ZL1 calipers vs. SS Calipers

[The_bald_eagle_machine]

Hey guys,

Currently, I have stock SS Calipers with R1 concepts drilled and slotted geomet coated rotors, and their optimum OEP pads which are a OEM quality material pad...

Lately i have pushed the car pretty hard with some spirited driving and noticed that after a few pulls, the brakes can't seem to keep up, and start to squeal a bit, and they don't have the braking power that I want them to have. It feels as if I am using every ounce of braking power that the car has to come to a stop from high speeds. The pads and rotors are less than a year old, and both have ALOT of life left in them. I was thinking of switching to a set of ZL1 front calipers and rotors, but I am curious as to how much better they are in terms of performance? Is it possible that I just need to switch to a different braking pad for better performance? This car is 90% street driven, with 10% of hard driving, highway pulls, and some racing here and there.

I want some advice before I drop about $1200 or more on a new front braking setup.

[SS Performance]

A better pad will make an improvement. The ZL1 Big Brake upgrade will make a BIG difference. Larger rotors, more pad area and 6 pistons. Hard to go wrong.

[shu92870]

The Raybestos ST43 are gamers.
Mostly track focused.
VERY touchy and stop on a dime.
BUT
EXTREMELY noisy.

I track 50%
Weekend 40%
Daily 10%

I don’t mind people looking at me.
Haha

[CamaroCracka]

ZL1 brakes are a bargain and well worth it. Look at what aftermarket big brake kits cost. I have them on both my cars. If you really drive it hard, you can put in some brake ducting.

[Trawz]

For harder street use, a better pad would be a good starting point.
Hawk DTS60 or DTS70 are good options.
I also had good luck with EBC Yellows.
Raybestos ST43s are really good but, like Shu said, they are race pads and don't have "good street manners".

If you step up to more track work, the ZL1 or Z06 6 piston conversion are almost mandatory.
I run the Z06 calipers with the ZL1 2-piece rotors with DTS60s and titanium spacers. Couldn't be more happy.

[SaReNi]

EBC yellow for me. work great.

[The_bald_eagle_machine]

I love my current setup so far, the R1 Concepts Geomet Rotors have been good to me, they don't rust, and don't make any loud noises. I also personally love the pads because they are virtually dustless, I rarely clean my wheels at all because there is never any brake dust. Performance wise they are great for everyday driving, but they don't like hard street driving. Recently after a few pulls and hard stops, they have been squealing at me when I come to a stop from what I imagine is too much heat. I think for now, I will add ZL1 front calipers and rotors to my list of things to be "on the lookout for" and see what happens. It looks like the CTSV Calipers are much more readily available, and slightly cheaper. Although they are basically all powdercoated yellow which I am not a fan of. We will see.

[CamaroCracka]

You can get the Vette calipers in red and black. Maybe more. And, they have vented pistons.

[12blkgrayRS]

So what kind of fluid are you using? motul has an excellent fluid for track use. But you would have to replace often, but it has a higher boiling point and controls mushy brakes.

[SS Performance]

I use Castrol. As far as how frequently you need to flush the fluid it doesn't matter what brand you use. All high performance brake fluids require frequent changes.