[USMUCL]

I shared this in a FB group, but wanted to get some feedback here.
I have read the posts and articles, so I understand the mode settings. Please, no lectures.

2018 SS 1LE. DTC-60s all the way around with SRF fluid. Factory SC tires.
Stock power/suspension except for a recent flex fuel tune from Jannetty. I'm advanced/instructor level, but I have been running a FWD platform for a few years. My first time out in the 1LE in June, I spun it in RACE mode, so I decided to back it down to Sport 1 for the last few track days while I got a grip on how to manipulate the car in the corners better.

On Friday, it was my first time out with the new tune, and my speed was already picking up from driver improvement. My first session out in Sport 1, I could feel the ESC kicking in badly through the esses -- so much so that I wondered whether there was something wrong with the tune. Nonetheless, I continued on, knowing I was looking to go to Sport 2 at some point that day anyway.

Well, 15 minutes into that first session, the brake pedal went soft. Came into the paddock to find the fronts smoking, and the calipers had turned a dark maroon color. After cooldown, the pedal came back and I went out the next session in Sport 2 with no problems.

At lunch, I flushed the fluid, but all I had was Motul 600. The rest of the day, I did Sport 2 with zero issues, even with longer run sessions and higher ambient temps. The paint color continued to darken some, but I suspect that train had left the track with that first overheat, and it's now going to continue to darken with "normal" heat levels.

I've never been nice on pads, but this is the first time I've had this happen. The going theory is that the ESC put me over the edge, and I'm fine now.

Just want to be sure I don't need to do anything with the calipers. Anyone else have their calipers change color? I've had several people tell me it was always going to happen at some point, while other Camaro owners experience nothing like this after years of track use.

[Christian1LE]

I don't know if this is related to your PTM settings at all as I've never used sport 1 but this is not normal. if Sport 1 is doing this to your caliper then you should never use it.

If that "dark" doesnt wipe off of the caliper I would rebuild them because it got way way too hot.

I'm no mechanic though, that's just my opinion. If your brakes are still working fine then I would just avoid sport 1 ever again. I've had my brakes smoke before when I come off track but I've never had my calipers turn a different color(besides the normal brake dust).

[BoilerUP]

Calipers changing color isn't atypical...my silver front six-piston Brembo calipers (ATS-V) are starting to get a golden tint to them after running Gloc R12 now R16.

That being said...what do your pads look like? Seems like something was sticking to generate that much heat that quickly. Sport 1 seems to use my rear brakes a LOT more than it does my front brakes.

[USMUCL]

Pads actually aren’t terrible. 5 track days, and they have another 2 or so left.

I keep getting different answers on the color …. someone I trust told me it’s not unusual for them to darken and eventually turn black.

As for Sport 1 …. it was hitting hard enough that I actually wondered whether something was wrong with the tune. Switching to Sport 2 fixed that.

I wonder whether the ESC was going a bit screwy with the new tune? I don’t know. It’s weird. Like I said, the rest of the day went fine using S2.

[Christian1LE]

Originally Posted by USMUCL

someone I trust told me it’s not unusual for them to darken and eventually turn black.

.

Turn black permanently??

I've got about 9000 track miles on my car and I drive it pretty hard on slick tires. My calipers are still red.

As for the PTM I still don't know if it would even do anything with the front brakes, my understanding is that it only activates the rear brakes for stability control. The "cutting sound" you hear is the engine cutting fuel for the traction control. That's not doing anything with your brakes.

[seanblurr]

Back when I had an SS1LE my calipers significantly darkened, though not to that extent.

[N Camarolina]

We've had stories on this forum about front calipers discoloring on 1LEs. If I remember correctly, the common thread is aggressive track pad compounds that operate at higher temps, possibly combined with tracks that don't provide enough cooling zones for brakes. But I'm pretty sure this was happening over multiple track days or even longer, not one session as you experienced. And despite this, typically the SRF doesn't get boil as you experienced.

As far as I've heard on this forum, ESC uses the rear brakes to decrease yaw in an attempt to stop spins, not the front brakes. It's possible ESC was activating on corner exit exits, where increased engine power (from your tune) might be more apt to rotate the rear at a given throttle setting; But again, that should be the rear brakes, not the front.

You say you are advanced level so I assume you apply proper threshold break procedures to minimize heat being generated at the calipers. So to explain smoking brakes and discolored calipers it's pretty much limited to braking without ample cooling in between (either a track with lots of braking zones and no long straights, or somehow the calipers did not release properly). Given that you didn't have problems the rest of the day despite driving on the same track, I'd suspect some kind of caliper release problem. But never heard of that before.

[ICTsccaCamaro]

About 3200 hard miles of track use on mine and they still look nice and red, I have been using OEM pads though when I have replaced them. I only run the car in RACE PTM mode or all off. I also run the Cadillac front and rear brake ducts so I've hopefully got a little more air to the calipers than normal.

[65ffr]

I'm not technically competent enough to copy/paste from the owners manual, but on page 208 of the '23 manual it states "ESC selectively applies braking pressure to any one of the vehicle wheel brakes", so it doesn't just control rear brakes like traction control.

I'd bet an advanced driver running Sport 1 will most likely cook the calipers just like the OP.

[USMUCL]

Some great info guys, and I appreciate it.

No doubt I was more conscious of my braking techniques the rest of the day, so I can’t tell you that didn’t factor in. When I’m being sloppy, I do tend to go into threshold braking zones at 50% and increase braking as I decelerate — versus immediate hard braking and slowly release as you approach turn-in. But, I don’t “drag” them either, so I doubt that was the entire reason for this.

It’s also my understanding that ESC is mostly about the rear brakes. But, I could FEEL them kicking in hard during that first run, and my feeling was it was the fronts as much as anything. But, I might be wrong.

The strange part is that this was my fifth track day with the car and third on this track - first time with a brake issue. First day on the tune though.

What I do know is that I will be extraordinarily conscious of my braking technique going forward, and use only Sport 2 with an eye towards RACE mode.

The decision point for me is whether to replace the calipers or assume the “damage” is only cosmetic and ride them out.

[BoilerUP]

IMO:

Send it. You can inspect the piston boots and do a caliper bleed, but if your pads don't have an abnormal taper I think you're fine.

I do use these on my fronts...

[Slurpee]

Definitely cooked the calipers. At the very least, I would bleed a whole bottle's worth of fluid, but I would lean towards rebuilding them. My "1" has a little yellow discoloration but nothing to that magnitude. I rebuild my calipers once a season, mid way through. Might be overkill, but I had my pedal go to the floor once and I make damn sure it never happens again.

[m6-lt1]

So do you think you boiled the fluid or was it a pad fade issue? Everything I have read says pad fade is when the brake pedal is firm and the car isn’t stopping. I wasn’t sure though since your pedal was soft BUT never went to the floor. I know if it goes to the floor that means the fluid boiled.

I’m a novice and had something similar happen to me on track where my pedal was soft after a few laps, I slowed down a bit after the soft pedal and the firm pedal came back quickly.never went to the floor. I definitely overbraked and dragged the brakes in my case (working on that and will be hard and fast going forward).

[Christian1LE]

Originally Posted by m6-lt1

So do you think you boiled the fluid or was it a pad fade issue? Everything I have read says pad fade is when the brake pedal is firm and the car isn’t stopping. I wasn’t sure though since your pedal was soft BUT never went to the floor. I know if it goes to the floor that means the fluid boiled.

I’m a novice and had something similar happen to me on track where my pedal was soft after a few laps, I slowed down a bit after the soft pedal and the firm pedal came back quickly.never went to the floor. I definitely overbraked and dragged the brakes in my case (working on that and will be hard and fast going forward).

Soft pedal = air in the line = boiled fluid or air in the line for another reason.