Z/28 at Sears Point HPDE

[backtotintops]

I just did 50 runs back and forth in a parking lot...then I started to worry that someone would call john law and I would have to stop hot...which might damage the brakes...but I got it done and then 10 miles no braking cool down.

Gm should correct this.

[Zfatuated]

Originally Posted by backtotintops

I just did 50 runs back and forth in a parking lot...then I started to worry that someone would call john law and I would have to stop hot...which might damage the brakes...but I got it done and then 10 miles no braking cool down.

Gm should correct this.

How does your pedal feel?

[backtotintops]

During the runs got more travel, lessbraking, only slightly squishy pedal, some smell...pedal is the same now with maybe a little more travel before first bite.

[Col. Brain]

im not engineer enough for this but.....

couldnt you build a device to hook one brake and caliper/pads and do the burnishing in the garage?


Anyone want to help me design it - im a bean counter by trade

[backtotintops]

I "heard" once about baking them in an oven???

[brt3]

Originally Posted by backtotintops

During the runs got more travel, lessbraking, only slightly squishy pedal, some smell...pedal is the same now with maybe a little more travel before first bite.

Check out THIS LINK -- the photos are especially helpful in figuring out whether or not your burnishing is complete:

White appearance results from light street burnishing


White appearance results from heavier track burnishing

[brt3]

Just got the racing alignment done; here's the printout of the before and after. For what it's worth, there's no more negative camber to be had with the OEM suspension parts:

[brt3]

Originally Posted by backtotintops

During the runs got more travel, lessbraking, only slightly squishy pedal, some smell...pedal is the same now with maybe a little more travel before first bite.

Were you getting it up to 60? In my experience, the brakes smell terrible -- I'd have guessed I was trailing a smoke plume but there was none -- and the brakes went really south. This was during my post-lunch run around the access roads at Sears Point, and I followed it by 15 minutes of 65-70 mph driving with no brake application.

Here's something suggested by a friend with Corvettes. Again, in the absence of any kind of statement on this from GM, we are left to our own guesses. I think the procedure listed for the ZR1 and Z06 (w/CC brakes) is probably correct for our cars, but here's my friend's suggestion. He races Z06s and here's his process for new brakes and/or new pads:

I do TEN reps of 0-60-0, then cool just a bit.
Then I do TEN reps of 0-8-0, then cool just a bit
Lastly, I do FIVE reps of 0-100-0 and they should come in.
I HATE bringing in new brakes

[werks]

Originally Posted by brt3

Were you getting it up to 60? In my experience, the brakes smell terrible -- I'd have guessed I was trailing a smoke plume but there was none -- and the brakes went really south. This was during my post-lunch run around the access roads at Sears Point, and I followed it by 15 minutes of 65-70 mph driving with no brake application.

Here's something suggested by a friend with Corvettes. Again, in the absence of any kind of statement on this from GM, we are left to our own guesses. I think the procedure listed for the ZR1 and Z06 (w/CC brakes) is probably correct for our cars, but here's my friend's suggestion. He races Z06s and here's his process for new brakes and/or new pads:

I do TEN reps of 0-60-0, then cool just a bit.
Then I do TEN reps of 0-8-0, then cool just a bit
Lastly, I do FIVE reps of 0-100-0 and they should come in.
I HATE bringing in new brakes

brt3, I drive a Z06 with the CCM rotors and track the car about 25-30 day per season so I've bed a lot of pads lol! There was a typo in earlier covette owners manuals also saying something like only 10x repitations was needed for bedding which caused a bit of confusion for me too initially.

Here is what I do (I run spindle ducts on my car so I first tape those over) to bed new pads: I do 50x back to back stops from 50mph down to 10mph using slightly less brake pressure than needed to kick ABS in. I just leave the car in 2nd when doing this. After about 20 or so stops you are going to start smelling the pads outgassing, as you keep on going a few stops later the pedal will start getting softer and you will notice the braking distance increasing, you will start noticing more of a smell and possibly even see smoke coming off of the pads, a few stops after that you will notice the pads seem to start biting better and your brakign distance decreases noticeably. After teh 50x 50mph to 10mph stops what I do is without doing a cool down I do an additional 10x 80mph to 10mph stops to further heat and outgas the pad for track use. Then I pull the tape ooff my coolign ducts and hop on the hwy for 10-15 miles to cool everything off. I then bleed the brakes before I go to the track after burnishing.

If you do not burnish your pads properly the brakes are quite frankly garbage on the track, so I can understand how you were hating it lol! Once burnished though you will kind that the brakes are imho awesome, they stay consistent and exhibit zero fade. It looks like you run locally so if you and are going to be out this weekend at T-hill stop by and say hi I'd love to take a look at your car, I'll be in an orange corvette with wing on it so hard to miss

[brt3]

Originally Posted by werks

It looks like you run locally so if you and are going to be out this weekend at T-hill stop by and say hi I'd love to take a look at your car, I'll be in an orange corvette with wing on it so hard to miss

Thanks for the input! Katech Track Attack Orange Vette -- that should stand out in any crowd! I'll definitely seek you out as I'll be at T'hill both days. I think it's going to be epic on the 5-mile layout! Though, with the forecast temps, I've been wondering about acquiring a CoolSuit top and bag...

[werks]

Originally Posted by brt3

Thanks for the input! Katech Track Attack Orange Vette -- that should stand out in any crowd! I'll definitely seek you out as I'll be at T'hill both days. I think it's going to be epic on the 5-mile layout! Though, with the forecast temps, I've been wondering about acquiring a CoolSuit top and bag...

That's the one problem with T-hil the summers get a little hot lol! I did a day there last summer that was 108 which was bad, I think it's supposed to be 102 on Sunday which is pushing it too . You quickly find out if your cars cooling system is up to snuff lol!

[backtotintops]

thanks werks...your method is now my official tech sheet on this!

btw...I did 50 runs in 2nd gear 10-60-10 then the 10 mile cool down.

[werks]

Originally Posted by backtotintops

thanks werks...your method is now my official tech sheet on this!

btw...I did 50 runs in 2nd gear 10-60-10 then the 10 mile cool down.

Not a problem! I'm one of the few guys in a vette with the CCM rotors that tracks a lot (25+ days a year) and it took me a while to figure out what works and what does not. After 10+ sets of pads and my second set of rotors I think that I pretty much have it figured out and the least that I can do is pass on the info to help out others. Did you notice your brakes going through the changes that I mentioned above i.e. pedal getting softer, starting to outgass and smell, then suddenly starting to come back in and brake better etc. etc. After the cool down you should have noticed that your brakes worked significantly better!

[backtotintops]

yes, soft then smells, then increased distance to stop but did not notice them suddenly coming back and after cool down they seemed fine...not sure about better as they were amazing even before the burnish. I did not know to cover over the air ducts so it may have not been the best. I got the strong smell but no smoke as I never really stopped fully and was in a beach parking lot with a good cross wind...the pads do not have the white stuff so I'm not sure if I did it fully or the brake ducts helped negate the effect...one thing is for sure the om is totally wrong as brt3 first reported.