Quote:
Originally Posted by j o n
I would reach out to him, bargain setup :
https://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=395103
His setup:
Brakes
-C7 Corvette ZO6 Non-Carbon Ceramic Front Calipers w/ Vented Pistons, repainted red with G2 Epoxy Caliper Paint. Custom 1LE and Brembo decals
-DBA 5000 Series Rotor Rings, For C7 Corvette ZO6 Non-Carbon Ceramic, Part # 52770.1, Right and Left, Reuse of ZL1 Rotor hat
-Goodridge Front & Rear ZL1 Brake Hose Kit
-Chevrolet Performance Z/28 Front Brake Ducts and Quantum Rotor Duct Kit with custom intake at existing fog light trim bezels
-DOT 4 Castrol SRF Brake Fluid
-Raybestos ST43 Racing Brake Pads
-Girodisc Titanium Front Caliper Shims
But yes, heavy track goers use girodisc rotors w/ existing z/28 calipers |
LOL, ^^^Looks familiar! Yeah, that's my setup.
Lots to cover here.
The AP setup is a great choice, you cannot go wrong with that setup. But the price is steep. If you are committed for the long term with your car, then it may be a good investment. And it will take hard use all day, all weekend! Better than the OE Brembos without a doubt. The AP/Essex video hits on alot of benefits to their setup vs the Brembos. But I believe the Brembo setup can perform very well, better than AP/Essex would lead you to believe.
here's their video.
Their marketing department sure did squeeze alot out of those OE calipers. That goes back to 2016 or so, it was a member here on the forums. That instance was an exception not the rule! Will OE calipers discolor with continued
excessive high heat? Yes! I said excessive. There are many factors that play a part on heat generation. Cooling, pad selection, piston material, track layout and driver. Late braking is easier on brakes than early, prolonged braking. I run the ZO6 caliper which has the vented pistons. That helps keep heat out of the caliper at the expense of keeping it in the rotor. As long as you have a high temp pad, that is not necessarily a problem. When I bought those calipers I repainted them with VHT caliper paint and threw on some 1LE decals. I did not want the "Corvette" lettering that was on those calipers. I installed the 6 piston setup in September of 2015 using the ZL1 2 piece rotor and the Raybestos ST43 pad. I ran 10 track days with those parts. The VHT paint blistered and my decals discolored. But I had zero brake fade or fluid issues. Admittedly, my brake technique was more of the longer drawn out application. My piston dust boots were burnt. I have since attributed that to my technique and inadequate cool down coming off the track.
The winter of 17-18, I removed the calipers, sandblasted them, rebuilt with the OE vented pistons and OE style Centric seals/boots from Rockauto.com. I repainted the calipers with the the G2 epoxy system. I also bought the above mentioned DBA C7 ZO6 rotor rings and mounted them to my ZL1 hats. And I reused the same ST43 pads from 9/15. The Raybestos pads wear like iron, have great cold bite (surprisingly). Actually too much cold bite on the street sometimes, depending on the state of rotor/pad bed in. I don't really think they are "hard" on the rotors. Like I said, the OE ZL1 rotors went 10 track days and were ready for replacement. I may have gotten more from them, but the cracking was headed to the edge. The Raybestos pad, since they are truly a racing pad, generate lots of heat. They have been used by NASCAR Cup series guys on intermediate tracks.
Fast forward to last year, July 2019, another 10 track days, and I put on a new set of OE ZL1 2 piece rotors. 10 days on the DBA rings, and they still have life in them. Why did I swap them? That event in July was an all day event. I did not want my day cut short if I found the DBAs to be ready for replacement. I have since put them back on for this years season.
So, overall, I have 22 track days of varying length (half, full days) on my setup with zero pad fade or boiling issues. I have used Motul RBF600, then I went with Castrol SRF which is the gold standard. It does have some negatives like cost and its hot compressability. I have since started using Brembo HTC64T , primarily for the better pedal feel of its low compressability.
Oh, and since the rebuild in the winter of 17-18, my boots look perfect. So, my lap times are better in part to better, later braking, but the seals look good. Harder braking, but less heat into the seals.
Now, at my track Pitt Race, my top speed is 127-129. What track are you running at? Your track may be harder on the brakes. I see your running a ZL1 so you have big power, that is tougher on the brakes than it would be on mine (almost 500HP). Any power adders on your ZL1? And your ZL1 weighs more than mine.
That 1LE owner on the AP/Essex page/video, he was using the JDP/Quantum brake ducts. But the duct tubing that they supply is not good. I saw the pics of his setup on the car and saw what tubing he used. I use the JDP/Quantum but I use the old school 3" Thermoid orange tubing. It's less restrictive. He was also not using OE pads. So race pads generate lots of heat. The ZL1 has the very good Ferodo HP1000 pads. It's a good balance between street and track. But, on track, they can be faded. GM still uses this material on the Gen6 SS 1LE, ZL1, and ZL1 1LE. They engineered those brakes to not fade on track on those cars. Lots of OE cooling there. The Gen 6 SS 1LE is essentially using the Gen5 ZL1 front brakes, while the Gen 6 ZL1, ZL1 1LE is using a bigger caliper and rotor (15.4" IIRC).
My aero helps the evacuation of the air within the brakes/wheelhouse. The ZL1 has some aero that helps do this also.
I am also utilizing the OE Z/28 brake ducting which is very similar to the OE ZL1 ducting. This type of ducting is not enough on its own. But I think it is helping to introduce cool air into the wheelhouse, which cannot hurt.
Honestly, I think a Gen5 ZL1 would be awesome with the Gen6 ZL1 front brake setup. It's bigger, more mass for heat absorption. Though that higher mass hurts unsprung weight. Probably still need better cooling than the OE ZL1 cooling though. A Gen6 ZL1 1LE owner on the Camaro6 forums was selling their OE front brake setup a few months ago.