to new pads. What did everyone use and how did they work. I am sticking with stock rotors and calipers though.

Travis

I have a 1LE and have used the stock Brembo pads with good results also, but upgraded to the Hawk HT 10's for both front and back with excellent results. I still use my Brembo pads for street and swap out to the Hawks for track days.

After using stock pads at Road Atlanta, and getting fade (long straight with downhill braking to slow corner), I switched to Hawk HPS and sport rotors, which sucked on the track. No fade, but not great stopping..great street pad though, no dust and quiet.

Last time out I switched to Hawk DTC 30 pads in the front (left the HPS in the rear), and they were awesome. Adding a cooling system to the fronts, cause the DTC 30 pads really generate a lot of heat. I switch back to the HPS for the street.

I am going to switch the rears out for HP Plus pads, before the next track day, to take a little pressure of the fronts.

I'm on the stock calipers by the way.

Good feedback so far. Budget is an issue which is the point of the question to a degree. If we all had millions then it would be custom 6 pot calipers all around. I've seen mixed reviews about Hawk. Also looking at CarboTech as they seem to be in the same price range. Switching pads at the track is fine for me but I also want a pad that is not going to destroy (crack it because of the heat, wear is okay) the stock rotor while I am there.

I have heard cabotech are really good pads, but hard on rotors.

Same with Cobalt Friction, heard good things but hell on pads. With my 2010 SS I ran Racing Brake 2-piece rotors with Hawk HP+ at Sebring club course and seemed fine. I did boil my fluid exiting after the last lap of the day and I had pad deposits in the open slot vanes of the rotors. Next time I will have Motul or SRF to avoid the pedal drop. I would like to add the DIY brake ducts as well for $125 to my 1LE when I add stainless braided lines. As for pads for the 1LE I won't to HP+ again, mine were insanely loud on the street so I am leaning toward a track day only pad like Cobalt Friction or CTS-V upgrade with stock pads.

If you feel like reading a long story about trying out different brake pads, see:

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...294470&page=15

In the end I am using Cobalt Friction pads on the track and swapping them out for OEM Brembos for daily driving. Cobalts are awesome. Best of both worlds.

Putting together brake cooling ducts for my January project. I am hard on brakes.

Good read and lots of opinions. The info about Cobalt was pretty good. One last track event of the year tomorrow at Streets of Willow. This will probably be the end of the stock Brembos at that point. Upgrades planeed before the season begins again in the spring: 20x10 TSW Panorama, Michelin Pilot Super Sport 285/35R20, new pads, and cutom tow point

SSSoon, did you go with the XR2/4 setup? How was your experience with this setup?

Yep I went with the XR4/2 setup. Works great! I swapped them out for OEM after track season was over for me in November and boy what a difference. Just don't think you will want to drive with the Cobalt Friction pads on the street. You would not believe how loud they are. Everyone within 1000 feet stops and looks because it sounds like an out of control school bus.

I seem to be hard on brakes so I am going to do front brake ducts. Still trying to figure out where to run the air from because I used one of the front spots for a scoop for my CAI...

I've used a new front set of pads this year: Performance Friction Brakes PFC Z-Rated. I like them a lot.
Used them for more than 7000miles of street driving and all of my 15 hours of track time. Still a some life left but they wrapped my oem rotors on my last day of track. Pretty cheap as well for that kind of quality pads. $125
I'm buying them again next year with a new pair of front rotors: EBC Performance Dipple/slotted

driser - Carbotechs at least up to XP8 (kind of an entry level track pad, probably HP+ level or a bit better) aren't nearly as hard on rotors as HP+. Entry level, meaning that you can expect to outgrow them fairly quickly and need to look at 10's/12's/higher. They are also a bit noisy, but then again so are the HP+, and it's not like the opinion of people who don't understand that there are pads hugely better than OE replacements matters anyway.

XP8's are not nearly as dusty as HP+ either, and they're more streetable than Carbotech generally suggests - the first stop today in 30° weather still had good bite.

My wife complained about the HP+ noise . . . until I ran it up to about 80 or so, told her to hang on, and nailed the middle pedal to scrub off about 40 mph. She hasn't said a word about brake noise since.


Norm

I've run the Cobalt Friction XR2 front / XR4 rears during the past year on my 1LE for track weekends and was very impressed. Great stopping power vs. stock, very linear and predictable bite, and very reasonable rotor wear. I had three full track weekends on my first set, and could have likely done another day without a problem. I bought the exact same ones for my second set. I only got to use those for 2 20 minute sessions at the last event before weather wiped out the rest if the weekend. I've actually just sold the 1LE as I aggravated an old left knee injury and am having surgery next month. If someone wanted to get my set of Cobalt Friction pads for a track set, they still look essentially new. They are $600 for a set, and I'd let them got for $300 shipped. You can also talk to Rob at Wretched Motor Sports about Colbalt Friction Pads. They are a Pedders suspension shop and know their way around a track in Camaros. Let me know. I'd be glad to send pictures of the pads. Phdpsyla@yahoo.com

I'm a big fan of Cobalt Friction! I ran the XR2 front / XR4 rear setup for the last few events of the year. I've also tried the OEM & Hawk DTC30s.

What is your take on the DTC30 megatron?

FYI my Hawk DTC-30 experience was terrible. 3 sessions on the track and I cooked the pads and warped the rotors. And that is a track I have done before with similar times and had no problem on OEM rotors and pads!!

The whole sad story, with pics, is here:

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...294470&page=14

Would never, ever recommend DTC-30 for road courses.